#313 – DEC/JAN 2021
TASH SULTANA AUSTRALIA'S GUITAR SUPERSTAR THE SMASHING PUMPKINS AARON FRAZER + JARRYD JAMES FIRST LOOK: ABLETON LIVE 11
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REVIEWED: FENDER TASH SULTANA SIGNATURE STRATOCASTER, AVID PRO TOOLS CARBON, SHURE MV7 + MORE
Destination Tone
Available Now! PACKED WITH FEATURES • Best-in-class performance including amp, cab, and effects models drawn from the award-winning HX family of processors • Simple interface with colour display for fast and easy tone creation • Portable and compact, lightweight design • 11cm colour LCD makes it easy to see what you are doing
The POD Go guitar processor gets
• Colour footswitch LEDs indicate which type of effect is active
you on the road to ultimate tone via
• Load third-party cabinet impulse responses (IRs) for unlimited cabinet options
its ultra-portable and lightweight
• Snapshots let you seamlessly switch between tones without audio dropouts
design, simple plug-and-play interface, and best-in-class tones.
• Free POD Go Edit app for easy preset editing and backup • Stereo effects loop and TRS expression pedal / dual footswitch input • Connect to a traditional amp via 4-cable method • 4-in/4-out 24bit/96kHz audio interface for recording and re-amping
MORE INFO
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Play anywhere, anytime THE VOX SDC-1 MINI ELECTRIC GUITAR
The VOX SDC-1 Mini provides the sound and feel of a full sized electric guitar in a compact format. Featuring high gear ratio tuning heads especially designed for short scale guitars to allow easy and accurate tuning. Thanks to its neck width and size, the VOX SDC-1 Mini will also be perfect for children or adults with small hands, making it possible for anyone to enjoy playing anywhere. Try pairing the SDC-1 with an amPlug headphone amp for the perfect travel guitar experience.
$309
TERMS & CONDITIONS Terms and conditions apply, see online for details
sale.au.yamaha.com/sdc1 Yamaha Music Australia proudly distributes VOX voxampsaustralia
REIN V EN T ING T HE S TAGE K E Y B OARD
Designed for gigging keyboardists, the YC61 features a brand new Virtual Circuitry Modelling (VCM) Organ engine with physical drawbars, extensive real time control and authentic Acoustic/Electric Piano and FM synth sounds.
AVAILABLE NOW!
FIND A DEALER
au.yamaha.com
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TASH SULTANA STRATOCASTER®
The TASH SULTANA STRATOCASTER® in Transparent Cherry
©2020 Fender Musicial Instruments Corporation. FENDER, FENDER in script, STRATOCASTER, and the distinctive headstock commonly found on Fender Guitars and Basses are registered trademarks of FMIC. Yosemite is a trademark of FMIC. All rights reserved.
CONTENTS 8 10 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 27 29 47 48 49 50 51 58
PUBLISHER
Giveaways
Smashing Pumpkins
Furst Media Mycelium Studios Factory 1/10-12 Moreland Road East Brunswick VIC 3057 (03) 9428 3600
Mark Opitz
PRINT EDITOR
Jarryd James
Paul French paul@furstmedia.com.au
Product News Tash Sultana Interview
Aaron Frazer
ONLINE EDITOR
QSC
Will Brewster will@furstmedia.com.au
Prism Sound Ernie Ball
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Gift Guide
Tash Sultana PG .14
First Look: Ableton Live 11 Drum Column Bass Column Reviews
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Andy Lloyd-Russell
Smashing Pumpkins
Guitar Column
Chayto Nadin
ADVERTISING MANAGER Paul French paul@furstmedia.com.au
PG. 16
PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
My Rig
Patrick Carr patrick@furstmedia.com.au CONTRIBUTORS
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@MIXDOWNMAGAZINE @MIXDOWNMAGAZINE MIXDOWNMAG.COM.AU For breaking news, new content and more giveaways visit our website.
First Look: Ableton Live 11 PG. 47
Andy Lloyd-Russell, Nick Brown, Bridgette Baini, Brett Voss, David Tomisich, Benjamin Lamb, Liam Mcshane, Sam Mcneice, Adrian Violi, Alisdair Belling, Jack Swann, Lewis NokeEdwards, Phil Smith, August Billy, David James Young FOUNDER Rob Furst
ELECTRICAL SAFETY RECALL Line 6 Relay G10 Family of Products Yamaha Music Australia
IDENTIFICATION:
The product was distributed by Yamaha Music Australia and sold nationally in music stores between 29 March 2016 and 6 December 2019. The affected models are: Line 6 Relay G10T Wireless Transmitter (Part No.: 98-033-0076) Line 6 Relay G10S Digital Wireless Guitar System (Part No.: 99-128-0301) Line 6 Relay G10 Digital Wireless Guitar System (Part No.: 99-123-0605) and Line 6 Relay G10T USB Charging Cable (Part No.: 98-033-0077)
EXCLUSIVE RESELLER OF
Bad Penny FX · Fredric Effects · LAA Custom · Raygun FX Latent Lemon Audio · Mastro Valvola · NRG Effects
DEFECT:
The transmitter’s internal battery may overheat or parts of the battery cover may separate while the device is being charged. Overheating or separation of the battery cover may lead to fire, burns, injury or property damage.
HAZARD:
Risk of fire and injury
ACTION REQUIRED:
Consumers should immediately stop using the G10 Family of Products until a firmware update is performed. Instructions to complete the update can be found at www.line6.com/g10recall. Consumers using the Line 6 Relay G10T USB Charging Cable should immediately stop using the charging cable and return it to Yamaha Australia for a full refund.
w w w . m o chaeart h.com.a u 6
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
For any queries concerning this recall please contact Yamaha Music Australia. Call: 1300 739 390 or email: enquiries@yamaha.com.au
See www.productsafety.gov.au for Australian product recall information
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GIVEAWAYS GekkoSound G.Boost pedal GekkoSound are a recently minted Melbourne boutique pedal company, specialising in all-analogue gear to spruce up your tones something special. To celebrate their launch, we’re giving away one of their handmade G.Boost pedals - providing up to 26dB of ultra clean boost into your signal without meddling with your natural tone and dynamics.
Reunion Blues gear cases Need to store your favourite piece of gear? Never fear - we’ve got the perfect solution for you. Thanks to DI Music, we’ve got four amazing Reunion Blues Continental and Oxford gig bags and cases to give away to celebrate this issue, with something to suit every guitarist, bassist and drummer up for grabs.
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
PREMIUM, WIRELESS STUDIO-QUALITY SOUND
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Discover AONIC at your closest store jands.com.au/shure-aonic
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PRODUCT NEWS Ableton Live 11 is coming in 2021 ABLETON | ABLETON.COM
Set to arrive in early 2021, Ableton’s new Live 11 looks to be just as much as creative performance tool as it is a pragmatic audio arranger, with the latest version offering a range of inspiring new features such as MIDI Polyphonic Expression and Live Tempo Following to make your tracks more organic than ever. There’s also six Inspired by Nature instruments and a bunch other cool new devices, as well as other small tweaks to the DAW’s overall functionality to improve your creative workflow - all of which are covered in our exclusive first look in this issue.
Recording King debut new Parlour Metal Body Resonator
Warm Audio revive a classic with the new WA-67 microphone
Avid introduce nifty new features in Pro Tools 2020.11 update
EGM DISTRIBUTION | EGM.NET.AU
STUDIO CONNECTIONS | STUDIOCONNECTIONS. COM.AU
INNOVATIVE MUSIC | INNOVATIVEMUSIC.COM.AU
Recording King are aiming to cement their status as blues and roots royalty with the new Parlour Metal Body Resonator. With a handspun 9.5" cone and a nickel-plated brass body, the Parlour Metal Body Resonator pairs a 24.25" mahogany neck with a 19 fret rosewood fretboard and 1.75" nut, allowing for nimble playing up and down the fretboard. If you’re on the hunt for the be-all end-all of blues boxes, you’ll definitely want to consider this one.
Warm Audio have announced the WA-67: an incredibly affordable clone of the Neumann U67 that’s bound to worm its way into studio set-ups the world over. Built around an EF86 pentode tube and featuring a specially designed capsule and transformer, the WA-67 offers switchable cardioid, omnidirectional and figure-of-eight polar patterns to deliver the ‘smooth and creamy’ sounds of the original, while a -10dB pad switch and 80 Hz high-pass filter offer further versatility while recording. Keep your eyes peeled for it in stores soon.
Avid have launched Pro Tools 2020.11, bringing a number of useful tweaks to improve the DAW's workflow and appearance. Pro Tools 2020.11 now lets users enable Dark Mode, giving the DAW a blacked-out aesthetic to make it easier on the eyes during extended periods of use. There's also a new Audio to MIDI conversion tool developed alongside Celemony, as well as a new Space Clips Command and Bounce Mix functionality, while subscribers can now also access Celemony's Melodyne 5 pitch correction software at no extra cost. Find out more at Avid's website.
Pioneer DJ’s DDJ-FLX6 is perfect for seamless crossgenre mixing Fender’s Brad Paisley Esquire packs a secret weapon FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU
Teaming up with Fender for another signature model, Brad Paisley’s new Esquire pairs a custom paulownia body with a spruce top and back for acoustic-like resonance. The signature model boasts a hidden Seymour Duncan Secret Agent pickup under the pickguard in the neck position, while a Fender ’64 Tele pickup in the bridge lets you tap into that classic twangy tone. This one also features a road-worn black sparkle finish and a paisley pickguard - classy. Take it for a spin in-store today.
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JANDS | JANDS.COM.AU
The Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX6 promises a portable DJ controller with plug-and-play functionality for both RekordBox and Serato. The unit features four channels, two full-sized jog wheels and a Jog Cutter for one-handed scratching, while the all-new Merge FX mode lets you dynamically transition between genres with the push of a button, adding a dramatic drop into your track to allow for seamless song transitions, making it the perfect tool for any entry-tointermediate level DJ to perform on.
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PRODUCT NEWS Yamaha announce new DTX6 electronic drum kits YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | AU.YAMAHA.COM
Yamaha have rolled out the new DTX6 electronic drum kit range, offering three different setups for players who need “a compact kit and want to have fun, play like a pro and easily transfer their skills to acoustic drums”. Comprised of the DTSX6K-X, DTX6K2-X and DTX6K3-X, each model in the range is based around the DTX-PRO sound module, which is loaded with over 700 sounds with 40 preset kits and room for 200 more, plus controls for tone, compression, ambiance and more. Why not treat your neighbours to the gift of silence this year, and snag a set this Christmas?
Vox’s Valvenergy pedals are in stores now YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | AU.YAMAHA.COM
After teasing the range earlier in the year at NAMM, Vox have officially launched their Valvenergy effects pedals, with the Mystic Edge, Silk Drive, Copperhead Drive and Cutting Edge all out now. Each pedal features an analogue signal path and inbuilt NuTube for authentic overdriven tones, as well as a three-band EQ and three seperate input/output modes, plus an OLED display with a funky oscilloscope for your visual pleasure.
Ernie Ball Music Man launch the Cliff Williams Icon Series StingRay bass
RØDE Microphones launch the Vlogger Kit
CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU
With their new Vlogger Kits, RØDE Microphones seek to bring high quality audio to the content creation space at an all-tooaffordable cost. The new kit, comprised of a RØDE VideoMic, tripod, LED light, phone grip and accessories, puts everything you could ever need to record live-streamed performances, YouTube videos and TikToks into one convenient package. Don’t skimp out on sound quality this silly season - head online and secure your own kit today.
Ernie Ball Music Man have unleashed the Icon Series Cliff Williams StingRay, a pinpoint recreation of the AC/DC bassist’s own 1979 StingRay. Every single nuance of the original ’79 StingRay has been painstakingly replicated on the new Icon Series bass, with the instrument also being the first-ever Ernie Ball Music Man instrument to feature artificial ageing. The instrument is only limited to 26 units worldwide - if you want in, get in touch with your local Ernie Ball Music Man rep today.
RØDE MICROPHONES | RODE.COM
PreSonus debut the Revelator microphone LINK AUDIO | LINKAUDIO.COM.AU
Fender gear up for the silly season with four new effects pedals FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU
Fender continue their expansion into the world of effects with four versatile new stompboxes. The Tread-Light wah and volume/expression range combine vintage looks and tones with the flexibility you’d expect from a modern pedal, while the Acoustic Preverb and Trapper Bass Distortion are great utilities for both kinds of players. Check them out in stores now. 12
The new Revelator microphone sees PreSonus set their sights on the burgeoning podcast sector, debuting a multi-pattern condenser microphone with an inbuilt headphone amplifier and USB-C capability. The Revelator also boasts Fat Channel DSP to allow users to add vocal effects, compression and EQ to their signal with ease, while dual channel loopback functionality makes it a choice pick for gamers and streamers alike. These ones are expected to land in Australia this January – keep your eyes peeled for them soon!
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TASH SULTANA: AUSTRALIA’S OWN GUITAR SUPERSTAR Five years ago, you might have been fortunate enough to stumble upon a lone busker performing for small change amid the hustle and bustle of Melbourne’s Bourke Street shopping precinct. Wielding an electric guitar and expertly navigating their way around a loop station to create a smorgasbord of head-snapping grooves and psychedelic guitar solos, it was clear from the get-go that this particular busker wasn’t just your average street performer. Yet still, no one could have predicted the astronomical rise to stardom that laid ahead of Tash Sultana. After the viral success of their 2016 Notions EP track ‘Jungle’ led into a never-ending touring cycle that’s eventuated in sold out shows and headlining festival sets all over the globe, there’s no doubting that Tash is now well and truly at the top of their game. At the age of 25, Sultana has achieved more than many could ever dream of, and now they’ve got yet another notch to add to their belt, joining an elite company of shredders to unveil their very own signature model with Fender - one of only three Australian artists to ever do so. “Honestly, it’s a bit of a no-brainer when one of the biggest guitar companies in the world comes to you and says, ‘Do you want to design your own line?’,” Tash gushes. “It's like, ‘absolutely man, what the fuck!?’
“The local music store that I've been going to since I was seven just told me that they had ordered the guitar when I went in there the other day. I remember I used to be a little kid walking in there just wishing that any guitar was mine, and saving up all my Christmas and birthday money for years just to buy one - now, they’ve got like five of them on the wall, which is just fucking sick. With a design that bridges the gap between classic Fender and forward-thinking ingenuity, the Tash Sultana Signature Stratocaster is a testament to the Melbourne multi-instrumentalist’s tremendous musical prowess. Instead of just regurgitating another production model and slapping a signature on the headstock to call it a day, it’s a guitar that’s made to encourage emerging generations of guitarists to follow in Sultana’s tracks, packing all the features necessary to imprint one’s sonic identity on the world stage. "I wanted a custom-looking guitar for the Signature series,” says Tash, describing the lengths they went to alongside Fender in order to perfect the guitar’s design. “But the thing is, is that it really is a custom guitar. It’s a Signature Stratocaster that exactly suits my specs, and it was really important for me to create an affordable Fender Strat that sounds and looks good.” Completed over the course of several years due to their endless
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touring commitments - and set back even further due to the impacts of COVID-19 - the Tash Sultana Signature Stratocaster is truly a unique guitar. With its rich Transparent Cherry finish, matching painted headstock, gold hardware and pearloid pickguard, the guitar packs an immediate visual flair, while an alder body and maple neck adds a classic touch of Fender tone. However, as Tash reveals, their signature guitar could have turned out to be a wholly different looking instrument altogether. “I actually prototyped a different model first that wasn't quite right, and I had to make the time to get it right. It was very brown and had a rosewood neck, which is why we had to change direction, because you're not allowed to do that anymore,” says Tash, referring to rosewood’s status as an endangered tonewood. “It looked classic, but it looked like an old man's guitar - like some sixty or seventy-year-old jazz cat was going to pick up this guitar, which is cool, but I'm not a seventy-year-old man, and I just wanted to revamp it a little bit. So we came up with this Cherry Red colour, matched the body to the headstock, popped the gold hardware on there, changed the scratch plate from tortoiseshell to pearloid and put a maple fretboard on, and then I saw it in person and was like, ‘That's the one. That’s it’.”
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One of the defining characteristics of the Tash Sultana Signature Stratocaster also comes via its electronics, pairing two Alnico 4 Yosemite single-coil pickups with a coil-splittable DoubleTap humbucker in the bridge position to allow the player to tap into a wide spectrum of tones. As Sultana reveals, this configuration wasn’t just an off-handed decision in the R&D process, but a deliberate modification to seamlessly integrate the guitar into their live looping set. “To make the rhythm loops, I'll always use the neck pickup, because it’s a bit more of a smooth, full warm tone. As I layer things, I'll move back down the bottom of the guitar and use the singlecoil if I'm going to launch into a solo to cut all the way through, and I feel like it channels the wah that I use in my effects chain better. “When you're layering, you're ultimately stacking audio on top of what you're multi-tracking. With my looping, everything's multi-tracked, so with the guitar, it's the distinction of changing things sonically, so you don't have frequency buildup in the same ranges because you're stacking layers. If I'm doing something on the front pickup that's rhythm, I'm not going to put the harmonic layer with the same pickup, because it's going to clash in the mix.” Of course, the Tash Sultana Signature Stratocaster isn’t just a guitar built to perform marathon live sets with: as it so happens, the guitar makes its maiden recorded appearance on Tash’s upcoming sophomore effort Terra Firma, which is due for release in February 2021. “I actually used it for the first time in a song for ‘Greed’,” says Tash. “There’s a couple of solos where it makes a feature, where I maxed it out with UAD
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plugins on the effects chain and just had a blast.” Tash hints at another crucial factor in the how the Stratocaster’s sonic versatility comes into play throughout their live set, talking about how making the switch across to modelling systems from the likes of Kemper and Axe-FX helped to hone their sound even further. “I made that change ages ago, and I highly recommend it for anybody who loves to merge analog sounds with the digital world,” says Tash. “I still love amps. I have a fuck-load of amps and I love just plugging them in and playing, but mate - if you're going on tour, you don't want to lug that shit around when you can just profile them in a tiny little box in my rack.” Despite having rotated through an arsenal of Strats both on the road and in the studio for years, it may come as a surprise for some to see Tash opt for a Stratocaster when it came time to create a signature model. During their breakout period, the looping phenom was usually be spotted playing an array of other Fender guitars, including an Olympic White Jazzmaster and a slick Richie Kotzen Signature Telecaster. “That Kotzen Tele is one of the best fucking guitars that I've got,” Tash says. “That does not sound like any Telecaster that I’ve ever played. I love that tone, but there's a time and a place for that in what I've been doing. I wouldn’t say I’ve
moved over from other guitars, I've just added many Stratocasters into the catalogue along the way. “There was something that I was missing in what I was trying to do sonically that I found when I picked up the Strat. That thin, protruding tone - the ability to shape your tone however thick and warm or thin and screechy as you wanted was something that I couldn't quite get on the Tele. I could get the fullbody tone and the twang, but there was something else: something a bit more jazzy, something a bit more psychedelic rock, something a little bit more like Jimi Hendrix, you know?” Hendrix isn’t the only factor that led Tash towards the iconic silhouette of the Stratocaster: Sultana also makes mention of another major influence in the form of blues wunderkind John Mayer, who has been a constant source of inspiration upon their playing while cooped up at home over the past year. “I’ve been doing a lot of that bluesy, jazzy in-the-box playing at the moment with the Strat,” says Tash, noting at how their playing has evolved as they’ve been getting acquainted with the new Stratocaster in lockdown. “It’s so good to experiment with different technicality, you know? Applying different modes, methods, scales to where you travel on the fretboard. Back in the day, I would follow a couple of the different blues scales to make my way around solos, and now I've had the time to sit down and really learn because I felt like I was just regurgitating everything that I already knew rather than exploring the broader horizon with things. “Once you realise that you actually know fuck all and that so many other people know so much more than you, all of that knowledge is just wealth that you can accumulate in your brain and apply to the shit that you do… man, the sky’s the limit. Everything that we already need is already there, you just need to go and get it.” Check out the Fender Tash Sultana Signature Stratocaster in guitar stores today.
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THE SMASHING PUMPKINS The Smashing Pumpkins are back with their eleventh studio LP, Cyr – a 20-song double album that indicates the titanic ambition of band leader William Patrick Corgan hasn’t dwindled with age. Cyr isn’t even the most elaborate project that Corgan and co. have in the pipeline. They’re currently working on a 33-song sequel to 1995’s Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and 2000’s Machina. Cyr itself is volume two in a trilogy that began with 2018’s Shiny and Oh So Bright Vol. 1: No Past. No Future. No Sun. Weeks prior to the release of Cyr, Corgan indicated that Shiny and Oh So Bright Vol. 3 was already threequarters of the way finished. Double or indeed triple albums have always been extravagant undertakings, but they feel especially out of vogue in the current moment given the prevailing fixation with soundbites and mass-piecemeal consumption. But multi-disc concept albums continue to appeal to Corgan, who regards streaming as a highly compatible medium for their ingestion. “We’ve all made that mistake where we hear the first single off a band’s album that we like, we think, ‘Oh, I’m not really into it,’ we don’t listen to the album and then five years later somebody lends us the record on CD and we listen to it and go, ‘Oh shit. That actually was a good record,’” he says. “I wanted to take the Pumpkins out of the loop of being judged on one song when our best work in many cases has been not the singles. I want the fans to be able to decide whether or not the work is valuable, not a radio station or a critic.” It might seem odd for Corgan to complain about his work not generating sufficient attention. From 1993’s Siamese Dream through to 1998’s Adore, The Smashing Pumpkins were unstoppable. They released three consecutive ARIA Platinum albums in this period while Mellon Collie sold more than five million copies in America alone. But the band’s imperial phase petered out with the release of Machina/The Machines of God in 2000, which arrived soon after the departure of founding bass player D’arcy Wretzky. The Pumpkins broke up later that year and despite Corgan reviving the name in 2006, the general perception remains that the band’s heyday ended in 2000. But Cyr is The Smashing Pumpkins’ fifth new album since 2006 and Corgan scoffs at the idea he reached his creative zenith sometime in the late 1990s.
