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CONTENTS 8 10 11 12 15 16 17 19 21 22 26 28 29 30 45 46
Foreword
Giveaways Industry News Music News Product News Cover Story: Scorpions Whitesnake, Pixies Poppy The Free Nationals, Kirk T Fletcher AVID Drew Parsons Back To School Piano Guitar, Bass Percussion Product Reviews Directory My Rig: Kevin Shirley
Scorpions
People often say that music is subjective and while I don’t necessarily agree with that statement (there definitely is good and bad music-anybody that tells you otherwise probably sucks), one thing I can agree on is that no two musicians ever take exactly the same route on their path to technical competency. Some are self-taught, some are forced into lessons from birth, some attend uni and some don’t even claim to be musicians at all (ie Eno). There really is no right and wrong to any of this, so long as you don’t mind putting in the effort and your aim is true. This issue goes out to all those taking that first step, whether you are trying to finger an F major or you’re ringing in the new year by learning to play Pachelbels Canon with your feet, Everybody’s got to start somewhere.
PG.15
New Year. New Me. PAUL FRENCH- EDITOR
/MIXDOWNMAGAZINE @MIXDOWNMAGAZINE @MIXDOWNMAGAZINE MIXDOWNMAG.COM.AU
Whitesnake
Poppy
PG. 16
PG. 17
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BY MUS ICIA
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MADE
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#302 –
NS FOR MUSICIA
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#301 –
JUNE 2019
APRIL 2019
MAY 2019
MADE BY MUSICIANS, FOR MUSICIANS STREET AND ONLINE DATE: WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 5 AD BOOKING DEADLINE: MONDAY JANUARY 27 EDITORIAL DEADLINE: TUESDAY JANUARY 28 ARTWORK DEADLINE: WEDNESDAY JANUARY 29 For more information on Mixdown Magazine contact us at: (03) 9428 3600 or email paul@furstmedia.com.au
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INTERVIE Beartooth WS — , James Amyl & The Sniff Blake, Frank Iero, ers + more
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PUBLISHER Furst Media Mycelium Studios Factory 1/10-12 Moreland Road East Brunswick VIC 3057 (03) 9428 3600
ONLINE EDITOR Will Brewster will@furstmedia.com.au
MANAGING DIRECTOR Patrick Carr patrick@furstmedia.com.au
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EDITOR Paul French paul@furstmedia.com.au
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Josh Martin
CONTRIBUTORS Rob Gee, Christie Elizer, Nick Brown, David James Young, Adrian Violi, Michael Cusack, Augustus Welby, Luke Shields, Alex Watts, Aaron Streatfeild, James Di Fabrizio, Jack Swann, Alex Winter,
Jessica Over, Eddy Lim, Lewis NokeEdwards, Josh Martin, Taylor Douglas, Ben Eizenberg, Ciara Allen
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FROM THE STUDIO NO COMPROMISE. The award winning ATH-M50xBT harnesses the legendary M50x studio sound for an exhilarating wireless listening experience, with exceptional clarity and deep, accurate bass response - truly bringing the sound of the studio, to the street.
For more information on the M-Series go to audio-technica.com.au
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GIVEAWAYS
IK Multimedia UNO Drum IK Multimedia’s UNO Drum drum machine might just be the coolest little thing we’ve had our hands on in a long time. It’s packed to the brim with crisp analogue and PCM sounds, while the powerful sequencer, inbuilt effects and other features make it suitable for use both in the studio and on the stage. To kick off the new year at Mixdown, we’re giving one of these powerful little units away, courtesy of our good friends at Sound & Music.
Last Month’s Giveaway Winners Kyser Care Wipes Keep your guitars fresh and clean with Kyser’s range of Kyser Care Products, now available in convenient, individually wrapped wipe sachet packets of ten. Their String Cleaner, Lem-Oil and Instrument Polish wipes will keep your guitar looking and playing good even under dry conditions, and thanks to our friends at CMC Music, we had a few bundles to giveaway. Congratulations to our lucky winners: Irena from WA, Belinda from QLD, Joseph from SA!
Audio-Technica M50xbt Headphones
JVB Strings Polymer Coated Strings JVB Strings have been a mainstay in Australian music stores for years, providing guitarists of all creed and calibre with high-quality, affordable strings and accessories. Their recentlyreleased Polymer Coated Strings have been celebrated by several prominent guitarists down under for their bright tone and tendency to sound and feel new even after months of living on your fretboard. Thanks to JVB Strings, we’re giving away a whole year’s supply of these strings to one lucky reader this month.
Audio-Technica are a legendary name in the audio industry, and the M50xBT headphones prove testament to their longevity and quality. Their incredible sound quality makes them suitable for both critical and casual listeners alike, and Bluetooth connectivity lets you listen to music on the go without worrying about tangling up cables. Courtesy of the homies at Audio-Technica Australia, we had a pair of these bad boys to giveaway just in time for Christmas, and the winner is: Simon from SA!
For your chance to win any of these prizes, head to our giveaways page at mixdownmag.com.au/giveaway and follow the instructions. *These giveaways are for Australian residents only and one entry per person. For full terms and conditions visit mixdownmag.com.au/terms-and-conditions
THE SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM AVAILABLE NOW WITH GUESTS: ANDERSON .PAAK, MAC MILLER, KALI UCHIS, DANIEL CAESAR CHRONIXX, SYD, J.I.D, UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA & MORE 8
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INDUSTRY NEWS Australian Music Industry Calls Out Viagago Live Performance Australia (LPA) has drawn a line in the sand and issued a challenge to Swiss ticket reseller Viagogo. LPA CEO Evelyn Richardson says she tried to contact the site three times to discuss its resumption of paid search advertising on Google and refunds for Australian consumers. She didn’t get very far. “The only Australian point of contact is a lobbyist who doesn’t seem to be able to say much more than our message has been passed along.” LPA’s challenge: “We call on Viagogo to come out from behind its PR rep and media comments and meet with the Australian live performance industry. “We have a number of important questions we’d like some answers to, including how they will ensure consumers have a clear pathway to timely resolution of ticketing issues and refunds.” Tasmania’s Dark Mofo festival has warned music fans over their sold out Bon Iver shows in June. Viagogo already has their tix up on its platform …despite the fact Mofo won’t be releasing them until a few days before to thwart scalpers… and at triple mark up. Promoter Michael Chugg gave the platform a serve when 200 Elton John fans were turned away from his Adelaide show for invalid tickets. The Office Of Consumer Affairs is investigating.
Campaign Launched To Tackle Lack Of Australian Music On FM Radio Ever turned on the radio and been pissed off at the lack of Australian artists being played? Feature More Australian Music want to change that. The FM/AM group look to start conversations about local content on Australian radio, free to air TV and streaming services after a report put before Parliament last year found that according to Commercial Radio’s Code of Conduct, stations were required to play 25% Australian contentm but they were only playing 8-10%, and mostly during offpeak times. The report on local content quotas on Australian commercial radio, written by Chrissie Vincent, featured 16 key recommendations and was submitted to Parliament during the Inquiry into the Australian Music Industry. This April, Parliament decided to work on three of the most important recommendations, including a recommendation regarding the local content issue. Vincent has now started the Feature More Australian Music group to create momentum behind current public conversations around content quotas and to pish for change in the application and monitoring of Australian music content quotas for commercial radio and streaming platforms. Made up of a collection of Australian music stars including Michael Chugg, Jane Gazzo, Kram from Spiderbait, Pete Murray, George Sheppard, Angie Hart, Scott Owen from The Living End and more, FM/AM are urging everyone to sign a petition in order to raise support for changes to the CRA code of Conduct when they are next reviewed in March 2020.
NME, Rolling Stone Launch Australian Titles... England’s NME has set up an online Aussie version with daily news and stories and branded events. The NME Awards make a
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return in 2020 (in February in London) with an Australian section. Its first in-depth story was on Amyl & The Sniffers. Rolling Stone Australia returns this year under new owners The Brag Media, who also publish Tone Deaf and The Industry Observer. It will consist mostly of the US content with local music, sports and politics. There’s been an Australian edition since the early ‘70s with a revolving door of owners until a few years ago.
…While Blunt Sharpens Up Five years after the print version was scrapped for digital, Australian alt-rock/heavy music and pop culture Blunt is returning in January 2020. New publisher The Complaints Department Pty Ltd bought it from nextmedia. It is run by Sydney freelance scribes Mike Hohnen (head of operations) and Peyton Bernhardt (head of editorial) who promise the famous Blunt poster magazine is also returning.
Labor To Enshrine NSW Muso’s Right To Play With most of the Sydney lockouts rolled back this month, there has to be more venues for musicians to play. The 2019 Parliamentary Inquiry into Sydney’s Night Time Economy found half of the 22 key music venues in the CBD had closed since the lockouts. NSW Labor is taking the next step, to ensure as many venues be open to live music. Last month, Shadow Minister for Music and the Night Time Economy John Graham moved to introduce a bill which would enforce a right to play live music and the Liquor Act to support a ‘right to play’ and would remove bans on live music. Graham told us there were scores of “ridiculous and totally outdated” laws governing entertainment in 650 venues that had to be eradicated. These included those which would state only Country/Western could be played at a club, no bass in the sound mix, or how many people could be onstage at the same time and, best of all, which way the musicians must face the audience.
Graham said, “We should regulate noise, not ban musicians from turning up to work. The open question is when the drinking venues come back (post-lockouts), will they have a soundtrack? Will there be music being playing in those venues? Labor wants music to be a major part of our city’s night time identity.”
Venues Update * The Queensland government has approved the construction of Brisbane Live, a 17,000 world class concert and sports arena on top of Roma railway station. It is part of its $5.4 billion project to build a second railway network over the river. In the next six months two rival builders will come up with costs and designs. * The multi-arts venue the Substation, in Melbourne’s west, appointed Michaela Coventry as Executive Producer. *One time Gold Coast entertainment venue and night market NightQuarter which closed last year due to escalating rent, finally reopens in early 2020 in the Sunshine Coast.
First signing is 17 year old Sydneysider Mia Rodriguez, who has a Tik Tok following of 2 million, of which 85% are in the US.
Festival Sexual Violence Report Wins Crime Award The authors of the Safety, Sexual Harassment and Assault at Australian Music Festivals report (July 2019) received an award from the Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology for its solutions to issues. In their well-researched report, Dr Phillip Wadds (UNSW Sydney), Dr Bianca Fileborn (Melbourne University) and Prof Stephen Tomsen (Western Sydney University) made recommendations. These included a zero-tolerance approach to such behaviour by promoters (and actually doing something when it occurred), training staff and security on how to respond, and patrons to take responsibility to create a no-nonsense culture.
A Few Other Things….
*Brisbane City Council is looking for a partner to manage Riverstage as a music venue.
The collapse of the Hometown Festival in Brisbane left 43 creditors, including artists, owed $1.87 million.
*Tasmania has a new live music venue, Live from the Third Room, in Deloraine.
Performer and arts administrator Leah Flanagan is new National Manager of APRA AMCOS’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music Office.
Australian Label News Steve Cross and Harvey Saward’s Dot Dash, the in-house label of multi-division Remote Control, inked a new distribution deal with UK’s Proper Music Group. It will distribute its releases through the UK, Europe and Ireland. The first is Gena Rose Bruce’s debut Can’t Make You Love Me, followed by an extended version of the self-titled debut record by Carla Geneve, who last year had four wins at the West Australian Music Awards, as well as a new LP from Sydney bass lord Donny Benét. Chugg Entertainment’s Michael Chugg and Andrew Stone set up City Pop Records, aimed at finding new acts on social media and digital and putting them together with global producers and songwriters.
Brisbane guitarist, songwriter and producer Jack Bratt won the 2019 Grant McLennan Fellowship and will use the $25,000 to spend six months in New York soaking up the culture and writing a solo album. Community station Radio Adelaide, which started operations in 1972, launched a crowd funding campaign to raise $50,000 in order to stay on the airwaves. Organisers of Tasmania’s Party in The Paddock reveal this year’s event will be the last. It started out as a party for 500 people for founder for Jesse Higgs’ 21st, and grew to massive event. “It’s like we’re putting down the family dog,” they said but explained they have to move on.
mixdownmag.com.au
MUSIC NEWS
Parkway Drive Announce National Tour
Download Festival Reveals First Round Of Sideshows
Ed O’Brien Gears Up For Debut Solo LP
Fresh off of the back of performing a keynote set at last month’s Good Things Festival, Byron Bay metalcore juggernauts Parkway Drive have announced their own headlining national tour in June. The Viva The Underdogs tour will see the band trek to arenas in all major cities to celebrate their upcoming documentary of the same name, with US heavy dons Every Time I Die and Hatebreed opening up for the band at each show. Head to the band’s website to grab your tickets today.
Metal mania! Download Festival have announced a string of sideshows to compensate for those cities who miss out on this year’s festivities, with the likes of In Flames, Jimmy Eat World, Deftones, Ministry, Testament and The Hu embarking on headline dates around the country in March. What’s more, sludge metal dons Baroness have been locked in to support Deftones in Brisbane, making for a double header that’s impossible for heavy music fans to turn down. Head to Live Nation to secure your stubs, and keep your eyes peeled for more Download news soon.
Radiohead guitarist and backing vocalist Ed O’Brien has shared details of his forthcoming debut record. The yetuntitled solo effort is set to feature contributions from Radiohead bandmate Colin Greenwood, super-producer Flood, Laura Marling and members of Wilco, The Invisibles and Portishead. He’s also shared the project’s lead single; an immersive, groove-heavy eight minute track called ‘Brasil’, setting a heavy precedent for the quality of the record as well as acting as a reminder of just how good of a musician he is. Stay tuned for more news on this one soon.
Bon Iver Detail First National Tour Since 2012
Splendour In The Grass Reveals 2020 Dates
Solange Locks In Sydney Opera House Residency
Get the tissues ready – Bon Iver are touring Australia this year! Although Justin Vernon and co. debuted their live spectacle Circle at Sydney’s Vivid Festival back in 2016, this year marks their first full Australian tour since 2012, with the band set to perform their celebrated live set to arenas around the country in June. Bon Iver have also been locked in as the headlining act for the next rendition of Tasmania’s Dark Mofo festival. Tickets to these gigs won’t last long: snap yours up via Handsome Tours ASAP.
In case you missed it, Splendour In The Grass celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, ringing in a whopping two decades of festivities. To make sure everybody’s ready for what they’ve got in store, the festival organisers have announced the dates nice and early, confirming that the event will go down from Friday July 24 – Sunday July 26 at the now-religious North Byron Parklands site. They’re also set to announce the lineup far earlier to ensure everyone’s got time to plan their party out – could this mean we’ll be receiving Rage Against The Machine as headliners after all? I guess we’ll have to wait and see...
Soul/jazz/funk sensation (and Beyonce’s incredibly cool younger sister) Solange is set to treat audiences to the Australian debut of her dynamic new live show this month at the Sydney Opera House. Witness!, which was premiered in Hamburg last year to critical acclaim, sees Solange joined by over 30 musicians and dancers, performing new material in what’s been described as “a 360° multi-sensory stage experience like no other”. These shows mark the final performances at the Sydney Opera House before it closes temporarily for refurbishment, and we cannot wait for them. Tickets are on sale now!
Caribou Announces New LP Suddenly
Kool & The Gang, Dweezil Zappa, Guy Sebastian Join Bluesfest 2020
Grunge Pioneers L7 Reveal Australian Tour Dates
After sharing the ripper lead single ‘Home’ back in October, Dan Snaith has announced details of his first album under the Caribou moniker since 2014’s masterful Our Love. The new record, titled Suddenly, will feature twelve new tracks, including ‘Home’ and ‘You And I’, which Snaith says “captures a lot of what the record, and the title of the album, are about - the track changes suddenly and unpredictably and it is about a change in my life that happened out of the blue.” Suddenly arrives via City Slang and Inertia Music on Friday February 28.
As if having Patti Smith, Lenny Kravitz, Crowded House and Dave Matthews Band weren’t enough, Bluesfest have added even more acts to their huge 2020 festival. Their latest announcement sees the likes of dancefloor incinerators Kool & The Gang, fretboard annihilator Dweezil Zappa and Australian vocal powerhouse Guy Sebastian joining the festivities in Bryon Bay, as well as highly-anticipated appearances from The Waifs, The Gipsy Kings, Allen Stone and Ash Grunwald. Apparently there’s also more to come: if you haven’t already booked your tickets for April, get onto it soon.
Seminal American alt-rockers L7 have detailed their plans to tour Australia this May. The self-appointed ‘slob-girl’ group, who formed way back in 1985, will be trekking to Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne this May in support of their full-length offering Scatter The Rats, released last year on Joan Jett’s Blackheart label. L7 are regarded as one of the best bands to bring grunge to the masses in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s: go pay your dues to what they carved out for us all. Tickets are available from Oztix online.
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PRODUCT NEWS
The iCON Platform Nano Is Out Now INNOVATIVE MUSIC | INNOVATIVEMUSIC.COM.AU Looking to get away from your mouse and keyboard? The new Platform Nano from iCon gives you total control over your computer production process, and comes with overlays and AutoMap to suit just about every DAW or MIDI function under the sun. With a motorised fader, a 10-bit screen, dual function rotary encoders, an assortment of tactile backlit buttons for navigation and wireless functionality, the Platform Nano is the studio Swiss Army Knife you never knew you needed so badly.
