Hartke Kilo
When it comes to Bass amplifiers, more power is always better. There’s nothing worse than a bass amp that delivers flimsy tone lacking punch and impact because it is exactly the low end in a performance that creates a sense of weight and authority that makes people move to the rhythm. Bass amps have evolved somewhat over the years and now we have many different designs, some stemming from the past where valves were king, some relying on microchips to keep their power management efficient, and some taking a hybrid approach using new and old technology together. For this reason bass amplifiers have become as tonally varied and interesting as their guitar counterparts and selecting one relies heavily on the taste of the player.
One company that has been producing amplifiers for well over twenty five years to meet the needs of bass players is Hartke. Founded in 1985 by Larry Hartke and Ron Lorman, Harkte was made famous by their development of an aluminium cone speaker that was to typify the Hartke look and sound. The result was a speaker capable of brighter tones with a more pronounced midrange and because of this new technology it was quickly adopted by the likes of Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller, Darryl Jones, Jack Bruce, Will Lee and Garry Tallent.
Now, in 2011, Hartke boasts a long history and a huge product range incorporating old technology with the new, still manufactured solely for bass players. They offer amplifiers and cabinets of all sizes and flavours for every type of player and in the case of high powered bass amplifiers, they are no exceptions. If it’s power you need, look no further than the Hartke Kilo 1000 watt bass amplifier. More boom? You got it.
Construction
The Kilo is a monster of a thing. It’s heavy. It’s rugged. It will break your foot if you drop it on it. It takes up three rack spaces and you’re going to need a pretty serious rack to keep it at bay. It has two oversized, ultra sturdy handles on the front panel, which is about a centimetre thick and made of solid die cast metal. To say this amplifier is well made is an understatement and I’m pretty sure that if you drop it from a two storey window it will survive. Just don’t kill anybody, okay?
Features
The Hartke Kilo is 1000 watts. Yes, that’s right, 1000 watts of bone crushing bass power. It offers 1000 watts in mono bridged mode at 4 ohms and, surprisingly, can be used in stereo with 500 watts per side all the way down to 2 ohms, a rare feature with bass amps. The amplifier is a hybrid design coupling the solid state power section with a valve preamp, comprising three 12AX7 preamp valves. The front panel has a recessed section for all inputs, buttons, knobs and the graphic EQ and is neatly laid out and very user friendly. On the far left hand side of the front panel, two ¼” jacks are provided – one for input and one for connecting your tuner.
Selecting input sensitivities for active or passive basses is done by the push of a green-backlit button labelled “Active”. Depressing it sets the amp to accept active basses. A valve overdrive channel is provided and this can be toggled by depressing the green-backlit “O.D.” Button.
Next is the compression control and the desired amount is dialled in from the off position at “0” to total smash at “10”. Above the compression knob is a button labelled “Mute” and this is pretty self explanatory. Other usual suspect buttons relating to tone like “Deep” and “Brite” are also provided and these, too, are self explanatory, along with the three-band EQ, comprising “Low”, “Mid” and “High” rotary knobs. One tone shaping knob that isn’t so straight forward is the “Shape” control. To toggle the shape circuit on and off a green-backlit button labelled “Shape” is provided and this is linked to a rotary knob below it. The shape circuit “applies a pre-set equalization curve with a slight lift in the low frequencies, a cut in the mids, or a slight lift in the highs, depending on its setting”. Next, we see buttons labelled “EFX” and “GEQ”. These buttons toggle the effects loop, located at the rear of the amplifier and the 15-band graphic.
The Hartke Kilo is a mother of a bass amp that is immensely full featured and offers huge tonal possibility.
EQ, situated at the far left of the panel. Both can be enabled or disabled by connecting a two-button footswitch to the rear panel jack labelled “EQ+EFX”.
Likewise, a further two-button footswitch can be attached to the jack labelled “MUTE+OVERDRIVE” to toggle those features on and off. Footswitches are not supplied with the amplifier and have to be purchased separately.
Finally we come to the master section which controls master volume, L+R balance in stereo operation, and the level of the direct out, which is located at the rear of the amplifier in balanced XLR format. A handy feature is the ability to choose where in the signal chain you want the direct out signal to be fed from. A rotary selector included under the direct out level knob gives the option of sending signal after the input, compressor, EQ, or EFX circuits.
In Use
In testing the Kilo a cabinet was not supplied so I had to source one. Or two. I came upon two SWR Goliath 4×10’s and connected the amplifier in mono bridged mode, since I figure most bass players will utilize this configuration. Three basses were auditioned including a Music Man Stingray 5-String, a Fender P-Deluxe USA, and an Ibanez ATK.
The Kilo proved to be all it promised and I was surprised at the transparency of its sound. It definitely was loud and pushed a lot of air but what I really liked was how it really let the voice of each of the basses I auditioned come through, even at high levels. I chose each of the basses I did for that reason as they all have a distinctly different tonal quality to them.
The tone circuits were helpful to take me wherever I wanted to go but, as always, a straightforward approach with minimal processing is a good place to start and this is the path I took. On the five string I was really interested to hear how this amp handled the low B. It handled and then it handled some more. There were buckets and buckets of massive low end tone and after dialling in a little compression to keep certain notes from popping up, I had a full, powerful, even tone at all positions on the fret board.
Next I turned my attention to the tone circuits and found the three band EQ to be focused and effective. The shape control also added something interesting but, as always, the tone you’re after is always subjective to the material and it would need to be auditioned on a case-by-case basis. The same goes for the brite and deep settings.
However, it was still comforting to know that the options were there if so needed.
Conclusion
The Hartke Kilo is a mother of a bass amp that is immensely full featured and offers huge tonal possibility. There is no doubt in my mind that anybody interested in a quality, high powered amplifier will be most pleased with their purchase and will have it for a very long time because it is built to last. Go move some air!
Suggested Retail Price: R 13,995.00 incl. VAT
Supplier: Audiosure | Tel. No: 011-790.4600 | Website: http://www.audiosure.co.za/
Guitar Amplifiers:Peavey Vypyr 100
The Vypyr 100 is a combo amplifier that delivers 100 solid-state watts to two “custom voiced”12 inch Peavey Blue Marvel speakers.
Digital modelling has come a long way over the last few years starting with the now rare Johnson amplifiers, levelling out with the now ubiquitous Line 6 range and their bandwagon cohorts and culminating in the current Kemper profiling amplifier.
I suspect the main reason why these amplifiers have seen so much success in recent years is because they pack a huge palette of tonal possibility in a relatively compact package that is readily available at a twist of a knob. Gone are the days of even having to bring an amplifier to a gig; just plug in your Pod and you’re ready to rock and roll.
One company that is no stranger to success in the amplifier market is Peavey, now famous for their 5150/6505, JSX, Valve King, and XXX valve amplifiers. Truth be told, there are many professionals all over the world that depend on their products to deliver their tone night after night and that says a lot about what they’re capable of. Peavey too have entered the digital modelling market (albeit late in the game, in my opinion) with the introduction of their Vypyr series amplifiers. Let’s take a look.
Features
The Vypyr 100 is a combo amplifier that delivers 100 solid-state watts to two “custom voiced”12 inch Peavey Blue Marvel speakers. There are four channels available for each of the three banks, totalling 12 channels or patches altogether. Each preset patch is fully programmable for full recall. All in all you get 12 amplifier types, 11 editable stomp box effects, and 11 editable rack effects. All amp models, stomp boxes and rack effects can be mixed and matched ‘til your hearts content and stored.
Also featured with the addition of a Sanpera footswitch is a looper along with wah and volume pedal control. Other features include a chromatic tuner and a “power sponge” for attenuating the output, a USB recording output, and a MP3/CD/Aux input in 1/8” mini jack format.
In Use
The first thing I will say about the Vypyr is that the amp models and effects all sound great and are convincing enough to be used in most performance situations. They are all easily edited and stored and the user interface of the amp is pretty intuitive and straight forward.
However, I must admit, I was disappointed to find that I wasn’t supplied the valve version (the Vypyr Tube 120) which houses a 120 watt valve power section. Just think, the versatility of a modelled preamp section with the warmth of tube power! But alas, I was not to hear it.
Supplied with the Vypyr 100 for this review was the Sanpera I footswitch comprising four buttons for preset and bank selection, along with control of the onboard looper.
Also included on the Sanpera is an expression pedal that can be switched between wah and volume by depressing the pedal similar to how a traditional wah is toggled on and off.
However, despite what seems like a pretty straight forward operation, I have one complaint about the Sanpera: the wah/volume toggle is way too sensitive and switches when not expected to, which may cause problems in a live situation.
Another oddity is the operation of the USB recording output. Because the device is seen as a soundcard by the PC and only offers one way operation, i.e. recording and no playback, monitoring has to be done via the amplifier’s headphone jack in real time which means you cannot monitor other tracks from a recording simultaneously. I suppose the feature was intended to be used as sort of an idea recorder but it does baffle me why Peavey didn’t supply a playback facility on the ASIO protocol.
Conclusion
The Vypyr 100 is a great sounding digital modelling amplifier that many people will find useful and convincing enough to be used in most performance situations. Besides a few quirks with the footswitch and USB recording facility, I can see this amp delivering good tone to those in need of it and that’s what counts.
The Vypyr range:
Vypyr 100 – Retail R 6,999.00 incl. VAT
Vypyr 15 – Retail R 2,299.00 incl. VAT
Vypyr 30 – Retail R 3,699.00 incl. VAT
Vypyr 75 – Retail R 5,499.00 incl. VAT
Vypyr 60 Tube – Retail R 7,699.00
Vypyr 120 Tube – Retail R 9,999.00
Vypyr 120 Tube Head – Retail R 9,299.00
Please visit www.peavey.com for more information on the complete Vypyr range.
Suggested Retail Price: R 6,999.00 incl. VAT
Supplier: Tropical Music
Contact Tel. No: + 27 11 466 3535
Website: http://tropicalmusic.co.za
Instrument Review: The Tanglewood TSB 58 HB
“…The tone is convincingly thick and sweet but also unexpectedly detailed and lush for a guitar in this price range”
Tanglewood have a growing reputation for building high-quality, entry-to-pro level acoustic guitars and are also gaining favour in the mid-priced electric guitar market, producing copies of classic models. It must be said though, they have some stiff competition from other mid-priced manufacturers who are also producing affordable high-quality instruments.
On review is the Tanglewood TSB 58 HB, a Les Paul copy, which, for the price, will inevitably draw comparison to Gibson’s affordable Epiphone line.
Anatomy
At first glance the most striking thing about this guitar is that it has the most gorgeous book-matched honeyburst maple top I’ve ever seen on any Les Paul of any make. The dark mahogany back is also stunning. In fact, as far as copies go, it looks almost to spec, apart from the less than attractive Tanglewood headstock with its awkward taper and kitsch green mother-of-pearl logo inlay.
Apart from minor cosmetic imperfections, where the finish bleeds onto the binding, as well as a skew volume knob, the overall build quality looks very good. Particular attention was paid to the ABS nut and frets, which are immaculate.
Playability
The guitar was shipped already set up, so the action and intonation was spot on. The snot-green Kluson-style tuners (which I rather fancy) are a lot stiffer and more accurate than even those found on real Gibsons, and stay in tune after hours of wild bends and vibrato.
While Les Pauls are famous for their thick tone and equally thick, tree-trunk sized necks that limit their desirability for some styles of playing, the TBS’s shallow neck and big frets make it incredibly easy to play. This gives everyone from beginners to shredders (who don’t want their instrument slowing them down) access to the Les Paul tone and vibe without the strain, putting the TBS ahead of much of its competition.
On the down side, the tone and volume pots are rather shoddy as only about 25 percent of the taper has any effect on the tone or volume.
Sounds
Unplugged, I listened Nigel Tufnel-like for the characteristic Les Paul sustain. Not hearing anything, I played a chord. ‘There it is!’ E major – 32 seconds. A whole 10 seconds longer than my Epiphone Les Paul Standard, if that means anything!
The TBS is fitted with custom Entwistle HV 58 pickups that are built to original ’50s specs with Alnico magnets, enamel-coated wire and scatter-wound coils. Hearing them through both solid-state and tube amps was a pleasant surprise. They are very touch sensitive, have a snappy attack and a bright yet full tone, free of the muddiness often found on other Les Paul copies. The neck pickup in particular was well balanced even with overdrive.
As the HV 58s are vintage replicas, modern players may find them slightly lacking in midrange and output, but I like their bright but balanced response that nicely complement a mid boost from an amp.
Playing some clean chords, the tone is convincingly thick and sweet but also unexpectedly detailed and lush for a guitar in this price range, due in part to the brightness of the HV 58s.
The HV 58s aren’t high output pickups but give a surprising level of harmonic detail that sounds very sweet and musical when overdriven. Single note envelopes decay with bell-like smoothness. While the tone is typically thick for a Les Paul, note definition is retained very well at high gain on chords and fast single-note runs – again, unlike many comparable Les Paul copies.