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“I do think it’s very difficult for people to wrap their head around the idea that a band can be as prolific as we were, break up, go through various line-ups – including a line-up where I was the only original member – and that those variations can produce high quality music, not only through different line-ups but come back together, three-quarters of the original band, and continue to produce high quality music,” he says. “People can’t wrap their head around that story because it’s not a story that they know.” The original line-up of Corgan, Wretzky, drummer Jimmy Chamberlin and guitarist James Iha has never properly reunited, but Chamberlin and Iha have been back in the fold since 2018. Despite this, anyone expecting Cyr to be filled with guitar-drenched alt-rock numbers à la ‘Cherub Rock’ or ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ will be sorely disappointed. “If there were a bunch of songs on the radio right now like ‘Cherub Rock’, I don’t think I’d have a problem doing ‘Cherub Rock 2’,” Corgan says. “But I’ve got a better chance of getting on the radio sounding like Tame Impala than I do ‘Cherub Rock’.” Cyr features plenty of synthesisers and electronics, which won’t be a surprise to those who’ve kept up with Corgan’s output over the last 20-odd years. The record’s sonic identity is further defined by vocal harmonies, ethereal counter melodies and gleaming studio production. “All I said in the beginning is, ‘I just want to make modern music.’ I don’t want anyone around me to expect me to make old music and I don’t want to make old music,” Corgan says. “I don’t set out to try to sound like Tame Impala, but I can appreciate the space
in the music, the harmonies in the music, the vibe in the music in the same way that when I was 20 and listening to Wax Trax! bands or something.” Rick Rubin produced No Past. No Future. No Sun., but Corgan decided to produce Cyr himself. He was eager to tap into the zeitgeist, but his production references weren’t limited to artists of the moment. “The main kind of meta-take on Cyr was, if a lot of people in modern music are working with space, what in my background connects me to that idea?” he says. “And for me it was early ‘80s bands like Sisters of Mercy and Siouxsie and the Banshees and stuff like that. “I remember hearing the music at the time and the way that it made me feel and I was able to emotionally connect with that feeling and understand why young people are attracted to space now and how tones and certain textures are attractive to people.” Corgan is and has always been the undisputed captain of SS Smashing Pumpkins, but the input of Chamberlin and Iha was significant in bringing Cyr to life. “They give their general opinion to what’s happening and then they contribute whatever they think is important to contribute,” Corgan says. “James will send me everything from synth parts to rhythms to guitar ideas. He has no bounds on his creativity. “Jimmy loves to talk about song structure and the vocal and the lyrics and so he’ll give me his feedback on what I’m doing on that level. So their contribution is greater than whether or not they’re playing guitar or drums on a song.” Nostalgia can cause music fans to assume that a certain magic will be summoned whenever a particular combination of individuals get together, even if there are countless examples to the contrary. But Corgan is positive that a unique chemistry remains between himself, Chamberlin and Iha. “I think we’re better together. I built the musical machine of The Smashing Pumpkins around the personalities, so it’s been harder to maintain that musical machine without them. Their skill-set is perfect for the machine that we built together.” BY AUGUST BILLY Cyr is out now via Sumerian Records.
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FACE-TO-FACE WITH MARK OPITZ Mark Opitz is a name synonymous with classic Australian rock. In a career spanning decades, he’s produced, mixed, and engineered numerous classic Australian rock albums for iconic acts such as The Angels, INXS, Divinyls and Cold Chisel. Recently awarded the Order of Australia for contributions to the performing arts in the area of music production, the sounds created by Mark helped to define an entire era of Australian rock music. His break-through as a producer came with production duties on The Angel’s 1978 album Face-to-Face. Developing the signature sound referred to by Mark as ‘sophisto-punk’ his guitar production approach was distinctly identifiable as a key element of the mix. I met with Mark over coffee to discuss the project, and the production approach used to create this sound. Curious about what inspired this approach we discussed the broad motivation behind producing the album. “In that era punk had started to influence the mainstream, but we hadn’t quite arrived at the new wave, hence the term ‘sophistopunk’,” he says. “Vanda and Young had handed me the Angels as a project, and the production aim was to move them towards being more commercially viable.” The Angel’s debut album had almost country overtones before Mark and the band established their distinctive hard rock guitar sound. 18
“I had to reimagine what I was going to do with them from a production perspective. Listening to Graham Parker’s debut album I recognised that punk had evolved and become more sophisticated. In response to this realisation the percussive eighth-note feel of the Angel’s guitars sound then became a focal point”. Delving into the technicalities of the production process you get a sense of the attention to detail that has gone into the work that Mark Opitz has produced. A characteristic that has delivered multiple awards, and significant commercial success over his career. What amplifier was used to develop this particular sound, I ask? “Before the Marshall JCM series was produced, we used the Marshall JMP series heads,” Opitz says. Working with Alberts and AC/DC, I had access to AC/DC’s large amp locker. I spent weeks looking for the combination of the right head with the right speaker. “I went through about eight heads and sixteen quad boxes, individually listening to each speaker and marking it down in a matrix, before settling on the combination of a specific head with a specific speaker. It was then a case of finding the ‘sweet spot’ of the amp. That’s the point where it’s operating without speaker distortion, but at a gain level that’s going to produce the energy of the sound I was after”. So what guitars were used on this album? “John Brewster was playing a Les Paul Gold Top and Rick Brewster used an Epiphone Casino,” Opitz reveals. “Playing style is so integral
to getting a quality sound, as you don’t want a guitarist thrashing the guitar. A light touch means that there is less speaker distortion and a cleaner, more punchy sound. Malcolm Young was a master of this”. The sound of the Angel’s guitars is referred to by the band and Opitz as the ‘nick-nicks’, signifying to the driving percussive feel of the playing. I then ask Mark about the microphone selection and placement for capturing Face-to-Face’s guitar sound, having previously read about the Shure SM57/ AKG C414 off-axis combination Mark had used on other albums. “No, that technique was later on around the Jimmy Barnes era,” recalls Mark. “The guitars for Face-to-Face were all recorded with a single Neumann U47 FET, slightly off axis. The FET (field-effect transistor) version of the U47 gave a much more direct sound than the older valve U47’s. I much preferred the FET sound due to its clarity”. One of the characteristics of the Neumann U47 FET was its ability to handle higher SPL (147Db), as opposed to the valve version which started to break up at around 120Db. This made it an ideal choice for recording loud guitar amplifiers cleanly. “The valve version produced too many additional harmonics, so using the FET was a conscious choice,” Opitz says. So where was the album recorded, and what particular desk / preamps were used?
Neve 8024 desk which had Neve 1073 pre-amps and EQ. There was no EQ going to tape apart from just a 40HZ roll-off,” suggests Mark. What about the mixing process? “With the guitars, I added a little at 4.1Khz and a little at 10Khz. With the overall mix you have to remember that everything in that era was mixed for mono using a single Aurotone speaker. This was because everything had to translate to AM radio in those days,” Opitz says, critically analysing his handiwork behind the boards in retrospect. “Listening to the mixes now, I would definitely add another 2dB to the vocals, because in the translation to stereo, some of that level is lost. The processing of guitars in the mix was relatively simple. I used an EMT 140 ISO Plate reverb with 1.5 - 2 seconds reverb time, as well as the Cooper Time Cube to add delay to the guitars. Compression was mild at around a 3:1 ratio on the Neve 2254 mono compressor.” The guitar sounds for Face-toFace evoke energy in its purest form, taking inspiration from the evolution of punk stylised guitar rock with an Australian twist, with Opitz’s masterwork setting him up as a pivotal figure in the evolution of Australian rock as we know it today. BY BRETT VOSS Find out more about Mark Opitz’s work in the book Sophisto-punk: The Story of Mark Opitz & Oz Rock.
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JARRYD JAMES Jarryd James’ second album P.M. came together across three continents over a period of several years. Its eventual January 2021 release will mean it arrives six years after James’ breakthrough single ‘Do You Remember’, which appeared on his debut album, Thirty One. ‘Do You Remember’ wasn’t created without expectations – Lorde and Taylor Swift producer Joel Little co-wrote the song – but its success has irreversibly altered the course of James’ life. As well as making it to the Hottest 100 top ten and introducing James to a global audience, the song allowed the Brisbane musician to abandon his previous job as a social worker. “In the scheme of my musical journey throughout my life, I’ve been at it for a while in various shapes and forms,” James says. “But the last five, six years, it was pretty confronting at first. My life did change fairly quickly and pretty dramatically and I was suddenly travelling a lot and always in different time zones and it’s a bit of a blur when I think back. But it’s been good – I get to make music for a living.” ‘Do You Remember’ has collected many accolades since its initial release in January 2015. It’s racked up more than 100m Spotify streams, was certified double platinum by ARIA and was named the fourth most Shazamed song of the 2010s. But James was never vying to be a fixture on the singles chart. During the making of P.M., rather than strategising about how to match the commercial highs of Thirty One, James was focused on making an artistic progression. He worked closely with writer/producers Joel Little and Malay, both of whom played a major hand in the production of Thirty One. Various other big names appear in the album credits, including Clams Casino, Andrew Wyatt, M-Phazes and Cautious Clay. “Collaborating and experimenting with other people that have different angles and different ears and different perspectives is absolutely essential to what I do,” says James. “Otherwise, I really think it would be a piece of shit. “I cannot seem to finish things fully by myself. There’s
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a point that I can get to, but after that I really need someone else to take over the driver’s seat so I can fully immerse myself in writing lyrics and melodies.”
James made ‘Let It Go’ came with M-Phazes, who’s known for his work with Kehlani, Amy Shark, Kimbra and pop-rapper Kyle. They’d never met before the trip to Nicaragua, but were paired up one morning and tasked with completing a song by evening time.
Malay is best known as Frank Ocean’s most frequent studio collaborator – he receives cowriting and producing credits on the majority of tracks from Ocean’s seminal releases, Channel Orange and Blonde. Witnessing his working methods, as well as those of people like Little and Wyatt, was an instructive experience for James.
“It was just me and him in this tiny little room that had probably four-inch monitors, I don’t even remember what brand they were,” says James. “We had a microphone, an interface and these little monitors and some headphones and we just had to pretty much improvise with what we had. We recorded my vocals and he had to work pretty hard to get all of the monkey sounds out of, but he nailed it.”
“You soak up so much stuff from just being in the studio environment with someone like Malay and just observing,” he says. “You somehow adopt some of what they do and it becomes a new part of how you make music yourself. Same with Joel, watching him work is so effortless and he’s just so dialled into to certain things that it makes the whole thing purely creative – you’re not working, just flowing.” The album took shape in sessions spanning Los Angeles, New York, Brisbane and Auckland. It’s a fairly a typical list of locations for a contemporary Australian pop release, but the track ‘Let It Go’ came together in a more curious location: the Nicaraguan jungle. “That was a one-off writing trip run by a record label called Neon Gold who run it at this spot they have set up there,” James says. “They asked Joel Little to curate that one, so he just invited a bunch of his friends like myself and the Broods kids and a few other people. We all went out into the jungle and spent seven days working with a different set of people every day.”
American producer Clams Casino has worked on releases for Joji, A$AP Ferg, Vince Staples and FKA twigs. He linked up with James and Malay on the production of ‘Problems’, which is led by a room-shaking bass groove and James’ syncopated drumming. “We’d been working out of this studio called Germano Studios in New York, which is a pretty legendary spot owned by this guy, Troy Germano, whose parents ran The Hit Factory back in the day. Me and Malay were working out of that studio and one day Clams came in as well,” James says. “I was just dicking around on the drums in the live room and Malay’s always tracking that stuff because you never know when something cool is going to happen. Clams chopped it up in Acid Pro and put that together and then I just started grooving on the bass.” It's taken more than five years for P.M. to come to fruition, but James is satisfied with the end result. “I made that first album in the midst of a lot of drastic life changes and my head was all over the place. So [for P.M.] I really just wanted to focus on making the exact record that I wanted to make and really focus on getting all the textures right and making a pretty cohesive thing. I really wanted to make it much more in the direction of the R&B/neo-soul kind of corner of things.”
P.M. is out via Island Records Australia on Friday January 22.
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MUSIC INTERVIEWS
AARON FRAZER Soul music is powerful - you’d be hard pressed to find any artist that isn’t influenced by it in some way or another. Aaron Frazer’s debut record, Introducing..., reads like a textbook on the soul superstars that have come and gone. It’s the work of someone with a profound appreciation for a bevy of different genres, and it’s very immediate that understanding Aaron’s lifelong appreciation for soul music is integral to the listening of Introducing.... Perhaps surprisingly, Aaron also expresses an admiration for a variety of Aussie soul and funk. “Surprise Chef, Nai Palm and Hiatus Kaiyote - I love those guys,” he says. “Around like 13, I heard The Cat Empire for the first time, and I loved it, hearing a contemporary band that had horns and was soulful, but also very irreverent and had some hip-hop. They’re a great band!” Introducing is a reflection of all these influences, plus some; “I love so many records, so many different artists, so many different genres, that I could spend the whole day talking about. “This album felt like an opportunity to be eclectic, and not trying to put myself in a box, and for other people and listeners to not put themselves in a box” These old school vibes didn’t end with the songwriting, creating a traditional and true-to-form environment being something important to both Frazer and the album’s producer, Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. “Some of those old recordings just sound so weird, so wonky. If you’re just going about things in a sterile, by the book manner, you’re gonna be like ‘why doesn’t my record sounds like that!?’” Aaron laughs. “For a lot of the recording and producing, there was a lot of experimentation of things like; ‘put the microphone on the ground, or under the drum set, let’s see what that sounds like’. Or what happens if we crank the preamp up way too much, let’s see what that sounds like,” he details. “Especially on drums, no more than three microphones generally, and just doing other weird 22
things, I love the super fancy microphones, but I also think that getting some old Radio Shack mics, using some old ElectroVoice and just seeing what it sounds like, that’s my favourite stuff. “ Something that’s common among those older, traditional albums that influenced Aaron is recording as a group, not isolated, as is so common today, to get that authentic, classic soul sound. “This was the first one I’ve done that was the most ‘at once’, prior to this, with Durand Jones and The Indications (Frazer’s band) we’d just record the basics together.”
of our musical journeys, in terms of our listening, and our influences”. The ensuing work they did was massively collaborative, with most of the album being penned in each other’s company. “We wrote all the songs together, some were in varying stages of completion, like ‘If I Got It’, I had the chord progression, and I had this hook I wanted, and he helped me fill in the blanks.” Aaron says. For these sessions, Dan went far and wide and got together some of the best session players and writers to ever grace the world music stage. It was a mix of “old timers”, and “young cats” as Aaron put it. These “old timers” were legends like L Russell Brown, who’s worked with acts like Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Frank Sinatra and Donny Osmond.
This group sentimentality something that’s of the utmost importance to Auerbach, something he likes to implement in all the albums he produces.
“He loved my vocals, which was very flattering. He understood where I was coming from, and that’s hard, it’s hard to write for other people’s voices, that’s a gift in itself. But falsetto, it’s a separate instrument and I love what we came up with.”
“I think the Auerbach method these days kinda reminds me of a barn raising, you get a bunch of people together, then get this giant structure together, when it might usually take you a month.”
Auerbach also wrangled the legendary Memphis Boys, who had stories upon stories about working with some of the soul and funk trailblazers of the past, which Aaron says was an unforgettable experience.
There’s no doubt that Dan Auerbach has had a lasting impact on modern music, working with artists from a plethora of different genres. Aaron details that his relationship with Dan was definitely exciting, but a long time coming. “He called me while I was making some dinner, and he was like ‘Hey, is this Aaron? This is Dan Auerbach.’ And I was like ‘oh shit!’,” he laughs. “It was very surreal, but on the other hand, we’d had all these kinds of strange parallels in some
“What I learned is just if you listen, talk a little less, listen a little more, the stories just come tumbling out of them. (Keyboardist) Bobby Wood, would just walk up to you and be like ‘I was in the studio with Aretha Franklin’ and tells you some crazy shit!” he laughs. To Aaron, it was important to have these “old timers” and “young cats”; people from all walks of life, to get a range of views and opinions. “That’s what I tried to cultivate when I produce my own records with The Indications, just getting a range of perspectives and experiences.” BY BENJAMIN LAMB Introducing… is out Friday January 8 via Dead Oceans/Easy Eye Sound.
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QSC: MORE THAN A BLACK BOX QSC Australia kicked into 2020 with some very striking and eye-catching artist collaborations unlike anything that has seen before in the powered speaker world. With a number of these unique artist boxes now announced, we got some insight into how the ‘More Than A Black Box’ initiative came about. It all started with a wall. When Technical Audio Group opened its new Victorian office in 2019, it quickly became apparent that the huge side wall was a very sought-after piece of visual real estate. The wall had displayed some remarkable street art including Fintan Magee’s ‘The Refugee’ and when TAG moved in the wall was adorned with a huge anatomical dissection painting of a Kangaroo by the artist Nychos. With the help of street art mogul Dean Sunshine, Melbourne photographer p1xels and eight spectacular street artists, a plan was hatched to bring the wall to life once again with an enormous collaborative work paying homage to the late great Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, just in time for the launch of the National Gallery of Victoria’s exhibition showcasing the work of these two legendary artists. Over the course of three weekends, the TAG wall was stripped back to bare then piece by piece brought to life again with a sea of vibrant colour. The wall features portraits of Haring and Basquiat by Heesco, background painted by Conrad Bisjack and Chehehe. The wall was then wrapped up with five graffiti pieces by Dvate, Sabeth, Phibs, Ling and Duke. This epic collaboration of unique styles and approaches was inspiring to witness, which got QSC Marketing Manager Nicholas Simonsen thinking about how they might continue to work with artists moving forward. “As the work started, we quickly set up a pair of QSC speakers – as any audio guy would – to add music to the creative process. Watching the wall come to life with such wonderful colour was unreal and got our whole team inspired,” Simonsen said.
“The first idea that came to mind was sharing art with music and making our QSC K.2 speakers look as vibrant as they sound. From there, it was clear that we had the perfect means of showing that the K.2 speakers were so much more than a black box by working with a slew of talented artists and commissioning them to use the speakers as a canvas for their work.” It seemed logical to start these collaboration’s with artist Chehehe, who was one of artists to contribute to the TAGV office wall project. The collaboration was then premiered via the spectacular urban arts festival Can’t Do Tomorrow at the end of February, which had over 15,000 people in attendance over the course of a week. “Chehehe’s style was ideal and he really brought the speaker boxes to life with his artwork. Our first concept was to paint just the speaker grills, but Chehehe showed us very quickly, and very spectacularly, that the whole speaker cabinet was the canvas – not just the grille – and we realised this was something quite unique and quite special”, Simonsen commented.
recent exhibition ‘Tektoniks’ to create a visual and auditory exploration of indescribable tectonic forces that shape the landscape of planets above and below the surface. Knock’s set of speakers were then placed in residence at Melbourne record store Oh! Jean Records so the public could see them on show. These painted speakers are 100% functional and Knock’s set has been used in the record store for recent in store performances, with more to come in the near future. The third collaboration for the ‘More Than A Black Box’ campaign is with New Zealand-born artist Haser, who was a part of the aforementioned Can’t Do Tomorrow festival in February. Haser painted this pair of K10.2 speakers on site during the week of the festival, allowing festival attendees to see the artist transform the speakers with his style. However, maybe the best part about QSC’s new campaign is that it’s only just getting started. With a number of these collaborations completed and more in progress, these unique, one of a kind sets of QSC speakers are now set to travel to a variety of locations around the country so that everyone can bear witness to the incredible stylings of these wonderful artists. “Having Haser paint his pair of K.2’s during the festival was absolute magic,” Simonsen said. “Thousands of punters got to see him put his style on the speakers with his canvas work serving as the perfect backdrop. No one in our market has gone down this road before and it seems to be catching everyone by surprise, which is a huge part of why it’s so exciting.
The second collaboration was with multidisciplinary artist Knock, whose work is all about transporting people deep into their imagination and out of the realities of the world around them.
“The response to every collaboration we’ve announced so far has been amazing, and already we’re seeing others in the QSC community add art and colour to their speakers. We can’t wait to roll out more and more of these artist collaborations and hopefully inspire more people to bring their gear to life with some colour!”