Maton Release The Pristine Vera May Special Acoustic
Carl Martin Announce The Acoustic GiG Multi-Effects Pedal
Rode Launch Groundbreaking New Camera Mic-The Videomic NTG
MATON | MATON.COM.AU
INNOVATIVE MUSIC | INNOVATIVEMUSIC.COM.AU
RØDE MICROPHONES | EN.RODE.COM
As the wife of Maton founder Bill May and long considered as the matriarch of the Maton name, Vera May toiled alongside Bill as he took Maton from a shed-born passion project to Australia’s finest instrument manufacturers, handling all administrative and financial aspects of the brand up until her retirement in 1987. The Vera May Special acts as a tribute to the undeniable influence Vera has had upon the brand, and enshrines her as one of the most respected figures in Australia’s musical instrument sector today. Contact your local Maton dealer today and pick up a little piece of history.
Danish effects dons Carl Martin have unleashed the whopping Acoustic GiG, a multi-effects unit dedicated solely to acoustic players. Featuring a compressor/limiter, vintage style echo, reverb, boost and three-band parametric EQ, the Acoustic GiG offers literally everything you’d ever need for your next, uh, acoustic gig. It’s also got a nifty phase inverting switch to avoid feedback, as well as an inbuilt tuner and mute function to sweeten the deal. Try one out in your local music store next month.
Mic heroes RODE recently announced the release of the much anticipated VideoMic NTG on-camera shotgun microphone. Touted as the ‘most versatile video mic ever’, the VideoMic NTG brings the signature broadcastquality sound of RODE’s revered NTG shotgun range to the video crowd, with versatile boom and camera mounting capabilities, USB operability and an in-built rechargeable battery capable of 30+ hours in the field. Get to your local RODE dealer and check’em out.
Warwick Gmbh To Be Exclusive Licensee For Sadowsky Guitars Ltd. AMBER TECHNOLOGY | AMBERTECH.COM.AU In a move that sure to shake up the guitar world, , Warwick guitars have recently announced a deal with Sadowsky Guitars that will see the two companies working in cahoots, to expand operations and give Roger Sadowsky a well deserved rest .“I started in this business as a one-man shop, with the luxury of spending all of my time doing what I love most— crafting instruments.’ explained Sadowsky from his New York workshop. ‘After 40 years of working six days a week running the business, I'm thrilled that this partnership with Warwick will enable me to return my focus to custom-built instruments’. The new Warwick/Sadowsky guitars will be exclusively distributed in Oz by Amber Technology.
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Jands Appointed As Distributor Of Community & Apart For Australia/ New Zealand JANDS AUSTRALIA | JANDS.COM,AU Hot off the heels of picking up the Pioneer DJ distributorship, Audio heavyweights Jands recently announced their appointment as Australian/New Zealand distributor for Community loudspeakers and Apart Audio. This further cements Jands as one of Australias premier loudspeaker distributors with Community, Apart and Biamp all finding a home amongst the Jands stable of brands.
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PRODUCT NEWS
PreSonus Release Free Update For Studio One 4.6 LINK AUDIO | LINKAUDIO.COM.AU PreSonus have updated their flagship DAW Studio One with a swathe of practical new features to take its user experience to a whole new level. Version 4.6, which is available to download for free via the Studio One website, includes a new version of Ampire’s acclaimed guitar and stompbox plugin, as well as improvements to its programming and pattern editing features, an updated version of content sharing platform Exchange 2.0 and direct export to SoundCloud.
Gallen Kruger Legacy Combos Now In Oz!
The Ashun Sound Machines Hydra Synth Is Coming To Australia
ELECTRIC FACTORY | ELFA.COM.AU
INNOVATIVE MUSIC | INNOVATIVEMUSIC.COM.AU
GK’s new Legacy series of combo amps have finally touched down on Australian soil! Featuring the the all new legacy preamp (which share the DNA of GK’s legendary 800RB Bass head), the Legacy series offers the same crystalline tones and expansive headroom the GK acolytes have come to know and love and all in a handy combo form! Enquire with your local GK dealer today.
After being announced back in September, the Ashun Sound Machines Hydra Synth is finally expected to arrive in Australia within coming months. The first product from ASM, the Hydra Synth takes wavetable synthesis to a whole exciting new level, with 219 waveforms, three oscillators, pulse width modulation, two filters and five LFOs offering the ultimate soundscaping experience for synth nuts. It’s available as both a keyboard and desktop synth, and we can’t wait to test it out.
Nura Now Taking Pre-Orders For Companies First True Earphone‘The Nuraloop’ NURA | NURAPHONE.COM Aussie start-up legends Nura recently announced the newest addition to their product line(and the companies first true earphone) the much anticipated Nuraloop. Employing the same groundbreaking adaptive technology that made the Nuraphone such a sensation, all housed in a lightweight, sweat resistant chassis, the Nuraloop is sure to get people talking. Vist nuraphone.com and pre-order yours while you still can!
Markbass Dip Their Toes Into The Instrument Sector CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU
Unlock Your Mind With The Kyser Quick Change Tie-Dye Capo CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU Normal capos giving you bad juju? Never fear – Kyser are here to realign your chakras with the new Quick Change TieDye Capo. Tipping its hat to the hippies of the ‘60s and ‘70s, this funky new capo is perfect for expressing all the peace and love your music conveys further onto your audience, and because it’s a Kyser, it’ll last you a lifetime – good vibes forever. Also, there’s no way you’re going to lose this bad boy: check it out in stores today.
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Huge news for the bass world – after spending the better part of twenty years finessing the amplifier market, Italy’s Markbass are launching their own instrument line. To kick things off, they’ve teamed up with Cameroonian bassist Richard Bona to create two fantastic new four and five-string models – the Kilimanjaro and Kimandu basses. With a distinctive design, deluxe soapbar pickups and fitted with premium hardware, this new line from Markbass is not going to disappoint. Stay tuned for more news in coming months.
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ULTRA. NEVER PLAY A TELE® THE SAME WAY AGAIN. The American Ultra Telecaster ® in Texas Tea features a series/parallel circuit for a hotter output and fatter tone, activated by an S-1 switch. American Ultra Series: All-New Body Contours. Ultra Noiseless ™ Pickups. Our Fastest-Playing Necks.
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SCORPIONS ROCKING IN A CRAZY WORLD They may have been around since 1965 and have an average age of 63, but German hard rock royalty Scorpions are planning to tear Australian audiences a new one when they co-headline with Whitesnake in a few weeks. The five-piece, perhaps best known for their 14-million-selling, 1991 power ballad ‘Wind of Change’, will have been on their ‘Crazy World’ tour for close to three years by the time they arrive for shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane on 19th, 22nd and 24th of February respectively. Founder member, 71-year-old rhythm guitarist Rudolf Schenker, can’t wait to reconnect with fans here, speaking of previous visits and chances to reconnect with the enthusiasm and vitality of someone a third of his age. “We’re coming back because we love it so much,” he says. “I remember that in 1992 we had a fantastic offer to go to Australia, but my friends were so tired from touring after one and a half years on the road with the [original] ‘Crazy World’ tour, and we had a number one or number two hit in Australia with ‘Wind of Change’, and I said, ‘let’s get this done’. But we were tired and people couldn’t be convinced, and now we have the possibility. “In 2016 we played some shows there with Def Leppard and we had a great experience there. That was the reason we said to our agents that before we go into the studio to make a new album, we would like to do another tour in Australia to heat up the market, then the offer to go and co-headline with Whitesnake came up.” The two bands make perfect sense as co-headliners, having known each other for decades and recently having played monumental festivals together. “We played with Whitesnake already this year in Brazil”, Schenker says. “We played Rock in Rio with the Chili Peppers, Iron Maiden, Muse, Imagine Dragons and our friends Bon Jovi, and [the festival] voted us the best act in Rock in Rio for 2019! That’s pretty good for a band that has been on the road for over 50 years.” Founded in 1978 by former Deep Purple singer, David Coverdale, Whitesnake arrive in Australia on the back of the release of thirteenth album, Flesh & Blood, released in May. It’s been 12 years since they last played here. “We get on so well together with Whitesnake as we have been friends for years,” Schenker says. “They are great people. I remember, in the old days, the headliners would try to fuck over the openers because they were afraid they would be better than them. Our way is different. We want to be the best; there’s no question about this, but we are friends and our bands, Whitesnake and Scorpions, have a crossover in
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"WE STARTED TRAVELLING AROUND THE WORLD TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT GERMANS WEREN’T BRINGING WAR; THEY WERE BRINGING LOVE, PEACE AND ROCK AND ROLL." fanbase. In the end, we have the possibility to convince the audience that the whole night was a great package and send them home happy. It needs to be the whole evening, the whole show, all the bands being fantastic. In the old days, rock and roll was a rough and tough kind of music, but, these days, David Coverdale is a gentleman onstage.” ‘Wind of Change’, which describes the breakdown of the former USSR and the fall of the Berlin Wall, became, for millions, the political anthem that accompanied the reunification of Europe after 50 years of division. Schenker sees it differently. “‘Wind of Change’ became the soundtrack to the most peaceful revolution on earth”, he says. “But we didn’t see the song as a political statement; we saw it as a human being statement or a statement of hope. We hope that people – human beings – can find a way to live together in peace. As our planet becomes smaller and smaller, we need to have the right way to bring people together and not against each other. The reason we are on the ‘Crazy World’ tour now is like when
we were on the ‘Crazy World’ tour 30 years ago. Then, it was crazy in a positive way, with the Berlin Wall coming down and two big worlds coming together and making some peaceful decisions, but now, we are looking at a crazy world in a more negative way. We are always two steps forward, one backwards. “In the ‘60s and ‘70s we started travelling around the world to show people that Germans weren’t bringing war; they were bringing love, peace and rock and roll. That’s the reason we were one of the first rock bands to play in Russia; to show people that music is a very important part in life. Mozart said, ‘What would be the world without music?’ and he is right. Music is the best communication you can have.” The permanent addition of former Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee in 2016 provided a welcome shot in the arm after James Kottak’s dismissal for alcoholism. The band’s live performance has benefitted in new and unexpected ways, Schenker says. “We were fighting very hard to get James back into the band,” he says. “We were hoping that we could keep him in the band, but after bringing him into a rehab kind of place to get him away from drinking, people were telling us that he needed more time than we could give him. Matthias [Jabs – lead guitarist] said that Motörhead had been friends with us since they opened for us in 1974 in Blackburn, England. When we got the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, they were there and we became friends. When Lemmy was very sick, I went to his dressing room to see him and I congratulated him for 40 years of Motörhead being together, and he congratulated me for 50 years of Scorpions being together. We were close, and when Lemmy died around Christmas, Matthias had the idea to ask Mikkey Dee. I called him, and he has always been a Scorpions fan. “I can tell you, when Mikkey Dee was on the drums during our first rehearsal, I had to kick my ass again because it was a very strong attack he takes and he makes me a more effective rhythm guitar player. The right riff with the right edge is the way I play, and this is the way he plays his drums. We always have fun when we play every show. It’s fun to be onstage and kicking each other’s ass – people can see that and they are impressed. They can see that, even though those fucking bastards are 70 years old, they’re still rocking like a hurricane!” BY PAUL MCBRIDE Scorpions are playing three huge arena shows with Whitesnake next month in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Head to Live Nation to grab your tickets today.
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MUSIC INTERVIEWS Calling in from his adopted home of Reno, Nevada - despite admitting to being under the weather - the former Deep Purple lead singer is in a jovial mood as he jokes about the holiday season, getting older and his memories (or lack thereof) from Whitesnake’s last trip Down Under. “It was the Good to Be Bad World Tour, was that 2008? That’s far too long. But I’ll be excused for not remembering a fucking thing being as I’m three score and eight years old now,” he smiles. “No, each time was a blast. We’ve always been treated with the greatest kindness and hospitality. “In fact, the biggest dilemma we have with your magnificent country is the absolute distance because we refuse to do what a lot of bands do and pick up equipment while we’re there to do the shows to save money. I take my own equipment, because it’s all customised. A lot of our contemporaries these days also use backing tapes - to me that’s not kosher. My philosophy is it’s gotta be a proper frickin’ Whitesnake show or what’s the point?”
Whitesnake Poise To Strike “It’s frickin’ snowy today! Everybody said it would. Keep your fuckin’ mouth shut I say,” laughs the charming Rock and Roll Hall of Famer David Coverdale. “Seriously, it’s totally beautiful though.”
This February, not only has Coverdale promised to deliver an authentic Whitesnake experience, they will be sharing the stage with another band considered to be rock royalty. “With the release of our new album Flesh and Blood there’s obviously a hot bed of support for us so it makes sense to come now,” he says. “And we’re coming out with our dear friends the Scorpions. Just ask anyone, the Scorps and Snake? That’s worth the price of admission for a start.” Flesh and Blood is Whitesnake’s thirteenth studio album and is the fuel powering their current world tour, but as Coverdale tells me, the new songs almost never saw the light of day. “The Purple Album in 2015 was going to be my tribute album to the band that brought me into the business and I thought it was a good way for me to bow out. We hadn’t done an album with new songs since Forever More in 2011, and I thought ‘Fuck it!’ Not to sound arrogant, I hope not, but what the fuck else do I have to prove?” he says.
For a more immersive and intriguing experience, however, you could pre-empt your listen with It’s a Pixies Podcast, a comprehensive one-off series in which every waking moment in the studio was recorded while the legendary alt-rockers made their new album. “Of course there were concerns at first,” says Joey Santiago, the band’s lead guitarist. “We were worried about our privacy, and we were worried that the creative process was going to be compromised in the process. Would we be stifling ourselves? Would we have to be on our best behaviour, knowing that we were being recorded? As it turns out, that wasn’t the case at all. The microphones were so small, and so hidden – they were definitely the smallest piece of equipment in the studio. Tony [Fletcher, interviewer and host] was a real professional about the whole thing, too – on the rare occasions we’d need him to leave the room, he would do it without any issues at all.”
Portraying The Pixies There are two ways of listening to Beneath the Eyrie, the seventh studio album from the Pixies which dropped back in September. You could proceed as normal, spinning the LP with zero context whatsoever – and, of course, still find it enjoyable regardless.
When questioned about how the documentation process would have gone while the Pixies were in the studio making any of their classic-era albums, Santiago is the first to acknowledge that their group’s infamous hostility would have only made for a truly uncomfortable listening experience. “Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde were definitely the dark years of the Pixies,” he says. “We wouldn’t have let anyone in around that time. Even if we did, you wouldn’t have gotten anything. We were barely even talking to one another. Beyond Dave [Lovering, drums] saying ‘one, two, three, four,’ there was next to nothing. It would have felt as uncomfortable as what I imagine the Beatles would have been like while they were making Let It Be – y’know what I mean? It’s like having a baby to save a marriage – it ain’t gonna work.” The irony of Santiago’s recollection isn’t lost on him. Despite acrimoniously splitting in 1993, the Pixies famously reunited in 2004 and have remained together ever since. In fact, the Pixies have been reunited nearly twice as long as they were originally a band – which is a longevity that Santiago himself could have never seen coming.
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“Then my wife said ‘Well, you weren’t really writing songs to prove yourself, you were writing songs to express yourself’, and I thought Oh, that’s actually really correct. Then I thought, my god, everyday I sit down with a guitar or a piano and something comes up - so my wife has banned me from using the word retirement any more!” he laughs. “So this time I brought in Joel [Hoekstra, guitars] and Rev Beach [guitars and backing vox] who I’ve never really co-written with before, and we ended up with the Flesh and Blood album which is one of my favourite fucking Whitesnake albums of the lot. Putting the new vibrant songs into the show actually revitalises the older songs, they feed off each other. “Also everyone in the band - besides Tommy [Aldridge, drums] is a good singer, so we not only have big bollocksy music at the bottom, we have crisp harmonies on the top, which is extraordinarily pleasing for us, and it’s not PR bullshit this band gets on great which is as rare as hens’ teeth. There are an awful lot of bands who stay together for the almighty dollar - that’s not the case here. “And if people don’t believe that,” Coverdale adds, “all they have to do is come to the show and witness the passion, the excitement, and the electricity we share. Even though Whitesnake is my baby, I feel honoured to be these guys lead singer - so come see how real Whitesnake is. BY NATALIE ROGERS
Catch Whitesnake performing around Australia with fellow rock legends Scorpions next month. Tickets are available via Live Nation.
“Initially, in that first year, I thought we’d have maybe two years of doing it,” he says. “Then, when we reached that two year mark, we had these promoters and stuff grinning at us every time we came to town. They’d say, ‘You guys could do this forever!’ I just thought, ‘Really?’ I wasn’t sure about that at all – but, lo and behold, they were right. We just had to take it one tour at a time.” In 2013, shortly after the departure of bassist Kim Deal, the Pixies began releasing new music for the first time in over two decades. The intervening years have given us three new studio albums from the band – 2014’s Indie Cindy, 2016’s Head Carrier and now Beneath the Eyrie. At first, critical response was divisive – particularly around Indie Cindy – but with each release, there’s been a greater understanding at hand that the Pixies aren’t just cashing in on nostalgia anymore. “It’s given us life,” says Santiago of making new Pixies music. “This is what we love to do. We knew, after awhile, that we had to go and make an album – for anything, to entertain ourselves. We couldn’t put our hearts into doing the same set every day again for a year. We love making new music. This band has become our pet project again. We have no desire to start new bands or tour with anybody else.” He laughs, before incredulously concluding: “We can do this forever.” BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
Beneath The Eyrie is out now via BMG. Catch Pixies on tour around Australia this March.