Conclusion
Tanglewood have done a great job with the TBS. Its playability and a vintage tone beyond its class add up to a versatile Les Paul copy that goes a long way towards giving other brands a run for their money. If you can live with the headstock and the shoddy (though easily and cheaply replaced) volume and tone pots, the otherwise beautiful TBS HB would make a capable mid-priced musical companion for most rock styles.
Supplied by: Rockit Distribution
Tel: 021-511 1800
Suggested Retail Price: R3,995.00
Tech Review: KX Audio KX15
X Audio may not be a brand quite as well known as some its counterparts, but the name George Krampera may certainly ring a bell to many audio fanatics. Krampera is the ‘K’ in KX Audio and is cited as one the true ‘audio pioneers of modern times.’ The Czech native has an illustrious career spanning 5 decades and he made a number of breakthroughs, notably at RCF, including the development of the silicone spider. He also designed the complete ART active speaker series, which was a hugely successful line for the company.
Anatomy
The KX15 is part of an all-active range from KX Audio that consists of 6 loudspeakers in total and includes two 2-way variants; the KX12 and KX15, a 3 way full range loudspeaker, the KX30 and 3 sub-woofers; KX1.2, KX1.5 and KX1.8. The KX15’s on review arrived very well packaged, the boxes belying the size of the actual speakers which thankfully are pretty much the same dimensions as most 2-way 15’s and weigh in at a sizable 32 Kg’s each.
The professional, 18 mm Plywood construction has a heavy duty coating and is encased with durable rubber top and bottom end caps which should protect the fine finish from nasty chips on the corners. The cabinet has recessed side handles, three recessed M10 suspension points for rigging and a top hat for pole mounting. The front panel is covered with a metal grille offering a somewhat austere look to the cabinet.
Features
The speaker components used in the KX range make use of the latest in neodymium magnet technology to reduce weight and maximise power handling and acoustic output and as such are designed with each component being a perfect match. The 15-inch driver is equipped with a 2.5-inch voice coil and an epoxy-reinforced cone, and uses what KX Audio call ‘inside outside’ technology, which refers to the coil windings being wound on both sides of the former.
Frequency response of the LF section is quoted in the specifications as going down to 58Hz at -3dBs and the internal crossover is at 1.0kHz. The HF section taps out at 18kHz (also at -3dB) and horn coverage is 80 x 40 degrees, which is horizontally wide and vertically narrow enough to focus more of the output energy direct at the audience. There are 2 dual colour LED indicators for signal present, limiter, thermal condition and power ON status.
The KX15 offers 500 watts of total power, 450 of which is via a high efficiency, current enhancing, switching low frequency amplifier to drive the 15 inch speaker whilst the tweeter receives its power from a ‘High Power Bandwidth 50 W high frequency amplifier.’ An onboard speaker management system completes the package.
In Use
Usually we are confined to testing loudspeakers in a simulated environment but on this occasion an opportunity arose to use them at the Hout Bay Green Faire for a short 40 minute band performance. The speakers were pole mounted on a small stage and were placed either side facing a large open field, possibly twice the size of a rugby pitch.
However, the band’s performance only needed to project to a circle about 30-40 metres wide, where the audience stood. I asked the musicians their thoughts afterwards and they summed up similar sentiments to my own; Loud, clear and powerful were three words synonymous with the overall impression of the pair of KX15’s in use. Using a lot of percussive instruments, woodwinds, synths and vocals, there was nothing these speakers could not seemingly handle.
Conclusion
The KX15’s are very well constructed and feel built to handle the rigours of portable rigging on a regular basis. Using them on pole mounts they were extremely sturdy and certainly looked the part onstage. Sound wise we really could not fault them and whilst they were not the only speakers being used for the PA, it was the KX Audios that stole the show and gave the band some much needed volume… as well as detailed, quality sound.
Suggested Retail Price: R 19,995.00 each incl. VAT
Supplier: Tradelius Music Group
Contact Tel. No: 031 502-3080
Website: www.tradelius.co.za
Live Sound: Bose L1 Compact
The Bose L1 Compact is a well designed, high quality, compact amplification system for both public address and personal monitoring.
Bose has always been a name associated with two descriptors: compact and quality. They are a company who has built their reputation on producing products that, despite their diminutive nature, supply clear and powerful sound that rivals the best component systems many times their size. This has made them pioneers in the home audio market where the now popular satellite/subwoofer combination systems are so ubiquitous.
But Bose is evolving. No more are they limited to the home audio market or to producing noise cancelling headphones for weary travellers in need of a quiet journey to the soundtrack of a Mozart concerto. They have now stepped into the world of public address and personal amplification. In fact, they have released a range of products which can accomplish both tasks with equal precision. Of course, I am talking about the L1 amplification systems, which come in three configurations as of this writing:
- L1 Compact
- L1 Model I Single Bass Package
- L1 Model II Single Bass Package with the ToneMatch Audio Engine
The model I was given for review was the L1 Compact so if you would like more information on the other two versions, please visit www.bose.com
In the L1 Compact, Bose has cleverly constructed a powerful system that can, first and foremost, be lifted with one hand and transported with ease – a refreshing feature. The entire system, including the extensions, weighs a modest 13kG. There are four components in a complete setup, namely the base, which houses the subwoofer, amplifiers, and integrated mixer; the high/mid speaker array, which cleverly slots into the front panel of the base; and two extensions, which can extend the system from virtually ground level to two metres (what Bose calls either the collapsed or extended configurations).
What I found great about this system is that all the wiring is self-contained within the components and the connectors for the extensions and the array are housed within the end slots. This means that it’s merely a matter of plug and play without the hassle of cabling.
As far as the array goes, there are some neat design features there too. Bose has implemented what they call “Spatial Dispersion Loudspeaker Technology” which consists of six small speakers, each firing at a different angle. This, Bose claims, delivers “nearly 180 degrees of horizontal sound coverage” which causes the sound to remain consistent even at extreme angles to the orientation of the system.
Features
Once the L1 is assembled the main features are focused in the integrated mixer. The mixer houses two channels and can accommodate a variety of input sources. Channel one is dedicated as a microphone input and supplies one balanced XLR connector for easy connection. Channel two can accept a more diverse variety of inputs: a hi-z instrument, one RCA stereo input, and one 1/8” stereo input for iPod, etc. On each channel you will find a two-stage level/clip light, volume potentiometers, and their patented ToneMatch presets for either a dynamic microphone or an acoustic guitar. On the rear panel you will find a ¼” balanced line out and one stereo RCA output.
So How Does It Sound?
As you would expect from a Bose product, the sound is clear, balanced, and potent. This system is surprisingly loud for such a small package and the tone is consistent even when driving it into the red.
Regarding the 180 degree dispersion, this is no joke or tall claim as I could clearly hear every detail at every angle from the speakers’ orientation. This feature was most impressive and it is clear that they spent a great deal of R&D to achieve it.
Conclusion
The Bose L1 Compact is a well designed, high quality, compact amplification system for both public address and personal monitoring. It is well worth the money and is fantastic purchase for anyone looking for great sound without a large footprint. Bose has once again delivered on their philosophy of quality and compact engineering.
Suggested Retail Price: R 17 995.00 INC VAT | Supplier: TID
Contact Tel. No: +27 (0)10 5000 111 | Website: www.tidistribution.co.za
Instrument Review: Reverend Flatroc
“The Flatroc is lively and resonant guitar with plenty sustain.”
Reverend guitars have been making waves as a brand to watch for a few years now and are well regarded as a manufacturer of relatively inexpensive but very good quality guitars. More than that, they have a rather unique aesthetic appeal and, rather than being simply just another take on the classics, manage to offer guitars which are unusual in design while still managing to retain a familiar look with something of a retro feel.
First look
The Flatroc is a somewhat Gretsch inspired guitar – from the Rev-tron pickups (similar to the Gretsch Filtertrons) to the orange finish of the review model. On the other hand, it has Gibson-style body and fingerboard binding, Tune-O-Matic bridge; and stop tailpiece, while the stomach contour, bolt-on maple neck and lever switch owe more to Fender-style guitars. To top it all off, the feel and playability of the neck and the 12″ fretboard radius are very modern and easy playing. As with all Reverend guitars, the Flatroc sports a graphite nut and a set of locking tuners. The shape of the korina body is vaguely reminiscent of a Telecaster with more of an angular, offset feel to it.
Fit and finish
The finishing is flawless and I could find no area of the construction that looked sloppy or messy. The fretting was perfect with no raised ends or sharp edges and the setup was near perfect including a properly cut nut height. If I had to find a flaw, I would say that the pickup and pickup surround chroming could be a little better – but to be fair, it only suffers by comparison as everything else is so good.
Playability
While the Flatroc was very well set up to begin with, it had a slightly higher action than I usually prefer. However, a quick bridge adjustment and the action came down as low as I expect on a 12″ radius fingerboard, and thanks to the immaculate fretting there were no buzzes or fretting out on bends. I got the feel that it had been set up with a low action first and then raised to a more generic middle-ground. The locking tuners and graphite nut work well with the Tune-O-Matic bridge to keep the guitar in tune well, even with a lot of string bending and aggressive playing. The neck is a modern feeling “superstrat”, but while slender and easy, not too thin or too narrow to get used to. The controls are well-placed – right at hand when needed, but not so close as to be a problem for a wilder right hand.
Tone
The Flatroc is a lively and resonant guitar with plenty sustain. The Rev-tron pickups are definitely in the Filtertron ballpark – dynamic, articulate and chimey, but with a little more power and subsequently more midrange growl than vintage Filtertrons. The bridge pickup is hotter than the neck, but still balances well to give a good combined sound when both pickups are used together. The lower powered neck pickup is nicely rounded, but retains clarity and articulation at all times. Master volume and tone I’ve always liked for the simplicity but the “Bass contour” control takes it to a whole new level without adding much complexity. This control allows you to turn down the bass to thin down and clean up the low end of the sound and works to really make the Flatroc an incredibly flexible guitar, allowing you to get articulate tones from any pickup setting and with any level of drive.
Variations
While the review model was orange, the Flatroc is also available in both black and cream finishes. The cream model also differs by sporting an unbound maple fingerboard, which will add a little more brightness and attack to the tone.
In conclusion
This is one flexible guitar – from clean country finger picking through rockabilly and blues, all the way up to alt and indie rock, the Flatroc can handle them all with élan. It looks distinctive, plays well, is easy to use and relatively inexpensive – what more could you ask for?
SA Distributor: Guitartone
021 855 5963 / 082 824 0667 www.guitartone.co.za
Suggested Retail Price: R6.300.00 including hard case (incl. V.A.T.)
Instrument Review: Swart AST Master Guitar Amplifier
“If you like an amp with a flexible sound that is simple to operate and sounds like heaven, this is as good as it gets.”
I recently had the pleasure of trying out the whole range of Swart Amplifiers and, while the entire range was impressive, the AST Master was the model which jumped out at me as having the best feature set, tone and volume for my needs.
Features
18 – 22 W (depending on output valves)
1 x 12” combo cabinet with Celestion Gold speaker
Bypassable master volume
Valve reverb and tremolo
Runs 6V6, 6L6 or EL-34 power valves
This is essentially the AST Head Mk II in a cabinet big enough to house either a 1×12 or 2×10 speaker configuration. The review model had a Celestion Gold speaker. The AST Master has a defeatable master volume and can run EL-34 along with the stock 6V6 and 6L6 family valves.
First impressions
The AST Master is an impressively appointed amp. From the two tone tweed finish to the cabinet using threaded inserts and machine screws, the AST Master screams class. It is a large amp for a 1 x 12, measuring in at 61 cm wide x 28 cm deep x 51 cm high, but weighing in at less than 18 kg. Labels on the panel are clear and easily readable.
Looking a little deeper, you can see that the amp is a head adapted into a combo cabinet as the valves are horizontal, facing forwards with an air vent in the cabinet under the handle. This means that the chassis has to be removed to replace valves, which is a bit inconvenient but does let you see the immaculately built circuitry inside, and thanks to the threaded inserts, there is no chance of stripping threads regardless of how often you roll tubes.
In Use
The controls are simple on the AST Master: Volume; Tone; Reverb; Tremolo Speed; Tremolo Depth; Master Volume; and a master volume bypass switch. There is a two switch footswitch included with switches to defeat both reverb and tremolo. The simple control arrangement makes it easy to tweak on the fly during performance, although the vintage-style rear facing controls do take a little adjusting to if you are used to forward facing amp controls.
Volume & Master Volume
Volume-wise the AST Master holds its own with any reasonable drummer and perfect level for most gigs. The master volume does makes it a much more usable amp volume wise, but if you can, bypassing the master volume does add a bit more sweetness for those venues where you can crank the amp up.