This stunning pair of K10.2 speakers and KS112 sub were integrated into Knock’s most
Keep up with the ‘More Than A Black Box’ initiative by following QSC Australia on both Facebook and Instagram. Photo Credit: P1xels
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PRISM SOUND: LEADERS IN PRISTINE HIGH-DEFINITION AUDIO Prism Sound has an established reputation as a developer of high-end audio equipment with flawless digital signal conversion. The founders of the company Graham Boswell and Ian Dennis began working on digital audio technology for Rupert Neve in the early years of digital sound product development. They initially designed the Neve DSP, which was the world’s first commercial digital audio mixing console using DSP, before consulting to develop a digital commentary and communications switching matrix used by the BBC to cover the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. This groundbreaking research led to the launch of Prism Sound in the early ‘90s and the development of their own range of analogue-to-digital and digital-to-analogue audio converters. These first converters (AD-1 and later the AD-124) focused on dynamic range performance and low-level clarity, and were hailed at the time as a breakthrough in digital sound quality. The first converters were capable of capturing amazing low level detail in the digital recording realm, creating a new benchmark standard for digital sound recording. Initially, these A/D converters were in high-demand in mastering facilities where remastering for CD releases was in high demand. The range later moved into tracking with the ADA-8 in 2001, with this unit capable of 16 channels of either A/D or D/A conversion simultaneously. Early adopters of this technology included Abbey Road Studios, Metropolis Studios and Air Studio amongst others, establishing Prism Sound as the leading manufacturer of digital audio converters. Prism Sound is fundamentally known for their ultra-transparent sound, and ability to capture amazingly detailed audio recordings. Their current range of devices includes the legendary ADA-8XR, the new flagship ADA128, middle-range Atlas and Titan series, and the compact Lyra 1 and 2 audio interfaces. These devices all offer extremely flexible, quality solutions for audio production. The range is suitable for discerning users with varying track count requirements, from bedroom producers, through to high-end recording and broadcast facilities looking for uncompromising AD/DA conversion. The higher specification of their range features the recently released ADA128, which boasts a whole host of features. These include customisable I/O of up to 128 channels, four simultaneous clocking domains, ADRA analogue and digital internal routing architecture, plus support for sampling rates up to 768 Khz at 32-bit. 26
Designed with flexibility and quality in mind, this unit offers connectivity with Dante, Pro Tools and AES directly, and in combination with on-board analogue I/O. The internal routing allows for connectivity between any of these input or output sources seamlessly, while the desktop control application allows remote control of the preamp section. The compact modular design features high quality, customisable capability that easily fulfils requirements in the professional studio environment. This is all housed in a two rack unit box, and packs a powerful presence for its relative size. While the company continues to support high-end capability for recording and broadcast, they have a range of options that support compact solutions for home studio users seeking Prism Sound’s ultratransparent audio capability. The Lyra 1 features soft-clip limiting and Class-A preamps, with two analogue input channels and two analogue output channels, in addition to stereo S/PIDIF digital I/O. Supporting sample rates of up to 192kHz, this unit excels through providing quality audio transparency in an affordable format. The slightly expanded version of this compact series the Lyra 2, adds an additional two analogue outputs, word clock capability, plus expanded digital I/O capability with S/PDIF, ADAT (eight channels) and AES3. The middle range of the Prism Sound series is covered by the Titan and Atlas interfaces. The Titan interface steps up in I/O capability with 4 ultra-clean, low noise microphone preamps, designed to compliment the transparent A/D conversion. Connectivity to the computer is via a standard USB connection, but also offers the capability to connect directly to Pro tools HDX, Native or a DANTE equipped network. Users needing more analogue input capability would move towards the Atlas interface, which offers eight microphone preamps. Both of these models feature combo XLR/6.5mm jack inputs and 8 x 6.5mm jack outputs. Overall, the Prism Sound range has options for musicians, independent producers, through to high-end facilities which demand capturing the truest, most faithful reproduction of sound possible. BY BRETT VOSS Prism Sound is distributed in Australia via AVP Imports.
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MAKING THE ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN CLIFF WILLIAMS STINGRAY Cliff Williams might be one of the most unheralded names in rock ’n roll. As the longtime bassist for AC/DC, he’s been holding down the low-end with the legendary Aussie rockers for more than forty years, opting for the a vintage Music Man StingRay to lay down his rocksteady basslines both onstage and in the studio. This year, Ernie Ball Music Man have celebrated Williams with the release of the Cliff Williams Icon Series StingRay: a limited edition replica of the bassist’s ‘Number #1 Workhorse’ that saw the company go to painstaking lengths in order to create. To find out more about the intriguing process behind the creation of the bass, we spoke with Ernie Ball engineer Blair Ridings and Artist Relations Manager Derek Brooks to hear just how the debut model in their new Icon Series came together. Tell us about the new Cliff Williams StingRay bass. How long have you had this project in the works for? Was Cliff heavily involved in the process himself? This was a two year endeavour. Mr. Williams was heavily involved throughout, and he was great about giving us feedback on each of the many initial prototypes. We knew it was paramount that Cliff was happy with the result before moving forward with any type of production run. This is the first time you’ve revived a model that predates the Ernie Ball takeover. Given how they’ve evolved over the years, what was it like to recreate one of the first StingRays from the Music Man era? It was fascinating to dissect the subtle differences between Pre-EB StingRays and those from the periods that followed until now. The allure for this era of the StingRay is not just for its age and history - the functionality and tonal qualities also completely set them apart. The body and neck woods, contours, truss rod design, pickup, preamp, bridge, neck plate, and hardware are all significantly different from StingRays that followed. Would there ever be another opportunity where you’d look all the way back to the ‘70s for a particular reissue or signature model? Yes, the Cliff Williams bass is first in a series of Icon instruments played by artists over the years. To follow up, we may include famous players that used pre-EB Music Man StingRay basses from that same era as well. We’re also looking at some vintage Ernie Ball Music Man guitars from previous years to replicate as part of this same series. mixdownmag.com.au
The Cliff Williams signature bass also features significant road wear across the body and neck, which is also a new feature to Ernie Ball Music Man instruments. What processes did you go through to replicate this? We tried just about everything under the sun to finally get the desired results. Each process that proved successful mimicked the same basic steps of degradation that were experienced throughout a +40 year rock n’ roll lifestyle. The body and neck were painted entirely with period correct nitrocellulose lacquer, buffed like new, then worn down to bare wood in the exact places through sanding, scraping, rubbing, gouging and chaining all done by hand. The areas to be worn away were perfectly marked by an extremely light laser etching into the paint to be used as a template. The bare wood areas were then hand-painted with oil paint mixtures that best imitate the oils and dirt present on our own skin, only to be re-scuffed and/or buffed for the correct feel. The paint cracking, or ‘checking’, was done by way of a night in a freezer, with the instrument fully assembled with string tension for the stresses in the wood and paint to be in the proper orientation. This helped to propagate the cracks in the correct, realistic directions. All hardware was fully plated and masked by hand before undergoing a plating stripping bath to wear away the plating in the same areas of all of the hardware on the original bass. All hardware also underwent some form of a Muriatic Acid vapour chamber bath to help control the differing levels of corrosion, and the final relic’d touches on each part were also done by hand.
Obviously, the StingRay is renowned for having quite a specific tone. How does the tonal characteristics of this particular bass differ from the typical StingRay sound? The pickup and electronics package of this bass are especially unique and interesting. This bass is no doubt a 1979 due to the factory date stamp in the neck pocket, but the pickup and pickup route are characteristic of what is known as the hallmark 1977 pickup with a 1” long and 3/8” diameter pole pieces and specific gauge wire that differed from the pickups that immediately followed on StingRays. This pickup also has more windings than most other StingRay pickups of this era, which creates an especially fat and high output tone. There was not nearly as much automation for pickup winding back then as there is now, therefore, each pickup of this era differs slightly from one to the next. Dudley Gimpel (aka ‘Genius’) was able to trick our winding machines to mimic the pitch and sporadic wire feed behaviour to perfectly match the measurements and tone of this pickup. The hand-soldered, entirely through hole component preamp also played a huge role in matching the tone. Old school Ceramic Disc Capacitors were used as the cherry on top to keep everything as period correct as possible. Cliff’s bass’ control cavity is covered by Copper insulating tape for electromagnetic interference shielding purposes, which is installed on each of these basses as well. Did you have the chance to inspect Cliff’s own StingRay throughout the design process? Is there anything that’s unique about that particular bass that you incorporated into the new signature model? Cliff’s ‘#1 Workhorse’ was in our possession at the factory for over a year. The reverse engineering process alone before any relic-ing business began took months. Aside from everything I’ve already mentioned, there are many cool, little quirks about the original bass that we replicated on those available to the public. This includes the mismatched bridge saddles, and the new old stock Music Man truss rod components we had in our warehouse stash. The neck plate Music Man logo stamp was also made by the original tooling that was saved by our long time stamping vendor - we could go on and on… Ernie Ball Music Man is distributed in Australia via CMC Music. BY WILL BREWSTER 27
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M-Audio BX 3 and BX 4
RECOMMENDED FOR: Bass players, low end lovers, EDM producers.
Thankfully, the H-850 Phil Jones Bass Headphones have sorted out this conundrum once and for all. Meticulous research and analysis was undertaken for the production of these cans, with a clearer understanding of bass reproduction uncovered. The high power 40mm neodymium magnets and closed back design allow for whopping amount of accurate and punchy low end, a must have for bass players.
Firstly, they are inclusive in a way that gets people involved in music on a peripheral level, with very little investment.
Thirdly (and perhaps most importantly), they look nice in an arts and crafts kind of way, which is sure to get the nod from any nonmusical types to whom you are forced to share living quarters.
Phil Jones Bass H-850 Headphone
FEATURES: Not all headphones are created equal. Some deliver gorgeously glistening highs, detailed, up front midrange, but at times are sometimes missing a little oomph in the low end. Anybody that has plugged a standard set of headphones into the headphone jack of a bass amp will have likely felt these limitations, with the bottom end being a little lack lustre.
FEATURES: Percussion instruments make great gifts for a variety of reasons.
The Meinl Cajon ticks all of the above boxes and more, with Dual internal fixed snare wires, a beautiful baltic birch construction and a diminutive physical footprint. Most importantly, it sounds freakin’ sweet. OVERALL: Whether young or old, everyone likes percussion. It’s fun, physical and can be the secret ingredient to getting a track moving in all the right ways.
The Meinl Jam Series. has great low end punch (especially when played near the centre) and dishes out snare drum "slap" sounds when striking the top corners, giving you a bunch of different textures and tones to play with. A real crowd pleaser.
DISTRIBUTED BY: ELECTRIC FACTORY EXPECT TO PAY: RRP$ $209(BX3)$309(BX4)
With a frequency response of 20Hz – 20kHz, the H-850’s are full and clear across the frequency spectrum, and with a low impedance of 32-ohms allow them to be powered on a wide range of playback devices, with their sensitivity of 96dB SPL packing plenty of punch. Their ergonomic design allows for long listening sessions with maximised comfort and the lockage 3.5mm cable connector keeps things nice and secure. OVERALL: A great set of headphones for those requiring more bass, that is accurate punchy and not fatiguing that’ll keep the rest of the household (and the neighbours) happy to boot.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Home Recording, Apartment living, Summing to Mono (with a spare for backup!) FEATURES: 2020 is the year of
small scale studio monitors and if you are looking for something with a lot of guts and little in the way of physical footprint, than look no further than the M-Audio BX3 and BX4. Featuring a 3.5-inch and 4.5inch drivers respectively, the BX4’s driver is 4.5-inch, with both featuring a computer-optimised 1-inch natural silk dome tweeters to go along with their heavy duty Kevlar LF drivers, giving you a full frequency range of 69Hz–22kHz. Being a rear port monitor, these kick up a suprising amount of extended low end considering their size, while their lightweight
nature translates to speedy recoil time and whip-fast transient response, perfect for crosschecking material or giving your mixes a final pass before sending them off to master. OVERALL: Now more than ever, there is a need for small footprint monitor solutions for the home studio (and even the home office in certain scenarios). The BX3 and BX4 feature awesome identical lighweight Kevlar LF drivers meaning a great stereo image straight out of the box, and really making them useful beyond just your standard mix applications.
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BP-800 COMPACT BASS AMP HEAD High Power & High Performance Small and lightweight just got more powerful with the introduction of Phil Jones Bass’ BP-800 bass amplifier.
ALL NEW MAX SERIES
PT-JMAX-SC
Pedaltrain Nano MAX with Soft Case
PT-JMAX-TCW
Pedaltrain JR MAX with Wheeled Tour Case in Black Honeycomb Finish
PT-PFX-SC
Pedaltrain PRO FX with Soft Case
PT-CL3-SC
PT-MMAX-SC
Pedaltrain Metro MAX with Soft Case
PT-NMAX-SC
Pedaltrain Classic 3 with Soft Case (PT3 Reissue)
Pedaltrain Nano MAX with Soft Case
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NANO
METRO
CLASSIC
NOVO
TERRA
NEW DELUXE BAGS COMING SOON
Replacement Soft Cases
Hook-and-Loop
Mounting Kits
Pedal Boosters
Replacement Hard Cases
GIFT GUIDE Shure AONIC 50 Wireless Headphones
Electro-Voice EV 30M
DISTRIBUTED BY: JANDS EXPECT TO PAY: $599
DISTRIBUTED BY: JANDS EXPECT TO PAY: $1829
RECOMMENDED FOR: Music lovers, wireless enthusiasts, tech devotees
RECOMMENDED FOR: Masters of Ceremonies, Buskers or anyone looking for the highest quality in portable audio solutions.
FEATURES: Shure need no
introduction as a professional microphone and headphone manufacturer for both live and studio environments. So it’s fair to say one would expect the same level of high end performance in their wireless AONIC 50 wireless headphones, and Shure enough, they do deliver. Anyone familiar with Shure’s studio headphones will know of their high quality, durability, deep, detailed sound and supreme comfort, so it’s no surprise that AONIC 50 share all of the same studio like qualities. Several useful tech features jump right out of the gate with these cans, being the superb studio quality wireless sound, adjustable noise cancellation for an enthralling listening experience without outside distractions, and the environment mode – for those who wish to hear their surroundings at the flick of a switch.
Providing up to 20 hours of battery life, a more than ample amount whatever the listening situation, fingertip control for answering calls, muting music and adjusting volume and long wearing durability and comfort, the AONIC 50 headphones are packed full of all the right features of a professional, studio quality wireless headphone. Accessories include a USB-C charging cable, 3.5mm audio cable and a protective carry case. OVERALL: A supreme set of high quality wireless headphones, bursting with studio grade sound, features and build quality to keep even the most discerned listeners and tech savvy folks satisfied.
FEATURES: Boasting an eightchannel digital mixer, studioquality onboard effects and with some incredible remote capabilities via Electro-Voice’s cutting edge QuickSmart Mobile application, the Evolve 30m is a convenient and full voiced column setup, for those who like to take the party with them.
Featuring a powerful 10” woofer and a column array composed of six 2.8” neodymium drivers, all adjoined via a lightweight aluminium sub pole, the 1000w Evolve 30m stands as one of the most portable units in it’s class, being nearly 7kg’s lighter than it’s predecessor, the Evolve 50. But don’t think for a second that this means any less in the way of firepower. With its eight-channel mixer, 30 in-built effects and DSP based, adjustable EQ, the Evolve 30m is an awesome candidate for small
KRK Classic 5”
Pioneer DJ DDJ-200
DISTRIBUTED BY: JANDS EXPECT TO PAY: $249
DISTRIBUTED BY: JANDS EXPECT TO PAY: $249
RECOMMENDED FOR: Bedroom Producers, Beatmakers, Small scale studio types.
DJ’s, Social Butterflies, Music Lovers.
FEATURES: If you’ve been in a
home studio any time in the last ten years, then you are sure to be familiar with KRK. The iconic yellow woofers (and their bombastic, singular voicing) are at this point, a symbol of the culture. The front ported, KRK Classic 5” might be a much flatter affair than their rockin’ contemporaries, but what they lack in hype, they more than make up for in refined features like a detailed mid-range and a flat, translatable frequency profile (with adjustable eq settings for different genres), perfect for whipping a mix into shape in record time. Featuring a layered 5” glass aramid driver down low and a 1” soft dome tweeter up top (all powered by an innovative, class A/B amplifier circuit), the Classic 5’s provide critical, low distortion monitoring, at a price that is all kinds of accessible.
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scale PA applications like acoustic ensembles or Public speaking. The Evolve 30ms ability to provide phantom power brings a host of micing and sound reinforcement options to the makeshift stage, and it’s Bluetooth streamability and the flexible control (via the QuickSmart mobile app) means a seamless transition between live performance and house music, adding production values where you least expect it. OVERALL: The perfect gift for those keen on intimate, performance, busking or other applications where portability/ stowability are key. The Evolve 30m is an awesome sounding, endlessly mobile solution that never ceases to come in handy on stage or around the home. Especially great at barbecues, where it also doubles as the loudest Bluetooth speaker around.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Budding
OVERALL: The High and low-
frequency controls let you contour your sound to your environment and preference, allowing for a whole host of tweakability at the listening position. There is even a switchable +2db boost in the bass frequencies, designed to replicate the classic KRK throb in the low end. The factory installed under-monitor foam pad is also a nice touch, operating almost like a decoupler for your decoupling foam, in turn providing that next level of isolation between speaker and surface. It’s this emphasis on truthfulness at the monitoring position (with the option to hype later) that is really at the heart of the KRK Classic 5”, making them a perfect gateway monitor for the budding mix engineer and a great gift for the maturing producer, beatmaker or content creator.
FEATURES: If you’re totally new (or looking to dip a semi-serious toe) into the world of DJing, than look no further than the DDJ-200 from industry kingpins, Pioneer DJ.
Boasting connectivity with iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, Beatport Link and SoundCloud Go through apps such as Djay, WeDJ, Edjing and Rekordbox, the DDJ-200 offers vast media options, while the classic Pioneer 3-band EQ and two channel mixer layout (w/ crossfader and performance pads) is a crash course in Pioneer tactile functionality-something that will more than pay dividends as you move from booth to booth, onwards and upwards. Should you fall off the grid (and as a beginner, this is inevitable) the beat and phrase sync functions are always there to help keep things musical, while the eight performance pads allow you to
trigger samples and FX, giving you a whole host of transition and mix options from track to track. OVERALL: With both Bluetooth and USB operability, the Pioneer DJ DDJ-200 is the perfect entry into the exciting world of DJ’ing and mixing for the floor.
Featuring the ubiquitous Pioneer layout, vast streaming capabilities and with built in FX and sample pads (all housed in a unit small enough to fit in your backpack), it’s the ideal entry point-perfect for honing your craft, whether at house parties, social gatherings or locked away in your bedroom while your family celebrate Christmas without you (don’t worry, we’ve been there too.)
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GIFT GUIDE Audio-Technica ATHM50x BT
Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB
DISTRIBUTED BY: TECHNICAL AUDIO GROUP EXPECT TO PAY: $289
DISTRIBUTED BY: TECHNICAL AUDIO GROUP EXPECT TO PAY: $149
RECOMMENDED FOR: Professional musicians, producers and engineers who want a solid pair of cans to use in the studio, with the added perks of wireless functionality for day-to-day use.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Budding content creators, wannabe podcasters, karaoke superstars, home studio beginners. FEATURES: if you’re just getting
FEATURES: With their sleek looks,
comfortable fit and incredible sound quality, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones are renowned around the world as being the most cost-effective cans for studio applications. The ATH-M50xBTs take the reputation of their wired forebearers up yet another notch, offering wireless Bluetooth functionality with up to 40 hours of continuous use to appeal to musicians and fans alike. Audio is provided by a pair of 45mm large-aperture drivers, outputting a sound that’s incredibly nuanced and crisp, yet smooth and accurate for most mixing and monitoring applications. The wide frequency range of the headphones ensures that your ears will be treated to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, while the soft cushioning that
adorns the headband and ear-pads of the headphones makes sure that you won’t be left sore after extended periods of use. When used wirelessly, a smattering of touch controls on the ATHM50xBT’s left earcup allow let you adjust volume and skip tracks without reaching for your smart device, with the addition of an inbuilt microphone providing a nifty option for handsfree phone calls - what more could you want? OVERALL: A modern classic. The sound quality of the ATH-M50xBT headphones is legendary, and their wireless functionality makes them all the more tantalising for users on the go.
into the world of recording whether it be for streaming, podcasting, YouTube video creation or to start your very own bedroom pop project - there’s a fair chance you’ll be in the market for a USB microphone. Audio-Technica’s ATR2100x dynamic USB microphone provides both USB and traditional XLR connectivity, with its ease of operation and 24 Bit /192kHz audio quality making it a great, affordable entry into the world of audio. Although its XLR output allows it to play friendly with analogue gear for performing musicians, it’s clear that Audio-Technica have got their sights on the content creator space with the ATR2100xUSB. An inbuilt headphone input and volume control dial allows for intuitive direct monitoring - a perfect drawcard for podcasters
Audio-Technica ATLP140XP
QSC CP8
DISTRIBUTED BY: TECHNICAL AUDIO GROUP EXPECT TO PAY: $679
DISTRIBUTED BY: TECHNICAL AUDIO GROUP EXPECT TO PAY: $799
RECOMMENDED FOR: Audiophiles will get a kick out of it, but this one’s tailor-made for DJs looking to spend their summer jogging the steel wheels and spinning wax to the masses.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Filling medium-to-large rooms with crisp, detailed audio, or even for users looking for a premium foldback or front of house speaker to release and perform with.