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MUSIC INTERVIEWS With a diverse back catalogue ranging from two ambient albums, classic bubblegum pop, reggae, dance music and her new heavier metal aesthetic, Poppy’s creative output is astonishing. “I try to make something new every day so I’m open and aware of things . . . I think it’s important to exercise the muscle.” Growing up in the deep American South, Poppy’s father was in a punk band and at home, she listened to Blondie, Gwen Stefani, Nine Inch Nails and Gary Numan. She states these artists as current influences, saying “I’ve been listening to a lot of the band Air and the White Stripes today, but ask me tomorrow I’ll say something else”, which seems quite fitting based on the broad stylistic scope of her releases and genre bending, tonal change-ups within some of the songs themselves.
Underneath Poppy's Scary Mask Poppy is a force to be reckoned with. The 21 year old Nashville born creative moved to Hollywood at 18 and subsequently put out three EPs and is about to release her fifth album.
This fluidity can be seen quite vividly in her single 'X';. The convention defying song fluctuates between a Beach Boys style verse, a nu-metal Slipknot-esque chorus and a trap style post-chorus before moving to a double time ballad rock finale reminiscent of My Chemical Romance’s 'Welcome To The Black Parade'. Pair this with the music video that depicts a cult like day in the sun juxtaposed with her covered in blood in front of an all black masked band singing ‘Gimme gimme bloody, please gimme bloody’ and you start to understand why Poppy dubs her music as ‘post genre’. This song specifically marked a stylistic change for Poppy on which she says “I fell in love with music again while recording 'X'” and that she is “really enjoying destroying all the things that were holding me back.” This also means moving on from collaborator Titanic Sinclair, who helped create the Poppy image with a series of haunting, David Lynch-esque YouTube videos and co-writing most of her catalogue to date. On this, she tactfully stated, “In the past we’ve made a lot of videos together and songs as well, and now going forward I’m choosing to explore other endeavours and opportunities.” Along with her music, her fashion has moved towards a heavier aesthetic. “Fashion has always been a very important part
of my world since the very beginning . . . I really am drawn towards more industrial leaning things but I always like to pair that with something soft and sweet and I think that’s kind of like my personality and my music.” This is evident in the title track from Poppy’s new album I Disagree, a big middle finger to the high ups in the music business floating between layered spoken and screamed parts and pop vocals. In the music video Poppy is depicted burning record executives wearing metal spikes and chrome which she states “was always a dream of mine” before appearing as an angelic figure floating and preaching to the masses. On the influence behind this track, Poppy says “I was in a really bad record contract for a number of years and then I didn’t like music anymore and then I got out and I wrote 'X' and I started to like my life again.” Poppy’s fan base is one of absolute devotion. So much so that the more committed fans are dubbed cult members. “My cult members are the ones that follow me around on tour. I’ve had quite a few fans follow me all throughout Europe on my tours, starting from the very first one . . . I feel very lucky to have fans that do that.” Poppy herself knows most of their names and says “I love them all.” 2020 is set to be a big year for Poppy. In addition to putting out her new record and finishing her second graphic novel, Poppy’s year will consist of “touring the world many times and releasing my film that I’ve been working on. My tour starts January 22nd and I hope to come back to Australia early 2020.” On the film, Poppy says “It’s a horror film, but that’s all I’m allowed to say.” BY SAM MCNIECE
Poppy’s new record I Disagree will be out on Sumerian Records on January 10, 2020.
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MUSIC INTERVIEWS “It started in Los Angeles, California. It was a trio – Anderson .Paak, Ron Avant and me, Jose Rios – and we were basically a cover band in the beginning,” says Rios, the band’s guitarist. “We didn’t call ourselves the Free Nationals at the time, but that’s what I would consider to be the beginning of the Free Nationals.”
“If you would’ve asked me six months ago, I’d have probably been upset and I’d be talking a lot of shit, but I feel good now,” Rios says. “We just had some hiccups. A lot of it had to do with our touring schedule with Anderson. It was extensive, it slowed things down, Anderson was putting out two albums at the same time. That was really what held us back.
Avant soon tired of playing bass parts on the keyboard, which brought bass player Kelsey Gonzales into the picture. Around this time they stopped being a covers band and started performing .Paak’s originals.
“We had our arguments and we had our setbacks, but at the end of the day I’m a person who believes things are going to happen the way they’re supposed to happen regardless.”
“That went on for a few years and then Ron stepped out because he started picking up gigs – he started playing with Snoop and some other artists,” Rios says. “We went on with that for a little bit and then in comes Callum [Connor, drums]. He brought production; he was DJing at the time. That went on for a while and then Ron came back at Coachella and we had one of the most fucking incredible Coachellas. It was everyone on stage together for the first time.”
Feeling The Funk With Free Nationals Free Nationals have just released their debut album, but the LA band’s been on the radar of anyone with a taste for contemporary funksoul for a few years now. Until quite recently, they were best known as Anderson .Paak’s live band, but their formation precedes .Paak’s rise to fame.
.Paak and the Free Nationals’ Coachella performance followed .Paak’s 2016 record, Malibu. The tour brought a lot of attention to the band, most notably via their NPR Tiny Desk Concert, which currently has 41 million YouTube views. The idea of making their own record arose around this time. “Anderson encouraged us to really step up and put a record out,” says Rios. “He felt that it would be something for us to be proud of and put our names on it. He felt like it would be a good idea, we all agreed, and we went for it. And that’s the product that we have now.” The band first hyped the record back in February 2018 while on the Laneway festival tour with .Paak. They told Triple J’s Ben and Liam they expected to release something around mid-2018. However, the Free Nationals’ first single, ‘Beauty & Essex’ (feat. Daniel Caesar and Unknown Mortal Orchestra), didn’t arrive until October 2018 and we had to wait until December 2019 for the full length, self-titled release.
His emotive guitar playing and soulful vocals, as well as a relentless touring schedule that sees no end in sight has seen him leap above the pack to become one of the most respected instrumentalists of his age. As well as being a bandleader and frontman for his own group, Kirk has filled the guitar spot as a side man for some of the biggest names in business, including none other than The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Joe Bonamassa. Born and raised in Bellflower, California, Kirk was steeped in the gospel tradition - his father was a Baptist minister and his elder brother Walter played guitar in church. At the tender age of eight he took up the guitar and pretty soon was playing well enough to play to the same congregation. This year in February, Fletcher returns to Australia in support of his new album Hold On, his fourth solo record and his first of entirely original material. The new release covers a lot of different ground, from straight up blues and soul to funky RnB, and showcases Fletcher’s versatility and love of different styles without straying too far from what makes blues unique.
Kirk Fletcher Holds On To The Blues Over the last few years Kirk Fletcher has made a serious impression on the blues world – a notoriously hard nut to crack in this day and age.
Having spent time as a touring guitar player at some of the biggest venues and festivals in the U.S and Europe, Fletcher is at home both as a sideman and frontman, and has built a solid reputation as one of the finest in his field. The new LP was recorded in Canyon Sound in London over the space of a week, using Jonny Henderson on organ and bass with Matt Brown on drums in what Kirk described as a ‘relaxed atmosphere’. In the blues tradition, the band tracked the entirety of Hold On live in the studio together, with the vocals being the only overdubbed aspect of the record. “I don’t like to spend a lot of time on something, “Fletcher says over the line from Switzerland, where he’s lived for a number of years. “If it’s not working on the first or second take, we’d move on to the next track.” A real treat on the album comes courtesy of Australia’s own Mahalia Barnes and Jade Macrae on backing vocals, who Fletcher became acquainted with when they were on the road with Joe Bonamassa.
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Rarely have you seen a more stacked guest list. After ‘Beauty & Essex’ came ‘Time’ with Mac Miller and Kali Uchis, ‘Eternal Light’ with Chronixx, ‘Shibuya’ with Syd and ‘Gidget’ with .Paak. The record also includes T.I, J.I.D., Westside Gunn and Conway and some names that aren’t as widely recognised like Shafiq Husayn, MIKNNA and Benny Sings. “We didn’t go into this like, ‘This is what it’s going to sound like, this is what we’re going to do,’” Rios says. “They basically said, ‘make an album.’ We said, ‘ok.’ We did what we know how to do and what we do naturally – we just went in the studio and we made music. “That was the quick part and then it was like, ‘ok, well, we’ve got music, but where the fuck are the words?’ We’re like, ‘alright, you’ve got Syd’s number right?’ And then eventually she gets on it. ‘Kelsey, you’ve got Chronixx’s number right? You’ve got Benny Sings right? Let’s hit ‘em up.’ “They get on it and now we’re getting closer to something, because we’ve got words now, we’ve got songs. Then Daniel Caesar throws his thing in, Anderson sets that up, and before you know it we had like ten songs with artists on it. Everything happened very organically and natural. Farm-raised, free range music.” BY AUGUSTUS WELBY Free Nationals is out now via Sweat It Out Music/Empire.
“Oh man, when those girls sing together it really is something else!” He says with genuine excitement and respect. Far too often blues and jazz musicians can fall into the trap of standing in the shadows of the greats that came before them, without establishing their own sound or identity. Luckily, Fletcher sidesteps this problem by taking all the music he grew up on and synthesising it into a style that is instantly identifiable and entirely his own. This has as much to do with his almost encyclopedic knowledge of the blues greats that preceded him as it does his soulful voice, which is by turns muscular and sweet while avoiding the histrionics that many others in his genre fall victim to. When it comes to guitars used on the album, Fletcher is surprisingly minimal, considering the range of tones throughout. ”Oh, I just used two Telecasters. One has standard single coil pickups and one has humbuckers - it’s kind of a Thinline guitar - and I used an old Fender amp.” The old saying is true – all the tone lays in the fingers. If you’re keen on checking out one of the best in the business show off his craft, there’s no better chance than now to check out Fletcher’s live set. Expect soaring vocals, funky grooves and an undeniably unique level of guitar wizardry when he hits the road with his band this February. BY MATT DWYER
Kirk Fletcher is touring Australia this February. Head to Gerrard Allman Events to scope out the details and secure your tickets today.
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TALKING PRO TOOLS WITH AVID'S DREW PARSONS It goes without saying that Avid and audio education go hand in hand. The creators of the industry defining Pro Tools software (and long time supporters of audio education both in Australia and internationally) have over the course of the last 20 years, singlehandedly revolutionised the audio landscape, in the process rewriting the curriculum for what should be taught in schools. With the continued growth of the Audio and post-production industries in this country, we figured it was time to sit down with Avid rep Drew Parsons, to talk Pro Tools, audio education and how to prepare students for life after school in what is, an extremely dynamic and evolving industry. Mixdown Magazine: Walk into any studio in the world – be it music, post-production, sound design or other – and nine out of ten times you will find an Avid Pro Tools system of some description. What do you think it is about the software that resonates so much with the working professional? Drew Parsons: I think that as well as helping establish the very beginnings of DAW solutions Pro Tools has been continuously innovating while still providing a familiar interface for several decades. It is the language of the digital studio in many ways. In critical situations, Pro Tools provides a unique DSP powered extremely low latency solution but also can be used in completely host based applications to cover an extremely wider user base. All in all I think versatility, processing power and familiarity are the three main reasons it resonates so much.
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Avid was one of the first developers to offer educational pricing for their software and the company continues to be a big supporter of audio education, both in Australia and abroad. Can you tell our readers a bit about the student/teacher versions of Pro Tools? What are they? Who is eligible? Do they offer the same features as PT standard? The feature set is exactly the same as a non educational copy of Avid software. If you are a student, teacher, or faculty member at a qualified academic institution, you can purchase Pro Tools, Media Composer, and Sibelius at significantly discounted education pricing, as long as you meet the eligibility requirements and can provide proof of eligibility. A lecturer once told me that having a solid Pro Tools skillset was, “akin to having a manual licence. It just opens up so many more doors in our industry.” Do you think this statement still holds true and what advice would you give young students who are just starting to learn the language of Pro Tools? Absolutely it still holds true. Pro Tools is still the mainstay in many of the largest post, broadcast and music studios around the world. The media industry is a fast paced and high performance industry, any advantage you have puts you in a strong position when wanting to work at any of these facilities. With the emergence of on-demand streaming services like Netflix and Stan, and with the gaming industry continuing to grow, there has never been more demand for score composers and music for film. How can notation tools like Avid Sibelius help workflow for budding composers? Can the same be said for Pro Tools and the sound design/foley industry? Sibelius is a great creative tool for all music composers, weather you’re composing in a DAW like Pro Tools and exporting to Sibelius or working in the program it self. Sibelius
meets the needs for any composer needing to share a composition with an ensemble or orchestra to perform. Pro Tools also meets the needs for sound design and foley artist alike. Not only does Pro Tools have a strong set tools but has seamless compatibility with a huge range of third party plugins and tools to help creatives in the design space. Avid has always been at the forefront of many advancements in the postproduction space and in many ways helped usher in the new era of Dolby Atmos and immersive mixing as we know it. Can you tell our readers a bit about Dolby Atmos, the kind of effects that are possible and how installations like an Avid/Dolby Atmos Production Suite are being integrated into the broader audio curriculum? Dolby Atmos is a popular surround sound format that can be found in everything from iPhones, home theatre systems or large cinemas. The biggest change from previous formats is the addition of height channels. One of the benefits to mixing in Atmos is you can playback your mix in different environments and your mix will translate every time. Avid and Dolby have been working together for time to make the workflow between both platforms as integrated and seamless as possible. With the most recent updates to Pro Tools we have extended this functionality even further which makes it even easier for our users to work with this format. For an educational institution demonstrating new immersive formats attracts new students with this exciting technology but also a good basis going into an industry where these formats are becoming the norm. On top of their ground-breaking software, Avid is also known for making some of the most intuitive DAW controllers on the market. Do you think there is something to be said for hands on navigation, especially for someone learning their craft?
Absolutely, not only does it give you the ability to control multiple parameters at once. It really does bring the software to life. You can focus on being creative instead of navigating through pages and drop down menus to find what you are looking for. We have actually just released the new Avid S1 which is a small eight fader control surface which is perfect for schools with small audio suites. The 2010’s will be known as a period of rapid evolution in the world of digital audio. Processing became faster, sample rates increased and controllers became infinitely more solid and reliable. What do you think was the most significant advancement in the 2010’s both for Avid and for digital audio as a whole? Sample accurate faster than real time bouncing of multiple stems into a single file has to be one of the significant advancements to Pro Tools in the last 10 years. A lot of underlining technology had to be updated to achieve this but that the end result is well worth it. The industry as a whole has really embraced immersive audio, which has to be one of the largest changes to audio mixing. It is becoming increasing available on many TV shows and movies, and this continues to grow with the addition of Dolby Atmos Music being introduced to multiple streaming services. What does Avid have in store for us for 2020 and beyond? As much as I would love to tell you everything we have in store, all I can say is we have been listening to our user base and will be looking to answer some of those request throughout 2020. Our goal would be to provide software and hardware to fulfil the needs of the industry on all levels. Avid is distributed in Australia via Innovative Music.
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Kawai ES110
Casio PX-S1000
KAWAI AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY: $995
SHRIRO DISTRIBUTION AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY: $1099.95
If you’re new to digital pianos, Kawai’s new ES110 is a great introduction. The Kawai team have developed a new Responsive Hammer Compact key action designed to replicate the natural touch of a grand piano. Kawai are renowned for their pianos and this sound has been captured, recorded and meticulously reproduced in the ES 110. Weighing just 12kg, it’s easy to transport for rehearsal or performance. It features Bluetooth MIDI connectivity as well as the classic five-pin MIDI connectors, giving you multiple options to use its 88 weighted keys to control (or be controlled by) your software instruments or DAW of choice.
There’s a lesson function and demo songs for beginners and a flexible metronome and song recorder for composers. 100 drum rhythms, 19 different sounds and split/layer functions open up its use for various styles and applications. There’s built in speakers or line out for live performances with the option of using either or both at once. Optional extras include the HML-1 stand and F-350 triple pedal accessories which truly complete the experience. The Kawai brand is synonymous with pianos and the ES110 is a great digital option for anyone looking for both authenticity and affordability.
Modern convenience, sleek design and incredible sound. Casio’s new PS-1000 builds on their acclaimed Privia line with the World’s Slimmest Digital Piano (of the 88 key, hammer action key variety). The PS1000 boasts a morphing AiR sound source for rich, expressive sound that dynamically produces the subtleties of a grand piano through the Acoustic Simulator’s string and damper resonance. Casio’s attention to detail is impressive; even the mechanical key action of a piano is quietly reproduced. The Smart Scale keyboard offers a natural feel but with a reduced physical footprint. The minimal design not only inspires with
its classy aesthetic but also enhances its portability. It’s battery powered and the optional carry case functions in three separate carrying styles to make it easy than ever to mobilise the sound of a grand piano. Bluetooth and USB connectivity open up music playback for rehearsal, learning or backing tracks and the free Chordana app lets you select tones, view sheet music and playback MIDI files. Layer and split options as well as Reverb, Chorus and Brilliance effects round out this impressive instrument. Ultimately its sleek design, lush sound and useful learning tools make this a great option for anyone looking for a digital piano.