Tone
In a word: gorgeous. While people often cite the Swart family tone as being half Tweed, half Blackface Fender it still leans much more to the tweed, with the pushed midrange, gritty edge, compression and sag that makes those amps so popular. Where it differs is with a little less mid push, a bit more clean headroom and a sweeter driven tone. It is still very much a blues/classic rock tone, but not quite as in your face and the clean tones are much sweeter and more dynamic. Speaking dynamics, this amp translates everything from clean playing with the volume down to distorted power chords incredibly well, all from playing dynamics and guitar volume tweaking.
The reverb tone is very dense, lush and warm with an almost 3D depth and quality, while the trem is very sweet, able to conjure swampy sounds with ease without getting too choppy.
One thing which I found remarkable is how well the AST Master responds to different guitars – it sounded just as good on a Strat as it did on a humbucker Telecaster, Filtertron and P90 guitars – even an electric 12-string fared well. In fact, it was an absolute pleasure to play an amp that brought out and flattered the character of so many different guitars with little tone or gain tweaking.
Changing the power valves from the stock 6V6s brought out some additional voicings from the amp – El34s turned the amp into a classic rock machine, while the extra clean headroom of 6L6s brought me right home to my Twin, but at lower volume and with some added sweetness at breakup.
Conclusion
If you like an amp with a flexible sound that is simple to operate and sounds like heaven, this is as good as it gets.
SA Distributor: Guitartone
021 855 5963 / 082 824 0667 www.guitartone.co.za
Suggested Retail Price: R21,050.00
Incl. V.A.T.
INSTRUMENT REVIEW: Warwick Corvette – Bubinga Bass Guitar
Warwick have introduced a new line of Pro Series Basses made in Korea that are awesome value for money.
There is a choice of two Corvettes with either Ash or Bubinga bodies. The other models in the series are:
Thumb Bolt-On (Ovangkol body and Maple with Ekanga Veneer Stripes)
Streamer LX (US Cherry body and Maple neck with Ekanga Veneer Stripes)
Star Bass Pro (AAA Flamed Maple body with laminated back, sides and top and Maple neck with Ekanga Veneer Stripes)
They all have Wenge fingerboards with Tigerstripe Ebony on the fretless models.
Whilst the Star Bass is only available in 4 and 5 string versions the others also boast a 6-string variant as well. You have a wide variety of colours and finishes to choose from and I am certain they have covered most tastes.
The specifications on most of the models are quite similar and I tried out most of them. I was very impressed with the workmanship, sonic quality, and of course the very competitive pricing.
For the purpose of this review I will focus on the Corvette Bubinga.
First Impression
The balance of the bass is excellent and the Corvette is quite light in comparison to many others that I have played on. As with most Warwick basses some of the controls feature a centre detent. I always find Warwick basses to look really great and the Corvette Bubinga is no exception. Personally I love natural coloured instruments (all my basses are natural) so the Corvette scores high in my books for great aesthetics.
Closer inspection reveals the Warwick Just-A-Nut III, an accurate two-piece height-adjustable nut, which is now made from a fiberglass-reinforced synthetic material called Tedur.
The bronze frets are great and certainly adds to the bass’s amazing feel. It is very comfortable from fret 1 to fret 24. I was also impressed with the action for a bass straight from the factory. The string spacing on the 4 string that I tested was actually perfect on unpacking.
This Corvette on test may be built in Korea but the hallmark German quality of Warwick certainly shines through and suggests an instrument that has been carefully constructed.
Sound
The Corvette’s sound is unmistakably Warwick; crystal clear and punchy and the Bubinga combined with the electronics give this bass an amazingly big sound. Excellent blended sounds are easy to coax from the circuit as you sweep from one pickup to the other. If you use the neck pickup and boost the bass control there is enough bottom-end to make the stage vibrate. If you use the bridge pickup only, you get a Jaco-like [Pastorius] sound that is very, very impressive.
The balance of the notes on all the strings and in any position on the neck is quite remarkable which is another Warwick trademark I’ve come to respect from the brand. If you are looking for a brighter sound, the Ash version would be a better option, but by using the treble control I got enough brilliance on the Bubinga to satisfy my needs.
Versatility
Whether you are a Slapper, Groover, Walker or Rocker this bass can be EQ’ed by using its own controls tuned to accommodate you. The Corvette also comes in 4, 5 and 6-string models and as a fretless option at no extra charge.
The other basses in the Pro Series line also look, sound and feel amazing.
Verdict
The Corvette’s excellent workmanship, great tone and competitive price add to what is a very playable and awesomely balanced bass guitar. I was also pleasantly surprised as to how versatile the instrument is. It has to be said that there aren’t many basses in this price range that offer as the name suggests – a PRO series instrument.
The other models are also pretty awesome and it would be difficult for me to choose any one in particular so it’s really down to personal choice and needs. A really good deal at a really good price at the end of the day in my opinion.
Suggested Retail Price: Pro Series Prices range from R 7,000.00 to R 13,000.00
Supplier: Music Power | Tel: (011) 466-9515
Cover Feature: Kurzweil SP4-8 Stage Piano
Cover Feature: Kurzweil SP4-8 Stage Piano
“…the new SP range is a worthy successor to an already revered instrument series”
Kurzweil Systems was founded in 1982 by Ray Kurzweil, an American renowned author, inventor and futurist. If you’re a follower of the increasingly popular Ted Talks on TED.COM you may have come across him from a talk he did back in 2006 as he set about predicting how technology will transform us.
His predictions were somewhat accurate with regards to where computer technology would be, incidentally. Anyway the story of Kurzweil Music Systems is that his company developed a reading machine for the blind which somehow (I’m still asking myself how?) they adapted this to produce their first musical instrument, the Kurzweil SP4-8
KB250 back in 1983
To cut a long story short, throughout the 80’s Kurzweil keyboard instruments grew in stature and in the 90’s became regular features on tour riders everywhere. A hotly debated issue is the quality of their piano sounds which many have regarded as superior to Yamaha although to be fair, the latter has many supporters who will contest this. Needless to say Kurzweil products certainly developed a reputation for quality sounds and quality products.
However it would be remiss of me not to mention that the company also suffered a somewhat rocky period when, in 2006, Hyundai acquired the Korean company Young Chang whom had owned Kurzweil since 1990 and had been responsible for some of their most significant and endearing models such as the PC and SP series. For a short while after the takeover by Hyundai things seemed to go south for the company with service issues and lack of new product being cited by frustrated customers.
Until the PC3 in 2008! This release seems to have put them firmly back in the hunt as a quality producer of quality keyboard based instruments and it is in fact that birth of the PC3 that has led to the exciting new SP4 series.
SP4-8
The SP4-8 stage piano is the successor to Kurzweil’s best-selling SP88/X range which was significant in affordability, build and most importantly the quality of its piano sounds. Equipped with many of the same sounds and effects as their now acclaimed PC3 family, the SP4-8 offers a variety of acoustic pianos, vintage electric pianos, dazzling string sections, lush pads, KB3 organs, mallets, drums, basses, guitars and more.
The keyboard has up to four programmable zones, allowing one to create splits and layers enabling one to adjust your sound in a live setting on-the-fly. Notably this newer model is lighter than the SP88/X, weighing in at 17.7 kgs, compared to the 23.6 Kgs of its predecessor and having a quick look at some of its competitors reveals up to a 10 kilo difference in weight which will please gigging musicians, no doubt. In fact, aside from the length of the instrument – 140 cm (most are 138 cm) the SP4-8 is a trimmer, slimmer machine in every respect, albeit marginally so. Still every inch counts when it comes to packing and unpacking, I guess.
Anatomy
Unpacking the SP4-8 reveals an instrument that has not changed much in looks from its predecessor and this is probably a good thing as the familiar ergonomics means anybody used to the SP series of old will feel very comfortable from the get-go. It is also a tried and tested layout that has proven very practical and usable onstage so why try fixing what ain’t broke?
Under the hood though, things get a lot meatier. For starters the 16 character LCD display (with front panel contrast adjust for easier viewing) is a far cry from the 3-character LED of old. Closer inspection also reveals 128 presets, as mentioned earlier taken from the acclaimed PC3 soundset, which also includes KB3 organ and KVA synth sounds. There are up to 64 user presets available for storing of your own tweaked sounds. The SP4-8 is also a fully featured midi controller and as such includes 128 midi channels, 64 factory set and 64 user setups available. The user MIDI setup, by the way, has 4 programmable zones for splits and layers.
There are also a host of effects and effects chains available, once again taken from the Pc3, to include the obligatory host of reverbs, but also effects such as amplifier simulations which are useful for getting some of those retro sounds. Controllers come in the form of Pitch wheel, modulation wheel, 1 front panel knob, 1 stereo switch-pedal input (supports two pedals with Y connector), 1 continuous control pedal input and the unit is packaged with a foot-pedal. The analog outputs are two 1/4″ balanced TRS with a rear panel 1/4″ headphone output. Midi connectivity is both the conventional in, out ports as well as USB which includes full midi functionality and is also useful for operating system updates as well as program and file transfers from PC or MAC.
A notable feature of the SP4-8 is that one can also load additional sounds/ programs from the PC3 and PC3LE series keyboards, although these will only work within the limits of the SP4’s DSP capabilities. Additional sounds are also available from the Kurzweil website, although I did not venture over to check what these are.
Playing the SP4-8
The hammer-weighted keys on a Kurzweil keyboard have never disappointed and this tradition continues on the SP4. They feel responsive, have a wonderful after-touch and are just so easy and fun to play. Running through the patches the obvious place to start is the piano sound as this is perhaps what Kurzweil is best known for. Again the SP4 does not disappoint with 8 superb piano sounds and as mentioned earlier the ergonomics of the keyboard means one touch buttons to move between the different presets. The electric piano (a fave of mine) is so warm and inviting but to be honest each of these 8 variants are really engaging. Another highlight is the clavinet and the strings both of which are wonderfully authentic. The organs remain adequate and hugely improved from the legacy models and the woodwind instruments to my ears are very authentic sounding. A host of additional presets to include drums & percussion, basses, pads, guitars, leads and brasses all exist and the sheer depth of the samples makes for a very convincing soundset. I actually had tons of fun simply rocking the electric guitars – made me feel like I was wielding an axe on stage! Like I mentioned earlier, the layout has not changed much and this makes for very quick interchanges between sounds with a set of Group Select buttons to select either Piano, Electric Piano, Clav, Strings etc and from there one can easily pick the sound within the Group with the Sound Select buttons which hosts up to 8 variants for each group. Layering two sounds is also a cinch taking no more than 2 buttons to pick your sounds such as a piano and a string for example. Splitting the keyboard also takes no more than pressing the Split button and then picking your zones at the press of a key. Another great feature Kurzweil includes on all their keyboards is direct access to transposing on the front facia (up or down) something that a lot of its competitors strangely require one to go through menus to find.
Conclusion
With an updated facia yet 100% familiar, tried and tested layout the SP4-8 will certainly please fans of the Kurzweil range. If you are an existing SP76 or 88 user the SP4-8 is a must-have upgrade to the next level. With superior soundsets, layering and midi functionality, not to mention its portability (not that any of the 88 hammer-weighted key derivatives are ever light) the new SP range is a worthy successor to an already revered instrument series. Ease of use and the simplicity with which one can select sounds, split the keyboard or create layered sounds makes this the perfect live performance instrument. But if you factor in the full USB midi functionality which includes loading of different soundsets and naturally the ability to use the SP as a controller, the SP4-8 is a very handy studio instrument too. Lastly the price makes this a truly affordable instrument with superb sounds and features well worth its price.
Supplier: Tradelius | (031) 502-3080 | www.tradelius.co.za – Suggested Retail Price: R 13,695-00
Instrument Review: The Wilkinson Fret-King Super-Matic Self-Tuning Guitar
Instrument Review
The Wilkinson Fret-King Super-Matic
Self-Tuning Guitar
“The Super-Matic doesn’t just tune well. It is a super-Strat on steroids”
The idea of a self-tuning guitar must be as old as the electric guitar itself. Surely, every guitarist who’s ever performed live, let alone makes use of alternate tunings, has thought it would be a novel idea and in recent years a number of brands have toyed with this concept such as Gibson with their Robot Les Paul.
On review here is the Fret-King Super-Matic designed by guitar mod guru Trev Wilkinson, which features a self-tuning system that seems by far the most practical, discrete and elegant solution to the self- tuning conundrum.
Anatomy
The Super-Matic doesn’t just tune well. It is a super-Strat on steroids, featuring 24 frets and Wilkinson designed HSH pickup layout mounted on a two-piece alder body. The pickup configuration is rather ingenious, as the bottom tone control is a variable coil-splitting knob blending between humbucker and single-coil sounds. This greatly expands the tonal possibilities.