FEATURES: If you’re looking to transition from being a software DJ into a fully-fledged hipster who lugs a crate full of obscure records to play at family functions, the AT-LP140XP is the turntable you’ve been looking for. It’s a fully manual player with a direct-drive servo motor, with forward/reverse operation, variable pitch control and selectable 33/45/78 RPM speeds making it perfect for DJing and recreational listening alike.
The AT-LP140XP’S anti-resonant, die-cast aluminium platter is made to guarantee round-theclock stability and performance, while the S-shaped tonearm with anti-skate control and a counterweight easily lets you navigate your favourite record. The turntable is also loaded with
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one of Audio-Technica’s legendary AT-XP3 phono cartridges, helping to read the grooves of your record collection and transmit them into pristine quality audio for you and all your friends to enjoy. DJs will be stoked to find that the AT-LP140XP features both a stroboscopic platter and a stylus target light, letting you easily pinpoint your cue points and keep track of your rotation speed. There’s also a removable hinged dust cover to keep pesky particles from falling upon your records, and the player can be purchased in both black and silver finishes classy! OVERALL: Looks, sound, performance, price - the ATLP140XP ticks all the boxes.
FEATURES: A lightweight and
super portable speaker that doesn’t skimp out on volume or performance, the QSC CP8 is a killer pick for live sound applications. Packing 1000 watts of Class-D power, it’s capable of pushing out plenty of air, but will hold its own just as well at meek volumes, acting as a chameleon product for performance, rehearsal, entertaining or even public speaking. The sleek contours of the CP8 lend it to being used as a foldback monitor, with a threaded mounting insert on the bottom also allowing you to hoist the speaker up onto a speaker stand for maximum projection. Internal DSP with Intrinsic Correction provides mindboggling sound quality without any external processing, and QSC’s
who need to quickly adjust levels on the fly - while a smooth sound, extended frequency response and cardioid polar pattern makes the ATR2100x-USB a killer fit for spoken word vocals straight from the source. The microphone is also bundled with a convenient, sturdy and compact tripod stand for your desktop, with a threaded clamp letting you easily attach and detach it to other stands should you please. It’s also functional with both Mac and Windows operating systems, and comes packaged with a range of USB and XLR cables to get you started straight out the box. OVERALL: The perfect bit of entry level kit for any passionate content creator.
decision to implement Directivity Matched Transition into the CP8 allows for a reliable frequency response, even in the most awkward of audio environments. On the rear of the unit, the CP8 boasts two mic/line inputs with individual volume controls and a mic boost button, selling it as an ideal speaker for acoustic duos or soloists to cart around to festive functions. Meanwhile, the rugged construction of the grille and speaker enclosure make sure the unit is safe from dents, bumps and scratches, making sure it maintains its professional looks for years to come. OVERALL: With its amazing sound, versatile feature set and rugged performance, the QSC CP8 is so much more than a black box.
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GIFT GUIDE Evo 4 by Audient
Warm Audio WA-87 R2
DISTRIBUTED BY: STUDIO CONNECTIONS EXPECT TO PAY: $220
DISTRIBUTED BY: STUDIO CONNECTIONS EXPECT TO PAY: $999
RECOMMENDED FOR: Home Studio Types, Musicians, Content Creators
RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone hunting for a serious quality microphone without selling off a vital organ to afford it.
FEATURES: A fresh approach
to the small scale interface, the Evo Series by industry upsetters Audient, was one of the success stories of the year, demonstrating how powerful a little forethought can be in this industry and earning the little interface a legion of fans amongst the audio faithful. With its intuitive Smartgain feature, whistle clean layout and remarkably small physical footprint, the Evo 4 is a one of a kind portable recording solution for Musicians and creatives alike. While its portability and feature set already put it in a class of its own (especially considering the pricepoint), perhaps its the quality of the components housed within its diminutive little chassis, that really separate it from the pack. The two high quality onboard preamps and stellar A/D conversion go a long way to providing some incredible
capture-particularly impressive when you think about how little desk space it takes up. OVERALL: All in all, Audient have clearly put a whole heap of thought into this thing. Nothing has been left to chance in terms of its ease of use, and it assumes nothing in the expertise of its end users. For a budding songwriter signing up to SoundCloud, or a touring rockstar needing to capture the flashes of genius, you cannot go wrong with the EVO 4. It’s the perfect present for the itinerate creative or pro on the go.
FEATURES: Already a serious contender in the world of U87 clones, Warm Audio’s newly revised WA-87 R2 takes a good thing and makes it even better. Boasting a NOS Fairchild transistor, with high-bandwidth polystyrene and film capacitors, the R2 stands on it’s own as an extremely workable, premium large diaphragm condenser for the modern studio.
Featuring 3 polar patterns, a 80 Hz high pass filter and a switchable -10db pad, the WA87 R2 has all the functionality you have come to expect from a U87 clone, but with a pristine, broadband capture that edges it into the elite category for microphones of this type, thanks to the aforementioned component upgrades and the presence of a Cinemag USA output transformer (which result in an increased output as well as overall improvements in frequency response.)
Beyerdynamic DT 240 Pro
Beyerdynamic Limited Edition DT 990 Pro black
DISTRIBUTED BY: SYNTEC EXPECT TO PAY: $59
DISTRIBUTED BY: SYNTEC EXPECT TO PAY: $289
RECOMMENDED FOR: Creatives, podcasters, content creators, music lovers seeking a studio quality headphone
RECOMMENDED FOR: Mix engineers, mastering engineers, musicians, audiophiles and lovers of a natural open back headphone
FEATURES: The Beyer Dynamic
DT 240 Pro headphone boasts a wonderfully compact over ear design with detailed professional sound. Anybody seeking a studio quality headphone will be in heaven with the DT 240 Pro’s rich low end, honest and detailed midrange and sparkling tops, all without hype, edge or bite. The snug over ear design provides maximum isolation and minimum leakage allowing the listener to focus on what they are listening to, with minor interference from the outside world, a perfect match for recording work or when detailed listening is required. The low impedance allows for maximum output volume, even from mobile and other such playback devices, great for those not in the studio and listening on the go.
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As with any Beyer headphone, maximum comfort is assured with the lightweight headband providing supreme comfort and snugness, ideal for longer listening sessions, without become tiresome or uncomfortable, they likely won’t be coming off for long at all!
FEATURES: If the DT 990 Pro wasn’t already enough of a classic studio headphone, the new limited edition 80-ohm black version certainly paints a clear picture on just how much of a following these headphones have gathered over the years.
OVERALL: A fine example of what a pro studio quality headphone can be without breaking the bank. A concise, ergonomic and wildly comfortable design coupled with only but the most detailed and precise audio delivery makes the DT 240 Pro a no brainer for those wanting all the goodies a set of professional headphones has to offer. That special someone will be nothing but thankful as they rest their sleepy noggin, headphones still attached.
Known for their supreme frequency response of 5Hz – 35kHz (reaching well outside the range on human hearing), the DT 990 Pro’s deliver bass that kicks hard in the lowest of octaves and beyond. The midrange is present but never too forward, and the high end presented in glistening detail, but not over hyped or sheeny.
OVERALL: Everybody needs at least one microphone that comes in a wooden box. Something classy, versatile and above all else, sonically superior to almost everything else in your mic closet.
The new WA-87 R2 is just that, an awesome and affordable workhorse, with enough broadness in application to see it find favour across a whole host of applications, but particularly for vocalists, where it’s expensive sheen, and full frequency capture can be heard on full display.
applications, and in this domain they really are hard to beat. The feel and comfort of the DT 990 Pro’s is unmatched, with the springy headband designed to fit cosily on any head, and the soft inner headband and ear cushions can only be compared to a soft, fuzzy blanket around ones’ ears and head. OVERALL: Easily some of the most realistic, deep and pleasing sounding headphones around, the limited edition DT 990 Pro black headphones continue with the legacy of the classic model, all be it with a slightly more versatile ohmage rating and slick new look.
The open back design, whilst not ideal for recording with likely leakage into mics, they deliver incredibly realistic and trustworthy playback for mixing and mastering mixdownmag.com.au
©2020 Fender Musicial Instruments Corporation. FENDER, FENDER in script, STRATOCASTER, and the distinctive headstock commonly found on Fender Guitars and Basses are registered trademarks of FMIC. Yosemite is a trademark of FMIC. All rights reserved.
GIFT GUIDE Beyerdynamic M 88 TG
Beyerdynamic Fox USB Microphone
DISTRIBUTED BY: SYNTEC EXPECT TO PAY: $549
DISTRIBUTED BY: SYNTEC EXPECT TO PAY: $299
RECOMMENDED FOR: Audio engineers, musicians, home and commercial studios
RECOMMENDED FOR: Podcasters, content creators, musicians, engineers
FEATURES: If ever there was a
FEATURES: The Beyerdynamic FOX is a large membrane condenser USB microphone. The beauty of a microphone design such as this is it helpfully removes some audio gear out of the equation, making things easy for those unfamiliar with audio equipment or signal flow, whilst still delivering high quality audio capture.
classic dynamic microphone that has helped define the sound of countless hit records within the 20th and 21st centuries it would be the Beyerdynamic M 88 TG. With an incredibly wide frequency response of 30Hz – 20kHz (quite unusual for a dynamic microphone), the M 88 TG delivers defined low end and details highs, making it ideal for a plethora of instruments and voices. A go to for many engineers on kick drum and low end focused brass, a tight focused response and capture can be expected, without being tuned or scooped, but delivering just what an instrument sounds like. As for vocals and other more midrange centric sound sources, the M 88 TG’s linear response (with a gentle upper-mid lift starting at around 1.5kHz) gives presence to a voice without becoming harsh or brittle, suiting all voice types with honest, clear delivery. The tight
hyper-cardioid polar pattern makes it ideal for stage use, coupled with its high SPL handling make it ideal for even the loudest of sound sources. Its rugged design means it can take an absolute beating on the road or in the studio without a worry. A true classic and workhorse. OVERALL: An absolute legend of the stage and studio, the Beyerdynamic M 88 TG is worthy and really a must have for any live mic kit of studio locker.
PDJ_D
RECOMMENDED FOR: Jazz heads, Avant-garde expressionists, handcrafted copper connoisseurs.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Jazz juggernauts, Classical cats, brass lovers
FEATURES: Château have pulled
FEATURES: Château certainly
out all the stops with their exquisitely tantalising Versailles CAS-90 series. The handcrafted 92% copper composition speaks with the most professional voice and its Air Channel Focus system on the neck keeps notes concentrated, smooth and sensual, just as a sax should sound.
know how to stand out in a crowd of brass, with their Chambord CAS-50 being offered in a variety of luxurious finishes, with exquisite engraving on the bow and bell, mother of pearl key pads and Pisoni HT pads.
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OVERALL: A perfect companion for content creators and musicians looking for a no nonsense, simple solution to suit their recording needs.
DISTRIBUTED BY: TENON INDUSTRIES EXPECT TO PAY: INQUIRE
DISTRIBUTED BY: TENON INDUSTRIES EXPECT TO PAY: INQUIRE
Striking aesthetics aside, the CAS50 sounds every bit as beautiful as it looks, with its brass construction, F# tuning, ribbed construction and most of all its big bell; boasting increased volume, resonance and projection. A piece of pure artistry that has to be seen and heard to fully appreciate its allure.
Connection to a computer couldn’t be more simple via a single USB cable, which is bright orange, so it won’t be going missing easily! FOX is also compatible with iOS devices through the use of an appropriate adaptor. Converter resolution is up to 24bit and 96kHz for when higher res recording is required, and a notable frequency response of 70 Hz – 20kHz and sensitivity of 94dB SPL means the FOX is right up there with the many other mics in its class.
Château Versailles CAS-90
Château Chambord CAS-50
These prominent features deliver maximum magnetism for those who so desire an instrument that radiates both beauty and painstaking craftsmanship.
Being a condenser microphone, the FOX boasts sensitivity and detail, ideal for voice work and acoustic instruments. The controls are simple, intuitive and easy to use, with a switch for gain (high and low settings – minimising the chance of overloading the input) and a mix knob - great for blending between the microphone source and already recorded material being played back from a computer or compatible mobile device. The mute button cuts incoming signal, ideal for when cueing music between segments
or for avoiding live mishaps being recorded.
OVERALL: A unique and striking take on an instrument that can at times can look a little same same. With a standout finish and increased volume to boot, the Chambord CAS-50 will ensure those sax solos won’t go unnoticed, ever again.
The high F# tuning, full body flower engraving, Adalone shell key buttons, Pisoni pro pads and Italian blued steel springs all come together to make one truly breathtaking instrument, entirely constructed by one specialized maker, so one can expect on the highest of build quality, and lead time to match. A one of a kind sax offering the truest of musical expression,
finesse and meticulous attention to detail, that will fit right into the hands on any pro player seeking something remarkable. OVERALL: A one of a kind sax that beams with beauty and voluptuous tones. A fastidiously handcrafted sax sure to turn all the heads of the smoky jazz bar of which it was born to be played in. Take a breath and prepare get swoony.
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DDJ-200
Stream. Create. Experience.
SMART DJ CONTROLLER Connect to selected DJ apps on your smart phone Mix music from various compatible streaming services Easy mixing with Transition FX and Phrase sync Get to grips with DJing with the tutorials in WeDJ for iPhone Compact, lightweight body for DJing anytime, anywhere Split output for DJ performances connected to headphones & speakers
Distributed by
www.jands.com.au
PDJ_DDJ-200 Mixdown HP PrintAd.indd 1
Pair with
the ultimate mobile, USB audio interface record, podcast, mix and live stream work smarter, not harder
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GIFT GUIDE Ampeg BA-108 MK2
Vox MV-50
DISTRIBUTED BY: YAMAHA EXPECT TO PAY: $299
DISTRIBUTED BY:YAMAHA EXPECT TO PAY: $319
RECOMMENDED FOR: Gigging bass players, practicing players, those chasing the tone of a classic
RECOMMENDED FOR: Gigging or touring folks, practice sessions, studios both bedroom and commercial
FEATURES: From the mammoth
SVT Classic to the humbler BA series, Ampeg are THE name in bass and for good reason. The BA108 MK2 is the latest offering in the BA series, boasting 20-watt of amplifier power being pumped out of a single Custom8 speaker. With its legacy Ampeg preamp, flexible 3-band EQ for maximum tone shaping and light weight of 12.7kgs, the BA-108 MK2 makes transport and setup an absolute dream, and having the controls on the front are a welcomed convenience for adjustments on the fly. The 60-degree sound reinforcement monitor angle allows for optimum listening for both player and audience and some convenient connectivity such as the aux input for playback with smartphones (or other devices) and the headphone output allow for more focused
practice sessions, making this amp equally comfortable on smaller stages and practicing at home. Lastly, the -15dB pad keeps active basses in check or allows for further level control if required, a handy feature. Keeping things free from harm is an all-steel amp chassis and impact resistant metal corners ensure maximum protection for transport, setup and gigging, this amp is rugged as they come! OVERALL: With classic Ampeg tone, class and authority, that special someone will be sure to turn heads as they blast through their BA-108 MK2 at the next gig.
FEATURES: Since the early days of the AC15 and AC30 back in the 1960’s, Vox have been at the forefront of guitar amplifier design and innovation, and the new MV50 range of compact amp heads is no exception.
There are five models available, the “AC” – yep, you guessed it, based on the classic Vox AC circuit, “Clean” – luscious clean tones for days. Then there’s the “Rock” – for those in need of some more dirt, “Boutique” – offering gooier, more boutique like tones and lastly the “High Gain” – for all the truly dirt hungry fiends out there. The real excitement and innovation under the hood of the MV-50 series is certainly the Nutube technology, giving the front end of the amp all the benefits and delicious tones a tube does, without taking up masses of space.
Vox SDC-1
EarthQuaker Devices Plumes
DISTRIBUTED BY: YAMAHA EXPECT TO PAY: $309
DISTRIBUTED BY: YAMAHA EXPECT TO PAY: $169
RECOMMENDED FOR: Kid shredders, Angus Young wannabes, buskers, lonesome travellers
RECOMMENDED FOR: Overdrive overlords, Mid-humped pedal pushers, Tube tone hounds, EQD enthusiasts
FEATURES: With a healthy dose
FEATURES: There’s nothing like the organic, harmonically rich tones of a tube amplifier becoming saturated and pushed into natural overdrive. Pair this with a certain “mid humped” pedal circuit and you’ve got an unmistakable tone like no other!
of miniature and traveller style acoustic guitars out there, it’s a treat to see that the electric guitar shredders haven’t been left out to dry. The Vox SDC-1 is every bit a riff monster as any full sized counterparts, all be it a little small, more portable and suitable for kids and adults alike. Its clever design allows for playing and tuning just like a standard size electric but in a 479mm small scale format. No corners have been cut when it comes to hardware, with the specialised high gear ratio tuning heads allowing for accurate tuning every time, which are specially designed for a short scale setup and a bridge built like a tank to hold everything in place. \Body, neck and fretboard are all top notch being poplar, maple and purple heart woods respectively,
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sporting 19 medium jumbo frets 42mm nut a singular mini humbucker pickup and controls for volume and tone. A standard 1/4” output in exactly where it should be, and included accessories are wrench for neck adjustment and a soft gig bag, with the guitar being available in Red, Black and White finishes. OVERALL: Prepare for riff carnage
when a SDC-1 in put in the right hands. A perfect gift for kids or adults that require all the goods a standard electric offers, but in one red hot, pocket sized package.
Those uninitiated to such tonal nirvana or for those who wish to further explore the realms of these luscious tonal landscapes, the legends at EarthQuaker Devices have continued on from where this classic circuit was left, adding numerous tasty features sure to leave even the most esteemed tone hounds salivating. Plumes packs archetypal op-amp style clipping, with three modes available, from LED symmetrical, to a clean boost and a silicon asymmetrical style overdrive, each delivery a wide variety of tone
The rest of the circuit is all analogue, with a simple design and intuitive controls for all the amps, being gain, tone and volume, or in the case of the “Clean” model, separate treble and bass controls. Connections on the back panel are easy to navigate with a line/headphone output, an EQ flat/deep switch and variable impedance switch of 4, 8 or 16-ohms, maxing out at 50-watts RMS on a 4-ohm load. OVERALL: It’s hard to believe this much authentic tube tone and volume is achievable from such a humble pie sized amp, but Vox have only gone and done it!
options. Used in conjunction with the gain, level and tone controls, Plumes dishes up a plethora of overdrive choices from more saturated to a clean boost, perfect for pushing the front end of a lower wattage amp into harmonically rich overdrive. Boasting eons of clean headroom, Plumes is easily one of the more malleable and versatile overdrive pedals available, especially of this style of circuit, with intuitive and easy to navigate controls, providing a myriad of tonal possibilities. OVERALL: A unique take on the classic “screamer” circuit, pushing the boundaries and opening up new possibilities for a tone shaping, especially when paired with a tasty tube amp.
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GIFT GUIDE NRG Effects Gnawer-308
Aston Element
DISTRIBUTED BY: MOCHA EARTH EXPECT TO PAY: $319
DISTRIBUTED BY: LINK AUDIO EXPECT TO PAY: $329
RECOMMENDED FOR: Distortion demigods, low to high gain growlers, RAT racers
RECOMMENDED FOR: Podcasters, content creators, gamers, bedroom musicians/producers
FEATURES: There’s nothing like seeing a jam packed 1590a pedal enclosure that doesn’t make you think “how the hell do they fit it all in there?” and the Gnawer-308 is no exception. On first glance, the pedal from NRG Effects barks with authority with its simple, elegant design and aesthetic, with one larger knob and two slightly smaller knobs recessed above either side giving it a beautifully engineered look.
FEATURES: The people spoke and
Based on a heavily modified late 1980’s ProCo RAT 2, the Gnawer-308 kicks on from where that pedal left off. The coveted LM-308 op-amp takes care of the clipping duties, producing an incredibly meticulously detailed sound, with tones ranging from wide open low gain goodness to saturated and gorgeously compressed high gain madness, handling both with absolute ease and precision.
Controls include GNAW –simply gain/distortion, LOUD – you guessed it, volume control, and BITE – the treble/presence control. There’s also a NOSE trim control located internally for frequency and gain response. This high headroom, rich, full pedal offers clarity and detail like no other, and its small size is not representative of its monstrous distortion capability. OVERALL: A meticulously engineered work of art pushing out a wide range of gain and distortion tones for days. Designed, handcrafted and hand wired by Neil R. Grimes in Eastbourne, England, the Gnawer-308 is a true masterpiece distortion pedal, worthy of placement on any pedalboard.