Casio PX-S3000
Yamaha NP-12
SHRIRO DISTRIBUTION AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY: $1399.95
YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY: $309
A classy digital piano and so much more. Casio’s 15 year anniversary of the Privia line expands on the features of the PX-S1000 but takes it to an entirely new level with the PX-S3000. The central difference being that while the S1000’s primary focus is as a digital piano, the S3000 is both a digital piano and arranger. The arranger features 200 rhythm presets, 200 style presets, 12 auto harmonies and 100 arpeggiators. You can navigate these functions by making use of the extra buttons and LCD display, an improvement over the S1000’s button combinations. To match the stylish design the LCD will automatically dim when not
Yamaha’s NP-12 is the next step up from the PSR-E263. It’s slim and stylish, and the design tells you this keyboard is focused on the digital piano style more than the all rounder keyboard. The piano sounds richer than the PSR, the keyboard is touch sensitive for added expression and there’s MIDI over USB. MIDI opens up the NP-12 into a whole world of possibilities beyond the included sounds, as a controller for your software instruments. It can run on AA batteries for up to 16 hours, and weighing only 4.5kg makes it easy to take with you and for the low price it’s value as a portable MIDI controller is worth taking note of. It
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in use and the backlit buttons make sure you don’t lose sight of them on a dimly lit stage. The S1000’s 18 tones are great, but modest in the face of the S3000’s 700 tones. With about $200 price difference the decision here boils down to whether you need the additional arranger functions, tones and user presets the PX S3000 offers. These arranger features really make use of the same 192 voice polyphony that these instruments share (at no cost to the weight or portability) and open up its place from one member of the band to the composer of a full symphony. Quite simply one of the best digital pianos out there at the moment.
has 64 voices of polyphony which is more than you’re likely to need given there’s 61 keys, but the midi functionality means you could use these if you’re playing along to MIDI arrangements. Built in speakers, ability to record a song and ten demo songs give you some extra options for beginners. Ultimately if you’re in the market for pressure sensitive keyboard in this price range (or an entry level keyboard that doesn’t look like a toy) the NP-12 is a solid option.
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BACK TO SCHOOL KEYBOARDS
Yamaha PSR-E263
Kawai KDP 110
YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY: $249
KAWAI AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY: $1695
Yamaha’s PSR-E263 is the perfect introductory keyboard. There are a few prerequisites when it comes to beginner keyboards, but one that is often overlooked is having enough sounds to maintain your enthusiasm through the learning stages. The PSR boasts 400 tones covering everything from symphony classics to sparkly synths. There’s 130 preset accompanying parts, playing various styles and 112 different songs to learn. The Yamaha education suite walks you through these songs with nine step lessons, absolutely ideal for beginners. Once you’ve picked up some playing skills and general song structure you might want
If you’re looking for a powerful sound and portability isn’t a priority, then the Kawai KDP 110 should be at the top of your list. It features full 192 note polyphony and hammer weights that vary from heavier weights for bass notes through to lighter tremble hammers. Most digital pianos feature two sensors for their keybed but Kawai have opted for three on the KDP 110, the third being used for layering repeated keys. The real power of this piano comes from its 40 watt monitors, allowing you to accurately experience its rich, dynamic sound, and saving you from further amplifier or monitor purchases down the line. Alternatively
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to try writing your own, using the PSR’s record and store function. An auxiliary input lets you connect an external audio source and play along or jam with whatever recordings you desire. Duo mode lets you play side-by-side with another player, ideal for following along with your music teacher. Digital effects, master EQ and metronome are all welcome extras as well. It’s a compact, lightweight and portable design that runs on batteries meaning you can play wherever you want. The fact you get all these features as well as a bonus set of Yamaha HBH50B headphones at such a modest price, means you really can’t go wrong with the PSR-263.
the Spatial Headphone Sound allows you to adjust between three acoustic spatial settings, adding depth and realism to proceedings and reducing listening fatigue. The KDP 110 features MIDI over USB, standard connectors and Bluetooth, giving you multiple options for expanding its input or output. There’s a Grand Feel Pedal system for replicating the authentic position and weighting of a Shigeru Kawai Concert grand piano, and you can choose from the 15 sounds or combinations of them with the dual voice mode. Reverberation effects are the finishing touch on this quality instrument, sure to impress even the most discerning pianist.
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Yamaha Gigmaker 800
Yamaha Gigmaker C40
YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY: $299
YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY: $199
Fifty years ago, the Yamaha company launched the FG series acoustic guitar and proved to the world that a great sounding, great playing guitar could be made available without costing the earth. The current series – the Gigmaker 800 is their best yet. The solid spruce top, rosewood fingerboard and scalloped bracing all add up to a rich, warm acoustic tone that is remarkable considering the low cost of the instrument. The Gigmaker 800 pack comes with a padded bag and an electronic tuner-everything you need to get started and stay with you for a long time.
The Yamaha C40 has become an industry standard for guitar students all over the world, and for good reason. Its playability and warm sound – due to its spruce top – really punches above its weight and will inspire a beginner to keep playing. The C40 pack comes with a digital tuner and an instructional DVD to get you up and playing in no time. For a beginner’s instrument, I doubt you’ll find better value for money. The folks at Yamaha continue to innovate and put quality instruments in the hands of players the world over!
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Fender Squier Classic Vibe ‘70S Stratocaster
Cort Action Junior Jr Bass Guitar
FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | RRP: $799
Cort have continued to make a name for themselves as a manufacturer of quality, affordable instruments with both professionals and beginners in mind. The Action Junior JR is an entry level bass guitar that is perfect for younger players with small hands. Don’t let the 30” scale length fool you – companies have been making short sale basses since the fifties with legends such as Bill Wyman, Paul McCartney and Tina Weymouth all preferring to hold it down on a short scale. You could suggest that without the short scale bass guitar British rock would sound very different. If that doesn’t convince you that a short scale bass can be used in a world class band, nothing will. Made up of quality components, the Cort Action Junior is a perfect bass to start laying down the low notes and making a groove to get you - literally - in the deep end of music!
The Stratocaster could possibly be the most versatile electric guitar ever produced. Don’t believe me? From Buddy Holly to Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour to Jimi Hendrix and U2’s The Edge – just to name a few - the sounds of the humble Strat are only limited by the player’s imagination. Not bad for a guitar that was designed in 1953 and with the exception of a few minor tweaks has pretty much stayed the same! The Classic Vibe Series may well be the best value for money Stratocaster that Fender has ever released. It has all the quality Fender hallmarks at a price that is hard to believe. This is not just a guitar for beginners, it’ll stay with you for a long time.
DYNAMIC MUSIC | EXPECT TO PAY: $299
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BACK TO SCHOOL GUITARS
Katoh MCG80C Classical NylonString Guitar
Fender FA-125CE Dreadnaught
DYNAMIC MUSIC AUSTRALIA EXPECT TO PAY: $639
The FA-125CE is yet more proof that Fender are not about to rest on their laurels. Only a few years ago it would have seemed unthinkable that they could make a full sized acoustic dreadnaught guitar with a cutaway (for high fret access) AND a Fishman pickup to plug into an amp or PA for this price. If you’re just starting out, looking to upgrade or need something reliable for the classroom, you can’t go past the FA-125CE. Its dreadnaught shape produces a loud, crisp and well balanced tone with a smooth neck that makes playing a breeze.
At this price, the MCG80C just can’t be beaten. With a solid cedar top, rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard and bone nut and saddle, you’d expect to pay a lot more for what you’re getting here. A classical guitar can be a thing of beauty with the rich warm sound and sustain that come from nylon strings, but it’s not just restricted to classical music. The sweet sounds of Latin, jazz, Bossa Nova and even folk music can be heard around the world emanating from a nylon string guitar. If you’re a songwriter or recording artist, the classical guitar will take you to sonic places that no other instrument can. The wider neck and soft strings make it a dream to play and to listen to.
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FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | RRP: $399
Budget priced instruments certainly have come a long way in the past few years. To put a twist on an old cliché - they don’t make them like they used to. It’s true - they do make them better. And cheaper. Better value would be hard to come by.
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ADVICE COLUMNS PIANO
Inversions ii–V–I
6
11
16
Dm7
Root
1st
G7 2nd
Dm7
CM7
We’re going to step it up pretty quickly from the last article where we looked at triad inversions and now deal with 7th chord inversions. To do this I’m going to share a fingering pattern on the piano to help you play ‘Autumn Leaves’ in any key and show you jazz doesn’t have to be hard.
Composed in 1945 by Joseph Kosma with lyrics in French by Jacques Prévert, ‘Les Feuilles mortes’ – the Dead Leaves – has become one of the most widespread jazz standards in history. It has inspired over a thousand translations, renditions and reinterpretations by jazz legends to the likes of Eric Clapton, Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan and Doris Day - although my favourite is still the eerie muted trumpet of Miles Davis playing the head before Cannonball Adderly’s fullbodied melodic solo breathes through. This is an incredibly simple song to help learn your scales, chords and to practise improvising. An ascending melody is repeated over a descending sequence – this is also over a descending chord progression that ultimately resolves in a circular fashion – not unlike the falling leaves of an otherwise recurring season. This circular sequence is thanks to the jazz staple ii–V–I pattern. It will help here if you
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2nd
CM7
G7
FM7
Bm7(b5)
3rd
FM7 2nd
Root
‘Autumn Leaves’ in particular, builds a 7th chord on each descending fifth, and what you end up with is a chord starting on each note of a single major scale: These are the eight chords of the entire song, for simplicity, in the D dorian mode – effectively a C major scale that starts on D. There are only white notes in this scale, so the pattern becomes obvious and easy to transpose to different keys. The only anomaly is the dominant third chord – E7 – that has a G#, I’ll deal with this in a moment. Notice how the chords form a perfect wave, up and down – this is effectively the circular sequence you hear drawn out on a line, and is why the progression sounds so satisfying to listen to. The down side here is playing. The chords jump all over the place, which means your hand will be doing a lot of work to keep up. Also, it doesn’t quite flow as well as it could. Have a look at the 7th chord inversions of Dm7 Above.
E7 2nd
Am7
Bm7(b5)
are familiar with the circle of fifths, but it’s not necessary – basically, you start with any chord in its root position, and build the next chord one fifth down. i.e., if you start on D, the next chord is G, and then C, and so on until you reach D again 7 chords later.
Am7
E7
Each inversion comes from moving the lowest note up one octave until you reach the root position once again. The 2nd inversion is built up from the note A – or the fifth of D. This pattern of fifths helps us once again because when we now re-write the progression taking the 2nd inversion of every second chord it begins to follow another sequence:
Each new chord contains two of the same notes as the previous one and the other two notes are simply shifted down one note in the major scale. This is in an alternating pattern too, first the 5th and 7th of the chord are brought down, next the 1st and 3rd are brought down. Chord changes no longer jump about over the staves, instead sitting in a much closer space – this arrangement will be much closer to what you hear in recordings of the song.
hand will remember the pattern of moving your top two fingers down one semitone instead of one note in the major scale. You’ll begin to not need to look at the music and you should be able to just watch the way your hand moves down the keys and figure it out from there. The beauty of this is that you can use that same pattern to play the progression in any key, all you need to know is the major scale. You’re also set up to start improvising over the seven chords by using the common major scale they’re all built from. Again, this is only scratching the surface of jazz harmonies and the circle of fifths. However, it doesn’t really matter in what order you play these chords – they all simply fit together. BY JACK SWANN
It also makes playing it on the piano incredibly easy. You’re simply following the pattern of moving your top two fingers down one note in the major scale, followed by your bottom two fingers down. The only difference is when you get to the E7 chord as I mentioned. This will always be the dominant third of your major scale and the note you are adding is always the corresponding tritone – here it’s the G# over C. Play the progression a few times and your
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ADVICE COLUMNS ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCTION
On the Grid With the new year comes a whole lotta empty promises. “This year I’ll eat healthier.” “This year I’m banning myself from AfterPay.” “This year I’ll stop staying up all night looking at dank memes.” These are all basically impossible, so don’t kid yourself. But, maybe your little new year promise is something along the lines of, “this year, I”m gonna release some songs.” And that my friends, is a bloody good one, because it’s 2020 now and doing it yourself has never been easier. Here’s a couple of things to consider. To get started with electronic music, all you really need is a computer, some audio software and a decent pair of headphones. Heck, even an iPad or - if you can handle the small screen - an iPhone can get you and running. On the computer, the software options (frequently referred to as DAWs - Digital Audio Workstation) are numerous, but probably the most widely used in the electronic music sphere is Ableton Live thanks to its innovating loop-based ‘Session View’ method of composing. Having a collection of loops laid out on a grid makes it easier to experiment and learn without committing parts to a specific song arrangement. Korg’s Gadget is
an iOS app that has a similar but simplified workflow, and the inbuilt instruments sound incredible. Of course, Ableton Live isn’t the only one out there, Apple’s Logic is also very popular and feature some very high quality software instruments and effects. FL Studio and Reason also have a loyal user group who swear by them, and can be a more budget friendly option. Oh, and you absolutely do not need a $5000 MacBook Pro to get started with these DAWs, please do not listen to anyone who says that. Maybe Some Hardware? If you’re not a savvy computer user, a hardware ‘groovebox’ can be a fantastic tool (possibly a better tool) to get a handle on making electronic music. Grooveboxes are machines that have the ability to program drums as well as melodic instrument parts. These units are great for newbies for two primary reasons, 1) hand-on control and 2) they have limitations. Why are limitations a good thing? Because the possibilities of a blank DAW project, with its hundreds of sounds and effects, can be utterly daunting - especially if you’re trying to learn. Having a set number of functions laid out on a machine in front of you can be much less imposing. There’s not a lot of these units on the market, but check out the Korg Electribe 2, Roland’s
new MC101 and Novation’s Circuit - all nice and simple units capable of fantastic sounds. Getting Audio from the Real World to the Digital World If you’re involving any kind of hardware, be it one of the grooveboxes previously mentioned, a microphone or an electric guitar, you need a way to record the audio into your DAW on a computer (or mobile device). Enter the audio interface. At their simplest, these are small boxes that you plug your gear into, where the box of magically converts the audio to digital information and sends it down a USB or Thunderbolt cable to your computer.
growing number of devices and microphones on the market that output audio over USB, circumventing the need for an interface -- so with some planning and research, it can be possible to avoid buying an interface. There’s so much more information I could complicate your lives with, but fortunately for you -- I’m out of space. And really, you don’t that kinda drama. Keep things simple to start with. Watch tutorials, read lots, ask questions, follow those helpful Instagram accounts (@AbletonTips is fantastic) and just have fun. 2020’s the year. BY MICHAEL CUSACK
Nobody likes spending money on these boring utility devices, but they’re a reality for the time being. That said, there are a
Distributed by
www.jands.com.au
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RP5G4
RP7G4
RP8G4
RP103G4
ADVICE COLUMNS GUITAR
Things to Check With this issue ‘getting back to school’, I’ve decided to discuss a couple of essentials to think about as a guitar player. Some of these might be obvious but they’re the kind of things that players often don’t put enough time into. Yes there is the whole playing tunes, improvising, jamming aspect of music – but a strong basis of mechanics and competency with technique and feel make the music making even better! Rhythm Having good time is everything. Even the most amazing facility and technical playing doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t feel good. Comping/rhythm wise, put on a metronome or drum machine and have a really good listen to yourself. Are you pushing? Or sitting back? Or right on the beat? There are times when any of these are useful but a lot of players wouldn’t even be aware what they’re doing. The same goes for single note playing… be careful where you are placing the notes. Metronome again is a winner, try slow… like really slow and make sure of both hands aiming for clear and precise notes. Then run through the whole gamut of tempo possibilities trying to find weak areas. ‘Table
of time’ type subdivision exercises are great too (Semibreves, then minims, then crotchets, then quavers etc). Articulation How are you playing your notes and chords? Are you playing at the same dynamic? Too loud? Too soft? Do you accent certain notes of rhythms? Do you struggle accenting certain note or rhythms? You get the idea. Thinking about these areas and listening to your own playing is where it all starts. I’ve been caught in the battle of playing loud gigs and digging in way too hard meaning my technique gets sloppy and I don’t have as much facility. Not always possible I know but the answer should really be to get yourself some more volume/ foldback and relax on the guitar. Think about your overall volume – what’s your default level? I’d bet a lot of guitarists play up at 70%-80% of their maximum volume. If so, where does that leave you to go if you want to increase your dynamics/attack? Not much room hey. Hammer ons/legato/alternate picking/slurs are then all fair game too. Chords/Comping As a guitarist, comping is realistically the thing that you’ll be doing the most. Playing in a band, accompanying a singer/sax player/ whatever all need a solid base of chord playing in some form. Having a broad palette of chords to pick from gives you options for
voicings and sounds. Yes simple open G, C, D and Em are still used a lot but having more chords to call on helps with your creativity and gives you options for fitting in around piano/bass etc. There are times when higher voicings are more appropriate than thick low barre chords (and vice versa). And yes, the chords/comping aspect can also be linked to timing. The most dazzling array of voicings and comping ideas won’t mean a thing if it doesn’t feel good.
Try incorporating a few back to school/back to basics/self check ideas into your practice routine and don’t be afraid to break it down very simply. Nothing wrong with refining your technique and playing to allow you to play whatever you choose more comfortably!
quicker you will see improvement, but even smaller practice time allocations at regular intervals will yield results. Within your practice routine make sure you are covering all the topics you need to and spend time on the areas that are giving you trouble. A lot of people just practice the parts that come easy to them and wonder why they aren’t improving.
when you can start playing more advanced pieces/licks/techniques. There’s no downside to getting good at playing your instrument.