The tuning system has six tuning presets. One is standard E and five are user reprogrammable. It also functions as an onboard conventional chromatic tuner. It consists of the Wilkinson ATD HT440 Bridge with motorised machine heads and a hex pickup mounted behind the bridge humbucker. It is through this pickup that one controls the system. There is a small LCD display on the bottom E side of the pickup and a single function button on the high E side, with which the system is activated and presets are selected. The system runs off a standard 9v battery and, according to the manual, the battery lasts for at least 250 tunings.
Playability
The guitar is rather heavy, the body has sharp edges and the C-shaped neck with the large frets is quite chunky, but overall it is incredibly easy and comfortable to play. I was, however, a little irked that the input socket does not fit an angled jack.
Using the self-tuning system was incredibly intuitive: press the button once to activate the chromatic tuner display and, since the self-tuning mechanism is in the bridge and the standard headstock tuners remain unaffected, tune as normal. Or hold the button in for a second, scroll through the displayed presets by pressing the button again and strum all the strings once and watch the motors retune. Storing tunings is just as simple once you learn all the display symbols. On occasion I did need to re-strum for the system to read properly, but this was rare.
The thrill of moving from Standard E to Open G in seconds is incredible and it does so with great accuracy. It’s one limitation, however, is that it can only save tuning presets up to a full tone above or below standard tuning. So you won’t be able to save your drop C tunings.
Sounds
The tonal variety on offer here must be noted. The bridge pickup alone with its variable humbucking and single-coil sounds is very tasty and blending the two brings out an unexpected palette of tonal colours.
Through a clean tube-driven amp the humbucker mode is fat with a nice mid-range bump and rich harmonics. The pickups are well balanced, each with its own character, but work well together. In single-coil mode the neck pickup really accentuates the sparkle and compliments open tunings very nicely.
While humbucker mode is the obvious choice for more distorted tones, dialling in a bit of single coil adds a tad more attack and grit. I found this particularly useful for bluesy leads.
Verdict
I must admit that at first I was not expecting much, aside from what I assumed would be a gimmicky tuning feature, but, while this modern take on the Strat is not (in my opinion) very pretty, it sure puts out. I am blown away, not only by the accuracy, practicality and ease of use of the self-tuning system but also by the Super-Matics playability and sheer tonal variety. A definite winner!
Suggested retail price: R 19,995.00
Distributor: Technology Innovated Distribution (TID) | +27 10 5000 111 www.tidistribution.co.za
Studio Review: Shure Super 55 Limited Edition
Studio Review: Shure Super 55 Limited Edition
Shure’s Super 55 is a very classy vintage-looking dynamic microphone aimed squarely at vocalists who want to look and sound good while performing. Unfortunately I didn’t manage to get it onto a stage, but I took it through its paces in the studio against some comparative dynamic mics and a standard studio condenser.
The unit features an old-school metal grille with foam damping inside. It uses a capsule based on that of the ubiquitous beta 58, so I wasn’t expecting any major surprises – the 58 is about as road tested as they come. It comes boxed with a pouch and instruction leaflet, which is on the minimal side compared to some of its more studio-orientated competitors, but it is all you need for stage use. The test unit was one of the limited edition, with red foam and a black grille – the standard model has a more civilised satin chrome grille and blue foam windshield.
The Super 55 uses a dynamic capsule with a supercardiod pickup pattern to reject off-axis sounds on stage and reduce feedback, which is apparently a common problem with this style of microphone. The series boasts a history going back 70 years, so let’s see how it compares to some more modern competitors in the studio.
The first test was on some Jack Parow vocals, running into an A-Designs Pacfica and a Distressor. While the tone and detail were both good, there was a lot of breath noise, as well as some obvious plosives. The delivery was very regular though, with no obvious level changes or pronounced proximity effect, which bodes well for stage use.
After that we did a general shoot out on male vocals with a Rode NT1-A, a Shure SM7B, and a Samson Q8. In comparison to the Rode (a condenser) the Super 55 had a more tailored frequency response – dropping some of the lows and highs and focusing on the middle of the vocal. So it will need less EQ in a live setting – presenting only the necessary frequencies – but at the cost of being less versatile in terms of recording different sources. I clearly preferred the Super 55 over the woolly-sounding SM7B in this test, but the SM7B is probably the most hit-or-miss microphone I have come across.
The comparison with the Samson was the most pertinent – as a budget supercardiod dynamic the Samson is aimed at very much the same market, and is significantly cheaper. Obviously they look completely different, and for performers looking for a visual edge that could well justify the price difference. In terms of sound they both do the job, albeit in slightly different ways – the Samson was a little brighter, which gave some interest and excitement to the vocal, but also made it a little harsher. The Super 55 was a little smoother up top, with more power and body but less detail. While vocalists with delivery issues might prefer one or the other, for the majority either will do the trick on stage.
A quick comparison with a Shure SM57 on vocals and percussion yielded pretty much what I expected – the 57 doesn’t have a wind shield so it had more detail for vocals, but also an unacceptable level of wind noise. On some random percussion the Super 55 was less cutting than the 57, but had some very cool body – it won’t be useful for everything, but could come in handy for a meaty snare or tom sound.
So at the end of the day the Super 55 is pretty much a better-looking, vintage styled version of the standard stage dynamic, at a modest premium over the beta 58. For performers who want to add some vintage style to their show, the Super 55 is an excellent choice, with solid performance and a well tested capsule. In the end it all depends on budget vs. good looks as the Super 55 definitely has the looks.
Supplier: Wild and Marr
011 974 0633 | 021 787 9378 | 031 573 7400
Suggested Retail Price: R 3,400-00
Instrument Review: PRS SE Mark Tremonti
PRS SE Mark Tremonti
“Everything about the tone screams”
Disclaimer: I adore and loathe PRS guitars. There, I said it! I know it’s unfair to say, but they’re just too perfect for my taste. I get toothache hearing their sweet tone. Whoever reads this may be thinking, ‘They’re just too much machine for you to handle,’ and maybe they’re right. Then again, my taste is more Robert Johnson than Eric Johnson. More ‘Woodstock’ Santana than ‘smooth’ Santana. I just can’t get the grit I want from them, but that’s just crusty old me and I know many guitarists rightly swear by theirs.
PRS guitars are revered for their amazing build quality and impeccably smooth tone. They are musical tools that won’t hold you back. As displayed here on the very popular PRS Tremonti SE, a lower cost version of the Creed and Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti’s signature model, those qualities do permeate down to their lower price bracket.
Anatomy
The Tremonti is in essence PRS’s take on a Les Paul-style design – twin humbuckers (PRS designed SE Treble and Bass pickups), single cut-away mahogany body and a 22-fret neck. But unlike a Les Paul it has comfort contours on the back and cut-away, a longer 25” scale length, and weighs very little. It also sports a wraparound bridge as well as bird fret inlays.
Playability
PRS invented air guitar. Playing one is effortless. The Tremonti’s light weight, neck shape and ergonomic body contours make playing a breeze. It simply relays your finger movements to the amp, almost like playing nothing at all. The neck shape is incredibly comfortable, feeling narrower than it actually is.
Manufacturers often cut corners with their tuners but these PRS designed tuners, along with graphite nut, stay in tune after wild string bends and drop tuning.
A notable flaw, in my opinion, is the counter-intuitive placement of the volume controls. They are next to one another above the tone knobs. This puts the bridge pickup volume below and behind the bridge, making one reach further for volume adjustments.
Also, this guitar has a tremendous amount of fret buzz, which does hinder the smoothness of the tone and makes it slightly brittle. A little note in the included gig bag mentions that this may be due to the neck bowing during shipping. It goes into detail about how to correct this by adjusting the double truss rod, which I thought was nice of them.
Sounds
Unplugged the Tremonti resonates brightly and audibly from every part of neck and body yet doesn’t announce itself as aggressively as a Les Paul.
Plugging into a clean tube amp with bridge pickup selected and strumming open chords reveals a bright, open tone. Every note rings with considerable clarity. It sounds more defined and sparkly than thick and syrupy. It even has a slight twang, likely due to the longer scale neck. The middle and neck pickup positions are well balanced too, with no sudden jumps in bass response. All this makes for great versatility.
With increased gain the attack stays smooth yet crisp. Notes swell and decay evenly, making finger vibrato bloom. Note definition is retained exceptionally well at extreme gain settings, making fast lead runs and complex chords sing with clarity. It simply refuses to get ‘dirty’. It’s always sweet.
Everything about the tone screams ‘luxury’ and while it seems to give you a bit of everything it does so with some restraint, seemingly waiting for your input to take it somewhere. I have no problem imagining this guitar being used in a big budget recording session, where a glossy sound is needed.
Conclusion
Its absolute effortless playability and smooth, defined tone (bar the slight tone hindering fret buzz) make this an excellent instrument. While I do like my guitars to put up a bit of a fight, I am very impressed with the sheer luxurious quality this workhorse delivers on all levels.
Supplied by: Rockit Distribution | 021-511 1800
Suggested retail prices: R 5,995.00
Studio Gear: MCX24 Console
Studio Gear
Studiomaster consoles have a long and spotted history that is known to as many professionals in the audio field as it is not. Established in 1976 in a chicken shed in Cheshunt, England under the name Recording Studio Design (RSD), the company was originally created as an answer to the demand for high power amplifiers for PA systems which were at that time being powered by expensive American brands. Before they knew it, and from a little help from the endorsement of their amplifiers by Pink Floyd, RSD grew into building mixing consoles, culminating in a focus on the studio market under the name Studiomaster. Eventually their name and brand grew considerably, producing notable mentions over the years like the Series 2, Mixdown, P7 and T24 studio consoles.
Nowadays the company is based in Bedfordshire, England and after building a new manufacturing facility in the Far East, their product line is bigger than ever, including products like line arrays, digital DSP units and studio monitors. Showcasing their mixer range is currently the MCX class of medium format mixing consoles, aimed at both the live and studio markets.
Construction
The MCX range is available in five sizes: 12,14, 24, 32 and 48 channels. They all are ruggedly built; employing a stiff steel chassis all contained within a high quality wheeled branded flight case, which comes standard with the MCX24 and above. What caught my eye about this console is that the channels are installed in 8 channel modules, along with a modular master section. This makes servicing a lot easier and for some reason gives the impression that they are of a higher quality than other brands in a similar class, such as Mackie or Soundcraft.
Overall the build quality seems solid and robust. The knobs feel rooted to their bases – some knobs on certain consoles can seem flimsy – and the 100mm faders ride smoothly and feel well seated. I would certainly say that these consoles were built to take abuse in a live environment but still retain a feature set worthy of the studio.
Channels
Although features like channel count will certainly vary depending on which MCX console you get, the overall features are the same, particularly within the master section.
Inputs
Focusing on the MCX24, you get 24 mic inputs and four stereo inputs. On each mic channel you will find a four band sweepable EQ, mute and listen (solo) facilities, a high pass filter (18dB/oct @ 80Hz), phantom power, and a pad. It is not specified how many dB the pad cuts and I found it curious that the pad was only reserved for the line inputs. The EQ on the stereo channels has a fixed frequency per band, which is pretty standard for mixers of this level.
What’s handy about the stereo channels is that they also include a mic input, which can be used simultaneously with the stereo inputs, giving a total of three inputs per channel. This is indeed flexible. The mic inputs supply the now standard 60dB of gain; the mono line inputs get 40dB, and the stereo inputs 12dB which is more than enough for most needs. Inserts are found on every mono channel as well for easy connection of outboard gear.
Other inputs include a 2 track input (called a playback input) and a handy talkback input which can be routed to either L-R, group 1-2, or any of the auxes with the push of a button.
Studio Master MCX24 Console
“The MCX range of mixers have created a new level in price performance for the discerning sound engineer, installer, and band.”
Groups, Auxiliaries and Oscillator
The MCX24 supplies four sub-groups that can each be panned individually within the L-R bus when assigned as such for mono or stereo operation. Alternatively they can be used in what is called “Stage Mode” which “swaps the group and mix faders with the auxiliary send controls effectively producing a monitor mixer”. This is a very handy feature that I’m sure rental companies will find alluring.
Every input channel on the mixer can be routed to either the L-R bus or the sub-groups by way of standard routing buttons situated next to the channel faders. Each sub-group also has its own four-tier LED meter, which indicates signal below 0dBu, at 0dBu and +4dBu, and lastly indicating an overload.
Regarding auxiliaries, you get six and all are switchable to be either pre or post fader, which is a welcome feature that is only seen in higher end consoles. Something that made me happy when I first looked at this console is the included oscillator that can be set to put out either pink noise or a 1kHz sine wave.
Both are essential for system calibration and room EQ adjustment and when engaged can be assigned to any of the busses or auxiliaries via the talkback buttons. This is definitely something you do not find on other consoles in the medium format class.