Aston were listened. In a world first, the Aston Element, dubbed “the people’s microphone” endured six months of R&D, with three months of public listening tests to develop the sound of the latest addition to the Aston mic family. The new Ridyon capsule technology boasts superior performance for a microphone in this category, and the accompany shockmount and magnetic pop filter make Element a truly complete package. Three rigorous blind listening tests were performed with Element to the public, going head to head against some of the biggest mic brands in the industry, and with many far above the price point where Element sits. These tests and collected data helped inform Aston of the direction to take, delivering a final product voted on by the people, for the people. The Aston Element is firstly a superb vocal microphone, but also excels
PreSonus Eris Sub8 Subwoofer
PreSonus Eris 3.5 Monitors
DISTRIBUTED BY: LINK AUDIO EXPECT TO PAY: $249
DISTRIBUTED BY: LINK AUDIO EXPECT TO PAY: $229
RECOMMENDED FOR: Purveyors of low end, mix engineers, sound designers.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Podcasters, content creators, gamers, home video producers, bedroom producers, casual listeners
FEATURES: When working with a smaller set 3” - 5” monitors, the most common request from users is “more bass!”. Being limited by their physical construction and not being able to accurately replicate real low end information, these smaller monitors often benefit being paired with a sub, for the times one really needs to feel the thump.
The PreSonus Sub8 is the perfect solution for such a scenario with its power, punch and accuracy, reaching all the way down to 30Hz. Although superbly matched with the Eris series of monitors, the Eris Sub8 of course plays very nicely with other studio monitors, so no need to shy away if the badges don’t match. Some noteworthy features of the Sub8 include variable low pass filter, ranging from 50Hz – 130Hz, ideal
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for dialling in the perfect crossover point between sub and monitors. The frequency response of 30Hz – 200Hz takes care of all that subby goodness, with a peak power rating of 100-watts (50-watts RMS) provides more than enough power to push one back in the sofa, and a 113dB SPL (peak) at 1m allows the Sub8 speak for itself. Input gain range varies from -30dB to +6dB, for dialling the sweet spot in any room in which it is placed. OVERALL: Intuitive connectivity, variable low pass filter settings and wide gain range allow the Sub8 to be setup with absolute confidence and precision, no matter the room or monitors its paired with.
FEATURES: The PreSonus Eris
3.5 Active Media Reference Monitors bring together accuracy, intuitive controls, connectivity and a concise, compact design, presenting an impressive monitor given their humble footprint. Throwing out 25-watts per monitor with a frequency response of 80Hz – 20kHz, they push some serious air reaching a whopping 100dB SPL (peak) at 1m, a seriously impressive figure given their 3.5” woofer and 1” soft dome tweeter configuration. The front panel consists of the power button, along with volume control, 3.5mm aux input and headphone output for quick and easy connection for headphones or playback devices. Balanced and unbalanced connections are found on the rear panel of the main (left) monitor, which consists of left/right 1/4" TRS balanced
on other sound sources, with its rich low end performance, making it great for even kick drum and such other low end sources. Its cardioid polar pattern offers solid rear rejection and its rugged yet stylish design makes the Element a standout in the studio, both aesthetically and in its professional performance. OVERALL: With a wealth of nifty, well thought out features, the Element boasts a professional sound and honest capture, and will feel right at home in front of any vocalist and even the most challenging of sound sources.
and left/right RCA unbalanced connections. Also on the rear are the acoustic tuning knobs for high and low frequencies, allowing a boost or cut of +6dB or -6dB respectively. Being rear ported gives tight, accurate bass reproduction, so placing them away from wall boundaries is recommended in order to avoid unnecessary low end build up. Coming in at a feather light 2.9kg for the pair means the Eris 3.5 monitors can be easily transported if required. OVERALL: Equally fitting for upand-coming producers, gamers, content creators or next to the living room turntable for casual listening, the Eris 3.5 monitors get a big thumbs up, being some of the finest in their category.
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GIFT GUIDE PreSonus PD-70
Avid S1
DISTRIBUTED BY: LINK AUDIO EXPECT TO PAY: $294
DISTRIBUTED BY: INNOVATIVE MUSIC EXPECT TO PAY: $1,949
RECOMMENDED FOR: Podcasters, content creators, broadcast, radio hosts, voiceover artists
RECOMMENDED FOR: The primarily in-the-box DAW user who craves the tactility of multiple faders for mixing and automation tasks with lightning fast workflow.
FEATURES: The demands of a
good quality broadcast style microphone include crystal clear capture, a supremely tight and focused unidirectional polar pattern, with superb rear rejection, effectively eliminating any external or extraneous noise that isn’t the voice in front of it. The new PreSonus PD-70 broadcast dynamic microphone ticks all of these rather particular boxes, and comes in at a very affordable price point. With an end address configuration and cardioid polar pattern, the rear rejection of the PD-70 is great, and the included pop filter keeps problematic plosives at bay. Being a dynamic mic the PD-70 can handle a health dose of sound pressure level without distorting, so loud voices will be handled comfortably. The frequency response of 20Hz – 20kHz maximises clarity and definition,
with a gentle lift in the presence range starting at around 2kHz and sloping off after 10kHz. Its rugged construction safeguards the PD-70 from serious damage in sessions and the attached hard mount makes attachment to mic stands or broadcast arms a breeze. OVERALL: For those in need of a good quality broadcast style dynamic, the PD-70 really does tick all the necessary boxes in this category and comes in at a very attainable price. For that person spruiking their latest podcast ideas, they will now have no excuse not to upload their first episode immediately!
FEATURES: The Avid S1 brings a sleek, elegant, ergonomically designed compact control surface, boasting supreme build quality to be easily united into any DAW user’s setup.
Featuring seamless control with instant physical and visual feedback, the S1 boasts eight hi-res motorised faders and rotary controls (assignable to control multiple parameters), OLED displays for instant visual feedback and matching colour coded button at the bottom of each fader to match track colours in sessions if so required. There’s dedicated buttons for EQ, dynamics and more for quick operation, assignment and control. Mute, solo and record enable buttons are above each fader allowing one to zip around any session without the need to jump for the mouse or keyboard.
Pro Tools|Carbon
Reason 11
DISTRIBUTED BY: INNOVATIVE MUSIC EXPECT TO PAY: $6,070
DISTRIBUTED BY: INNOVATIVE MUSIC EXPECT TO PAY: $399
RECOMMENDED FOR: Audio engineers, small to commercial studios, post production facilities, small to large tracking sessions
RECOMMENDED FOR: In-the-box wizards whose creative workflow is the love of anything and everything virtual.
FEATURES: For the first time in a
very long time, Avid’s Pro Tools has brought a in house designed and manufactured interface to the market, and it’s a serious system with some incredible high end features under the hood. On the hardware side of the fence, Carbon is a 25 input / 34 output interface, with eight onboard preamps promising pristine high quality audio capture, and digitally there’s 2 ADAT connections, upping the input count significantly. Four separate headphone output on the front of the 1U chassis make Carbon an absolute perfect pairing for big tracking sessions, giving the option of four distinct cue sends, without even delving into the other output configurations, more than four are required, but pretty unlikely.
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Under the hood is where the real magic happens, with 8 HDX DSP chips holding some serious weight and allowing real time, low latency monitoring through compatible AAX DSP plugins for tracking, or one can opt to print through the plugins, replicating a more analogue style workflow. The compatible plugins on offer are impressive, with offerings Avid’s library of course, as well as McDSP, Plugin Alliance and Arturia to name but a few. OVERALL: A powerhouse hybrid interface with no corners cut in terms of power, connectivity and integration, perfect for those looking to upgrade an existing system or for those looking to enter the professional interface market with seamless and intelligent integration with a Pro Tools system.
FEATURES: Packed to the brim with virtual instruments, effects, utilities, player MIDI FX, sounds and patches, users will find themselves in a dreamscape of sonic possibilities and creative exploration. Full instrument suites include drums from club vibes to retro swagger, an array of world percussion instruments, synth monsters, numerous samplers, drum machines, sequencers and more.
As for effects and processing, the usual EQ, compressor/ limiter (including a master bus compressor), maximizer, stereo imager suspects can be found. On top of that there’s an array of interesting modulation effects, pitch shifting, filters and plenty of time based effects fun to be had, and of course eons of more idiosyncratic effects for experimenting with.
This not only frees users up to be more “hands on” with their mix, but alleviates getting bogged down with arduous click and drag tasks. Those wanting to setup with a tablet can take advantage of Avid’s Control app, taking the tactile nature of the S1 to new heights with even deeper integration and gorgeous visual feedback. OVERALL: A truly versatile compact control surface, the Avid S1 offers unparalleled hands on control over a DAW session (with particular attention to detail in ProTools), allowing users to utilise and customiSe the many physical elements of this professional control surface, enhancing workflow and speeding up hefty mix sessions.
To top the effects library off there’s an amp and bass amp from plug-in titans Softube, tasty stuff indeed! For the nuts and bolts utilities side of things as well as MIDI FX are well taken care of with an arpeggiator, numerous sequencers, mixers, splitters and CV merger and splitter are all part of the arsenal. And to top things off there’s the mammoth sound bank, which is in excess of 29,000 device patches, loops and samples. OVERALL: There’s a monstrous amount of professional virtual creative fun to be had here. Offered in slimmed down versions to the fully fledged suite, Reason 11 offers those seeking a comprehensive package of virtual instruments, effects and more.
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GIFT GUIDE Soundbrenner Pulse
Fender Tread-Light Wah Pedal
DISTRIBUTED BY: INNOVATIVE MUSIC EXPECT TO PAY: $199
DISTRIBUTED BY: FENDER EXPECT TO PAY: RRP$239
RECOMMENDED FOR: Those who want to feel the rhythm without an intrusive click in the ear.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Those wah hungry fiends - be they novice or pro - who want a little more tonal control and visual flair.
FEATURES: Probably one of the most exciting and innovative music tools to come out in recent times, the Soundbrenner Pulse is a smart, vibrating metronome watch that allows musicians to feel the rhythm they set, without the annoyance of a metronome click causing one’s ears to bleed.
The 7G ERM vibrating motor keeps the vibrating pulse precise through the Haptic Driver, a new patented technology for more precision and accuracy with each vibration. Double tapping the front face plays and stops the metronome, whilst three taps enters tap tempo mode, with the watch instantly picking up on the set tempo. For more precise adjustments turning the wheel left and right dials in the exact tempo required. The “Companion” app allows for more exact user requirements. Here one can change time signature, sub division, varying intensity of accents and more,
FEATURES: Upon immediate
and with the ability to save all the settings, making changes quick and easy. Change the LED colours or turn them off completely in discrete mode. Where things get even more pro is Soundbrenner DAW tools, allowing the Soundbrenner Pulse to integrate with any DAW for seamless integration with live sessions. What’s more, multi player synchronization allowing multiple Soundbrenner Pulses to be connected and synced to one device, allowing for all members of an ensemble to feel and play to the same rhythmic pulse simultaneously. OVERALL: A truly innovative and thoroughly thought out bit of kit that is designed by musicians for musicians.
inspection, the Fender TreadLight Wah Pedal just oozes Fender class, with its wood grain treadle pad and sleek ergonomic design. Boasting some very smart and useful features including adjustable treble, variable mid frequency, a buffer on/off switch and LED on/off switch, this wah packs a feature packed punch. If ever there was a problem with many a classic wahs out there, it would be the absence of an LED, not to mention often being rather troublesome to find on a poorly lit stage. This is where Fenders clever LED design really shines (excuse the pun), being an under-treadle LED allows for instant and easy pedal location and status feedback on any stage.
Marshall MG10G 10W MG Gold Combo
DISTRIBUTED BY: FENDER EXPECT TO PAY: RRP$299
DISTRIBUTED BY: ELECTRIC FACTORY EXPECT TO PAY: $145
RECOMMENDED FOR: Lovers of both classic and modern reverb types with just the right amount of parameters to dial in the most alluring and ( when required) aquatically reverberant soundscapes.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Rock dogs, Home Practitioners, Very Small Guitarists
Controls include pre-delay to create a small delay between the dry signal and reverb effect for subtler or more obvious effects. The damping knob controls the high frequency role off and the reverb decays and and of course a level control. Three reverb types are available including classic “Hall” and “Room” and a more modern “Special” type, which when used in conjunction with the variation switch in the 2 position creates a tasty “shimmer” reverb.
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OVERALL: The Fender Tread-Light wah will be right at home on any guitar player’s pedalboard, be that a seasoned wah-king pro or a budding up and comer. If the awesome sounding circuit wasn’t enough on its own, there’s more than enough tonal shaping capabilities to keep even the most meticulous tone tweakers satisfied, not to mention it won’t be easily lost on stage.
As you’d expect from anything Fender, the circuit under the hood is all original which sounds full and lush, and paired with the variable
Fender Marine Layer Reverb
FEATURES: The Fender Marine Layer Reverb brings a refreshingly simple yet incredibly versatile palette of reverb sounds to any pedalboard searching for anything from classic tight verbs through to deep and luscious soundscapes
mid frequency switch allows for further sculpting of one’s “cry”, without the need for modification or a heftier price tag.
FEATURES: Everybody needs a
A standout feature are the backlit LED knobs (switchable on/ off), great to identifying pedal parameters, especially useful in low lit settings. The magnetic battery door is a welcomed feature for those needing a fast battery change without the often fiddly process of taking a pedal apart. The lightweight aluminium chassis is made for gigging on even the most raucous of stages and the amp jewel status LED rounds things off, exuding classic Fender vibe. OVERALL: A simple, elegant, equally classic and modern approach to reverb.
small amp for the home and with 10w of solid state power, the MG10 Gold is just what the doctor ordered. Featuring both clean and overdrive channels, a ¼ inch headphone jack and an input for an external playback device (like an iPhone or media player), the MG10G is the perfect companion for those long nights honing your chops in the spare room.
OVERALL: Practice amps are worth their weight in gold and rest assured the new MG10G combo is the gift that keeps on giving. With just enough tonal flexibility to get you in the ballpark on a bunch of different styles, and with its diminutive footprint and headphone jack being perfect for silent practice, it’s the little mate that you can depend.
One particularly handy feature on the MG10G is the contour control, which allows you to tweak the ratio of high and lows in relation to the mids, to give you ample tonal options for chord work or other applications that might require a bit of shaping to get right. Regardless of whether you’re learning rock, country, blues or anything else, this one will tick all the boxes. 41
GIFT GUIDE Samson XPD Table top system
Making Music Production Book
DISTRIBUTED BY: ELECTRIC FACTORY EXPECT TO PAY: $399
DISTRIBUTED BY: ABLETON EXPECT TO PAY: ENQUIRE
RECOMMENDED FOR: Roadies, FOH people, Cable-phobes
RECOMMENDED FOR: Those in need of some creative production inspiration or who require an esteemed hardback on their coffee table.
FEATURES: Investing in a wireless
setup is one of the wisest moves any presenter or vocalist can make and with everyone back accepting bookings, now is the time to get your wireless setup sorted. The Samson XPD Table top system, is the perfect entry point into the exciting world of wireless, being fully scalable across the XPDm range. The XPDm LM8 Lavalier and PXD1 beltpack are easily paired with the portable desktop RXD1M receiver, in turn providing 20 hours of battery life for trouble free, straightforward syncing. Operating across the 2.4ghz licence free frequency (and free of the legal restrictions that plague certain geographical locales), the dual channel Samson XPD Table top system punches well above it’s weight, providing clean, crisp signal up to 30m from the receiver.
list of advantages that come with wireless integration are long and well documented. Even if just for rehearsals or small gigs, there is something inherently liberating about not having to worry about cables. This makes the Samson XPD Table top system a particularly thoughtful gift for anybody in the presentation, live music or even the content creation crowd, where the receiver can be routed to an interface for recording purposes. In terms of practical gifts, they don’t come much better.
FEATURES: There’s an infinite amount of resources that cover all the technical elements of music creation, ala how to use a compressor, EQ a vocal, create a send and return for a reverb or side chain and kick and bass, but few (if any) such resources cover the actual process of making music. In Dennis DeSantis’ “Making Music – 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers”, the delicate, often frustrating and sometime even intimidating process music creation is thoughtfully broken down, where problems (or roadblocks) are presented, and accompanying solutions or patterns are laid out to help overcome these creative barricades.
This can vary from the starting of a project, bringing organisation to piles of existing material or providing solutions in completing a
OVERALL: In the live domain, the
1 Spot 9V power adaptor
Truetone 1 Spot Pro 12 Multi Voltage Power Supply
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION EXPECT TO PAY: $54.99
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION EXPECT TO PAY: $449
RECOMMENDED FOR: Electric Wizards, Pedal lovers, the Utilitarian in all of us.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Stompbox Fanatics, Pedal Wizards, Shoegazers
FEATURES: With a reputation
FEATURES: Power is a vital component to electrified music and carrying multiple power supplies around is no fun at all. Thankfully the legends at Truetone are back with an affordable, versatile power brick for the modern instrumentalist or audio buff.
for whisper quiet performance, bombproof build quality and with the ability to convert international voltage automatically (without the aid of a transformer), the classic 1 Spot 9v power adapter is in a league of its own, being the perfect stocking filler for anybody who likes their music electrified (which is basically everyone). Featuring a reinforced power cable, 1U footprint and with a triple-filtered output for clean daisy chaining, the 1 Spot is anything but your generic power supply, providing good clean power to your synths, pedals and more. There’s always room for another one of these bad boys in your kit, whether you’re in the studio, onstage or even just running pedals in your bedroom.
OVERALL: A wise man once said, ‘you can never have too many
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power supplies’, and this more than rings true, especially when they can boast the kind of sound quality and impressive trickbag as the classic 1 Spot 9v. Sturdy, functional and useful as anything, the 1 Spot 9v power adaptor is the kind of gift that will never disappoint. Designer socks and jocks for the MI/Audio world, these are an essential for anybody even remotely serious about their (musical) rig.
Featuring 12 isolated outputs for buzz free, clean power, and with five switchable voltages (only clocking up more in the way of versatility points), the Truetone 1 Spot Pro 12 Multi Voltage Power Supply is the all purpose solution to your power needs.
project. What can be quite elusive concepts, Dennis breaks down in a clear and concise way, coming from decades of experience, learning and music creation Primarily aimed at musicians making music electronically with machines, this book provides real life scenarios that (it’s fair to say) all musicians will be relate to in some way or another, opening up the conversation and delivering solutions for when the creative juices dry up and need a serious shake up! OVERALL: A well thought out,
detailed and solution based read that is both informative and inspiring. A book for all musicians, but especially those who create electronically. Who doesn’t need a hardback to impress the guests with.
OVERALL: Handy is the name of the game for this years gift guide and the Truetone 1 Spot Pro 12 Multi Voltage Power Supply might just be the handiest of the lot.
With 12 isolated high quality outputs all boasting Truetone famous circuitry, any gearhead/ musician worth their salt would be stoked to see this one under the tree.
Just when you think it can’t get any more handy, they go and include mounting brackets that allow the Truetone 1 Spot Pro 12 to fit Pedaltrain branded pedalboards-allowing for install while on tour. What more could you ever need? mixdownmag.com.au
GIFT GUIDE Lehle Mono Volume pedal
Maxon Overdrive OD808 40th Anniversary Edition
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION EXPECT TO PAY: $469
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION EXPECT TO PAY:$419
RECOMMENDED FOR: Lapsteel wizards, Volume swellers, Expressive guitar players
RECOMMENDED FOR: Any guitarist seeking to treat their tone to one of the most pristine lowto-medium gain overdrives the market’s got to give.
FEATURES: Volume pedals aren’t exactly anything new, nor are the anywhere near as exciting to talk about as say the amount of overdrive, distortion and fuzz pedals one has one their pedalboard this week.
But, if there was ever a time to get excited about a volume it would be when checking out the Lehle Mono Volume pedal. Whilst most volume pedals operate with mechanical potentiometers, optical sensors and other physical moving parts such as springs and wires, which the Lehle avoids by working on purely magnetic principle and design. Without getting too technical, a “Hall” sensor measures the distance of the pedal movement, which controls a VCA (Voltage Control Amplifier). It then varies the voltage censored by the Hall sensor, giving pinpoint accurate measurements and removes
FEATURES: Created in 1979 by
the requirement for other such traditional move parts. The input voltage of the pedal is rectified, filtered and increased to 18 volts, giving the Lehle a mammoth 110dB of dynamic range. With laser point accuracy of even the smallest of foot movements, the Lehle Mono Volume pedal gives unmatched control, feel and precision, all whilst retaining every element of a guitars frequency response and tone. OVERALL: A supreme gift for those who require only but the finest of volume control, with an incredibly unique and painstakingly methodical design under the hood, which remains completely unintrusive to one’s guitar tone.
legendary electronics engineer Susumu Tamura, the Maxon OD808 laid the blueprint for one of the most iconic overdrive pedals of all time with the Ibanez TS808. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of its original design, Maxon have given the OD808 a special reissue, sharing the exact same specs as Tamura’s original design to provide both a crucial tone-shaping tool and a historic keepsake for eager guitarists. While this 40th Anniversary Edition unit mightn’t look like much on the surface, it’s the inside of the pedal that makes it as special as it is. The inclusion of an authentic JRC4558 IC chip delivers the same warm, coveted overdriven tone favoured by the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and John Mayer, with a trio of Balance, Tone and Drive controls letting you
Ulbrick Music Systems – NRS Model 1
Phil Jones Bass Bighead Pro HA-2
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION EXPECT TO PAY: $249
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION EXPECT TO PAY: $635
RECOMMENDED FOR: Single coilers, Hum haters, Noise suppressors, Tone purists
RECOMMENDED FOR: Professional bassists looking for a premium solution for silent rehearsals, or even an ultra-portable alternative to an audio interface.