BY NICK BROWN
BASS GUITAR
Where to Start? So, you’ve decided to take up bass? In keeping with the theme of this issue I thought I’d discuss some important points when getting started. Some students want to just play for fun, others might want to see how far they can take it professionally and many don’t/won’t know where it will take them. All of these situations are fine and completely normal. I definitely think that some consistent premises still benefit the broad cross section of those wanting to start out on an instrument though. Get some decent gear Obviously this is dependent on your budget, and whilst you don’t particularly need anything fancy to start out (great if you can afford it/do have something higher level though) it’s important to get gear that works and won’t hinder your learning. I’d try a buy a brand name instrument from an actual music store for a number of reasons. Firstly a brand name bass (Fender, Yamaha, Ibanez) has some reputation behind it and should be reliable and of a certain quality. Secondly, buying from a store should mean the instrument has been checked (and hopefully setup) to a good playable standard in terms of action and intonation. These factors alone are worth their weight in gold.
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Beginner bass players need all the help they can get and if your instrument isn’t in tune, won’t stay in tune or has bad action (high or low) this makes starting out all that bit harder! Get a good teacher ‘I’ve got the internet and a few mates that play, why do I need a teacher?’ With the amount of resources available online this sort of thinking is becoming more and more prevalent. No doubt you could learn plenty of things from the internet and friends but for my thinking you can’t beat the guidance and knowledge of a good teacher. A teacher will be able to see your strengths/ weaknesses and adjust accordingly as you go and they will know how much information to give you at any one point. Online learning can be seriously overwhelming – where do you start? Is it sequential? How long do I work on certain topics for? A good teacher will give you appropriate theory/technical work/pieces to work on (e.g., not starting with a ridiculously intricate slap piece on lesson one!) and should inspire, motivate and keep you on track. Develop a practice routine It may sound obvious but you wouldn’t believe how many people expect results without putting in any effort! Consistency is the key here. Regular practice is much better than big chunks every so often as it keeps things fresh both mentally and physically. Of course the more time you can commit the
BY NICK BROWN
Anyway, just some thoughts on how to start out on bass (or any instrument). Of course you want it to be interesting and fun. BUT hard work and regular practice is needed to get there AND you’ll then have lots of fun
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ADVICE COLUMNS PERCUSSION
The Educator Keeping Educated
So, this January issue is the Education issue. As a long-time columnist for Mixdown I would like to think the majority of what I write is educational, but this issue got me thinking, how do the educators get educated? I thought I’d shine some light on some things I’ve been working on as a drummer/educator and how I find time to even pursue the instrument in the world I live in. What have I been practising lately? Practise you say? Yep. It’s damn hard to fit in regular practise into the week these days. Being the Head of Music at a secondary school, a Dad and weekend gig warrior takes its tole on spare time. My secret? Short bursts of being In The Zone. A teacher once used this term to me and the best way I can describe it is being totally focused on that task at that time. If I choose to sit at the drums, in a tiny window of spare time, I have two choices. Firstly, I could just muck around, jam out and regurgitate all the stuff I already know how to play – which is fun, and I do this for sure. But secondly, I could work on a concept, feel, groove or fill that
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I can’t play. At that moment, even if it’s a few minutes, if it’s in the zone, I can learn something. What is in the zone at the moment? Just this week, some students came into lessons and as some of them tend to do at the end of the year, practised very little. I decided to change things up and just throw them in the deep end with a concept that I’ve been fascinated with and always seem to come back to a lot when I have a moment. I figured the basis for the concept is what matters and this one can apply to anything. I like to think of it as being a bit of bang for your buck concept – getting the most out of one idea. I won’t go into every single idea or variation but let’s take a couple of concepts from easier to harder and explore the variations of orchestration and moving between subdivisions. The best thing about this is that it can apply to something you already know so the first idea is probably something people have played before. Figure A shows us a simple Right Left Kick (RL K) sticking. Figures B – D show the same three note sticking orchestrated as 16th notes. Figure C adds some alternating hands. This concept isn’t new really but when you start to move the hands around the different sounds on the
drum kit, it’s still so great to hear the vibe and flow of the fill change. Be mindful, you need to be able to feel the new subdivision and so, it’s a great timing/metronome exercise too! Combine ideas Getting slightly more involved is Figure E, which is actually two licks I use regularly involving adding a double bass drum figure and then applying the concept in the same way (Figures F and G). However, the move from 16th notes into 16th note triplets can be slightly trickier so, if needed, play the figures in half time but take it slow either way. I find that 16th note triplets creep their way into my playing very often and are applicable across many grooves/feels. Note the differences that occur when you experiment with the orchestration. The move to orchestrate, mix and match the stickings between subdivisions and add a hi-hat really creates contrast in the overall sound and makes the fill sound way more complicated than it has any right to. The last figure comprises two of my favourite stickings. One is actually the Steve Gadd six-stroke roll and the other one is heavily Gadd inspired too but comprises some accents and the use of the bass drum on the end of the group of six. With all the
figures, you can split up if needed but I like the outcome of mixing a couple together. After moving the figure from triplets to 16th notes, you already have a wicked sounding fill (Figure I) but adding toms and cymbals just opens up your ears to new ideas. Study the notation carefully to see some options to explore. Being smart Now, even though you are just playing the fills, stickings and licks you already know, the different subdivision coupled with clever orchestrations will not only shine a new light on the ideas but also where and how you apply them on the gig across different situations. It’s really smart practise when you have a spare moment. Experiment as much as you can – grooves, tempos, styles, accents, odd subdivisions (quintuplets, septuplets etc) and see where it takes you. You might spark some new ideas whilst getting great mileage out of your current fills and ideas. The possibilities are literally endless. Remember to practise in context of where the fill might be applied though, so it makes sense on the gig. Hope this was educational and gets you in the zone too. BY ADRIAN VIOLI
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PRODUCT REVIEWS FENDER
American Ultra Stratocaster Range FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU | RRP: AMERICAN ULTRA STRATOCASTER - $3,899, AMERICAN ULTRA STRATOCASTER HSS - $4,099
The latest generation of American Stratocasters, dubbed the Ultra series, herald two overarching statements with their arrival. Firstly, that Fender are endlessly aiming to improve their instruments, and the second – the lift of the CITES rosewood ban on musical instruments. Rosewood’s back, baby. The American Ultra series posits to dethrone the current king of the Fender line up – the American Elite Series – and looks to do it in style. However, vintage purists be warned. While these Stratocasters look seemingly innocent enough, there’s a plethora of changes and modern appointments under the hood that personalise these guitars as contemporary beasts. The first thing that’s inherently new for the Ultra Series are their body finishes. The review units sent to us consisted of a classic triple single-coiled Stratocaster in Cobra Blue, and an HSS configuration finished in Texas Tea – and in accordance with the modus operandi of the Ultra series, there’s always more to see on closer inspection. The deep sapphire hues of the Cobra Blue explode into a shimmering sparkle finish when viewed up close, whereas the Texas Tea finish amorphously transforms from solid black to a mocha brown under differing light conditions. To match these gorgeous paint jobs, the Texas Tea model comes equipped with an anodized gold pickguard, while the Cobra Blue Stratocaster sports a traditional aged-white guard. Apart from their finishes, pickup configuration and body wood, these Strats bear identical hardware and craftsmanship. Of particular note is a secondary contour located on the rear of the bottom horn – it’s a subtle bevel, but ultimately increases playing comfort without
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detracting too far from its original design. As with many of Fender’s latest guitar offerings, playability was absolutely spot on right out of the box. The Ultra Series boasts a unique modern “D” neck carve, an excellent choice for players who crave a little more heft from Fender’s usual “C” shapes. They’re finished in a slick, gloss-free satin urethane, which allows a smooth ride across all 22 mediumjumbo frets. Additionally, fingerboard edges are dextrously rolled for unparalleled comfort. The guitars were set up with a low, slinky action, but performed admirably without a trace of buzz or unnatural sonic artefacts. This is further augmented by a compound radius fretboard, which begins at a comfy 10” at the nut and eventually flattens out to 14” at the tail end. While slightly flatter than a vintage 7.25” or a traditional 9.5” radius, chording still remained comfortable and natural. Similarly, there were no troubles up the other end of the neck. Even with the most abusive of bends, I simply couldn’t get any notes to fret out. One absolute game changer is the new tapered neck heel: the neck joint now gradually slopes inwards to allow more breathing room for the palm of your hand. I can’t put into words how brilliant this new feature is – it may very well be my favourite feature of the Ultra series. Strings are fed through a chrome two-point floating bridge and subsequently tampered down with locking tuners at the headstock. There’s a generous amount of relief while operating the convenient pop-in whammy bar, allowing you to achieve subtle vibrato to earsplitting divebombs with fluid ease. Let’s talk tones. The SSS comes loaded with three Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat pickups, which attempt to mix classic Stratocaster flavours with new school technology.
While they’re well within the sonic ballpark of vintage tones, they bear some EQ tweaks that set them apart. All pickup positions generally sound warmer and fuller-bodied, with a slightly added emphasis on the midrange. While seemingly favourable for rhythm guitar and solo performances, a fraction of that trademark quack from the in-between positions and glassy chime from the neck pickup is somewhat lacking. While not sounding terrible by any means, it may take some getting used to if you’re a Stratocaster traditionalist. Fender’s proprietary S-1 switching system also makes a welcome reappearance, allowing the neck pickup to be added to positions one through three. Some of the best tones this guitar had to offer were found in the neck and bridge pickups combined, ironically reminiscent of a bridge pickup in a Telecaster. On the other hand, the HSS model features two Ultra Noiseless Hot Strat pickups, and an Ultra Double Tap Humbucker. As aptly named, the pair of single coils are wound slightly hotter to better match the output level of the punchy humbucker in the bridge. The single coils atop this axe constantly beg to be pushed with some overdrive, boasting slightly more output and warmth than the Noiseless Vintage pickups of the SSS model. The pair of single coils place more emphasis on the mid and lower-midrange and are definitely geared towards a more modern player-base. This added smoothness effectively tames the quacks and quirks of the in-between positions, resulting in slightly less definition and pop than what you may be used to. However, keep this in mind: these don’t sound better or worse than traditional single coils. They’re simply different, and you should definitely head to your nearest music store to decide for yourself.
On the other hand, the Double Tap Humbucker proudly bears the torch passed on by Fender’s excellent Shawbucker pickups, and similarly performs to an exemplary standard. Clean tones are surprisingly versatile – they’re well-rounded and jangly with the tone control wide open, but when rolled back, you can find a selection of gloriously lush jazz/neo-soul tones on offer. Also exclusive to this particular humbucker is Fender’s new “Double Tap” feature, which permits coil tapping without any severe tone and/or volume loss. Gone are the special capacitor and overly complicated S-1 wiring from the Elite Strats; depressing the S-1 switch now simply splits the humbucker into a bona fide single coil bridge pickup. Sometimes, less is more – especially when it’s done well. All in all, these guitars are another excellent showing from Fender, and are tailored for maximum playability and comfort. The Ultra Series of Stratocasters can be equivalently compared to a flashy sports car: they’re chic, stylish, and feature all the latest bells and whistles Fender has to offer. BY EDDY LIM
HITS: ∙∙ Stellar build quality ∙∙ Fantastic playability ∙∙ HSS Double Tap Humbucker MISSES: ∙∙ Pickup voicing may not be for everyone
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PRODUCT REVIEWS FENDER
American Ultra Telecaster FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU | RRP: $3899 If you’ve turned on the radio today or listened to any music via the array of streaming services available, there’s a very good chance that you’ve heard a Telecaster. Since Leo Fender proudly introduced it in 1950, the Telecaster has to be one of the most heard, most played and most recorded electric guitar in music that predates even rock ‘n roll itself.
Almost seventy years later-and after many variations on the original-Fender has released its newest twist on their classic singlecut instrument - the American Ultra Telecaster.
First, a little history: the Fender Esquire was released in 1950. It was a simple affair - a solid body electric guitar with one pickup, a bolt-on neck and a single cutaway. It was a radical departure from the hollow body guitars at the time and caused a sensation with the Gibson Les Paul was still two years away. As proved time and again, Leo Fender was a man ahead of his time. The Esquire body went into production with a cavity already routed under the pickguard to add a second pickup later if the customer chose to.
What’s striking is that from afar, it is almost identical to the very first Telecasters produced all those years ago. Alder body, maple neck, same body shape, two pickups, control plate, three-way switch and a volume and tone control, and of course, the classic Fender Telecaster headstock. However, beyond aesthetics there are a few changes from tradition that sets the Ultra apart. You’ll notice that the guitar features 22 frets instead of the traditional 21, allowing for better shredding up the neck, which is also enhanced by the shaved chamber on the four bolt neckplate of the guitar. This makes high fret access so much easier even on the most slippery and sweaty of stages.
As music was getting louder the solid body eliminated feedback which had plagued guitarists for years and the bolt on neck solved the need for costly refretting. You could buy a new neck as a spare part and screw it on yourself. It was an affordable, tough as nails, working man’s guitar. The Esquire then became the Broadcaster and after a legal battle with Gretsch who were already making drum sets and banjos under the name “Broadkaster” a new name was eventually settled on - the Telecaster.
Another fantastic new improvement are Fender’s noiseless pickups. The sixty cycle hum caused by single coil pickups have always been a headache both live and in the studio. Many different pickup companies have come up with noiseless replacement pickups, but they now come stock in these American Ultra models, freeing players from that incessant buzz that tends to plague these kinds of guitars. There’s also an S1 switch built into the volume control - when the selector switch is in the centre, the S1
can alternate the pickups to work in either series or parallel, allowing for more tonal variations. The bridge on this new Telecaster also has six saddles instead of the original three. One of the few complaints about the original Telecaster was the three saddle bridge meant that intonation was difficult to achieve without some modifying. Now with the six saddles, perfect intonation is a breeze, and it’s a feature you’ll notice particularly when fretting up and down the satin-finished neck. A contour in the body makes it super comfortable to play both seated and standing, meaning it’ll appeal to players of all styles or ages. It’s clear that Fender know how much their players savour the Telecaster, and with the American Ultra series, they’ve created one of their finest yet. While on the pricey side, this
is an instrument for the professional player, and when utilised effectively, there’s every chance it could be the only guitar you’ll ever need. BY MATT DWYER
HITS: ∙∙ An extremely comfortable and versatile guitar with one of the best necks I’ve ever played ∙∙ Noiseless pickups More tonal variations due to the S1 switch MISSES: ∙∙ A little on the pricey side ∙∙ No left-handed option at this point
ERNIE BALL
Paradigm Strings CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $34.95 Breaking strings is the worst. It’s the guitar equivalent of blowing a tyre, dropping your ice-cream on the ground or having your parents walk in on you and your Tinder date. Ernie Ball is justifiably proud of their world-class strings, and they don’t want you to break ‘em. They want you to change them only after the eventual tone loss that affects all strings, not after one overly-ambitious bend in the heat of the moment. So, with that in mind, meet Paradigm Strings. Ernie Ball’s new state-of-the-art wire drawing process coupled and patented RPS (reinforced plain string) technology dramatically increases tensile strength by up to 35% and provides up to 70% more fatigue strength than traditional strings. RPS is a different way of securing the string to the ball end which removes the issue of undue stress on different sections of the wire, including the crucial point right at the beginning of the lock twist where most strings break. And the new wire process means both the plain strings and the wound string core wires are made up of ultra-finegrain high-strength steel. Australian Ernie Ball distributor CMC Music provided two sets of Paradigms, an electric set gauged 9-42 and an acoustic set, 12-54. I installed the electric set on my Ibanez RG550 Roadflare Red, and the acoustic set
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on my Ibanez Charleston and basically tried to thrash the hell out of ‘em. And wouldn’t you know it; I couldn’t break ‘em. On the acoustic, I was able to strum to the point where the guitar just wouldn’t get any louder, with no noticeable stress on the strings at all. Not even the high strings, which I tend to break a bit on acoustic. The reason I chose this particular electric for testing these strings was because its fully-floating Edge tremolo is the smoothest and most sensitive of all my whammyloaded guitars, and it’s great for all sorts of whammy tricks, particularly up-bends, flutters, squealing harmonics and fretted-out dolphin noises.I pulled the whammy bar out of the guitar a couple of times but I couldn’t make the strings break a sweat. Time will tell how they hold up in terms of maintaining their crisp sound through regular use, but after about a week of solid playing they still sounded nice and fresh. Not as bright as Ernie Ball Cobalts but certainly great-sounding strings. If string-breakage is a problem for you - or if you just don’t want to ever be a problem for you - Paradigm strings are the perfect choice. I also think it’s great that Ernie Ball seems to have really stepped up their game in terms of innovation over the last few years. They’ve always made great strings but
they seem to really be concerned with “how can we make them greater?” lately, and that’s a very admirable trait. BY KEATS MULLIGAN
HITS: ∙∙ You can't break them MISSES: ∙∙ If you want to break them, you can’t
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PRODUCT REVIEWS RECORDING KING
Dirty 30’s Series ROS 7 MBK EGM DISTRIBUTION | EGM.NET.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $439 One of the biggest trends in guitar manufacturing in the last few years has been the rediscovery and even manufacturing of what over the years have been referred to as “pawn shop guitars”. Brands like Danelectro, Supro and Kay, which have not been made for many years are being made again and are in demand partly due to the popularity of bands like The White Stripes and The Black Keys. Even Fender have issued the Pawn Shop Series of instruments, which are built to look like they’ve been made from spare parts. Recording King are a noble addition to this type of instrument. They are reminiscent of mail order tradition of days gone by well made but affordable guitars with no bells or whistles. In fact, that’s how the company made its name back in the thirties and forties - as a mail order guitar picked from department store catalogues. There are many models of Recording King acoustics - check out their website, but the ROS 7 MBK caught my eye - being a huge Johnny Cash fan didn’t hurt (pardon the pun). Okay, some specs: the ROS 7 MBK features a 14 fret 000 body with a spruce top and whitewood back and sides, a classic combination for both the ears and eyes. It’s bolstered by a cross lap X bracing, while a mahogany neck and ovangkol fretboard complete the picture.