Outputs
The MCX24 has a variety of outputs which suit both the studio and a live situation. Starting with the mono channels, you will find a direct out for each. This is obviously handy if you’re multi-tracking or if you’re making a live recording. As mentioned before, this console was designed to be at home in both live and studio situations and being as such, there is also a monitor out included for easy connection to your studio monitors. There are outputs for all busses including L-R, and sub-groups 1-4. Each bus gets its own insert too, which is great when you want to, for instance, strap a stereo compressor over the stereo drum bus.
When not in Stage Mode there are separate TRS outputs for auxiliaries 1-6. All TRS outputs are balanced. Lastly, there is a stereo recording output using the RCA-type connector and a mono sum output which can be switched to either be fed from the L-R bus or the listen bus.
Master Section
The master section houses all of the master controls and faders for all auxiliaries, sub-groups and busses on the MCX24. Also included are two XLR sockets for two 12V lamps, a headphone output, monitor level control, oscillator level control, and a 12-bar LED meter showing level from -30dBu to overload.
One notable feature that you do not find on many consoles in this class is a mute and listen facility for each sub-group and for the L-R bus. This effectively changes your sub-groups into mute masters.
In Use
I found the MCX24 straightforward and intuitive with all of the features one would need for most if not all mixing and recording situations. The mic preamps sounded clean and uncoloured, although lacking character. This is probably a good thing since a console designed to fit into so many applications would probably benefit from a preamp that is clear and representative.
The EQ sounded particularly good and I felt that it covered the spectrum well with minimal harshness when pushed hard. The oscillator was particularly useful when calibrating and checking the room for inconsistencies and I commend Studiomaster for including it.
Overall the operation was pretty standard for a mixer in this class so anyone that is comfortable on medium format consoles will find it familiar. It was most definitely the little things that made the mixer stand out and I think that it will give other mixers in its class, like the Soundcraft GB series, a run for their money.
Conclusion
The Studiomaster MCX24 is an impressive mixer for this price point. I have absolutely no complaints about it and will even say that it rivals some of the better known and established console manufacturers. Two thumbs up!
REVIEW: Greg Bester
Supplier: Tuerk Music Technologies | (011) 792 8402
Suggested Retail: MCX24 – R 29,995-00 | MCX32 – R 37,995.00 | MCX48 – R 68,995.00
Studio Gear: Z.Vex Box of Rock and Fuzz Factory
Z.Vex Box of Rock and Fuzz Factory
Guitar pedals are wonderful things. They enable us to augment the sound of an amplifier that we might be intimately familiar or completely bored with into something fresh and exciting. But they can also just add noise and serve to destroy instead of enhance your tone.
Fortunately one sometimes comes across specimens that are inherent things of beauty. They possess soul and spirit and were obviously made with love and care. Enter Z.Vex Effects, the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company who has been supplying the world of guitardom with hand-made, beautifully crafted effects pedals since 1999.
Fuzz Factory
The Fuzz Factory is a deadly beast. It will create fuzz sounds that you only dreamed of because as stated in the release notes rather understatedly, it is pedal designed to “shape you a personalised fuzz”. What first caught my eye when reading the release notes was that the pedal employs two new old-stock germanium transistors from the 60’s. Opinions are varied on the use of this material but suffice it to say that they have been described as “smooth” and “warm”.
The Fuzz Factory is indeed everything that is claimed, and more. It has five knobs attached to its hand-silk screen surface and they are, respectively:
Volume – output level.
Gate – squelches noise after end of sustain.
Compression – adds attack characteristic when turned to left, which gets softer to right.
Drive – increases distortion when used as a “normal” fuzz, and adjusts feedback pitch and tonal thickness.
Stability – supply voltage. Use to control feedback pitch.
As you can see, it’s not merely a case of turning up the “gain” or “fuzz” knob. More precise control of the fundamentals of what makes a fuzz a fuzz is offered and these controls are wrapped up in words that we are familiar with. But as Mr. Vex says, “Although the five knobs are named for the parameters over which they seem to have the most control, please don’t hold me to it. They are controls for various operating levels and biases.”
After giving the pedal a whirl my ears were immediately met with an onslaught of delivered promises and a fantastic palette of fuzz sculptors’ delight. The Gate and Stability parameters are particularly fun and the party started at “set to annihilate”. I went from there on to “razor death” and finally “total devastation fuzz slaughterfest”. You make up your own.
Box of Rock
The Box of Rock is a pretty standard drive pedal with a classic demeanour and a couple of tricks up its sleeve. It was designed to emulate the preamp sound of a Marshall JTM45 at “10” and it is highly recommended by Mr. Vex that you try it with a Marshall at least once. It employs a “high-headroom, unity-50X gain booster with nominal input impedance and low hiss”, not to mention, like all Z Vex pedals, it employs a 100% true bypass.
What is great about this pedal is that it is essentially a two channel device. It has two footswitches; one that engages the distortion circuit and one that engages a boost for solos, etc. On the other hand, you could feasibly use the boost channel as the “clean” channel as it does alter the clean tone of your amp when engaged. The results when I tried this were a firmer bottom and a smoother midrange extending into the top end.
Put another way, I preferred it to the standard sound of the amplifiers (a Laney Lionheart L5T-112) clean channel. The pedal has four knobs and, in contrast to the Fuzz Factory pedal, they are pretty straight forward:
Drive
Tone
Vol.
Boost: Sets the boost level, which is engaged with the left stomp switch.
I found the distortion really pleasing and smooth and best suited to, well, rock, but it could easily be set to accommodate blues or similar styles where huge amounts of gain are not a necessity. There was nothing harsh about this pedal and it’s safe to say that it is a modern classic and safe to use in place of your classic Tube Screamer or DS-1.
Conclusion
Z Vex effects pedals are truly soulful. The fact that they are all hand-made is also a part of their allure and when you plug them in their quality shines through and it becomes obvious where the money goes. I for one am a sucker when it comes to these boutique-style pedals and I’m sure you will be too, once you hear them.
REVIEW: Greg Bester
Suggested Retail Price: Fuzz Factory – R 1,995 | Box of Rock – R 2,295
Supplier: Tuerk Music Technologies | Tel: (011) 792 8402 | www.tuerkmusic.co.za
Instrument Review: Gretsch catalina Maple 6 Piece
Instrument Review
Gretsch Catalina Maple 6 Piece
“The Gretsch Catalina Maple series is known to be one of the best maple kits around and when you take into consideration that you are getting a 6 piece kit (16” Floor tom FREE), for R 9,995.00, you’ll realise that you’ll be hard pressed to find a better deal.”
Anatomy
The Catalina Maple comes with 10”, 12”, 14” and 16” toms, a 22” Bass drum and a 14” x 6.5 Snare drum, and is available in 3 different finishes: Cherry red, Amber and Transparent Black. No hardware is included in this kit, so an extra cost to consider is a Gibraltar Hardware Pack. Options include the 4600 series, 5600 series or 6600 series at a cost of R1,995.00, R2,995.00, R3,495.00 respectfully. All packs include: a snare stand, hi-hat stand, one straight cymbal stand, one boom cymbal stand and a single bass drum pedal.On display at Bert Koster Percussion, South Africa’s importer of Gretsch drums was a very professional looking black finished kit for me to test. At first glance it appeared to be a flat black, but on closer inspection you’ll notice some black stroke work under the finish which should show quite nicely under stage lighting and with a flawless build quality, from near or far, on looks alone, I would be proud to own such a kit.With the full 6 pieces set up, it is easy to see how drummers from all genres would benefit from this versatile kit. There are numerous ways to configure the drum set; for an all round rock kit (using all 6 drums), to a fusion kit (using 5 drums), to a small jazz set up (using only 4 drums), it all depends on which drums you choose to use, and where.
A Closer look…
Closer inspection revealed that the 14” and 16” floor toms are leg mounted and not floating. This makes for a quicker, more solid set up that is much closer and tighter. It also come with a multi-range ball and claw tom arm, allowing for infinitely different angles for your tom-toms. This is a great benefit when you are in a rush to set up or when you have to share your kit at a show with other drummers. All that needs to be done is to hold the tom at the desired angle, tighten the screw and you’re ready to play. The toms connect to the tom arm via a GTS tom suspension system, allowing there to be no hole in the drum for better resonance and less structural noise from being attached to the bass drum.All drums come with ‘Gretsch made by Evans’ one ply coated top skins and clear one ply bottom, giving the kit a more old-school sound. There is always the option of changing skins; my preference would be a clear double ply skin and with maple shells such as these it would only enhance the sound and resonance. Also having between five and eight lugs depending on the drums dimension helps considerably for its durability and strong hold against drummers who put a bit more muscle into their playing. All lugs, screws and bass drum clamps are die cast which aids in a better tuning process. From unpacking to setup, it took only a few minutes to get a sound that I could work with.
Conclusion
I am sure that this versatile Gretsch Catalina Maple kit is going to be loved by whoever purchases it; Amateur to professional, for stage, to theatre, to the practice room. From its great finishes, to the beautiful tone of its maple shells, to the precise and solid build quality along with the fact that you can turn it into various kit sizes and setups makes this a good buy. To be honest the only thing that bothered me was that I would have to purchase a hardware pack, but having said that I believe that nothing should take away the fact that this kit has been designed to accommodate drummers in all genres, rock, pop, jazz you name it which adds to its value for money. Set up, play and enjoy!
Review By: Steven Jacobson
Supplied by: BK Percussion | 021 510 7770 | www.bkpercussion.co.za
Suggested Retail Price: R 9,995.00 incl. VAT
Instrument Review: TC Electronic BH500
Instrument Review
TC Electronic BH500
“A Close to perfect amp that is very easy to use.”
First Impressions
When you invest in new gear first impressions somehow always set the tone for what’s to follow and the TC Electronic BH500 is no exception. When I opened the box I was very impressed with what I saw; a very important requirement for me in a bass amp is the layout of the controls. The BH500 immediately get’s a ten out of ten for visibility and ease of use. I also couldn’t hope but notice that the amp head as well as the BC210 2×10 Cab is also lighter than most 500 Watters I’ve experienced. So I guess you could say that first impressions do count as visually this is a very handsome package and it does not break one’s back unpacking.
Layout from left to right
First up is a 1/4” jack input that can take either passive or active basses. There is no pad-switch or separate inputs for Hi and Low impedance but I can’t say I missed this as this can actually be controlled with the gain control. Directly above this jack you’ll find the On and Peak Led’s; a good idea to have it directly above the Gain control. All the control knobs are solid and easy to get to. The Spectracomp Compressor is not bad at all. It sounds like a type of multi-band compressor and is one of the most controlled built-in compressors I have come across. It handless every playing style very well.
Directly above the compressor is a built in tuner which can also act as a mute switch. I highly recommend silent tuning so this is the way to go. Unfortunately the designers of the amp did not consider myself, John Patitucci and Steve Bailey, as the tuner does not cater for the high C on a six string bass, or alternate tunings. You only get B, E, A, D, G notes, but to be fair this is fine for 95% of the bass players on the planet.The 4-Band EQ section is very well laid out; Bass, Lo-Mid, Hi-Mid and Treble. Above the EQ section are 2 predetermined Contour presets that allow you to quickly get to that “scooped” sound.
BASS: Centre Frequency 100Hz | LOW MID: Center Frequency 335HzHIGH MID: Center Frequency 900Hz | TREBLE: Center Frequency 1600Hz
The next section is the Tweetertone that controls how much tweeter sound you want. In Centre position it is flat. Left cuts, right boosts. It’s great to have this control in front of the amp and not at the back of the speaker Cab. The Tubetone section gives a surprisingly good tube-like sound. One of the better tube simulations I have heard. It replicates both a full pre-amp, a power amp to create old school tube warmth and you can even get a happening overdriven sound without losing punch.
Another great feature is being able to store 3 sounds to Memory. This makes it easy to change your tone on the fly. My only objection is the lack of a foot-switch to change the preset easily in mid-song. You can store all front panel controls except Mute and Master Volume. The Master level control is next in line. There is also an AUX (RCA Left/Right)-in for connecting iPods, computers etc to rehearse with.
The headphone amp sounds great too and speakers are muted when inserting headphones. The Balanced Output has a Pre and Post EQ switch; a very useful option, as not every mixing desk or engineer will be able to please you. At the back of the amp you will find the power switch (with thankfully a standard kettle chord plug connection) and speaker output via Neutrik Speakon connectors.
Sound
This bass amplifier sounds great; Lots of power, punch and definition! It looks great too. Since first seeing the legendary SWR Redhead amp, I’ve started liking the look of red amps… maybe because it reminds me of a Ferrari.You can use the BH500 for virtually any style of music and playing. They even give you a chart with some lay-outs to dial into a sound nice and quickly.The 2×10 BC210 Cab supplied with the test model could be considered pretty lightweight and is a great match too for this amp.I highly recommend the BH500 to any serious bass player, irrespective of your style.Unfortunately I did not try it on upright bass, but I believe it could work very well with this too. In a nutshell: A close to perfect amp that is very easy to use.