FEATURES: There’s nothing like the sweet, delicate, yet screaming tone of the single coil pick up from a Fender Strat, Tele or other such delectable single coil guitar. But with such dulcet tones dripping from ones’ finger tips there comes an inevitable trade off, noise. This, for as long as most of us can remember made for a continual headache, with very few, if any real solutions that didn’t involve serious overhaul, complete pickup replacement (ah, we think not!) or without hindering that single coil magic.
That was of course before electronics wizard, guitar tech, handcrafted amp builder and musician Dave Ulbrick defied the laws of electronics and brought the world the NRS Model 1. An un-intrusive, easy to install (guitar tech and/or soldering experience recommended) and marvellously simple device, the NRS Model mixdownmag.com.au
1 effectively eliminates single coil noise and hum for good, all while retaining all the tones of those beloved single coil pickups without having to rip the guts out of any guitar of which it is installed. Sorry Newton, guess the Laws of Motion just don’t apply here. OVERALL: If ever there was an elegant, effective and simple solution to solve those noisy single coil woes, it is without doubt the Ulbrick NRS Model 1. For those sporting a single coil guitar, ala Strat, Tele, Jag and alike, this is indeed the perfect gift. Wail on friends!
FEATURES: A slight step up from
the original Bighead Pro, the HA-2 from Phil Jones Bass is a compact and feature-packed utility to benefit the needs of the working bassist. Squeezing both a headphone amplifier and an audio interface into its miniature chromebrushed finish, the Bighead Pro HA-2 is perfect for practice and impromptu recording alike. Despite weighing in at 290 grams and packing dimensions smaller than the average smartphone, it’s amazing to see just how much tech is included in this little pocket rocket. A master volume allows for simple volume adjustments, while a two-band EQ and input gain should allow for barebones tone sculpting while in a pinch, and there’s even a line out and AUX in should you need them.
achieve everything from a subtle clean boost to all-out crunchy drive for steady riffing. Each of these 40th Anniversary Edition Maxon’s feature a commemorative plate to signify their status as a collectors item, with side-mounted input and outputs and a top-mounted power supply inputs rounding out its classic design. OVERALL: Real tone fiends know that the Maxon OD808 is the go-to for situations that require low-to-medium gain, and this commemorative edition is a perfect collector’s item for fans of the iconic green machine.
For recording, the unit boasts a 384 kHz/24-bit USB audio interface that also supports PCM playback, while a micro USB port juices the Bighead Pro HA-2 with up to eight hours of runtime for remote operation. You can even utilise the Phil Jones Bass Bighead Pro HA-2 as a preamp to drive power amps should you please, rounding out what can only be considered a Swiss Army knife for the demanding bassist. OVERALL: Whether you’re rehearsing or recording, the Phil Jones Bass Bighead Pro HA-2 won’t let you down.
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GIFT GUIDE Phil Jones Bass Micro 7 Combo
BluGuitar Amp 1 Mercury Edition
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION EXPECT TO PAY: $689
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION EXPECT TO PAY: $1799
RECOMMENDED FOR: Bassists who need a compact, rugged and lightweight amplifier to cart around between gigs and rehearsal rooms.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Guitarists looking to leave their bulky amps at home, but who still crave the tone, feel and dynamics that only tubes can provide.
FEATURES: As the most compact
FEATURES: Guitarists looking to leave their bulky amps at home, but who still crave the tone, feel and dynamics that only tubes can provide.
and affordable combo amplifier in the Phil Jones Bass range, the Micro 7 is a killer amp for bassists of all skill levels and sonic leanings, pushing 50 watts of solid-state power into a 7” driver and 3” tweeter to ensure no frequency goes astray. Although its diminutive size - the thing measures an astounding 30cm on all sides - may lead you to assume it’s nothing but a mere practice amp, the Micro 7 makes it immediately clear that this isn’t the case. The surprising output and sheer performance of the PJB Micro 7 makes it a tidy option for small-to-medium rooms, with a line output expanding the possibilities of its use with a DI box. Tonally, the amplifier covers everything from mellow jazz to bright bass-in-yourface funk, with a three-band EQ, gain and master volume letting
you tweak the sound to your own liking. For players running different instruments, the PJB M7 packs a nifty passive/active pad switch to compensate for any volume drop, while creature comforts such as an Aux In (with independent volume), clip level LED and mute switch making the PJB Micro 7 a hot contender for use in any rig. OVERALL: With its versatile feature set, compact dimensions and impressive performance in a range of room sizes, the Phil Jones Bass Micro 7 is a solid piece of kit for any bassist’s rig.
Features: A state of the art guitar amplifier that’s crammed with great features and connectivity, the BluGuitar Amp 1 Mercury is nothing short of a Godsend. It’s a pedal-sized guitar amplifier built to suit the needs of tonal purists, offering four uniquely voiced Modern, Classic, Vintage and Clean channels that harness the power of Nanotube technology to output their glorious tones. The tone of the Amp 1 Mercury can be extensively shaped via the amp’s three-band EQ, while the overdrive section of the amp also offers Master and Gain knobs. Digital reverb can also be engaged and sorted into three presets via an onboard footswitch, with an
BluGuitar Amp 1 Iridium Edition
Voodoo Labs Dingus ¼” Feed-Thru
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION EXPECT TO PAY: $1899
DISTRIBUTED BY: EGM DISTRIBUTION EXPECT TO PAY: $79.95
RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone who really digs the specs of the BluGuitar Amp 1 Mercury, but needs just a tad more gain on tap to dish out their modern metal riffage.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone who owns a Voodoo Lab Dingbat pedalboard who wants to integrate easy-access audio cable connectivity for mono and stereo setups onto their board.
FEATURES: Filling a similar niche to
its sightly more utilitarian sibling in the Mercury, the BluGuitar Amp 1 Iridium Edition is the ultimate mini amp for metal guitarists. Offering a sole clean channel with a heap of headroom and three independent Modern, Classic and Vintage overdrive channels to provide high-gain tones with plenty of richness and nuance, the Iridium will keep up with everything you can throw at it, be it Djent, deathcore, sludge or just a dash of classic thrash.
Like the Mercury, the Iridium also features a boost footswitch and its own digital reverb as well as a nifty noise gate function, with Metal, Soft and Off modes allowing for a range of different applications when paired with each overdrive channel. Perhaps most tantalising, 44
the Iridium can also handle impulse responses to make it all the more versatile while recording - simply turn off the analogue speaker simulator of the Iridium, and you’re good to go. Elsewhere, the compact dimensions of the BluGuitar Amp 1 Iridium Edition make it perfect to put on your pedalboard or even cart around in a backpack if necessary, while the matte black finish of the amplifier makes for a killer aesthetic. OVERALL: Suitable for all kinds of high-gain stylings and portable as hell, the BluGuitar Amp 1 Iridium Edition is brutal as hell, and all the better for it.
FEATURES: The Voodoo Lab Dingbat pedalboard is one of the most popular boards on the market today, with its nifty dimensions, solid construction, light weight and sweet looks helping to highlight its formidable reputation. As easy as it may be to use, any musician can agree that there’s always a way to make things easier, and Voodoo Labs know this all too well, creating the Dingus ¼” Feed-Thru to offer a perfect pairing with the Dingbat pedalboard.
In a nutshell, the Dingus ¼” FeedThru can be connected to your pedalboard to help streamline the connection between your amp, pedals and guitar. It’s an add-on that provides both mono and stereo connections, and can be easily mounted underneath your Dingbat pedalboard courtesy
additional boost button providing a viable option to cut through the mix when soloing. A built-in cabinet speaker simulation output lets you keep your cab at home and plug the Amp 1 Mercury straight into FOH or an audio interface to streamline your workflow while recording or performing. There’s also a headphone output for silent practice if that’s up your alley, while an onboard FX loop helps enshrine the Amp 1 Mercury as a deadly tool for the demanding electric guitarist. OVERALL: The BluGuitar just might be te future of the guitar amp as we know it - 100 watts of tube-coloured tone in a package that’s quaint enough to squeeze onto a pedalboard? Sign us up!
of pre-drilled holes on the left and right of the unit for sheer convenience. The Dingus works with both mono and stereo TRS connections, and can be used alone or combined with other Dingus units for more complex routing configurations should you please. Obviously, it’s not the most exciting piece of kit, but any certified pedal head can spout the benefits of employing such a setup - it really, really does makes a difference. OVERALL: An all-too-useful utility for Dingbat pedalboard users, the Voodoo Lab Dingbat will work wonders for your pedalboard workflow.
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GIFT GUIDE Markbass Marcus Miller Range
Markbass Strings
DISTRIBUTED BY: CMC MUSIC EXPECT TO PAY: $1150
DISTRIBUTED BY: CMC MUSIC EXPECT TO PAY: $69.95
RECOMMENDED FOR: Any bassist seeking a lightweight amp, cab or combo that’ll rock any room, particularly those playing funk, soul or jazz styles.
Adventurous bassists looking to experiment with the different techniques and tones afforded by a fresh set of strings.
FEATURES: A collaboration between Markbass and the great Marcus Miller, this bass amplifier range is kitted out with everything a modern bassist could ever wish for in an amp. There’s four different Little Marcus bass heads - available in 250, 500, 800 and 1000 watt variants - each of which feature a five-band EQ as well as two Old School and Millerizer filter knobs, perfect for slicing through the mix with a solo or nailing that classic Motown thump.
For those looking for an all-in-one amplification solution, the Marcus Miller range also features four combo amps - the CMD 101 Micro 60, CMD 102 250, CMD 102 500 and CMD 103 500 - all of which feature all the same features as the Little Marcus series, except for the pocket-rocket CMD 101.
RECOMMENDED FOR:
FEATURES: Markbass continue
speaker cabinets - the 104 and 102 - each of which are specifically voiced to provide an enhanced low end, or as Marcus says, ‘more booty.’ A rear-ported and slanted design makes them perfect for minimising floor rumble, while a 1” voice-coil tweeter ensures the high frequencies won’t go astray while your playing. OVERALL: There truly is something for everyone in the Markbass Marcus Miller range. These amps sound incredible live, and their sheer performance, portability and packed feature set makes them a standout pick this silly season.
The range is finalised by two
to expand into the broader world of musical instruments with a range of Markbass Strings. With an assortment of nickel-plated, stainless steel, round-wound, flatwound and nylon strings available in a range of gauges for four, five and six string basses, it’s suffice to say that Markbass have well and truly got all basses covered pardon the pun. The eco-friendly Longevo series will appeal to players who dig the feel and lifespan of nanofilm shielded strings, while the ever-reliable Groove series provides an optimum solution for bassists hunting the warmth provided by nickel. Meanwhile, the bright-sounding Energy series is extremely resistant to corrosion, and for bassists who prefer a soft feel and touch, the nickel Ultimate series and stainless steel Advanced
Faith Nomad Series Travel Guitars
Kyser Quick-Change Capo Neon Collection
DISTRIBUTED BY: CMC MUSIC EXPECT TO PAY: $995
DISTRIBUTED BY: CMC MUSIC EXPECT TO PAY: $44.95
RECOMMENDED FOR: Musicians on the go who aren’t willing to compromise on projection, tone and clarity.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Need we explain? A capo should be a gig bag essential for any guitarist, especially those who need to quickly transpose a song in lightning speed.
FEATURES: Comprised of the baby-jumbo shaped Neptune and the slightly smaller, squareshouldered Saturn, the Faith Nomad Series provides players with two small-bodied acoustics that punch way above their weight
While their dainty size might lead you to assume that they’re built for children, these guitars are nothing short of the real deal: both the Neptune and the Saturn are constructed from solid tonewoods such as spruce and mahogany to provide a classic tone and feel, while their 23.3” scale makes playing chords and single-note runs a walk in the park. In action, the Neptune and Saturn just sing, with both guitars delivering plenty of projection and clarity thanks to their X-brace design and solid construction. They’re suited for strummers mixdownmag.com.au
and fingerpickers alike, with the all-mahogany Neptune being a particularly good fit for anyone looking to pluck out arpeggios up and down the neck. Storage is also made simple with Faith’s inclusion of a custom gig bag for both guitars, and to put the cherry on the top, both guitars in the Faith Nomad Series are loaded with a Fishman Sonicore Pickup and Isys T preamp, letting you plug in onstage and tweak your tonal settings with ease prior to a show. OVERALL: Whether you’re road-
tripping around the country or simply warming up backstage before a show, a small-scale guitar can prove to be a very welcome companion on your travels, and Faith’s Nomad series certainly won’t disappoint.
FEATURES: If you’ve ever had
the pleasure - or misfortune - of playing guitar, then there’s a fair chance you’re already acquainted with the humble Kyser QuickChange. Assembled in the company’s factory in Texas, these capos are considered to be the industry standard for electric and acoustic players alike, providing both optimum performance and sheer simplicity. To celebrate the festive season, Kyser have produced a collectable new range of Quick-Change capos dubbed the Neon Collection, with four luminescent colours to choose from. Players can now pick from Yellow, Green, Pink and Orange variants, putting a unique twist on the tried-and-true capo you all know and love.
series will be be a perfect pairing For something a bit different, Markbass also offer the Balanced series, designed in conjunction with bassist Paolo "Pi" Costa to combine nickel and steel for an amazing tonal balance. If you’re after a classic tone, the Vintage series flatwounds will be right up your alley, and there’s even nylon sets for double basses. OVERALL: With so many different options on offer and a price-tag that’s near impossible to say no to, you really can’t go wrong with anything from the Markbass bass string range.
In operation, these capos are a pure joy to use. Contrary to other units which are overly stiff, buzzy or require two hands to operate, the Kyser Quick-Change is swift and simple to use. The classic trigger action ensures that a one-handed grip is all you need to open and close its rubber-padded clamps around your fretboard, and the ergonomic design makes it all too easy to move up and down the neck of your instrument without causing grief. OVERALL: You know them, you love them - now, you can get them in a wild palate of colours! The Kyser Quick-Change Capo is a classic for good reason, and these special Neon units are just the epitome of cool.
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GIFT GUIDE Klotz Cables
Ernie Ball Accessories
DISTRIBUTED BY: CMC MUSIC EXPECT TO PAY: $35.95
DISTRIBUTED BY: CMC MUSIC EXPECT TO PAY: $9.95
RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone. These cables are the real deal, and once you replace your old worn out instrument leads with a Klotz, I can guarantee you’ll hear the difference.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone and everyone - even your non-musical mates will surely find a purpose for Ernie Ball’s range of accessories.
FEATURES: Klotz, the self-
proclaimed ‘signal masters’, are considered as royalty within the world of cabling. Of course, this mightn’t sound like much to the average punter, but most musicians who’ve been fortunate enough to use a Klotz will speak volumes of their sensational quality. These instrument cables are constructed in Germany using premium components and enhanced shielding to minimise signal interference, providing an ultra-clean, ultra-quiet sound for use in the studio or onstage. For those who like a bit of variety, there’s a broad range of Klotz cables on the market to suit different applications and budgets, starting from the entry-level KIK and 59er variants and going all the way up to the premium quality La Grange and Titanium Walnut leads.
The range also features a signature guitar lead for virtuoso Joe Bonamassa for instrumentalists who pride themselves on their tonal clarity, while the ProArtist lead provides a solid middle ground for the average punter. Each lead in the Klotz range is flexible enough to withstand all the wear and tear of a live performance, with a range of straight and right-angled jacks being present across the range to suit different guitar and bass types. OVERALL: It’s a small and rather dull investment, but once you’ve had a Klotz in your life, you’ll never look back.
FEATURES: When Christmas comes a knocking and you’re in the market for some little goodies to bust out on the big day, who do you call? Ernie Ball of course! With their huge range of accessories, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes down to the wire during the last-minute rush, with a bevy of picks, strings, cables, straps, capos and much more proving to be the perfect stocking stuffer for this silly season.
Ernie Ball are world famous for their guitar strings, and their Slinky range will cater for any kind of guitar or bass player, be they specialising funk, punk, country or anything in between. Similarly, Ernie Ball’s nylon straps have been long considered an industry standard, and their wide range of picks - from the standard Everlast style to the jazzy non-slip Prodigy plectrums - are also in the same boat.
DV Mark Eric Gales Raw Dawg 60 Combo
2021 Sterling by Music Man StingRays
DISTRIBUTED BY: CMC MUSIC EXPECT TO PAY: $1595
DISTRIBUTED BY: CMC MUSIC EXPECT TO PAY: EXPECT TO PAY: SUB $1150, SHORT-SCALE - $1650
RECOMMENDED FOR: Guitarists looking for a portable combo amplifier with a tube preamp that’ll take pedals without any worries. FEATURES: Blues firebrand Eric
Gales has returned to DV Mark to create the DV Raw Dawg 60, delivering a classic single channel 1x12” configuration to suit all live and studio applications. By combining a 60 watt Mark Proprietary Technology power amp with a 6205 micro tube in the preamp section, the Raw Dawg 60 promises exceptional volume and performance with that vintage tone that only valves can provide. A smattering of knobs on the front panel of the EGC Raw Dawg 60 lets you adjust the Level, Bass, Mid and Treble of the amplifier, with an onboard reverb helping to add a dimension of ambiance to your playing. While this layout may seem simple, it’s designed that way for a reason: this amp is an absolute machine when it comes to handling pedals. The barebones construction of
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the EGC Raw Dawg makes it a dream for stacking overdrives and experimenting with modulation and time-based effects, with an onboard FX loop allowing for even further flexibility. Other nifty features include an Aux In and Headphone Out for silent practice and playing along to backing tracks, while a dual voltage 120/240v switch makes the Raw Dawg a viable partner for international touring - whenever it may return. OVERALL: A sublime hybrid amp that’s ultra-portable and pairs wonderfully with pedals, the DV Mark Raw Dawg 60 might just be one of the best kept secrets in the guitar world.
For something a bit different, the Axis Capo is a contemporary offering to suit electric and acoustic guitars alike, and their cables are pretty tidy too. There’s even a range of guitar maintenance products, patches and badges to choose from, and if you’re so inclined, Ernie Ball’s range of effects pedals are pretty damn good too. OVERALL: For last-minute gift ideas, Ernie Ball’s range of musical knick-knacks will be sure to put a smile on the dial of any musician these holidays.
RECOMMENDED FOR: Any bassist who demands a punchy, midheavy tone to own their space in the mix, all within the confines of a classic design.
bridge ensures the bass can be set up exactly to your liking.
FEATURES: New to their 2021 range, Sterling by Music Man are expanding their family with the addition of two new StingRay models: a SUB Series StingRay Ray4HH, and a cool new shortscale StingRay. Both of these basses are slick as hell and priced incredibly reasonably, providing a viable option for anyone looking to pick up a new instrument this Christmas.
For smaller hands - or perhaps a more distinctive tone - the Sterling short-scale StingRay should do the trick, squeezing the classic sound of Music Man’s flagship four-string into a quaint 30” scale instrument. A push/pull volume knob provides a passive boost, while a three-way rotary control to flick between parallel, true single-coil, and series modes to let you access an even broader palate of sounds.
Let’s start with the Ray4HH. This instrument puts a bit of a twist on the classic StingRay sound by offering not just one, but two humbuckers, with a five-way pickup selector switch and active preamp letting you tap into both vintage and modern bass tones. A basswood body and maple neck make navigating the instrument a breeze, while a fully adjustable
OVERALL: The StingRay is a classic bass guitar, and with these two 2021 players, they’re now available at a much more affordable price to suit the requirements of every player.
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FIRST LOOK: ABLETON LIVE 11 Just in case you’ve been living under a rock, Ableton is everywhere these days. The esteemed DAW has forever changed the way music is composed, tweaked and performed since its inception in 2001. The forthcoming Live 11 more than adds to this lineage, bringing with it a stack of new editing and broader audio functionality to make it a legitimate contender as the only DAW you will ever need. The big news is that Ableton Live 11 will finally add comping to its bag of tricks, allowing multiple takes to be edited and previewed with ease. Couple this with the new track linking features found in Live 11 and you've got a DAW that translates comfortably between Live and Studio applications, bringing a whole new level of functionality to the acclaimed software. For example, we could potentially now use these features to record multiple takes of a drummer to a click track, then simply by linking these channels, can flick through a multi-mic’d drum kit to pick the best takes and comp this into our linked channels with one click, phase coherent and all. Major improvements to the clip interface are another welcome addition to Live 11. Features that were previously locked to individual devices such as Velocity and Scale are now accessible on every clip created. Each clip can have its own set scale which allows for intuitive user input as the notes of the selected scale are highlighted on the piano roll and the key will automatically change on an Ableton Push, for example.
Scene workflows have also had some major additions in this version, allowing for follow actions to be implemented across them as well as the ability to change BPM and time signatures for individual scenes. For performers, this allows you to have your whole live set on a single project without having to fiddle/remember what BPM your fourth track was while on stage or add variations to parts of a track without automating them. Device groups and macros have new features which allow you to use and show 1-16 macros, randomise all of them with one click (with the ability to turn off specific ones) and save multiple macro settings directly to the group. It seems one of the major drives behind this release is on easily and seamlessly creating variations in your music Ableton’s effects and instruments have been given a serious treatment in this version, adding quality of life upgrades for look and feel. Hybrid Reverb, one of the new native effect plugins combines a convolution reverb with an algorithmic reverb with fantastic results. There's a bunch of great sounding impulse responses built in or you can drag and drop your own for interesting outcomes. Being able to blend, and change the way the reverbs are routed make for endless possibilities for this effect.