I have to admit I’ve always had a fondness for small body and parlour guitars - they don’t have the bottom end boom of a jumbo or dreadnaught, but it does have a sweet, balanced, almost vocal quality especially when used for fingerpicking or bottleneck guitar. Until recently in order to own a parlour guitar you had to either spend a small fortune on a vintage guitar or find one that has fallen into disrepair over the years and get a luthier to get it up to playing condition. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten excited seeing an old guitar case stashed in a dusty corner of an antique shop or pawn shop only to open it and see a guitar that had become unplayable over the years due to neglect, in particular necks shaped like bananas due to a lack of a truss rod and the bridge lifting off the top due to string tension. The Recording King has a fully adjustable truss rod for ease of neck adjustment and that bridge ain’t going nowhere. Aesthetically the ROS 7 MBK is extremely pleasing. The Matte Black finish makes it instantly cool, as do the checkerboard purfling, the ivory button machine heads, bound sound hole, and in a cheeky nod to its heritage, the Gibson style stencilled dual parallelograms. It just couldn’t be any cooler if it tried. Obviously the ROS 7 isn’t
suited for all types of playing. You certainly won’t see a solo artist with a loop pedal playing ‘Jessie’s Girl’ in a pub anytime soon with a Recording King, but that’s not what it’s meant for. Its sonic palette is far better suited for old time blues and roots music. The Thin C shaped neck is extremely comfortable - I almost missed the deadline for this article because I was too busy playing it instead of writing about it. The ROS 7 is a sweet instrument. Blues, Country, Ragtime, Jazz… the guitar immediately makes you want to play like folks did a long time ago. And that is its appeal. There are countless acoustic guitars on the market built specifically to look, play and sound modern. Not the Recording King.
It has a unique tone, one of those guitars that tells you what to play as soon as you pick it up. Do I have to give it back now? It is Christmas after all... BY MATT DWYER
HITS: ∙∙ Deluxe black finish ∙∙ Sizable body with sweet tone ∙∙ Super comfortable neck MISSES: ∙∙ Boxy tone isn’t for all players
BLACK DIAMOND STRINGS
Jimi Hendrix Foundation Music For Life Strings JVB STRINGS | JVBSTRINGS.COM | EXPECT TO PAY: $17.99 Since 1890, Black Diamond Strings have been faithfully providing musicians with reliable and great-sounding strings. While a lot has changed since then in guitar string manufacturing, Black Diamond Strings still preserve the very same dependable qualities that originally made them a hit. This year, Black Diamond Strings have partnered up with the Jimi Hendrix Foundation to offer a new series of signature strings to fund a praiseworthy cause. The brilliant partnership between Black Diamond Strings and the Jimi Hendrix Foundation aims to provide public schools with access to music education, with the program dubbed as Music for Life. The after-school classes will include lessons on basic music theory, history, general music appreciation and even an introduction to the recorder. A portion of the profits from each sale will go towards the Jimi Hendrix Foundation, which in turn will fuel the endeavours of its Music for Life program. If the charitable fund and instantly recognisable packaging didn’t clue you in already, Jimi Hendrix often touted Black Diamond Strings on his guitars. Some of the most famous riffs we know and love today were once noodled out by Hendrix himself on these mystical strings. The three different sets available are each named after Hendrix’s most iconic and memorable performances: the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, the Royal Albert
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hall show in 1969, and last but not least, the 1969 Woodstock Festival. There are two types of acoustic strings here: the silver-plated Monterey pack, and the phosphor-bronze Royal Albert Hall set. Don’t fret if you’re an electric guitarist – the Woodstock batch is tailored to all Hendrix aficionados with its nickel-wound contents. The trio are available in three different string gauges: extra light, light, and medium. Set sizes are more or less traditional – the Woodstock set ranges from 9-42 to 11-50, while the two acoustic sets stretch from 10-46 to 13-56. As with all Black Diamond strings, these commemorative wires are constructed in the United States from a high carbon steel hex core, then subsequently wrapped with a high-quality alloy blend. Each set is visually inspected, hand-coiled and packed before shipping. Tone-wise, they’re about as good as they come these days. Slipping the Woodstock set onto an old Stratocaster tuned a half step down instantly transported me to Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan territory. After some initial stretching and retuning, tuning stability remained as solid as a rock even through outrageous bends. They’re slinky, tonally balanced, and have a sweet, crisp top end. This excellent performance carries on to the acoustic string sets. As expected, the silverplated Monterey set was soft to the touch
and sounded warmer than the Royal Albert Hall pack. It’s a perfect match for guitars that naturally have a hump in the top end. As for the phosphor-bronze wires, not much needs to be said about them – they sounded great, with a rich balance of crispness and warmth. Phosphor-bronze is a mix of the usual suspects – zinc, tin, iron and copper, with a pinch of phosphorous thrown in. This trades brightness (not a terrible amount) for string longevity, and is the most commonly used alloy for acoustic guitar strings today. Okay, let’s be real. No, these strings won’t make you into the next Hendrix. But it’s hard to deny that there’s a little bit of mojo and history tucked away into each and every one of these string packets. Furthermore, the cause that Black Diamond Strings and the Jimi Hendrix Foundation is working towards is worth every cent. Oh, and you get a cool little retro collectable sticker with each pack too. BY EDDY LIM
HITS: ∙∙ Great strings all around ∙∙ Neat sticker MISSES: ∙∙ None
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PRODUCT REVIEWS FENDER
American Ultra Jazz Bass V FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU | RRP: $4499 AUD The Fender Jazz Bass is undoubtedly one of the most popular bass guitars of the last forty years. Its bright midrange and treble makes it discernibly different from the equally revered Precision Bass, and has been rocked by bass legends such as Jaco Pastorius, Verdine White and Geddy Lee among many others. The American Ultra Jazz Bass V, put quite simply, is a majestic incarnation of the instrument. It boasts a bolt-on maple neck, solid alder body, maple fingerboard and a beautiful satin finish that is quintessentially Fender. It features a three-band EQ alongside an 18-volt active preamp, which allows you to meticulously sculpt your tone. I’ll go straight out and say that this is perhaps the most responsive bass I’ve ever played. For me, responsiveness entails three things: string action, string tension, and the speed — that is, the smoothness — of the neck. The action is set just right so as to mitigate any fret buzz, even on the low B string which is sometimes notorious for being a bit of a beehive. The tension is, again, set perfectly, which makes life easier for those industrious fingerstyle players. This perfect nexus of action and tension makes the Ultra Jazz Bass V ideal for slappers and poppers. The 34” neck runs as smoothly and as quickly as a Japanese bullet train, which will help with those Verdine-esque forays into the upper register.
Upon plugging the Ultra Jazz Bass V through my MarkBass rig, I realised I had to get my head around the world of sonic possibilities this bass could afford. This meant familiarising myself with the four control dials, as well as the passive/active tone switch. Basically, there’s your standard master volume dial, as well a treble/bass combined dial with a handy centre detent. There’s also the pickup pan dial, which I found to be an ingenious and incredibly convenient feature. With my own Fender Jazz Bass (a Japanese Aerodyne), I often find myself having to individually adjust both neck and bridge pickup dials in order to achieve the blend I want. The Ultra Jazz Bass V’s pickup pan dial lets you pan between the punchy neck pickup and the growling bridge pickup, making the blending process a whole lot more straightforward. Both pickups are noiseless, meaning that the annoying buzz that comes from winding down one of the pickups is no longer an issue. The last dial allows you to control your midrange and passive tones. Some bassists may vouch that your standard four-string Jazz Bass doesn’t quite exude the same booming low end as a Precision Bass. This is where the Ultra Jazz Bass V’s active/ passive toggle switch aims to subvert this expectation. As I jammed for hours through my Spotify 2019 playlist, I noticed myself
switching between the more equilibrated passive tone, and the markedly more robust and bass-heavy active setting, depending on the genre of music I was grooving to. If I was playing funk, for instance, I’d opt for the active preamp (just for that sturdy lowend) while adding a tinge of mid and treble for some extra shape. For any jazz or Latin music, I’d conversely go for a passive, flatter tone, panned in favour of the bridge pickup so as to highlight the melodic prowess of this bass.
The tonal versatility and sustain offered by the Fender Ultra Jazz Bass V makes it suitable for practically any style of bass player, provided you can acquaint yourself with the array of sonic possibilities imparted by the EQ and toggle switch. A truly sensational effort from Fender.
At its current price point, the American Ultra Jazz Bass V is not exactly within every bassist’s price range. Also, if you aren’t already slick with five string basses, you may need to make a few technical adjustments (mainly pertaining to RH and LH muting) before going for a bass such as this. All in all, the Fender American Ultra Jazz Bass V is one of the most thoughtfully-crafted instruments I’ve had the pleasure of playing.
HITS: ∙∙ Highly responsive bass with terrific sustain ∙∙ Able to sculpt your tones ∙∙ Aesthetically well-crafted, easy to play whilst standing or sitting
BY DAVID TOMISICH
MISSES: ∙∙ None that I could think of!
MARKBASS
Little Mark Vintage CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $1995 Finding a balance between what you want and what you need in a bass amplifier can prove troublesome for many tone savvy low-end theorists. If you’re a sucker for warm, tube-driven tones, you’ll have to fork out thousands of clams for a valve bass head that suits your style, yet most solid-state options simply can’t be beaten due to their reliability, sheer power and pure convenience. When you factor in weight, price and overall versatility into the equation, it can all become a bit overwhelming. With the new Little Mark Vintage, however, Markbass just might have found a solution to this issue. Billed as an end-result of everything the company have learned about bass amplification over the past 18 years, the 500w Little Mark Vintage is a top-shelf offering from the Italian firm, constructed with high-end analogue components, a tube preamp and even gold-plated circuits deep in the guts of the unit. Weighing in at a breezy 2.5kgs and compact enough to squeeze comfortably into a standard backpack, the Little Mark Vintage ticked almost all of my boxes before I even plugged my bass in. It’s very obvious from the get-go that this is the new golden child of the Markbass family, not that I'm complaining. Although its name certainly implies it to be a suitable option for those bassists who favour funky, old-school flavours, there’s
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definitely nothing archaic about the Little Mark Vintage. Featuring two oversized controls for Gain and Master Volume, as well as a four-band EQ, configurable compressor/ limiter, an additional EQ colour control and a DI level knob, the Markbass Little Mark Vintage is fully loaded with just about everything a modern bassist could want in an amplifier. For those who like it loud, there’s plenty of gain on tap with the Little Mark Vintage, and gritty low-end tones are easy to achieve when you crank up that Gain knob. This is where the tube preamp really sings, too; letting you clock into a gooey, rich sound with plenty of harmonic character to take the tone of your bass from 0 to 100 real quick. Even if you’re keeping the Gain knob at a reasonable level, it’ll inject a lot of warmth into your sound – I found it to produce a pretty irresistible Motown sound when left around the ten o’clock mark, and when paired with the inbuilt compressor/ limiter, it’s a surefire way to ensure your slap passages sound as crisp onstage as they do in your head. Another feature which I found myself lingering on was the secondary EQ control, which offers three unique presets to suit different applications – Flat, Cut and Old. If you’re not too savvy with your tone knobs, or just want an easy way to dial into a reliable tone, you’ll find this to be an
incredibly nifty feature. Without using the four-band EQ, the Flat preset is somewhat unforgiving, and unless you’re going for a woody semi-hollow tone in the studio or you’re using a lot of effects pedals, I can’t see it the favourite of many players. The Cut and Old presets, on the other hand, are glorious, with the Cut preset offering scooped mids and accentuated lows and highs, while Old scooping the high-end for a killer sounding vintage tone. And if you want to bypass the entire EQ section of the Little Mark Vintage and solely use the true grit of the amplifier and its balanced DI output (which also sounds superb due having its own transformer), there’s an option to do so via an external footswitch on the back of the unit. Look, I’m really racking my brains to find a fault in this amp. The Little Mark Vintage churns out everything a gigging bassist should ever want in a bass head, and does
it all without asking too many pennies from your pocket. If this is what Markbass are kicking off the decade with, then I’m very excited to see what lays in store for the coming years. BY WILL BREWSTER
HITS: ∙∙ Tube-driven tones! ∙∙ Practical EQ controls and very usable limiter ∙∙ Extremely compact MISSES: ∙∙ I don’t own one yet
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PRODUCT REVIEWS CASIO
Privia PX Series SHRIRO AUSTRALIA | SHRIRO.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: PX-S1000 - $1099.95, PX-S3000 - $1399.95
My colleague stood there perplexed. ‘I think they might have sent you the wrong units’ he exclaimed, ‘Didn’t you say you were reviewing Digital Pianos?.’ Such is how remarkably thin and wieldly the new Casio Privia PX-S1000 and PX-S3000 are. We unzipped the diminutive little gig bags and sure enough there lay two full scale 88 key pianos, but there was something indeed different about them. They just looked so…..so…manageable!?! Compared to the traditional, hulking units we were used to, these looked and felt like something completely new. Piano players have had a historically rough trot when it comes to portability. Authentic key feel generally means weighted keys, which coupled with onboard amplification and various other componentry, very quickly adds up generally to a cumbersome, unwieldy unit (there is also something about the dimensions of a full size digital piano in a road case that make it impossible to fit into the back of a family sedan, no matter which angle you place it). The PX-S1000 and PX-S3000 look to combat this by radically rethinking the dimensions of the traditional Digital Piano and the results are more than impressive. On unboxing, the first thing that takes one’s eye is the svelte, futuristic aesthetic of the new-look Privia series. The finish is a tasteful glossy, while the controls are minimalistic, with no excess knobs or displays taking up valuable real estate. The PX-S1000 reduces the control panel to a power button, a master volume knob and
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seven touch sensitive controls, giving the PX-S1000 a sleek, futuristic look akin to a smart appliance or a piece of designer furniture. While this minimal layout may sound restrictive in theory, rest assured the controls are as intuitive and flexible as one is likely to encounter, and the accompanying Casio Chordana app only further simplifies control of the unit. Once up and playing, users are treated to a variety of different sounds (18 on the PX-S1000, 700 on the PX-S3000!), with built-in recording functions and Bluetooth connectivity. I found the latter two features made both of these models particularly adept writing tools, giving users the ability to stream demos or backing tracks directly to the speakers of the unit from a smart device of their choice, without affecting the functionality of the digital piano. This was absolutely perfect for writing overdubs or practising accompaniment. The dimensions of the Digital Piano have traditionally been determined by a couple important factors: the standardisation of the 88 key/seven octave piano and the size of the weighted keys. In order to achieve the petite dimensions of the PX-S series, Casio has redesigned their Tri-Sensor key technology to something more compact. This resulted in their new Smart Scaled Hammer Action technology. I don’t exactly know what this means, but it results in a key action that is precise and light, reminiscent of an upright piano moreso than a grand. While the PX-S1000 brings full scale functionality and crisp, just-like-the-real-
thing key action to perhaps the most lightweight and compact Digital Piano out there, for just a mere 200 grams of weight (!) and a few extra dollars, the PX-S3000 is a classic in the making and the new Swiss Army Knife of the digital piano world. The 3000 is very similar in appearance to the 1000. It has the same stereo speakers on the back as the 1000, the same slick power button and volume knob, but you begin to see just how feature packed the 3000 is when you notice the two assignable control knobs above the pitch bend wheel, and the three-row LED display nestled amongst the capacitive touch buttons. Further examination reveals a USB port and an extra port for an expression pedal on the back of the unit, a feature lacking in the PX-S1000. The 3000 comes with 700 different sounds to choose from, the ability to layer two tones together, and the ability to split the keyboard between two tones at whatever key you desire. Any synth players out there will be green with envy at the fact that you can split the piano between a bass tone and a lead tone. Gone are the days of stacking keyboards atop one another to play gigs (and the broken keys from when they inevitably fall). The 3000 one-ups the 1000 with the ability to record real-time playing as audio files, instead of just MIDI files, which you can record straight onto a USB plugged into the back of the unit. The 3000 begins to show its hand as a song writing tool when you hit the play button on one of the 200 inbuilt rhythms. With backing tracks of just about every conceivable genre,
and the ability to change the tempo of the rhythm on the fly, chalking up a chord progression to fit a melody, or vice versa, way too easy, and a good way to lose a few hours. The real clincher of the PX-S series is the ability to control the keyboards via a smartphone or tablet. The Chordana Play for Piano app, available for Android and iPhone/iPad, allows you to connect to the Piano units and control the settings through a nice, user friendly display. While the touch controls on the units themselves are fairly intuitive, the Chordana app speeds up customisation considerably, and shows you just how much detail has been put into every feature of the piano. With features such as customisable sounds and effects, tutorial modes for learning songs, and even the ability to write MIDI patterns on the fly, the Chordana app brings a new level of control to digital pianos. BY LIAM MCSHANE