Supplied by Prosound (Pty) Ltd | 0861 4SOUND | www.prosound.co.za
Suggested Retail Price (incl. VAT): BH500: R 7, 848.90 | BC210: 4,801.68
Instrument Review: Hammond SK1
Instrument Review
Hammond SK1
“The designers ave taken great care to create an instrument that pays homage to its predecessor with a classy finish that cries out retro.”
The Hammond electric organ was invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934. Originally intended and indeed used in churches as a cheaper replacement for the costlier wind-driven pipe organs, the psychedelic 60’s and rock ‘n roll 70’s would change all that as it became the keyboard instrument of choice for many jazz, rock and blues players. Using additive synthesis of waveforms drawn from a harmonic series (the use of columns of air oscillating to create standing waves, the combination of which – air and standing wave – will create a sound wave), the distinctive sound of the B-3 organ, often played through a Leslie speaker, was as significant to the evolution of rock music as the electric guitar. Although the last electromechanical Hammond organ came off the assembly line in the mid-1970’s the legendary sound has lived on such has been its impact on modern music. There have been numerous emulations throughout the 80’s, 90’s and indeed in the 21st century some respectable soft-synth versions of the B-3 organ but let’s face it, nothing compares to playing an instrument brandishing the original Hammond logo.
First Impressions
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to appreciate the fine good looks of the new Hammond SK-1. The designers have taken great care to create an instrument that pays homage to its predecessor with a classy finish that cries out retro. The crimson wood side panels, the retro drawbar slider knobs and overall finish make a bold statement of vintage class.
Anatomy
Whilst Hammond has endeavoured to recreate the magic of their vintage electromechanical organs, thankfully in one area they haven’t; weight and size. Weighing in at a paltry 7 kg’s and measuring roughly 90 x 30 x 10 cm it’s fair to say the SK1 is a truly portable instrument and this alone will guarantee its popularity on many a stage from now on. As far as emulating the original B-3, portability aside, the SK1 is going to please Hammond fans in two key areas; the nine mechanical pitch drawbars, an iconic feature of the original Hammond organ that essentially served as a built in mixer by allowing you to control the levels of various frequency waveforms, is a key feature as well as the built-in digital Leslie feature, which emulates the Doppler Effect of a true Leslie speaker remarkably well. This Doppler Effect from the Leslie speaker was a key part of the personality of the original Hammond and the emulation on the new SK1 is superb and whilst self-proclaimed purists on forums worldwide may start nitpicking, for the rest of us B-3 fans these two features alone make the SK1 a sure thing. A notable feature missing are bass pedals but remember because this is a digital emulation you can split the keyboard and actually play the lower register.
Digital = More
Now once the purists have run out of steam lamenting about the virtues of pure analogue vs. digital the rest of us will be overjoyed with the power and feature-rich add-ons the SK1 offers starting off course with the host of additional voices available which means your Hammond does more than just emulate Hammond organ sounds to include emulations such as Vox, Continental and various Farfisa models. The range of onboard effects, including adjustable vibrato/chorus, reverb and overdrive are all wonderful benefits of the digital platform. The full MIDI and USB capabilities also bring Hammond firmly into the 21st Century. The USB is great as you can save your own customised patches direct to flash or hard drive aside from connecting to your DAW.
Verdict
There have already been dozens of comparisons between the Nord C2, Electro and the SK1. Each of these instruments has their own virtues and depending on your requirements you’ll no doubt buy accordingly. What I like about the SK1 is that this is a dedicated organ catering specifically for organ players and it’s a Hammond! What could be cooler than that? For advanced usage there is also the SK2 which has an extra layer of 61 notes for double-decker organ ripping. Expect to see the SK1 and SK2 on many a gigging stage soon! A highly desirable keyboard – it has the looks, the sound, the playability, portability and the features.
Supplied by: Tradelius Music Group 031-502 3080 | www.tradelius.co.za
Suggested Retail Price: Sk1 – R 21,595-00 | SK2 – R 38,995-00 V.AT incl.
Instrument Review: Mesa/ Boogie Transatlantic TA 15
Instrument Review
Mesa/ Boogie Transatlantic TA 15
“Few other amps, if any, could put the detail and nuance of so many classics under one hood.”
In recent years amp manufacturers have been producing smaller low-powered tube amps for big tube sounds at bedroom and club gig volumes. Mesa/Boogie arrived late to this party but offer a rich and versatile take on the ‘micro amp’ trend.
The Transatlantic 15 is a small all-tube 2-channel amp with multiple pre- and power-amp modes. As the name implies the Transatlantic is inspired by classic British and American amp tones and crams them into a tiny but powerful package. The all-metal lunchbox-sized chassis looks stylish yet very rugged with fewer controls than the average Mesa/Boogie, in fact neither channel features a mid tone control.Channel one has two modes, Normal and Top Boost. Channel 2 has three, Tweed, Hi 1 and Hi 2. Both channels can switch the power amp from 25W down to 15W or 5W and brings out different dynamic flavours in each mode. The open back speaker cabinet matches the amp’s wide tonal capabilities nicely and there are more than enough highs on both channels in all modes. Because this is a small amp, when cranking gain one should decrease bass as the EL84 tubes cannot faithfully reproduce the lows at higher gain settings. That’s not to say that it sounds thin with less bass at these high gain settings.In fact the tone stays rich, full and, especially on the 25 watts setting, dynamic. The well written manual is very detailed. It also lists possible speaker cabinet connection configurations for further tonal shaping.
Channel One
Normal mode is the amps dedicated clean sound. Very sweet and glassy with ample headroom in the 25W setting. It accepts pedals very, very nicely. Maintaining note definition with distortion pedals particularly well.Top Boost mode captures the British Vox flavour brilliantly! The signature raspy mids, cutting highs and crackly distortion really shine through! I couldn’t resist aping a few Brian May licks. The extent of the detail in this recreation is astounding. The way the distortion varies from note to note is spot on.
Channel Two
Tweed mode is a recreation of an old Fender Bassman and is also amazing; punchy and full of the smokey Fender warmth with rich harmonics. It also captures the smooth drive brilliantly which sings when playing slide with a Strat. Hi 1 mode captures Marshall’s sonic character and nuance. While this amp is in no way designed for modern metal it has more gain than I expected and has a very quick attack. Even with a Les Paul it’s quite bright with tone controls at noon but darkens and gets creamier when lowering the guitar volume. I was able to get some smooth feedback at a whisper quiet level. Hi 2 mode is based on the classic Mark series Mesas displaying their characteristic sizzle at a higher frequency than the Marshall making it ideal for cutting lead playing.
Verdict
The sheer richness of tone makes this amp amazing. Few other amps, if any could put the detail and nuance of so many classics under one hood. On top of that the head and combo are incredibly lightweight. The supplied foot switch, however, is a straight-forward channel switcher. What’s really missing here is the ability to switch between modes or power settings.
Another issue is that it doesn’t have an FX loop, making it impossible to take advantage of the amp’s sweet distorted tones while employing delay or reverb pedals. With these two issues in mind I must say the Transatlantic TA-15 is aimed more towards studio use and in this capacity the ability to switch between authentic classic tube sounds at the flip of a switch instead of moving cabinets and microphones will be a godsend. For live use they have recently released the Transatlantic TA-30, which includes higher wattage, effects loop and gorgeous tube reverb.
Supplied by: Rockit Distribution | | 021-511 1800
Suggested retail prices: TA-15 Head – R 12,995.00 | TA-30 Head R 18,895.00 | TA-30 Combo: R 20,795.00
Proel M16USB 16 Channel Mixer
Proel M16USB 16 Channel Mixer
The Proel M16USB is a fairly inexpensive, but full-featured mixer aimed squarely at the small band market. Sporting 12 microphone pre-amplifiers, inserts on every mono channel and main outputs, three-band EQ (with parametric mids on the mono channels), three auxiliary sends, four output busses, phantom power and built-in digital effects, the feature set is enough to handle most bands and even small home studio setups.
First Impressions
The M16 has a solid feel and heft with an all-steel casing, plastic side panels and a built in power supply, so first impressions are of a well made unit. All the controls and connectors in the right places with a logical signal flow indicating a well thought out layout. There are some nice extras included – a padded woven nylon carry case and a set of rack ears (fitted by removing the plastic side panels and attaching with the same screws), both of which are surprising at this price point. Something I was happy to see was a BNC socket for a 12V gooseneck light (not included, but easy to find), which are not always a feature on an inexpensive mixer, but invaluable for low-light situations.
Inputs and channel strips
Inputs and channel strips on the M16 fall into two types: mono and stereo. There are eight mono channel strips and four stereo to make up the 16 inputs. Unlike many other inexpensive mixers, the stereo channels also have a single mic input, allowing the M16USB to be used as a 12-channel mic mixer. There are also two stereo Aux returns (which can be used as line inputs if you are not using the aux busses for effects) and a pair of RCA tape/CD inputs.
Mono channel Strips
The preamps of the mono channel strips offer -20 dB trim to +20 dB gain for the line inputs and 0 dB to 60dB gain (mislabelled as -60 on the panel), plenty for most modern sources. Each input has an insert for adding outboard compression and/or EQ to individual channels or taking a post preamp send for multichannel recording (or a separate monitor mixer in a larger setup.) There is a switchable low-cut/high-pass filter button set to 75 Hz to filter out low frequencies for those instruments that need it (basically everything but kick drum mic and bass) and to clean up the low end of the mix. The EQ section is three band: high shelving (12 kHz); low (80 Hz) shelving; and a parametric midrange (100 – 500 Hz), each with 15 dB of boost or cut. I do find the midrange frequency range to be very limiting, concentrating on the lower midrange and ignoring the upper mids completely.
Stereo channel strips
The stereo strips’ preamps have 20 dB less gain for mic and lack the low-cut of the mono channels, which is a pity when being used for mic or guitar inputs, but not essential for most stereo line sources. The EQ section differs from the mono strips only in the mids, replacing the parametric midrange controls with low-mid (500 Hz) and high-mid (3 kHz) controls.
Shared features
The auxiliary section has three aux sends, one pre-fade (for monitor sends), one post-fade (for effects) and one switchable. The post fade send goes to the onboard effects, but can also be used for an outboard effects unit. Panning and fader controls as well as mute switch are all straightforward – as they should be. Routing is better than most small mixers, allowing you to route the channel to both pairs of output busses if needed, instead of the usual single switch either/or arrangement, which immediately makes the M16 more flexible. The solo switches can be used either pre- or post-fade and the clip LEDs are bright and clear.
Aux strip
The M16 has an additional, 17th channel strip, used for control of aux sends and returns. Aside from the expected controls here, there are controls to send the onboard effects to both aux 1 or 2, allowing you to add effects to the monitor mixes as well as the mains. There is also a volume control for the tape/CD inputs. The fader is used to control overall effect level to the mix and can be routed to either the mains or group 1 & 2.
Master section
The master section comprises effects, graphic EQ, control room controls and master faders.
Effects
The effects are digital, but have analogue switching and no display. There are sixteen types of effects, ranging between reverbs, delay, chorus, flanger and combinations. There is very little control, with only sixteen variations of each of the sixteen effect type or combos and a tap tempo for delays. Unusually there are also sockets for connecting footswitches for both tap tempo and FX mute functions.
Graphic EQ
The graphic is a simple seven band affair which can be muted or assigned to either the main output or Aux 1 and 2. While a little limited for EQ’ing front of house sound, it is surprisingly good sounding and comes in handy for a bit of monitor EQ.
Control room
The control room section allows routing the four busses and/or CD input to both the control room and headphone outputs with a simple overall level control.
In use
Using the M16 in both live and home settings over the last six months and generally it has worked very well. The flexibility has saved me a few times live where I was able to come up with ways around problems with gear and venues. I have found that the onboard effects don’t have much input headroom, it’s easy to get clipping from even one input by turning the send up too far, so I’ve been forced to keep sends low and boost the effects master fader all the way up (which adds noise. The effects are also fairly noisy – even without any sends, simply enabling the output of the effects module easily triples the noise floor of the mixer (generally pretty quiet). Another niggle is the faders are all very sensitive around 0 dB (where a good mix usually lives), so it can be a bit difficult to tweak levels at times. It should be noted that I had a problem with the effects dying completely after a couple of months, but backup was excellent and the mixer was quickly replaced with no argument.
Conclusion
Other than a few small niggles, the Proel M16USB is a great mixer with more than enough features and quality for most applications and offers serious value for money.
Supplied by: Musical Distributors | Tel: 021-799-4950 | www.bothner.co.za
Suggested Retail Prices: Proel M.16 USB – R6 495.00 | Proel M.20 USB – R9 995.00 | Proel M.8 USB – R3 595.00
Studio Review: Blue Spark Microphone
Studio Review
Blue Spark Microphone
As modern music has become increasingly computer based, using fewer and fewer recorded sounds, the range of microphones needed to produce to a high level has shrunk – gone are the days of needing an arsenal of microphones to put together anything radio-ready. However the one sound that is pretty much impossible to ‘fake’ in the studio is the sound of the human voice, and thus the one microphone that remains indispensable to any studio is a vocal microphone.