From there, each note can have a range assigned in which velocity will be randomised within this area or you can apply a one click randomisation to selected notes which will maintain the velocity settings on loop. In combination to this each note can also have a probability if it will trigger or not separate to these settings allowing for creative indulgence to the max.
Ableton has promised more Max for Live devices in this upcoming release but currently there are only a few new additions available. PitchLoop89 by the legendary Robert Henke, who is one of Ableton's founders and created the much loved Granulator device, is the pick of the bunch. With a plethora of options available, this tape delay style plugin with pitch shifting is fantastic for creating subtle to dramatic changes with whatever you feed into it.
Selecting multiple clips also lets you edit all of them at the same time without having to switch between them. You can also highlight one clip to edit while seeing other clips underlayed. This makes tracking your progressions very intuitive. Combine this with MIDI drawing now able to be locked/unlocked to a single note and you're making music quicker than you ever have.
Effects have been grouped in the browser to make new users feel more at home while adding dedicated groove and template folders so they're not so hidden behind menus as they were in previous editions. This revamp will also include new instruments with which Ableton is collaborating with Spitfire providing new takes on piano, brass and string sounds.
MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) from instruments like the ROLI Seaboard can now be recorded as automation which also allows for extra feel whilst songwriting. With easy editing via the new clip interface, even without one of these devices you can automate these parameters with just your mouse and keyboard. Currently Wavetable, Sampler and Simpler can utilise this extension.
CPU metering is now clearer and more legible than than ever. You can view average or real time CPU usage while also seeing how much each track is pulling. This is the best upgrade anyone could ask for as you can make quick decisions about what channel to freeze or bounce to create room for more tracks and effects, especially on slower workstations.
In terms of live performance, Live 11 introduces tempo follow: the ability to automatically sync your project with external audio in real time. This is a huge step for bands wanting to utilise the power of this software while still having live elements in their sets. With this turned on all FX and audio will line up with the external signal - no more out-of-sync delays!
All in all, Ableton Live 11 is a well thought out expansion of tools for music creators and engineers of all skill levels, combining new ways to interact and gorgeous new effects which I cannot wait to deep dive into and get creative with. BY SAM MCNIECE Ableton Live 11 arrives in early 2021.
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ADVICE COLUMNS PERCUSSION
RUDIMENTS – COME ON, THEY’RE GOOD FOR YOU.
We’ve had the rudiments chat before – ‘they’re good for you’, they’d say. Many of us don’t realise why they might be good for us but anyone that’s studied will have usually practiced rudiments for some part of their learning. Yes, it’s pretty clear that say, practicing a single stroke roll or a double stroke roll is necessary because drumming can be very clearly associated with just combinations of singles and doubles. However, there’s lots of other rudiments that tend to lend themselves to what might be considered snare drum.playing and since the rudiments have got some age behind them, newer drummers might mistake them for being kind of old fashioned and not that applicable to modern drumming. The approach we’ll discuss today covers three key areas Rudiments, Independence and groove. Looking at the notation, there are three foot patterns to go with. However, you can use any foot pattern you like, or easily alter things to make it easier or indeed, harder. For the purposes of making things clearer, I’ve illustrated the 48
easy foot pattern (crotchets on the bass drum) for figures A – E and then the Samba pattern for the remainder. Back to Basics First up – basic rudiments. Play singles, doubles and paradiddles over the foot pattern of your choice. Singles and doubles are written straight up here and although the paradiddle has an accent on the start of every grouping, you could add accents to the singles or even the doubles if you were ever so keen. I really liked the feeling of playing the accented paradiddle – accurately – over the feet and making the strokes like up perfectly. Add a good dynamic level between the accent and the non-accents and feel the resulting groove/feel, the rimshot on the snare for the accent providing a punch each time – great practice for accurate rim shots and back beats. A simple approach is right hand accent on the floor tom and left hand accent on the rack tom. You could move the accents to the cymbals. Figures D and E show the double and triple paradiddle. Here we just add another ‘RL’ to create
the double paradiddle (RLRLRR LRLRLL) and another ‘RL’ again for the triple paradiddle (RLRLRLRR LRLRLRLL) accenting the primary single stroke with the leading hand each grouping. The triple paradiddle is predictably 4/4 and easy to feel. However, it’s the double paradiddle that is cooler as it’s naturally a 3/4 or 6/8 rudiment and busting it our continuously over 4/4 makes you sound great… It’s also a nice way of phrasing this rudiment as the you get a ‘crossing the bar’ scenario. Moving accents to the toms creates interesting and melodic phrases that start to sound more complicated than they actually are due to the foot pattern filling in gaps. Roll out Then we start using rolls. Open rolls to be precise. Figure F – H is the 5-stroke roll. Played evenly across the bar at first (F, G) over four semiquavers but then with no pauses over three semiquavers inducing a unique, poly rhythm effect. It’s great when you get it going and the foot pattern remains steady. From here we look at 6-stroke, 7-stroke and 9 -stroke rolls. They look kind of
intense on paper but they’re just combinations of doubles and singles. Again, accents on toms, cymbals etc. and hear the phrases come alive over the foot pattern. Speaking of the foot pattern, we’d forgotten about it because we were so caught up with practicing the hands! This is actually the point. You don’t think about your feet when you’re walking do you? Well, the feeling of good independence can feel similar. Your feet can just seem to go on autopilot. This doesn’t happen without sitting on the grooves slowly first and feeling the phrases being created. Remember - rudiments aren’t just exercises, they’re beats – grooves. This makes them more musical and therefore, applicable! If it’s too easy, change the feet to something less predictable, try flam rudiments, combine rudiments, add more accents etc. I just liked the idea of covering all bases when practicing these and it’s far more satisfying than just smashing them out on a pad. BY ADRIAN VIOLI
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ADVICE COLUMNS GUITAR
All I want for Christmas is to shred….
I see and hear from many players who struggle with technique and are consequently limited by their inability to correct or overcome these issues. Now, I’m not saying that technique is the answer to everything or that improving your technique will bring instant happiness and bountiful riches - but, I’ve rarely seen anyone that has gone backwards in their playing from having some improved technique. The old ‘I’m a feel player’, ‘I just play blues/ punk/etc’, ‘Hendrix never had lessons’ statements just don’t cut it I reckon. Alternate Picking (Figure A). I feel that ‘Alternate Picking’ is probably the first real big challenge when learning the guitar and specifically learning to pick. Downstrokes are fine as a start and then ‘boom’ it hits you that you need to use both downwards and upwards motions. Figure A is played in the open position and uses a C Major scale. Start on a downstroke and continue to alternate pick
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(so down/up/down/up) for the whole exercise. For many players changing strings and then the varying groupings (different numbers of notes on each string) can feel awkward, so start super slow focussing on the correct notes and right hand picking. Then build up tempo when you feel confident. At a faster speed this will start to sound like a country/ bluegrass type lick/melody and typically those guys and girls are seriously good pickers. Downward pick slanting (Figure B) Have you got your alternate picking dialled in but still can’t break into super speed? Perhaps your pick angle can do with some refinement. One of the main topics of Troy Grady’s ‘Cracking The Code’ instructional series and a staple of players like Paul Gilbert and Eric Johnson ‘pick slanting’ is an aspect of picking technique that is often overlooked (and not discussed, just done). The gist is that alternate picking (where the pick is parallel to the strings) can sometimes be hindered by the fact it creates
slight hops/jumps during the alternate picking movement, and these additional movements slow the picking process down. So, by adjusting the angle of the pick from a parallel position to a downward pick slanting position (roll your hand/pick away from you to create a flatter angle) you can now play with a straighter more streamlined stroke. With this new angle ready to go now have a crack at Figure B and see if you can notice a difference. One of the tricks with downward pick slanting is have even amounts of notes before you change strings (hence the two groups of triplets/6 notes in each phrase) Legato technique (Figure C). ‘Legato’ technique is another approach often utilised by players trying to develop speed and facility on the guitar. This approach moves away from picking for the majority and works on the fretboard hand hammering on/ pulling off to achieve speed.
through A Dorian. Play this lick in groups of 3 notes only picking the first note when it changes strings, the rest are just hammered on in this example. This technique has a different sound (obviously losing the percussiveness of alternate picking) and can take some time to build up strength to cleanly articulate and fret the left hand notes. Playing these type of exercises on an electric guitar can help at first thanks to the (typically) lighter gauge strings. Hopefully this gives you some areas to start working on. As mentioned previously, you don’t have to show off with technique all the time, but having the ability to do so can help with other areas of your playing and make for a refined approach to the instrument.
BY NICK BROWN
Figure C takes a predominantly 3 per string pattern to ascend
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ADVICE COLUMNS BASS
When to play and when to hold back
Yes, the groove/feel/pocket should come first but that doesn’t mean that sparse and open is always the best approach. Conversely, busier parts can definitely groove too! Sometimes more 8ths and 16ths can actually help lock a groove together. There can then also be the added beauty of releasing tension and changing the whole feel when the bass line does move to a less notey idea. When do I play more though? And when do I hold back? Hmmmm… unfortunately there’s no set answer for this and the ol’ vagaries of music ensue, leaving it up to you, your ear and your sense of groove to work it out. Let’s work through some examples though to hopefully help you hear, recognise and understand some of the scenarios and different ideas to play.
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Sparsey sparse (Figure A) Play Figure A as a 90bpm straight funk groove. The drummer would typically follow the bass line with the kick drum creating a ‘70s type funk feel. Leaving rests on 2 and 4 allows room to breathe and for other instruments to fill the space yet harmonically you can still hear the changes through E-G-A. This line could then work for the Verse on the first time, but then perhaps you could add some more notes into the repeat (Figure B). A little more (Figure B) Now we have the original line from Figure A, but with some additional ornamentation. The D-E on the +a of 4 is a common characteristic of many funk bass lines and creates a nice rhythmic lead into the G-G quavers at the start of Bar 2. To now move from the G to the A we have a chromatic line G-G#-A with
a similar rhythm which again adds to the movement and flow. If the drummer played the same sparse groove for both of these examples the bass in Figure B would be helping with the 16th note feel by filling some more gaps. Let’s take it another step further in Figure C. Busy busy (Figure C) We now get much busier! Lots of semiquavers to really reinforce the feel/time (Beats 1 2 3 of Bar 1), but still with some rests to add movement and contrast with perhaps a funk guitar lick, hi hat part or synth poking through. A couple of points to note – these types of grooves need to be well executed to really lock in the time feel. Busy messy grooves defeat the whole purpose and often do more harm than good. So, articulation – think how you’re attacking the note. Be aware of
note length/note values – do you want them legato or more staccato with some room between the notes? Most importantly, listen to what the rest of the band is doing. If there’s room to play busier go for it. If playing busy will reinforce what someone else is doing, go for it. If the groove is open and more sparse, and that space is needed, then don’t play busy! Rocco Prestia, Jaco, Les Claypool, Jason Newstead and more have great examples of varying these dynamics. Try listening, transcribing, jamming and working on your grooves and feel as a start and then put it into practice. BY NICK BROWN
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PRODUCT REVIEWS/MI FENDER
Tash Sultana Signature Stratocaster FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY: $1,999
Tash Sultana is one of the first Australian artists to be receiving a signature Fender, and for good reason. Tash has managed to carve out a space for their art within a heavily saturated industry, and has remained fresh, new and instantly recognisable; which is no mean feat in the current climate. The Tash Sultana Signature Stratocaster is a Mexican-made, alder-bodied Strat with a Double Tap Humbucking pickup and two Yosemite single-coil pickups to amplify the groovy, nuanced style that Tash is famous for. This guitar is everything you’d expect and want from a Fender, but styled and upgraded to suit Tash’s own unique playing style. The guitar features their signature on the back of the headstock, as well as a custom “Skull” on the neck plate, and a welcome glossy transparent cherry finish that really helps this Strat stand out from the pack. A vintage style tremolo offers expression, as well as unparalleled tuning stability, and the modern tuning machines that remain much more stable than Fender’s vintage style tuning pegs, as well as being easy for restringing. All of these are screwed into a painted headstock to match the body, a feature usually reminiscent of ‘60s Strat or their offset counterparts. All in all, a very feature heavy and aesthetically pleasing guitar. mixdownmag.com.au
The Tash Sultana Stratocaster is built from alder, coated in a Transparent Cherry gloss polyester finish, which is nicely offset against a 3-Ply aged white pearl pickguard and back-cover. The gold hardware, Fender staggered tuners and a vintage style synchronized tremolo, make this guitar very classy, and the maple fretboard with black dots offers the bright spank that have made a Stratocaster what it is. The neck has a modern “C” shape, offering classic Fender feel with a focus on more contemporary playing styles. Thankfully, the guitar has a satin urethane finish that makes speeding around the neck really pleasant, while the gloss urethane on the front and fretboard give the Tash Sultana Stratocaster that classic feel and look, albeit with the striking gloss red painted headstock. The scale length is standard for a Strat, but the combination of the modern neck shape, satin finish and medium jumbo frets give this guitar vibe and mojo, and inspires tranquil jams and jazzy runs up and down the fretboard. The HSS configuration really opens up the tonal palette, allowing the player to access big rock chords and bright, percussive and jangly Strat tones if the coils are split on the Double Tap
Humbucking pickup. This kind of configuration is a dream for fans of loop pedals, allowing a multitude of tones to be accessed from the guitar itself, which offers a heap of sounds for different elements in a loop and mix. The remaining single coils in the middle and neck positions are Yosemite single-coils, usually reserved for American Fenders, but featured here and a very welcome addition that really help this Strat stand ahead of the rest of the Mexican-made Fender range. In the hands, the Tash Sultana Stratocaster feels great and similar in build quality to the Vintera series, but the glossy transparent finish offers a little something extra in feel and wood breathability. The Fender offset contour body sits comfortably against the body and assists the player in really feeling the notes they’re putting out, while the sound of the pickups themselves just add dynamic to the great physical feel of the guitar. Like all Strats, it resonates nicely against the player, and the tremolo offers further expression, all within easy access of your strumming hand. One master volume controls the whole guitar, while the tones knobs control separate pickups, depending where you’re playing. The nut is made from bone, another little upgrade to an already
stellar example of a Stratocaster, allowing the guitar to sustain just a little longer, helped along by the six individual saddles resonating into the tremolo springs. The Tash Sultana Stratocaster is a guitar built for the modern player, more specifically for someone who literally plays by their own rules and will continue to push musical boundaries. This Strat isn’t just a guitar, but an inspiration in and of itself, while also a vessel to channel inspiration when it strikes. The first in a hopefully ongoing line of signature guitars, Tash is an artist that remains an influence of many, and this Stratocaster, with its modern adornments and subtle upgrades from Mexican Stratocasters, reflects that. There’s a bunch of fairly standard appointments that made this Tash’s weapon of choice, but with some upgrades, such as pickups, hardware and a gloss finish that make it very much its own beast. If you’re looking for a stock-standard Strat, admittedly this probably isn’t the Strat for you. If you’re looking for a guitar to simultaneously feel like home but offer the ability to push musical boundaries, then let’s talk. BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS
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PRODUCT REVIEWS BAM PEDALS
The Goddess Overdrive Around 20 years ago, a boutique overdrive pedal by the name of the Goddess emerged and took the Australian guitar world by storm, with its transparent tones and versatility making an immediate impact on big name players such as Troy Casar-Daley and Diesel. Now, the BAM Goddess Overdrive, designed by respected Adelaide blues guitarist Brian Morrison to fulfil his desire to create the ultimate overdrive pedal, has reemerged to captivate yet another generation of guitarists, and this time, it’s here to stay. Boasting an incredibly versatile gain stage with tones that range from a slight clean boost to allthe-way-out red hot distortion, it’s easy to see why there’s so much hype around this particular unit. A fully analogue pedal by design, the Goddess makes use of an onboard adjustable compression/sustain circuit to give it an amp-like tonal characteristic, letting you easily adjust the attack and decay for soaring, heavenly sustain. There’s
also a Stack switch that really kicks the Goddess up a notch, letting you achieve huge distorted tones that seem as if they’ve been torn straight from the soul of a sixties Marshall stack. What really makes the BAM Goddess special, however, is the amazing Medusa-inspired graphics that adorn the face of the pedal, while the chicken-head knobs and rugged enclosure only further adds to the unique character of the pedal. It almost looks like some kind of de-commissioned piece of military kit from the Cold War, and will make as much as a visual statement as it will sonically on any pedalboard. Despite what their name may suggest, there’s few overdrive pedals out there that are truly ‘transparent’ in nature – you’ll always get some kind of colour or variation to your tone, even when it’s in bypass mode. As a response to these units, the BAM Goddess sets out to deliver the most transparent overdrive experience
available, maintaining its integrity even when paired with other tonesucking stompboxes or shoddy patch cables. Paired with a Stratocaster and a clean Fender-style amp, the Goddess presents itself as the perfect platform for some classic bluesy noodling, while ramping up your volume knob will dial in a slight dollop of grit for when you need to slice through the mix. The compression circuit is also suitable for achieving Slowhand-like sustain without compromising your left and right hand dynamics, while the Stack switch is a choice solution for saturated, stomping riffs and
jagged lead work – pair it with a Les Paul, and you’ll be packing out stadiums in no time. A wonderfully built unit with a colourful design that’s suited for a multitude of musical styles, the BAM Goddess is a killer piece of kit, and we can’t wait to hear what other Aussie guitarists make of it. BY WILL BREWSTER
FENDER
Brad Paisley Signature Esquire FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU RRP: $2,099.00
Brad Paisley’s career as a multipleGrammy-Award-winning country music superstar has always been closely intertwined with his beloved Fender Esquire. Now, Fender have released a refreshing new take on their original “one pickup wonder” workhorse from the 50s with a unique appearance and brand-new “stealthy” pickup in collaboration with Paisley. Needless to say, this Esquire is unlike any before it. It has a ‘Road Worn’ aesthetic, with Black Sparkle lacquer, nitrocellulose finish, and aged hardware, giving it a classic "broken-in" look with a twist. Brad claims “as a West Virginian” he likens this Black Sparkle finish to someone who’s just been mining for coal with [the] guitar”, the finish is “half diamonds, half coal”. Having released his Road Worn Telecaster with Fender in the past, this isn’t Paisley’s first rodeo. However, despite the striking similarities between the Telecaster and the Esquire, the Brad Paisley Esquire has much to offer in the way of innovation and versatility. 52
While it may appear to only have one single coil pickup to the untrained eye, in reality, it has two. A distinctive feature of the esquire is its one bridge pickup, so some may ask then what the difference would be between Paisley’s Esquire and a telecaster. But alas, this is not your average neck pickup. Earlier in August 2020, Paisley announced his collaboration with Seymour Duncan on a “stealthy” new signature pickup called the Secret Agent. Paired with a Fender custom-wound ‘64 Tele single-coil at the bridge, his “stealthy” pickup sits underneath the pickguard. The Secret Agent provides the tonal options of a telecaster while maintaining the appearance of an Esquire; moreover, there’s less magnetic pull on the guitar’s strings which means that the bridge pickup maintains the classic sustain of an esquire. According to Seymour Duncan the “stealthy” pickup offers a “full, warm, almost jazzy neckpickup tone, complementing the Esquire bridge pickup’s bark and
snarl”. Paisley is quick to point out that it supports the overall dimensions of the Esquire and that this configuration allows for the ultimate flow and sustain. It also features a medium-output ceramic bar magnet and in combination with the ’64 singlecoil, meaning you not only get sweet, dulcet tones from the neck pickup, but also the more punchy, aggressive tones often attributed the Esquire, which is a perfect for twang. In fact, Paisley mentioned that in terms of twang, this guitar was “taking it up another level”. Its body’s core consists of unique Paulownia tonewood, and in combination with spruce top and back, it gives this electric solid body guitar an “acousticlike” resonance. Its glossy maple fingerboard makes slides and
bends a breeze to cater for more than just country-style playing. Brad Paisley’s career has spanned over 20 years, boasting 3.9 billion on-demand streams, 24 No. 1 hits, and three Grammy awards. What is so invigorating to see is how involved and excited Paisley is about this release, how committed he was to innovating such an absolutely classic guitar by cooperating with Seymour Duncan and Telecaster. It still maintains the classic feel, with its Road Worn finish and hardware, including 3-Saddle Vintage-Style Strings through Body Tele bridge with Brass Barrel Saddles, and VintageStyle tuning machines. Country music isn’t for everyone, but this guitar could quite possibly be. BY BRIDGETTE BAINI mixdownmag.com.au
PRODUCT REVIEWS/MI FENDER
Fender American Pro II Stratocaster DISTRIBUTED BY: FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY: $3,099
How do you improve on a seemingly perfect design? As long as you don’t mind seamlessly combining Fender’s deep history of strikingly iconic aesthetic with an aspiration to be the most forward moving music company on the planet, the new American Professional II Strats may do exactly that. Leo Fender built the company on the back of listening to musicians and addressing their needs, and the American Professional II Series continues that trend. These Strats, the standard triple single-coil model and the HSS variant with a Vintage Mod II Double Tap Humbucker in the bridge, reflect Fender’s classic designs, contours and playability as well as their more recent, forward thinking ranges and designs. The guitars feature a long list of somewhat standard and expected Fender specs, coupled with a list of modern changes to refine these Strats into some of the best playing guitars on the market, and for a very reasonable price for their build quality, electronics and forward thinking design. The American Professional are a top-tier range, designed for
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working musicians, but the American Professional II Series is giving those workers a promotion. The first notable improvement from the original American Professional series is the “Super Natural” satin finish on the reverse of the neck, while the headstock retains that classic Fender look with a gloss urethane finish. The neck shape is a Deep “C”, which feels simultaneously slim enough for more contemporary players, but also comfortable for players more accustomed to classic or vintage Fender neck shapes. The “Super Natural” satin finish allows gliding around the 22 narrow-tall frets a dream, and the frets feel particularly good for bending leads and fretting big chords. While being a fairly standard 25.5” scale length, the tension feels particularly good on these new Strats, partly thanks to the bone nut at one end and the two-point synchronised tremolo at the other. The new Vintage Mod II pickups are as chimey as you could want them to be, while also offering the refined and dynamic spank from Position 2 on the 5-Position blade that we’re all really after.