HITS: ∙∙ Very manageable dimensions ∙∙ Slick keybeds MISSES: ∙∙ PX-S1000 could use more sounds
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PRODUCT REVIEWS IK MULTIMEDIA
UNO Drum Machine SOUND AND MUSIC | SOUND-MUSIC.COM | RRP: $529 IK Multimedia have backed up their release of the UNO Synth with the new UNO Drum – a highly compact, portable and user-friendly drum machine that will have you making beats in no time at all. With 100 preset patterns, 100 different kits and five samples for each of the 12 voices there’s a lot to explore. You’ve got anywhere up to 64 steps in a sequence and four different rhythmic divisions to choose from – 3/4, 6/8, 16 and 32. Hook it up to your DAW via USB or MIDI; alternatively you can chain it into your live hardware setup with the audio in. The UNO Drum’s samples are top quality for a drum machine in its price range. There’s lovely low-end on all the kicks as well as a wide range of snares, claps, toms and percussive hits backed up by solid, crisp hi-hats. However, you can’t chop and change the samples between kits. It’s really nice having two tracks dedicated to different kick drums though, it’ll let you delve deeper into offbeat bouncing rhythms or add them together to create big beef. The best thing about these drum machines are the analogue/PCM functions. It gives you the ability to tweak the level, tune, snap and decay of any sample – resulting in a lot of freedom on the fly. This is excellent for pitching toms or kicks to match bass lines or simply adjusting the sample to exactly how you want it to sound. You have the added
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bonus of it being USB or battery powered for use anywhere, anytime, with the ability to quickly save the sequence, including all the parameters you tweak. Tap tempo, stutter, roll and song mode all lend the UNO Drum towards being a live tool. Song mode effectively makes each step its own pattern, which allows you to chain full length, intricate songs together. It’s really useful being able to either manually key in the steps or record a sequence by touching the sample pads. However, these aren’t particularly touch sensitive and are almost like pressing a screen so they do take a little getting used to and don’t always respond exactly how you want them to. The onboard global effects are neat and handy to have, using the compression and drive you can really tighten up your sequence – although if you’re looking for drastic effects you’re going to have to invest in pedals or record to your DAW and do it in post. The humanize feature is a really nice idea, but it seems to only result in a subtle difference I can only describe as disjointed. I’m unsure how the algorithm works but it sounds like random quantizing and small fluctuations in velocity, which makes it difficult to create an overall “feel” – accentuating particular beats – which you would get from a human drummer. You can program this sort of thing in manually but
it’s a lot of work and is a downside to most drum machines, not just the UNO Drum. That being said, the swing setting easily makes up for this. It adds a very high quality touch, especially to hi-hat lines. Also while I’m nitpicking, if you were to actually build and record sequences live, when you’re selecting samples to key in manually it will play the sample as you select it. This means you’d have to select them exactly in time and in the spot you’re going to key it in the sequence so you don’t get a weird offbeat hit – this doesn’t happen if you are using the record feature though. Finally, you’re able to download an additional ten PCM sample libraries for an even greater range of sound sets, as well as integrating with the UNO Drum Editor, which
comes as a stand-alone app or software plug-in. This lets you adjust and build sequences on your software device and then transfer them to the hardware – if that’s your cup of tea. BY JACK SWANN
HITS: ∙∙ Compact and portable ∙∙ Easy to use MISSES: ∙∙ Touch sensitivity could be improved
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PRODUCT REVIEWS KAWAI
ES110 Digital Piano KAWAI AUSTRALIA | KAWAI.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $749.00 The ES110 is the latest digital piano in Kawai’s ES portable series. It features an 88-key fully-weighted keyboard, simple matte black design, built-in speakers as well as 19 instrument sounds. In keeping with true digital piano custom, the ES110 doesn’t feature an LCD display. However, Kawai have come up with some creative shortcuts which mean you’re not pressing the same button 15 times to get to your desired sound. For a digital piano of its price range, the grand piano sounds are pretty solid. The first three or four sounds are the best, with a full, round tone that you would expect from a grand piano. They work well with the carefully-constructed sustain pedal, which is not always the case with all keyboards. The electric piano sounds are a bit hit and miss — for instance, while the RH register of the Rhodes is reasonably authentic, the LH doesn’t really cut through. The Wurlitzer sound is pretty tidy, although it would be nice to have the option of adding tremolo to it rather than it just being permanently on. I was impressed by the organ sound, which was honestly great fun to solo with. You can even trigger the rotor pedal by briefly holding down the Function and Record buttons simultaneously. The modern and rock piano sounds are not all that great, and I couldn’t help but think that Kawai might have been better
off perhaps including a clavinet sound instead. However, the string ensemble, bass, harpsichord and vibes sounds all stand up reasonably strongly. The ES110 allows you to split and layer your sounds, which is a great feature to have on a keyboard of its price. It also allows you to tailor your sounds by adding reverb, sustain pedal resonance and brilliance (or note brightness) to your sounds. It even lets you to change the tuning temperament to other tuning standards, such as those used during the baroque period. For example, if you’re a student studying a Bach prelude, and you’re curious to hear how it would’ve sounded back in the day, you can do this by altering the tuning temperament. One of the more noticeable shortcomings of the ES110 is the inbuilt speakers. As soon as you wind the volume past 75%, you’ll begin to hear some rattling in the lower register when playing the grand piano sounds, which is a bit off-putting. However, I found the Responsive Hammer Compact action to be the standout feature on the ES110. You can tell Kawai have put a lot of time and effort into emulating the action of an acoustic grand, and they’ve nailed this. The Graded Hammer Action, I would say, is my favourite thing about the ES110. This basically means that the keys in the LH register feel weightier when played,
while those up the top of the keyboard are comparatively lighter — as is the case on any acoustic piano. The touch sensitivity is also a nice inclusion, meaning that your pianissimo really will be pianissimo, and your fortissimos (provided you’ve got your headphones on) will really stand out. The matte black and white finish of the keys is a bonus: they felt quite comfortable to play, compared to other digital pianos with those glossy, slippery keybeds. Connectivity-wise, it was good to see the headphone jack situated in an unobtrusive location — the bottom left-hand side, as opposed to the rear. This means no more annoying headphone cable hanging over the keyboard as you play. The ES110 is a very good keyboard for beginners who would like to learn the piano, and play something that actually feels and responds like a piano. While some of the sounds are a bit drab, the grand piano sounds are fairly authentic. This is a great practise instrument; students
will find that once they move up to a real acoustic piano, they’ll pretty much already be used to the feel. All up, a quality instrument given its price range. BY DAVID TOMISICH
HITS: ∙∙ Weighted, graded action ∙∙ Grand piano sounds are authentic ∙∙ Splitting and layering features ∙∙ Incredibly easy to cart around, at only 12kg MISSES: ∙∙ Electric/modern piano sounds are not great ∙∙ Speakers rattle if volume is 75% or higher
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PRODUCT REVIEWS SOLID STATE LOGIC
SiX Desktop Mixer AMBER TECHNOLOGY | AMBERTECH.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $2249
The 2010’s were a real coming-of-age decade for home recording. We witnessed the first graduating class of the DAW revolution of the 2000’s; an entire generation of engineers who by the 2010’s, had moved on from the stock preamps and plug and play convenience found on their consumer level interfaces, and into the world of high end channel strips and pro level A/D conversion. It was a decade where the price of real estate skyrocketed, while the price of recording equipment either plateaued or got cheaper, as manufacturing moved offshore and cheap knock-offs flooded the market. We saw the rise of Genelecs and TLM-103’s in bedroom studios, and more than enough Universal Audio to make a Macbook Pro visibly squirm. Brands dubbed this new kind of engineer prosumers - transitional users who were neither amateur, nor professional (at least by the age-worn definition of the term). As the decade progressed it became abundantly clear that it was in fact these prosumers who were shaping the zeitgeist - extremely talented engineers, recording hit songs from home or hotel, who nevertheless required professional grade front end to extract every bit of quality they could out of what were often, less than ideal recording situations. Enter the SiX, Solid State Logic’s highly anticipated foray into the world of smallscale desktop prosumer mixers (and the perfect way to round out what has been a very big decade in audio). The SiX comes off a surprisingly long gestation period for SSL. For a brand so steeped in studio lore, it was imperative that every care was taken to ensure that
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the budget SiX model would live up to the lofty standards set by SSL consoles past. I’m happy to report that not only does the SiX live up to expectations, in many respects, it shatters them. Whereas traditional SSL consoles have been largely out of reach for all but the most high-end studios and post facilities, the SiX retails at a very manageable price – roughly one hundredth of the cost of a traditional, large scale SSL console like an SSL Duality 48. Therein lies the dilemma, how does a company as prestigious as SSL release a budget desktop mixer without compromising on sound or build quality? The answer lies in simplified processing and streamlined assembly. Right off the bat, it is important to note that the SiX is not an interface. It offers no A/D conversion or USB/Thunderbolt compatibility. If it were to come with A/D conversion of a comparable quality, we would be looking at an extremely pricier unit. What the SiX is, however, is a super convenient and very affordable way for prosumers to get two state of the art SSL Channel strips into their recording chain (and with a couple of stereo line channels thrown in for good measure). One of the defining characteristics of the SiX is its inclusion of many of the same legendary preamp, EQ and routing circuits that made the brand the icon that it is today (albeit in slightly parred back form). Looking across the board, we have the familiar SSL EQ section and G-Series bus compressor all accounted for, along with two of SSL’s revered ‘SuperAnalogue’ preamps. The sound quality on all of these circuits is sublime adding
a sense of instant professionalism to any source that passes through. It’s these aforementioned preamps that really exceed all expectations I had for the SiX, coming into this review. Crystalline clarity and with headroom for days, the pre’s on the SiX share all the hallmarks of the classic SSL sound. When A/B’d with a cheap consumer level interface, it was literally night and day. Nowhere was this heightened level of preamp quality more apparent than on the DI’d instruments, where the SiX’s broadband frequency capture and quality of depth could be heard in all its glory, somehow extracting goodness out of even the most perfunctory of MPC loops and PCM synth sounds. As much as the guitar player in me longed for a mid-band, I still found the switchable, two-band EQ on the SiX to be adequately suitable for simple tone shaping and balance purposes. I’m normally a three-band or bust kind of guy, but the pleasant sonic quality and low noise of the EQ circuit definitely had me reconsidering my habits, and the inclusion of both bell and shelf EQ options (each with different corner/centre frequencies) definitely opened things up in terms of flexibility. The same could be said for the parred back version of the G-Series Bus compressor. While it is an extremely good sounding unit, its single knob operation and the lack of dedicated attack and release functions could scare off users who are used to the endless parameters and full-scale tweakability of the modern DAW workflow. That is not to say that the SiX isn’t extremely adept at what it does. As a centrepiece for the modern project studio, few mixers
have ever offered the kind of pristine audio quality on display here, but the less-is-more approach to onboard processing (which makes perfect sense in the conservative tradition of committing sound to tape) may go over the heads of beginner engineers or people who have grown up adding +10db quarter octave boosts at random points on the frequency spectrum. Don’t think for a second that this is a knock on the SiX - I would gladly take professional level capture and an exceptionally low noise floor over an attack knob any day of the week. It’s just important to acknowledge the SiX, for what it is, is a truly professional front end for the modern recording chain, with just enough onboard processing to get you in the ballpark prior to mix. Besides, when it comes to bells and whistle, I’d happily take a handful of high end over a boatload of budget, every single time. BY PAUL FRENCH
HITS: ∙∙ Truly professional audio quality ∙∙ Awesome headroom ∙∙ Good value for money MISSES: ∙∙ No A/D conversion
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PRODUCT REVIEWS SOYUZ NICROPHONES
The Launcher STUDIO CONNECTIONS | STUDIOCONNECTIONS.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $349 It’s one of the cruelest ironies that the current era of bedroom producers and unattainable record deals coincides with perhaps the greatest nostalgia for analogue gear and traditional tape recording. Though nobody wants to spend a few hours calibrating the machines, there’s something special about the character imparted by that flawed technology. Soyuz Microphones’ The Launcher is here to remedy those hi-fi woes, by taking your shiny new microphones and subjecting them to their top-secret blend of analogue components and their own custom transformer. The result, Soyuz claims, is a “magic” effect as though you were recording straight into a vintage console. The first thing apparent upon unboxing the beast is the quality. Soyuz Microphones holds critical acclaim from some of the worlds’ top producers, and it’s easy to forget that you’re holding something for only a few hundred dollars when it comes with two hand-signed quality control cards, with smiling images of the staff who are so proud of their product. It’s built like an absolute tank, with the reassuring 410g weight to match. The Launcher does require phantom power to operate, and naturally with the use of a transformer it rules out pairing with any condenser microphones which would need power of their own. As the Soyuz Microphones website offers a nice audio
demonstration of its use with an SM57, I thought I would take the chance with some more left-field microphone choices. Firstly, I tried out some acoustic guitar with a Beyerdynamic M201TG. Instantly an improvement was noticeable, as the 26dB boost which The Launcher provides helped reduce the background noise that the M201TG usually deals with as a relatively quiet microphone. To the ear, The Launcher elevated the low to low-mid range of the guitar quite significantly, as well as carefully rolling off the high frequencies. Just as you’d expect from something described as smooth and vintage. I was yet to hear the “magic” of which Soyuz spoke about until I applied a high-pass filter at 90Hz and some compression averaging around 4dB of reduction. The presence was much more noticeable, and the warmth was seeping out of the monitors. Across the recordings I took from three different positions for the guitar, each one of the non-Launcher signals sounded honky and overly crunchy from the strumming sound itself. Short of breaking out a screwdriver and wire cutters, I turned to a frequency analyser to see how The Launcher was really weaving its spell. Before filters and compression, there is a huge bump in the low end between 60-120Hz. There actually isn’t much affecting the lowmid range, but a sharp cut at around 1kHz
brings those out without bloating them, as well as leaving room for the high range to sparkle before a gentle slope at 11kHz rides down the harsh harmonic distortion brought about by compression. The real trick seems to be the 1kHz cut here, as it prevents the common reach to turn up those lower and higher mids. For vocals, the differences are a little less obvious, but still quite nice. On an ElectroVoice PL80c, already much less boomy and brighter than your average SM58, The Launcher adds some great body and presence to the chain. The slight lift around 3.5kHz is less evident than with the guitar, but the pure beef it adds to the low end would really be a dream for some singers, especially those singing in higher registers. Overall my only disappointment is that I can’t use this with a condenser microphones as the warmth would compliment them well. The Launcher would particularly shine in live audio applications. Without access to any of the countless plugins which offer similar effects, I could definitely see myself reaching for it to give some colour to a singer while leaving room to play with EQ on the desk. In the studio or the bedroom, it’s a great hack to get that vintage tone in a tasteful and subtle way. BY FERGUS NASH
HITS: ∙∙ Solid construction and quality soft-case ∙∙ Easy, plug-and-play vintage tone ∙∙ 26dB boost helps avoid the noise floor MISSES: ∙∙ Incompatible with condenser microphones
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ERIS, REMASTERED. We made sure these monitors maintained the clarity and flat frequency response that Eris has become synonymous with. Eris XT monitors deliver the same smooth, accurate character of their predecessors, and add improved transient response, a wider top-end, and tightly-focused lows. The 100° x 60° elliptical wave guide provides a wider stereo image for a larger sweet spot, while the narrow vertical dispersion reduces reflections from your desk. The silk dome tweeter delivers a smooth, refined sound that accurately reproduces transients and high frequencies. Both the weave and nature of the Eris XT custom-woven composite low-frequency driver deliver a constant dispersion pattern throughout the frequency range. A larger cabinet and improved port deliver deeper bass response. It’s Eris, remastered. Rest assured that your clients and fans are getting what they deserve: your best work. Visit us at www.presonus.com to learn more.
ERIS XT ™
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Eris E5 XT
©2019 All Rights Reserved, PreSonus Audio Electronics. PreSonus is a registered trademark of PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. Eris is a trademark of PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Eris E8 XT
AS BIG AS YOU WANT IT: RockBoard® DUO 2.0 320mm x 142mm RockBoard® DUO 2.1 470mm x 142mm RockBoard® TRES 3.1 522mm x 234mm
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RockBoard® CINQUE 5.3 822mm x 422mm
RockBoard® CINQUE 5.4 1002mm x 422mm
All pedalboards come with an option of a Gig Bag, Flight Case or ABS Case with the exception of the DUO 2.0 which only comes with a Gig Bag. Framus & Warwick Music USA, Inc.