The Blue Spark is aimed squarely at that role. It’s a retro-looking (in a very good way) cardioid condenser that comes in a handsome wooden box with a custom pop-shield and a shock mount. Build quality seems to be very good – overall it’s a really comprehensive package for the price.
The TestMy first test was on male vocals. I lined it up against my go-to vocal microphone, a Pearlman TM1 tube mic, and ran them both through an A-Designs Pacifica. Saying that the Spark was very close to the Pearlman is high praise indeed for a microphone costing a fraction of the price – the TM1 was slightly smoother in the low midrange and a fraction less brittle, but the Spark still captured a very well-focused and ‘finished’ vocal sound. The TM1 has a frequency response that captures a range of vocals extremely well, so judging by the similarities the Spark should be very versatile. Also, because of its medium diaphragm size, it’s less prone to proximity effect than an LDC, which means you can get really close without getting unwanted rumble.
An unusual feature of the Spark is the focus button, which boosts the higher midrange and generally captures a more ‘cutting’ tone, as opposed to the standard, more neutral presentation. Given the amount of processing on modern pop vocals I would have preferred a more pronounced effect, but it’s still a really handy extra that can get you a step closer to a ‘modern’ vocal sound at the push of a button.
Round two was a head-to-head against a Rode Nt1A and a Josephson C42 on acoustic guitar. Here the Spark was a clear winner – sounding, without any processing, like a finished product. It dispensed with the high-end ‘sizzle’ and jangly transients of the Rode and delivered a focused sound with smooth strums and great tone. And while there will always be a use for the C42 to get a bright, sheeny acoustic sound in busy mixes, for general-purpose use I preferred the more natural tone of the Spark, and felt it flattered my acoustic guitar more.The final test was a three-way on trumpet and flugelhorn, against an SM7B and the Pearlman, again through the Pacifica. While my brother (who did the recording) preferred the SM7B for its brighter, more expansive presentation, I really liked the more focussed Spark take – again it sounded finished, like the intro bars to a movie. The Pearlman was very similar to the Spark, but slightly boxier in this application. Both the SM7B and the Spark recordings ended up being used in the mix.
So what’s the overall impression? As a first studio microphone, for vocals and other bits as needed, I think the Blue is awesome for the price. It adds just enough colour to give everything that goes through it a focused, finished tone that I have never heard from a microphone in this price range. It has an uncanny knack of capturing just what you want it to and nothing extra. It’s flexible enough to use on a range of sources without losing the character that makes it so good for vocals. I’d have to go to a significantly higher price bracket to start finding any negatives, and the extras – great looks, great add-ons, and the focus button – make this pretty much a no-brainer at the price.
Price: R 3,505.50 incl. VAT
Supplier: Prosound (Pty) Ltd | Tel: 0861 4SOUND | Web: www.prosound.co.za
How To Get Ahead In The Music Business – David Chislett
How To Get Ahead In The Music Business By David Chislett
“The first in a series of useful tips and advice to help bands with the business end of being successful by the author of “1,2,1,2: A Step By Step Guide To The SA Music Industry.”
Giving wannabe stars advice on how to crack the scene is a tough job. Mainly because it appears that there really are NO rules when it comes to what makes a song a hit. So we’re just not going to go there. No instead, we are going to talk about another thought… How to get ahead in the music business by taking care of Business!To most artists business is a four letter word, and not one they like to use.
This is a regrettable attitude because, by adopting it, artists empower those who would seek to exploit them by buying into a myth that was created in order to rip them off. Yes, you heard me. It’s rubbish. If you wanted to play for Bafana Bafana you would know the offside rule, what is a foul, how to deal with your captain, your coach and the other players. Because that is what you need to do to be a pro. It’s amazing how in the arts, this attitude is completely absent.
See, the truth is that, in the music business, money is made because people do business. Now business people, they are always looking for a good deal. Remember buying your first second hand car? Exactly! If you are ignorant, you’re going to get ripped off. Period.So, first piece of advice for how to get ahead in the music business is: accept that it is a business. Rule number two, is learn the rules! The industry is governed by laws, rules and contracts which dictate the flow of money and the parties involved in it. You need to know who these players are, where they stand in the food chain, what is a good deal and what is not. Flinging up your arms and declaring you are an artist and someone else must take care of it will result in one thing and one thing only: you throwing your arms up in the air later and wailing that you have been ripped off and stolen from.
Objecting to the fact that the music industry is a business environment is a bit like complaining that the sun came up. It is how it is. Deal with it. And if you refuse, then stop your whining! Firstly it won’t change anything and secondly, you made your choice not to play by the existing rules! Get acquainted with the existing structures. There is not enough space here to go into detail, but use them and they WILL help youThe best advice is for you to get reading. There is a great international book called “All You Need To Know About The Music Industry” by a guy called Donald Passman. It’s big and red, and very useful. But it’s also very international. Also available for SA conditions are “The South African Music Business” by Jonathan Shaw – a university-level text book on everything about the music biz. Check out Nick Matzukis’ very helpful book on SA entertainment and contract law as well as of course my book, “1,2,1,2: A Step By Step Guide To The SA Music Industry.” Once you have read all of these books, you will have a far greater understanding on how this jigsaw puzzle fits together.
Then you need to take the 3rd important step: Put a plan of action together. Ja, I know, also not very rock and roll. Truth is though I have always seen the hardworking, focused and business-like band succeed over the very talented, clueless and unfocused band. Discuss your ambitions and break them down into concrete steps that you can start taking the very next day and you’ll be amazed at what happens. I know it’s not cool to admit that you are a hugely ambitious and hard working dude that is moving heaven and earth to become successful. But you must be, even as you develop a look that says the opposite!
Author Blurb
David Chislett
Step By Step Guide To The SA Music Industry
David Chislett has been in the SA music industry for 25 years. Bassist, journalist, manager, publicist, film maker, author and consultant, he has gotten his hands dirty. His book 1,2,1,2: A Step By Step Guide To The SA Music Industry is an easy to understand, no holds barred self-help book for anyone wanting to do better in the business. It is available from Exclusive Books, Look & Listen stores and all good independent shops.
He also hosts workshops and private consultations to help artists get ahead.
Photo: Jacqui Van Staden
Dynamic Effects (Part 2)
Dynamic Effects
Of all dynamics processors, gates are the easiest to understand and use. Commonly referred to as “noise gates” they are basically a switch used to get rid of the noise you hear during quieter parts of a track by muting the sound. However, they can also be used as an effect, altering the dynamics of the sound.
How Gates WorkNoise is usually hidden by the music signal, as it is normally much quieter in comparison. However, as the signal fades away in quieter sections of the music, the noise can become noticeable. A gate works by switching off the signal when it falls below a certain level (the threshold), muting both the signal and the noise. Various controls set how fast the gate starts working (Attack), how fast it stops working (Decay) and by how much it reduces the level (attenuation).
A waveform of a distorted electric guitar with noise in the quieter sections
The same waveform after gating to remove noise
The Controls
Threshold
The lower the threshold, the more radical the gating and the more unnatural it sounds. As you raise the threshold, you will hear more of the signal, and also more noise will slip through. Conversely, as the threshold is lowered, you’ll find that more and more of the signal is gated out too. When there is a lot of noise, you will need a low threshold setting, and you can raise it with low noise sources.
Attenuation
This control sets the level that the signal is reduced by when the gate is closed, -60dB or more is usually the same as off. With higher attenuation settings you’ll hear some of the noise coming through between the wanted sections of the signal.
Attack and Decay
You can “shape” the envelope of the sound as it starts (attack) and finishes (decay), to change from silence to signal and back again as naturally as possible. If these settings are wrong, you’ll either hear a little bit of noise as the sound starts and finishes, or the sound will be clipped short.
Trigger Input
The trigger input allows you to use a second audio signal to open and close the gate – regardless of the level of the signal is being gated.
Gates as an Effect
There are a few ways to get some obvious effects from gates.
Slow Attack Settings – with a slow attack, a gate will release slowly, changing the attack of the sound. It’s like using a volume control to ‘swell’ into a note. Boss has an effect called “Slow Gear” which does this.Gated Reverbs – using the original signal as a trigger input, the sound with added reverb is gated. This makes for a very controlled reverb sound – allowing huge reverbs to be used which are strictly controlled, without adding to much sustain to the sound.
‘Synching’ Instruments – The common example is locking the bass guitar with the kick drum. Using the bass drum as a trigger input, the bass guitar is gated so that it only sounds exactly when the kick drum does. Another example is using a rhythmic instrument to supply a rhythm to a sustained sound like distorted guitar or, quite commonly to a synth pad. The sustained sound is given a pulse by using the rhythmic instrument as the trigger input.
Guitar Effect Gating
With the better guitar pedal gates, the trigger input can be used for the clean guitar signal so that the gate follows the natural envelope of the clean guitar regardless of the noise level generated by the effects.
Reverse Gates – On some gates, it is possible to reverse the effect of the trigger input, so that the gated signal is only passed when there is no signal at the trigger input. This makes sure that the two sounds are always in counterpoint to each other.
Ducking – Think of when a DJ speaks over music, and the level of the music drops to make space for the voice. This is ducking. This is done by using a reverse gate where the voice is the trigger input and the music is the gated signal. The attenuation is kept lower than usual, as you still want the gated signal to come through – just at a reduced level. It can be used in any situation where you need one sound to make space for another (voice-overs, ducking delays, etc.).
Play Better Bass – Bass In World Music (Part 1)
Jonas Hellborg
Play Better Bass
I do not think that there are a lot of people that can come up with an absolute definition of what world music is. This is a short summary of my humble view. It is a style or styles of music and instrumentation that unites musicians from all over the world to collaborate and develop a “different” sound” and it is taking the world by storm.The Bass, like in a lot of modern music styles is the heart of World music. Bass players nowadays fuse tabla, marimba, mbira, and tuba grooves, etc. and apply it to their instruments.World Music is a musical genre incorporating diverse styles from Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, South and Central America, the Caribbean, and non-mainstream Western folk sources. Initially, African popular music and world music were virtually synonymous and the genre’s biggest stars included the Nigerians King Sunny Ade and Fela Anikulapo Kuti and the Senegalese Youssou N’ Dour. Bassist and fellow Warwick endorsee Jonas Hellborg (above) has recorded dozens of albums and collaborated with various artists on some amazing world music projects. I heard him for the first time with guitar maestro John McLaughlin’s The Mahavishnu Orchestra. About classical Indian music he had this to say; “Coming from one of the world’s deepest musical traditions, Indian classical theory isn’t something you can blithely define in a few hundred words.”
Richard Bona
Here are a few basic terms to whet your appetite.
Hindustani: Heavily influenced by the influx of the Moguls into the Indian subcontinent in the 16th Century, it is the tradition of classical music generally associated with Northern India. It was made famous in the West by such players as Ravi Shankar and Zakir Hussein, and its most common instruments include the sitar (long-necked lute), tabla (hand drums), and sarod (short-necked lute). It is closely related to the qawwali music of Sufi singers like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Carnatic: Regarded by some as the older of the two traditions, it is the style of classical music generally performed in South India. It has an especially rich tradition of complex rhythmic compositions, and is often performed on vina (lute), violin, mridangam (hand drum), and ghatam (clay pot). Popular performers include L. Shankar and U. Srinivas.
Raga: Somewhat akin to a Western mode, it forms the melodic backbone of a classical performance. Often with extra-musical associations (time of day, season, colour, etc.), it may or may not start or end on the root played by an accompanying drone instrument.
Tala: A metric cycle in Hindustani music. The most ubiquitous is teental, a 16-beat pattern subdivided 4+4+4+4.
Sargam: Like an Indian version of solfège, it is the solmization of the notes in a raga. Rather than “do,” “re,” “mi,” sargam utilizes the syllables sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni, sa. “Jonas mixes Rock and Jazz with Indian Music. Go search for his videos on YouTube. It’s an education in mixing styles.
Richard Bona who hails from Cameroon, is without a doubt one of Africa’s greatest exports. His compositions naturally took in different sources: Africa, jazz, fusion… Bona is highly sought-after as an instrumentalist, and he regularly receives calls from some of the greatest musicians, including the late Joe Zawinul, Mike Stern, Bobby McFerrin, Larry Coryell, Chaka Khan and Pat Metheny. South African bassist, Bakithi Kumalo laid the solid foundation down for Paul Simon on his Graceland Album.The rhythmic feeling of two against three is very prominent in African music. (Tap on any solid surface)
Right Hand 1 * 2 * 3 *Left Hand 1 * * 2 * *
Stem up = Right Hand and Stem down = Left Hand on percussion chard below.Some of the bassists that have defined the Latin style since its initial development are: Israel Lopez, Andy Gonzalez, Bobby Rodriguez, Al McKibbon, Carlos Del Puerto and Oscar Stagnaro. These are bassists from many sides of Latin Jazz – Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Peruvian, and Argentina and are busy creating new Latin Jazz approaches. It is interesting to note that Latin music has become less “Jazzy” and more “Worldly”. You will know what I mean once you have checked these guys out on YouTube.