The new American Professional II Strats are alder-bodied, except for the Roasted Pine variant, and depending on your choice of colour, are available with Rosewood or Maple fretboards.
series takes Fender’s success and has created an even more refined range of instruments with improved pickups and electronics, masterful designs and fantastic build quality.
The guitars are finished in gloss urethane which feels high-end and solid while allowing the wood to breathe and resonate. They’re weighted similarly to standard Strats, and feature a rounded heel at the neck joint for better access, as introduced in the American Elite, refined in American Ultra and now featured in the American Professional II range.
A comfortable neck shape finished in satin urethane, as well as wellfinished frets, comfortable string tension and a well-balanced, designed and refined bridge for an amazing playing experience.
Both Strats feature a pushable tone knob for a high end roll off that really opens up more tone options than you have with familiar Strat wiring. The tone is pushed further by the cold-rolled steel block that anchors the tremolo which helps with sustain and the bright, bell-like chime that Strats are known for.
The American Professional II series overall is everything you’re used to, they’re the reason we come back to Fender, but they’re also pushing their own designs further so we can push our playing further. Take a note out of Fender’s playbook and push your own envelope. BY LEWIS NOKE-EDWARDS
The American Professional II series overall is maybe their most on-brand move to date; continuous improvement melded with classic design and aesthetic. The American Professional series was a stellar success, but not content with simply that, the “II”
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THE GIG BAG REINVENTED Protection & Quality at the right price
PRODUCT REVIEWS/AUDIO AVID
Pro Tools|Carbon INNOVATIVE MUSIC AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY: $6,070
There was a time when Avid sat upon the summit of the consumer interface market with their beloved early-gen Mbox, Mbox 2, and later the Mbox 3/Mbox Pro before quietly retiring the beloved product line in 2015. The reasons for this were as numerous as they were complex. As the manufacturers of the industry standard software in the professional space, Avid were at a unique vantage point for the rise of home recording. Whereas some other DAWs were aimed at the consumer market from the get-go, AVID had to continually figure out ways to translate the incredible leaps they were making in the post-production and professional space and make them fit the smaller footprint (and considerably lower CPU capacity) of consumer level hardware and home recording applications. While ProTools 9 will mostly be remembered for finally emancipating the native software from its proprietary hardware, it was also the exact moment where AVID really started to bridge the gap between their Pro and Consumer offerings, bringing many of the powerful features from their acclaimed HD software over to the standard version of PT. Features such as automatic plug-in delay compensation, OMF/AAF file import, Timecode ruler and multi-track Beat Detective were now readily available to the everyperson, a decision which in many ways fast tracked the maturation of home recording/mixing in the DAW era.
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With the software now liberated from its hardware and with home recordings continued ascendence into the mainstream, the period after has been something of a free-for-all, with a host of third party interfaces entering the fold and with AVID largely pulling back from the interface market altogether, instead focusing their attention on redefining tactile functionality in the DAW space (in the form of their Artist Mix Series) and providing large-scale solutions for the post-production market. And of course, as always, there is ProTools - quietly percolating in the background, consistently coming through with revolutionary new feature sets and sophisticated workflow improvements with every update. Features that have the ability to make your life infinitely easier, provided you are far enough along your recording journey to truly understand them. Which brings us to Pro Tools Carbon, the newest incarnation of the ProTools line and a significant release for AVID for a number of reasons. For one it sees the brand jump back into the world of interfaces feet first, but also and perhaps more importantly, it signifies Avid coming full circle and using everything they have picked up in the pro space and the standalone software market to create a ‘hybrid’ system, one that has the ability to be all things to all people. Within every significant product release there are usually a few key areas focus areas that underpin a particular product and its intent
It’s clear from the outset that Avid have officially declared war on recording latency (especially with plugins enabled), making it of primary concern for ProTools Carbon, and using the hybrid architecture of their new system to achieve less-than-1ms latency by craftily offloading the demanding tasks to the DSP processors within the interface itself - all while augmenting responsibility between your computer and the Carbon interface for the less CPU taxing applications. This translates to some of the most natural and pleasant performance based monitoring out there, without the need for delay compensation or time stretching after the fact. Boasting eight HDX DSP processors, the Carbon is partway to being as powerful as a dedicated HDX Core card - but replacing the extensive HDX systems that you find in big budget studios is not the raison d’être of the Carbon, rather it’s feel more like a holistic approach to bringing this kind of processing power into the context of the home studio. Avid’s Carbon has well and truly cleared the hurdle of latency, allowing the relationship between performance and its commitment to the eternal to be symbiotic, instead of confusing and disheartening. In no mood to cut corners, Avid has decked the Carbon out with top of the line hardware. The 1U rack design of the interface is another nod to the increasing sophistication of the home studio market and the eight preamps
on hand are of excellent quality. The A/D conversion is excellent, bearing the same level of quality we have come to expect from Avid’s premium product lines. Of particular note is the quality of the direct inputs on the front of the interface. This is generally an area where many similarly priced interfaces fall short, but not the Carbon. With their switchable impedence and high quality circuitry, they are some of the best I’ve encountered on a stock interface, really bringing synths and DI’d Bass to life. Another obvious and notable aspect of the Carbon is the presence of four headphone jacks. This might sound minor in essence, but to anyone who has ever struggled with having enough headphones to go round (or worse, have had to use a crappy dongle) and this, combined with the additional inputs at the rear, give the Carbon a feeling of heightened scalability usually exclusively reserved for the world of professional studios. ProTools Carbon marks a triumphant return to the interface market for one of the true titans of the space. By focusing their attention on what they do best - refined workflow, high octane processing and seamless DAW integration - Avid have all but completely closed the gap between Pro and Prosumer with the Carbon, a product that is just as likely to find favour in the home as it is in the professional studio. BY LIAM MCSHANE
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PRODUCT REVIEWS JANDS
Shure MV7 JANDS | EXPECT TO PAY: $499
With the ever-increasing army of podcast producers hungry for the highest calibre podcast microphone they can afford, Shure have delivered with the MV7. Taking inspiration from the immortal SM7B (famous for being used to capture vocals on Michael Jackson’s best-selling Thriller), this hybrid mic is designed for capturing pristine vocal recordings both inside the studio and at home. Good design can inspire you, give your home set-up a refreshing air of professionalism or spark a conversation with a potential client. The SM7B influence is immediately apparent in the striking silhouette of the MV7. Look closer and you’ll see that subtly concealed in this retro design is a built-in touch panel which gives you tactile control over gain and monitoring levels. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack to give you immediate monitoring over your vocal performance. Its solid build and robust construction feel
ready for the impromptu nature of podcast production. Being the egalitarian and mobile medium they are, means podcasts are often being produced in imperfect recording environments. Shure know what a modern producer needs and that’s why Voice Isolation Technlogy is at the fore of the MV7’s design. The MV7 is designed with a unique pick-up pattern to capture purely your voice with minimal room or background noise. USB connectivity and free software allow for further fine-tuning of the sonic palette; including adjustment of the tone of the recording and setting the distance of the microphone from your voice. Auto Level Control will be another popular feature given the large dynamic range of vocal recordings (I think we’ve all heard enough distortion from gamer’s speed runs to last us a life-time). If you’re no stranger to FX chains there’s a manual mode to adjust
an EQ, Limiter and Compression settings. An XLR input makes the MV7 compatible with any professional studio. You’ll lose the adjust controls but the signal chain you’re recording the XLR into will hopefully have these instead. There’s no small overlap between podcast producers and musicians and I think this is who Shure had in mind with this hybrid aspect of the MV7. Being able to record a demo at home on the computer is great but getting to bring it to life with preamps, EQ’s and compressors certainly appeals to us at Mixdown Magazine. It’s a smart move by Shure to make their iconic SM7B vocal mic not
only more affordable but better suited to a digital workflow. They know that podcasting with entrylevel equipment is a short-lived affair and those in it for the longrun are after a quality microphone. The ShurePlus MOTIV app really opens up a refined set of tools to shape the sound the MV7 can capture, to get the most out of your voice in a limited recording environment. While the SM7B design works so well for Joe Rogan with his professional team of producers, the MV7 offers the perfect podcast mic for producers looking to go the next level, without having to invest in an entire studio. BY DAN NICHOLLS
DB AUDIO VISUAL
COLES 4038 DB AUDIO VISUAL | EXPECT TO PAY: ENQUIRE
It feels almost remiss to be reviewing such a tried and tested, historic piece of studio lore (especially one that has been in production for over 60 years). After all, when it comes to providing high quality, transparent, workable audio, the Coles 4038 has nothing left to prove.
off-axis characteristics in both the horizontal and vertical planes the 4038 is one of those microphones that lends itself to quick and easy placement, garnering instantly useable results with a minimum amount of fuss – provided you don’t place it at 90 degrees to the source!
Since the early 50’s, it has been the passive ribbon de jour for the working studio set, providing natural, sonically pleasing capture across a whole range of open air applications, including (but not limited to) acoustic/electric guitar, brass, vocals and especially on the drum kit, where it absolutely excels as an overhead or room mic.
It’s this workability (coupled with the 4038’s iconic ‘hooflike’ aesthetic) that have seen it become one of the most recognisable and treasured icons in the broader recording space, with the British manufacturer still making the 4038 by hand, just as they did in 1951. That’s not to say that the 4038 is an overly ‘vintage’ sounding mic by modern standards. On the contrary, its buttery, eraappropriate smoothness and broad, sympathetic capture have seen it thrive in the era of home recording, and for many, a single 4038 over the kit is all that’s needed to minimise phase issues, downplay HF flutter and tame harsh transients all in the one fell swoop.
Originally commissioned by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 1951 to meet the rigorous technical demands of the burgeoning broadcast and TV industries, the iconic Coles 4038 is a microphone with a rich history and an even richer sonic signature. With an exceptionally flat frequency response between 30Hz to 15KHz, coupled with the 4038’s incredibly tolerant on-axis/ 56
The build quality of the current day 4038’s is still just as sturdy as ever. There is something about the ruggedness of that perforated grille and the heavy duty, post war vibe of the XLR input that gives the 4038 a feeling of battle ready hardiness, despite the preciousness of the ribbon house therein. Moreover, the 4038 harks back to time where studio mics were perhaps at their most pleasant sounding, while also bearing the look and feel of something out of a German panzer tank. It’s a pretty interesting dichotomy when you think about it. I’ve thought about it a lot. A truly ‘pro’ sounding mic in the classic sense of the word, the 4038 is one of those rare studio acquisitions that has the ability to instantly improve the overall sonic quality of a project, simply
by virtue of its frequency/transient profile. It’s detailed and rich enough to take centre stage on a lead vocal, but at the same time its naturally sympathetic voicing make it an incredibly adept ‘counterpoint mic’, expertly offsetting the kind of chirpy, high/mid build up that can plague a dynamic and condenser heavy session. Jack White is a big fan, as are legendary producers Steve Albini and Glyn Johns (the latter of whom employed the Coles 4038 to awesome effect as part of the ‘Glyn Johns Drum Technique’, responsible for the incredible depth and bombast of the Led Zeppelin recordings). Josh Homme and Mac Demarco have also fallen for the smooth, dulcet tones of the beloved British icon. Worth every penny. BY PAUL FRENCH mixdownmag.com.au
PRODUCT REVIEWS/AUDIO EVO BY AUDIENT
EVO 8 STUDIO CONNECTIONS | EXPECT TO PAY: $330
In the audio industry, there lies a very set evolutionary arc, one that generally starts with a clunky attempt at replicating a traditional workflow (see the primitive ‘soundcard with cheap preamps’ interfaces of the early oughts) and ends in something like the hotly anticipated EVO 8 from British stalwarts, Audient-an interface that takes the brands well earned reputation and absolute dedication to audio quality in the professional space and applies it to an endlessly mobile, extremely affordable, one knob solution for the modern home recording chain. Like its more minimalist forebearer, the Audient EVO 8 also bears with it a similarly stylish, sleek aesthetic. It’s a small footprint box that serves as the perfect nucleus for any laptop-based setup, doubling the I/O of the highly touted EVO 4 and edging the EVO’s unique one knob layout closer and closer to full band spec. This, in turn, increases the workflow possibilities and positions the EVO 8 as a perfect choice for for the itinerate recording engineer or songwriter on the go. Operating on a single USB-C connection, the EVO 8 keeps a minimalist footprint right down to the connections, a welcome sight for any MacBook users sick of unsightly adapters and hubs occupying prime desk space. The fact that the unit is entirely bus-powered, meaning nothing in the way of chunky AC adaptors only further increases this feeling of free movement and ‘one knob, one cable’ operability and certainly goes a long way to liberating the EVO 8 of many of the time consuming set-up requirements of other ‘portable’ recording solutions. In keeping with this contemporary ethos and aesthetic, the outputs are quarter-inch stereo TRS, mixdownmag.com.au
omitting the commonplace yet chunky XLR outputs. This serves as a nod to the kind of small scale, portable monitors this interface is likely to be paired with and only further adds to this focus on portability and ‘pro-on-the-go’ workflows. The addition of dual headphone outs also goes a long way towards opening the EVO 8 up to the kinds of collaborative workflows rarely accounted for on interfaces of this size. For a band or musical project with programmed/sampled drums, you have a high quality four channel recording setup that fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. This level of scalability and flexibility only increases the more you move away from traditional live performance style recording, a testament to the evolution of the modern recording workflow and its preference for track recording. If you were looking to add mono or multi-mic’ed overdubs to a pre-recorded track (especially in a home recording context) then look no further. You would be hard pressed to find anything better suited to the task, in terms sound quality/portability. And this may be the area where the EVO 8 hits its biggest home run. For a four-input, four-output interface at this price-point, it’s simply unparalleled in regards to the quality of the preamps and the level of A/D conversion on offer here. To have it housed in a unit that you can carry in your pocket is quite remarkable and really says a lot about how far interfaces have come in recent years. This, coupled with the EVO 8’s intuitive and excellent playback capabilities (a trait that echoes Audient’s longstanding position as the pre-eminent ‘monitor controller de jour’ for commercial recording studios the world over) result in an extremely adept,
extremely flexible interface for both tracking and playback. Content creators and those working in mixed media will no doubt welcome the small physical footprint as well as the ease of use afforded by the Smartgain feature, with its intuitive level setting capabilities allowing for the Gen Z answer to a ‘set and forget’ type workflow. Suffice to say that the aforementioned ‘Smartgain’ feature is there to make everyone’s life a little easier (not just those new to recording), and there is something incredibly novel about letting it do it’s magic, while sitting back and enjoying the benefits of clean, distortion free recording with a minimum amount of fuss. Of all the possible applications, this seems most pertinent to podcasters who are perhaps stronger in charisma and interview technique than audio gain staging expertise and in this regard the ‘Smartgain’ feature perfect to get recording here and now and learn about the intricacies of headroom later. Another interesting feature undoubtably aimed at the content creation crowd is the ‘audio loopback’ feature which allows you to capture your computer audio in addition to your microphone inputs. This is perfect for capturing in-game audio as well as a headset mic for a Twitch stream, or for podcasters with a library of pre-recorded material, stingers or remote guest interviews via Skype calls. For fine-tuning of all these sound sources, accompanying Audient EVO software provides virtual control over all features, so you can produce a full, balanced mix ready to uploato your contenthungry followers. Both content and music types alike a sure to
make use of the dedicated artist headphone mixes, allowing you to customise and store mixes for different users. True to form as something of an upsetter in the audio industry (with a reputation for over delivering on audio quality in a way that puts the fear of god into many of their more expensive competitors), Audient are at it again with the ‘Evo by Audient’ series. A line that in many ways marks the next chapter for the beloved British manufacturer continues on this legacy for extremely high quality audio solutions at an egalitarian pricepoint. As a no-fuss, effortlessly versatile little interface with an extremely pristine capture, the EVO 8 instantly jumps to the front of the queue for the army of creatives and home recordists looking for the best quality capture possible, at an accessible price and little in the way of physical footprint. For this kind of application, the EVO 8 is an awesome choice, ticking all the appropriate boxes whilst also having the added flexibility of a more versatile I/O layout. Perhaps the crux of the EVO 8 – and where this ‘Evolution’ is on best display – is in how seamlessly Audient’s famous preamp and A/D quality is so excellently replicated in the context of a (very) small interface. In the case of the EVO 8, we can see how well integrating this level of quality into an affordable portable solution can directly translate into applications far beyond that found in just the traditional musical domain, because it’s 2020 and everybody deserves the best quality audio possible. Viva Evolution! BY DAN NICHOLLS
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MY RIG: THE WEIGHT OF SILENCE The Weight of Silence are a force to be reckoned with. The Melbourne via Sydney via Manilla via Geraldton trap-metal powerhouse have been building a fervent fanbase for a couple of years now, with their most recent single Silencer seeing them team up with Hunt the Dinosaur for their latest single ‘Silencer. We recently caught up with axeman Benny ‘420’ Emkhe to compare rigs and talk tech.
BLACKSTAR BLACKFIRE 200W
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ESP CUSTOM SHOP: ‘I mainly play ESP guitars for all things live and in the studio, I’ve been playing Horizon models for a long time now, they feel really comfortable to me, very dependable on tour, they seem to stay in tune in all climates!’ ‘My main touring guitar since 2015 has been my ESP custom shop model, it’s pretty standard as far as Horizon models go, though my custom model has a few little spec and aesthetic differences I prefer. Sperzel tuners, white EMG 81 in the bridge and an 85 in the neck, a teardrop headstock and a star inlay on the first fret. It has white binding over the body neck and headstock, I really love that aesthetic of the white binding and white pickups on the gloss black finish.’
‘I use a bunch of other standard ESP Horizons on the road for other tunings, but you can really hear the quality of the timber in the custom shop, lots of resonance and sustain, amazing to track with in the studio. Though recently I’m mainly using it for leads as it’s a string through bridge and I’m using Evertune these days for tracking rhythm guitars.’ SAMSON AIRLINE WIRELESS INSTRUMENT PACK: ‘Right now my live sound is really simple, I still prefer to use real guitar amps, so it’s basically my guitar hooked up to a wireless Samson Airline pack plugged into an MXR EQ, MXR noise gate, a Carbon Copy delay, EVH phase 90, TS808 Tube screamer and a 535Q Crybaby into an amp.’
ESP CUSTOM SHOP
BLACKSTAR BLACKFIRE 200w: ‘Recently I’ve been using a Blackstar Blackfire 200w head, a signature Gus G amp that he’d used last time he came out to Aus with Firewind. Great sounding amp live, super clear mid range. I’m the only guitarist in the band so I really need that to cut through the mix well and get the point across. It’s pretty empty without it!’ BY PABLO FRANCOIS
SAMSON AIRLINE WIRELESS INSTRUMENT PACK
mixdownmag.com.au
DU R A B L E G OODS FOR TH E M OD E R N MUS IC IAN
YEAR
WA R R A NT Y
YEAR
YEAR
WA R R A N T Y
WA R R A NT Y
9V ADAPTER / COMBO PACK
CS 6 LOW PROFILE MULTI VOLTAGE | 7 MULTI VOLTAGE POWER SUPPLY | 12 MULTI VOLTAGE POWER
CONVERTERS
MUTI-PLUG CABLE
R-ANGEL CABLES
EXTENSION CABLES
VOLTAGE DOUBLER & VOLTAGE CONVERTER
MA METER
www.m-audio.com
Introducing the BX3 & BX4 120-Watt Multimedia Monitors Compact, attractive and simple-to-install, M-Audio’s BX3 & BX4 desktop speakers have been meticulously created for you to experience your media like never before! M-Audio’s BX3 & BX4 monitors provide 120 Watts of crystalclear sound inside an attractive, style-driven design that provides the ultimate solution for pro-grade sound. Get ready to have a better listening experience for your favorite music, podcasts, live streams, video games, video calls and more!
M-AUDIO is proudly represented in Australia by Electric Factory Pty Ltd 51 Northgate Drive Thomastown VIC 3073 sales@elfa.com.au