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PRODUCT REVIEWS ICON
Platform Nano INNOVATIVE MUSIC | INNOVATIVEMUSIC.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $279 Digital Audio Workstation controllers can be, pardon the pun, a touchy subject for a lot of producers and engineers. Admittedly, there’s not many functions and features available from DAW controllers that can’t be solved with a mouse or trackpad, and mouses are almost always already available or used with your computer anyway. Controllers can be expensive and sometimes clunky, which is the problem that the iCon Platform Nano focuses to solve. The Nano is another addition to a growing list of DAW controllers from iCon, most of which are modular and can be combined, split, rearranged and re-programmed to function however you want them to. Featuring a single fader that can be toggled between banks of eight channels across your DAW, and some super handy features such as play, stop, record, fast forward etc. the iCon puts the tact back in tactile. The iCon Nano’s top control surface is primarily filled with almost 40 buttons for toggling between functions, soloing, muting and editing the selected track. The Nano also features one large fader, with 10-bit resolution for accurately setting levels, as well as five pots for panning and dialing settings, and finally, one large jog wheel that can be programmed to do a variety of jobs. The unit features a large backlit LCD screen to display settings, selected channel names and values, and can easily be seen
in both bright and dim settings. The Nano connects via USB 2.0 to ensure compatibility with most systems. For complete integration, the Nano features DAW overlays (like a skin that lays over the unit’s buttons to label the functions to match your DAWs terminology) for all major DAWs such as ProTools, LogicPro, Cubase, FL Studio etc. In use, the Nano works well to pack the features of some of iCon’s larger DAW Controllers into such a small package. They do this by creating layers, accessible via hitting any of the coloured buttons below the LCD screen, allowing you to assign different functions to the same buttons and easily access them via different layers. The fader is also multi-use, and again can be toggled between different uses by punching any of the buttons along the left side of the unit, beside the fader itself. The pot above the fader can be toggled between a pan, send and some other functions, while the four knobs lined along the top of the unit can be used to toggle settings inside of plugins, such as EQ points, Q-width or compression ratios or attack and release. Admittedly all accessible with a mouse as well, but bringing a tactile feel to your mixes, and allowing you to focus more on your ears than fingers and mouse. What’s more, it can be integrated into a larger iCon system for more faders and knobs, and expanded to as many channels as you might need. Admittedly, a single fader doesn’t give
a lot of room for automating multiple tracks on the fly, without quickly toggling between settings and channels to make the pass. That being said, the Nano could easily be augmented with another eight channel iCon unit, providing eight channels, a master fader on the Nano, and a long list of functions. Realistically, it is absolutely everything you’d need. Overall, the iCon Platform Nano is a great solution for any and every DAW user. Ideal for producers wanting to dip their feet into DAW controlling, or alternatively to expand an existing modular controller system, or, alternatively again, to mix with tactile feel and vibe while on the road where a console or larger DAW controller isn’t always practical. The Nano itself can be used similarly to a much larger and more expensive controller that occupies much more space, but offers matching functionality. The Nano features
exceptionally well integrated layers and intuitive design, making access to it’s seemingly endless features easy regardless of which DAW you call home. Besides larger mixes requiring lots of automation and multiple passes, there isn’t much the Nano can’t accomplish, as it brings the physical feel, the push and the pull back into music. BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS
HITS: ∙∙ Lots of functionality crammed into small unit ∙∙ Clear, accurate buttons and controls ∙∙ DAW overlays included MISSES: ∙∙ Single fader has it’s limitations
PRESONUS
PX-1 PRESONUS | PRESONUS.COM | EXPECT TO PAY: $199 To say the entry-level large diaphragm condenser market is saturated is one of the audio world’s greatest understatements, perhaps more so than an IKEA desk saying “some assembly required”. The cost of entry has never been lower. You could pick up a brand new, no-name condenser on Ebay for as little as $20. I mean, you could, but should you? Definitely not, they’re really bad. Fortunately, the team at PreSonus have stepped up to the plate, putting their research and design nous into crafting an extremely capable, extremely cost effective microphone with the bedroom engineer in mind. Getting straight into the action, I’ve pitted the PX-1 against my much-loved Røde NT1000. The Røde may be more than double the cost of the PreSonus, but the PX-1 deserves the chance to stand out from its more direct rivals such as the Røde NT1-A or the Audio-Technica AT2035. Off the bat with a baritone vocalist and plugged into a Behringer X32 Rack with no EQ or compression, the PX-1 immediately impresses. The response is crisp and balanced across the board, which makes sense as the included frequency response graph is exceptionally flat. In fact, there’s barely a single bump or dip until you reach the inevitable hump at around 6kHz and 15kHz, but there’ll be more on that later on. Comparing it to the NT1000, there seems to
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be a lot more strength at around 500-1kHz, as well as a much smoother bass response. There is less at around 2kHz however, which contributes to the overall tone being less present and overbearing as the Røde. After applying a high-pass filter at 120Hz and some light, slow compression, the PX-1 continues to hold its own. The silky smooth bass and low-mids especially jump out to me as being beyond its pay grade, and the NT1000 comes across as a tad honky and peaky by comparison. Where the PX-1 stumbles however, is in the same area that so many affordable large diaphragm condensers tend to falter, and that’s with sibilance. There seems to be something in the manufacturing process of mass-produced large diaphragm condenser capsules which brings out 6kHz above all else, resulting in especially harsh ‘S’ sounds which cut through any mix, but not always in the way we’d like. If you have access to a De-Esser plugin or are handy with dynamic EQ, this can be remedied without too much hassle, but generally these kind of microphones are aimed at fresher producers who just want to get a great sound without lots of fiddling. One could see this as a benefit however, as it may drive those future engineers to learn more about valuable postproduction skills to get the most out of their equipment. Going on to what is most likely the PX-1’s second most common instrument, the
acoustic guitar, the PX-1 bares its limitations once more. In making their microphone have such a flat response, PreSonus have ensured that it will cover a wide range of voices and instruments. However with the guitar, such a voicing can result in the low end quickly becoming overpowering, unless aimed closer to the neck of the instrument. Across different positions on the guitar, the PX-1 becomes noticeably more boomy and unwieldy, even with high-pass filters engaged, and compression only seems to further compound the issue. The high end does still sound lovely and smooth, with a roll off at around 12kHz providing complimentary warmth to the 6kHz clarity, but the dip near 2kHz has the added effect of accentuating the 500-1kHz range a little more than one would normally want in an acoustic guitar recording. All-in-all, the PreSonus PX-1 is definitely a good microphone for the money. Its sound quality and the things it does well easily make up for its hallmarks of affordability. With a decent leather case and hard-mount, all it really needs is a pop filter and you ready to record great vocals. BY FERGUS NASH
HITS: ∙∙ Clean, balanced sound ∙∙ Great for easy vocal recording ∙∙ Affordable MISSES: ∙∙ Prone to sibilance issues ∙∙ Jack of all trades, master of none
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PRODUCT REVIEWS PRESONUS
Studio One 4.6 LINK AUDIO | LINKAUDIO.COM.AU | ENQUIRE FOR DETAILS PreSonus have continued to listen to their customer feedback and requests to bring yet another update to their DAW Studio One, packed full of new and improved features. Perhaps this is why Studio One is rapidly becoming a preferred DAW for beginners right through to professionals – its sensible, high calibre design and industry standard quality has got your software audio needs covered.
cabinets, which makes it particularly exciting for producers and synth players. You’ve got a new tuner function, five massive distortion stompboxes as well as all your other standard effects – reverb, delay, pan, modulation, equalizer etc. The Big Fuzz and strikingly similar copy of the original Boss Chorus pedal will add some gritty depth to any track you put them on.
Having been a Studio One user for almost five years now I have come to value the practicality of this software. It’s incredibly easy to pump through anything from recording voiceovers and full-length instrumental tracks to chopping up and editing samples and drumbeats. You’re able to intuitively and rapidly assemble loops, songs or even full length albums; taking care of tracking, mixing and mastering without the need of a subscription or endless plugin costs.
If any of this tickles your fancy and you aren’t a Studio One user, you’re able to purchase the Ampire plugin as an add-on to the free Studio One Prime for $59.95. On that note, if you’re worried about being too familiar with different software, Studio One has preset keyboard shortcuts that mimic other DAWs like Pro Tools and Logic to help you transition between them with ease.
But enough of that, let’s get into the details. The Ampire 3 plugin is the biggest feature in the new update. PreSonus have utilised their remarkable State Space Modeling technology to capture the nuance and impulse response of five classic guitar amplifiers. In addition to 16 cabinet models, you’re able to adjust the balance, delay, polarity and even the position of the microphone hooked up to the amp. Then comes the pedalboard with 13 effects. PreSonus are stressing that this feature is independent to the rest of the amps and
The PreSonus Shop now has a tab within the Browser, so you’ve no need to leave your window to search for new plugins. PreSonus really strive to include small features like this so as not to disrupt your workflow. You can navigate through in either the classic list view or the new Gallery view option, which helps you visualise what you’re about to purchase, as well as manage your existing plugins and SoundCloud. You can also manage Exchange within the Browser as well, letting you download, review and preview shared content by other Studio One users, and you can even upload your own content such as presets, grooves, FX chains or soundsets.
The Pattern and Arranger updates are great for loop based production and are features I’m sure will be enjoyed by those enthralled with electronic music. It allows you to effectively humanise the feel of your tracks without having to painstakingly key in variations. Convert parts to patterns and vice versa. Adjust parameters such as probability, swing, velocity, individual note length and delay for both melodic and drum grooves. You can also isolate and adjust the step length of a drum hit so it plays on a slightly different beat each time. Once you’re finished editing your pattern, simply convert it back to a part and it is all saved and you’re ready to finish the rest of the track. PreSonus are also adapting Studio One to be favourable for recording podcasts and audiobooks. The Podcast Production Template features a Macro Toolbar page intuitively designed for the specific needs of recording voice. You’re able to add tailored Fat
Channel EQs, compression or a bit of reverb, in addition to tempo matching and time stretching functions. Overall, this extensive update has made Studio One even more suited to capturing your creativity on the fly or sitting with you for hours on end crafting entire arrangements. BY JACK SWANN
HITS: ∙∙ Intuitive Pattern and Arranger updates ∙∙ Ampire offers incredibly realistic amp simulations ∙∙ New exchange browser MISSES: ∙∙ Nothing at this stage!
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DIRECTORY
EVOLUTION MUSIC
SKY MUSIC
KOALA MUSIC
DAMIEN GERARD STUDIOS
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 4/2181 Princes Hwy, Clayton VIC P | (03) 9546 0188 E | info@skymusic.com.au W | skymusic.com.au /skymusiconline
(Audio Products Distribution) A | Brookvale, NSW P | (02) 8090 6508 E | koalaaudio@outlook.com W | koalaaudio.com.au / koalaaudio
KEYNOTE STUDIOS
FIVE STAR MUSIC
THE AUDIO EXPERTS
MAKE MERCHANDISE
EASTGATE MUSIC
NEWMARKET STUDIOS
(Music Production Studio) A | 87-91 Arden Street, Melbourne VIC P | (03) 9329 2877 E | callum@newmarketstudios.com.au W | newmarketstudios.com.au /newmarketstudios
LEARN MUSIC
(Music Education) A | 311 High Street, Kew VIC P | (03) 9853 8318 E | learnmusic@bigpond.com W | learnmusic.com.au /kewlearnmusic
SOUNDS EASY PTY LTD
JABEN AUDIO
VINYL REVIVAL
BINARY MUSIC
(Music Instruments Retailer & Education) A | 48 Bloomfield St, Cleveland QLD P | (07) 3488 2230 E | sales@binarymusic.com.au W | binarymusic.com.au /binarymusic
SOUNDS ESPRESSO
A | Shop 2 398 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC P | (03) 9670 8231 E | info@jaben.com.au W | jaben.com.au /jabenau
(Vinyl and Record Specialist) A | 405 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC P | (03) 9419 5070 A | 128 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC P | (03) 9448 8635 E | info@vinylrevival.com.au W | vinylrevival.com.au /vinylrevivalmelbourne
(Record Store & Café) A | 268 Victoria Road, Marrickville, NSW P | (02) 9572 6959 E | soundsespresso@hotmail.com W | soundsespresso.com.au /soundsespresso
HYDRA REHEARSAL STUDIOS
MELBOURNE MUSIC CENTRE
CONWAY CUSTOM GUITARS
GLADESVILLE GUITAR FACTORY
EASTERN SUBURBS SCHOOL OF MUSIC
DEX AUDIO
MONA VALE MUSIC
TURRAMURRA MUSIC
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 8/2 Northey Rd, Lynbrook VIC P | (03) 8787 8599 E | info@evolutionmusic.com.au W | evolutionmusic.com.au /evolutionmusicaus
(Rehearsal & Recording Studio) A | 3/3 Melissa St, Auburn NSW P | (04) 1160 5554 E | keynotestudio6@gmail.com W | keynotestudios.com.au /keynote1
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 1131 Burke Rd, Kew VIC P | (03) 9817 7000 E | sales@eastgatemusic.com W | eastgatemusic.com.au /Eastgatemusic
(Headphone Specialist Retailer)
(Rehearsal Rooms) A | 18 Duffy Street, Burwood VIC P | (03) 9038 8101 E | hydrastudios@bigpond.com W | hydrastudios.com.au /hydra.rehearsal.studios
(Music Lessons) A | 10 Floriston Road, Boronia VIC 7 Sahra Grove, Carrum Downs VIC P | 0421 705 150 E | essm@essm.net.au W | essm.net.au /easternsuburbsschoolofmusic
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 102 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood VIC P | (03) 9870 4143 E | websales@fivestarmusic.com.au W | fivestarmusic.com.au /fivestarmusicoz
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 525 North Rd, Ormond, VIC P | (03) 9578 2426 E | info@melbournemusiccentre. com.au W | melbournemusiccentre.com.au /melbournemusic.centre
(Audio Visual Retailer) A | 393-399 Macaulay Rd, Melbourne VIC P | (03) 8378 2266 E | mail@dexaudio.com.au W | dexaudio.com.au /dexaudioaustralia
(Audio Visual Retailer) A | 2065 Dandenong Road, Clayton VIC P | (03) 9545 5152 E | sales@theaudioexperts.com.au W | theaudioexperts.com.au /TheAudioExpertsAus
(Luthier) A | Wynnum, QLD P | 0408 338 181 E | info@conwaycustom.com.au W | conwaycustom.com.au /conwaycustomguitars
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 55 Bassett Street, Mona Vale NSW P | (02) 9986 0589 E | info@mvmwarehouse.com W | www.monavalemusic.com / monavalemusic
(Recording Studios) A | 19 Grieve Rd West Gosford NSW P | 0416 143 030 E | bookings@damiengerard.net W | damiengerard.com.au /damiengerardstudios
(Screenprinting, Embroidery & Promotional Products) A | Unit 22/7 Lyn Parade, Prestons, NSW P | 0423 740 733 E | sales@makemerchandise.com.au W | makemerchandise.com.au /MakeMerchandise
(Music Technology & Instruments Retailer) A | Suite G05, 15 Atchison St, St Leonards NSW P | (02) 8213 0202 W | soundseasy.com.au /dsoundseasy
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 280 Victoria Rd, Gladesville NSW P | (02) 9817 2173 E | mail@guitarfactory.net W | guitarfactory.net / GladesvilleGuitarFactory
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 1267 Pacific Hwy, Turramurra NSW P | (02) 9449 8487 E | general_sales@turramusic.com.au W | turramusic.com.au / TurramurraMusic
Not In The Directory? C O N TA C T
W I L L @ F U R S T M E D I A . C O M . A U
mixdownmag.com.au
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MY RIG: KEVIN 'CAVEMAN' SHIRLEY Kevin Shirley has an ear for what works pure and simple. For over 40 years, the mega producer has recorded and mixed some of the biggest names in rock and is showing no signs of slowing down. Earning his stripes as a studio engineer in the burgeoning Capetown music scene of the 1970’s before venturing to Australia and the US to ply his trade as an in-demand producer/mix engineer to the stars, Shirley has developed a virtuoso skillset that encompasses all facets of record making, from the technical to the holistic. It comes as no surprise that when Cold Chisel were looking for someone to produce their forthcoming album Blood Moon, Caveman’s name was at the very top of the list. We recently caught up with Kevin ahead of the release of Blood Moon, to talk us through a
couple of his most treasured pieces of gear and the sounds that shaped both Blood Moon and his broader discography to date. SSL Duality 48 CH Console: “My go-to console is my Solid State Logic Duality desk that I run entirely in analogue mode. It’s got a harmonic driver on it so I can push it to get whatever sound I want out of it. I absolutely love my console. It’s my soul. This console is my con….soul! I’m definitely not a plug-in guy. I mostly use the onboard EQ and compression on my Duality, then I use Protools basically like a tape machine. As far as processing goes - I don’t use digital at all. I’m all about an analog front end and I’m not afraid to overload mics and preamps to get what I want out of a sound.”
Neumann U47: “Almost everyone sounds good on an old U47. Although sometimes the U67 will sound a little bit tighter, which can be helpful, but more often than not I’ll go with a U47 as my default. At the end of the day, when you’re dealing with a singer like Jimmy, you can throw a tin can up in front of him and he will still sound fantastic!” TUL G12 Guitar Mic: “I had always been a big fan of the ‘two different mics at 90 degrees’ method of recording guitar cab, but all that changed when I received a call from my friend (and fellow South African) Tully Mcully, around the time I was recording The Ballad of John Henry with Joe Bonamassa. He asked me about my cab micing technique and offered to design a microphone that would be able to replicate
the effect of these two mics, but in a single unit. He sent me a prototype and I’ve use it on every guitar record I’ve worked on since. I’ve used it with Iron Maiden and I know Bob Rock has been using them also. You can hear those mics all over Mossy’s guitars on Blood Moon!” AMS RMX 16: “I’ve got an old AMS RMX 16 digital reverb unit that usually gets a fair bit of use on most sessions. Don (Walker, Cold Chisel keyboardist) doesn’t like a lot of effects on things, so I made a point of not being too heavy-handed with it. At the end of the day you have to listen to the artist, and there is no point in piling on effects that you just have to take off later on.” Blood Moon is out now via Universal Music Australia. Catch Cold Chisel on tour around the country this summer.
SSL Duality 48 CH Console TUL G12 Guitar Mic Neumann U47
AMS RMX 16
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