The line below is an example of a World Drum and Bass Groove with a Latin feel:
On the following examples, we see that the mbira (Zimbabwean instrument) lines could be used on Bass in World Music. The Bass line could be both lines on joint Treble and Bass Clefs.Turkey, Egypt and the Arab world all contribute to this style. You can see the similarity between this Turkish bass line below and a Latin Bass line.
There are many collaborations between various cultures, which could create a new aspect of music which does not already exist or remain interconnected with other elements of music around the world.
I only mentioned a few artists. There are thousands more to check out.
To make things easy for myself, I think of World Music as popular music from Latin America, Africa, and Asia and any combination thereof. You can mix it with Rock, funk, Jazz or whatever.
Since I have made World Music more prominent in my style, my journey has become one of challenged and ‘out of the box thinking.” Check it out and open the doors to he Real World
Play Better Guitar
Play Better Guitar
“My question is, how much about sound lies in the ability of the player?”
In this article I have decided to talk about the journey of sound, and the reason I call it a journey is because the pursuit of sound never ends.I think there is a huge lesson to be learnt from using gear that is not perhaps the best. I have seen buskers playing with really old guitars and yet they make the instrument sound amazing!My question is how much about sound lies in the ability of the player? So even before we get to playing guitar how do you sound as a player and how are you developing your sound?I have seen too many awesome players playing gear that is not classed as professional gear and wow, so let us begin with how can I articulate sound with my hands?If you look at players like Mark Knopfler he has developed his sound by using his fingers instead of a plectrum; the flesh part of the finger sounds very warm compared to the sound of the plectrum. He also uses a pop technique where he picks the string really hard to get a popping like sound. This kind of technique and sound generation would be difficult if not impossible with a plectrum.
Mark Knopfler
There are also local musicians that I have seen that use the nail on their index finger of their strumming hand and once again it has a very specific sound and I would assume they do it because that’s how they were taught. So your Guitar teacher will also have a huge influence on your sound whether you realize it or not.Then there are people who can articulate these different ideas very well and go from using plectrum to fingers and they can do it seamlessly. A player to check out would be Eric Johnson; he manages to use his hands very well to articulate sounds. Okay so that’s the first place to start… a teacher once said that I should go to a music shop and try playing a bunch of plectrums until I find something that I really like or that suits my playing style.
Moving on to the controls of the guitar and the guitar itself… Strumming or playing the strings back towards the bridge has a very different sound to strumming up along the neck; you will find that the closer you go to the bridge, your sound will become thin and trebly which works sometimes depending on the musical situation you in.Then you have volume and tone pot controls on the guitar; the volume pot can also control gain which will have a direct effect on your sound overall.Then the tone pots… have you tried to roll them off? Sometimes that can give you the smooth sound you are looking for on your lead breaks. So before you buy the next pedal look at articulating your guitar and your hands or plectrum to create different sounds and also remember that you will begin to sound like the music you listen to so try and listen to as much music and different players as you can.Next we look at Amps. There is so much to be said about amps and I remember watching Brett Garsed in 2007.
Brett Garsed
He was doing a tour with ESP guitars and he also used Hughes and Kettner amps. On that day he went directly into the amp; no pedals, no plectrum and completely owned his gig. Wow what a player! I think in this country ESP guitars have always been associated with the metal bands but on that day here was a guy that just knew how he sounded and what he was doing with that guitar and it was totally mind blowing. What a player, and off course he had no help from any pedals and the amp sounded really good on its own so I think in closing I would like to say that no matter how burning a player you are it still needs to sound good and usually that’s gonna make all the difference. This part of music should never be overlooked and is probably more important than learning your next sweeping technique or another scale. I am writing this article from Bali and the other night I saw a band on the beach busking. The guitarist had an old acoustic and in the sound hole he placed a speaker and behind the bridge there was another speaker. Somehow he managed to get a delay between the two and he was backed by a percussionist, bassist and rhythm guitarist. They sounded so good, these guys took instruments that weren’t great and made them sound amazing so it can be done. I suggest you spend some time on your sound and it might change the way you play so until next time enjoy and please email me questions or some ideas you would like me to look at for future articles.
Copyright Kurt Slabbert
Bluenoise Productions
kurt_slabbert@hotmail.com
Techniques For The Home Studio – Your Private Universe
Unconventional Recording Techniques: Electrical Guitar
Techniques For the Home Studio
The electric guitar is undoubtedly one the most popular instruments in modern music and over the years many different guitar tones and sounds have become highly desired. One can fairly easily capture a decent guitar sound with a good source instrument and amp. In this article however, I am going to look at a number of unconventional techniques that can be used to capture this versatile instrument.I would like to mention that, as always, sound is a highly subjective thing. Many guitarists (and engineers for that matter) are guilty of pursuing THE ULTIMATE guitar tone, when in reality a sound is only truly great when it fits well within the context of the song.
One way of achieving a different sound is, in addition to your close mics, to place a few mics at varying distances within a large room to capture the sound of the room itself. There will of course be no way of getting rid of this room sound once it’s recorded in, so make sure that you are happy with the way the amp sounds within the space before placing your room mics. This technique can also make the guitar lose detail and be highly reverberant; however, a blend of the close sound and the room mics might yield something pleasing.As soon as more than one mic is used on a single source the issue of phase relationships between the mics is introduced, so make sure that you place the mics with the combined phase in mind. You could even constructively use phase cancelation by intentionally cancelling out certain frequency ranges to create some weird and wonderful tones.
Another way of using the locations available to your advantage is to set up an amp in an unconventional space like a corridor or basement. Again, set the mics up at varying distances. In a corridor with an amp on one side, all the frequencies emanating from the amp will be bouncing around the length and width of the corridor, reinforcing and cancelling out different frequencies, thus creating a complex tone. The concrete walls of a basement reflecting the sound back into the room can reinforce certain frequencies and can help to get a “big”, or at least, unique sound.
This ties in somewhat with Phil Spector’s infamous Wall of Sound. In the 60’s Spector gathered large groups of musicians, including electric and acoustic guitarists, and recorded them playing large orchestral parts. He then sent the signals down into an echo chamber (essentially a large base-ment), played them out of speakers in the chamber, and recorded the resulting sound. This produced a rich, complex sound with a lot of depth.A useful technique to try is to route the guitar signal into multiple different amps or heads, and to use different mics that when blended, will yield a sound with more impact and a richer tapestry of tones. Pick the amps and mics critically, keeping the final tone that you are after in mind.
One final technique involves intentionally recording with low quality mics, high impedance mics, or you could even use the earpiece of a set of headphones as a transducer to capture the sound. This will result in a grainy, almost vintage tone which can be great for creating effects and interest within a piece of music.There is virtually a limitless amount of unconventional recording techniques that can be used to create your unique sound. I can’t promise that everything you try will result in something cool and unique, but every now and then you may stumble on something truly inspiring and this makes the endless hours of trial and error completely worth it.
Tech News: Roland GR-55 Guitar Synth
Roland has long been one of the fore-runners in the guitar synth market, but in recent years their offerings such as the GI-20 and GR-20 have scaled back features and limited flexibility in an attempt to make them easier to use. The new Roland GR-55 guitar synthesiser is not only a return to form, but has potential to be a real game changer. Roland are marketing the GR-55 as an all-in-one solution, offering GR guitar synthesis with updated sounds as well as VG-series guitar, effect and amp modelling, all in one relatively small floor unit. For many users with complex setups this is an attractive idea, theoretically replacing multiple guitars, guitar synths, amps and effects units.
First impressions
The first thing you notice about the GR-55 is the size – at only 40 cm wide and 24.5 cm deep it has a much smaller footprint than most other Roland/Boss floor units. The chassis and footpedal are made of steel and the footswitches are the familiar, rugged Roland/Boss ones. The large rotational control knob is flanked by small but solid feeling press buttons that together act as your main navigation and editing tool. Of special note is the display, which is massive – taking up nearly a third of the top surface space.
The rear panel sports a fairly comprehensive array of inputs and outputs for connection, which are all firmly bolted onto the metal chassis as well as a power switch (flanked by standoffs to avoid accidental switching). Notably missing from the rear panel are jacks for external control (additional expression pedals and switches), no dedicated ¼” guitar input and no effects loops.
My one big gripe with the construction is the familiar, but unwelcome external “wall-wart” power supply, where I had hoped to see the pro level IEC mains “kettle plug” power receptacle.
In Use
The operating system is relatively intuitive and easy to figure out for a fairly complicated system, although there is a lot of room for improvement. The way the left/right, page up/down buttons work is sometimes confusing and takes a bit of getting used to. The mass of screen real estate is sometimes underutilised and scrolling through longer lists of parameters can be tedious.
The lack of dedicated bank up and down buttons is an annoyance and the similar lack of control pedal inputs means that you cannot even add your own foot pedals to do this. Factory settings are however set so that the up/down buttons on the GK-3 changes banks.
Tracking
The most important quality of a guitar synth is how well it tracks your playing and follows guitar playing techniques without glitches. Out of the box, the GR-55 tracked very well indeed with the included GK-3 pickup mounted to my Strat. Surprisingly, my Graph Tech Ghost piezo pickup guitar did not fare as well until I had spent some time setting parameters, but once I had tweaked a little, it tracked as well (but not better than) the GK-3. The setup has preset settings for all the major 13-pin systems available, which is nice, and there are a number of other options to tweak specifically to get the best tracking from a number of different guitars.
Sounds
The real strength of the GR-55 is the ability to blend the synth, modelled guitar and normal guitar sounds together. It is especially nice to be able to use modelled bass sounds on the low strings (as modelling has no delay on low notes), together with synth patches on the higher strings. The preset sounds are the usual hit-and-miss of weird and wonderful sounds with overblown guitar tones designed to show the capabilities of the unit. Thankfully, editing reveals a lot more flexibility and very usable bread-and-butter tones.
Synthesizer sounds
The synthesizer sounds themselves are good, definitely a newer set than those in the old GR-33, but still a little behind the times compared to the newest synths. However having over 900 tones gives you a wide range, covers all styles of music admirably.
One thing that I was very disappointed not to find is an arpeggiator, which is a great tool for guitar synths, allowing the player to play sustained guitar chords while the synthesizer sound is arpeggiated behind it.
Guitar modelling
The guitar modelling tones are a scaled-down set of Roland’s VG tones, 40 in total covering electric, steel, nylon, resonator acoustics, banjo, sitar, resonator, bass as well as a range of analog modelled “synth” tones. Most sounds are quite good and usable, on a par with the VG-99 tones. The acoustic guitar models are a little disappointing, having far too much midrange close-miked tubbiness that I had to EQ out and “Body” settings had to be kept fairly low to avoid muddiness. The 12-string setting on any modelled instrument is very nice and is very useful for adding bright, clear acoustic or electric guitar sounds.
Amplifier and speaker modelling
If you are familiar with Roland’s amp modellers, you know what to expect here. While not exact copies of the amps they model, the amp modelling rather offers sounds “in the ballpark of…” with lots of editing options that allow you to tweak the sound to sit in the mix properly. This works especially well in this case, as the combined sounds from the GR-55 can be incredibly complex and you need to be able to tweak the guitar sounds to fit. The downside is that you do have to tweak a lot to find the best tones.
Effects
Effects are fairly simple and straightforward, but fairly limited. Each of the four source sounds can be routed through one of three signal paths, two of which have one selectable effect each, with a range effect choices. On top of that, there are also three sends for each path (delay, chorus and reverb) as well as a global EQ. Sound wise, they are mostly solid and useful.
File playback & Looping
The GR-55 also features a USB stick reader and can playback WAV files for backing tracks or practice. Playback can be started and stopped via the control pedal, but obviously at the expense of other functions such as hold or effect switching – and once again the lack of control pedal inputs doesn’t help.
The looper is more than a little limited with only 20 seconds of recording time which is paltry compared to even the simplest loopers on the market.
Other features
USB connection – lets you connect to a computer to use a patch librarian software available from Roland, which allows you to backup your patches. Also, while there is no official editor yet, but there is a great third party freeware application called GR-55FloorBoard, which does the job very well and is far easier to use than programming the unit via the front panel.
MIDI output – The MIDI and USB outputs allow you to drive external synths and softsynths and tracking is still very good. For recording, there is one big limitation – the GR-55’s sounds cannot be played back by a MIDI sequencer, so it means recording the audio output if you want to use the sounds on the unit and no MIDI editing will be possible.
Guitar Output – You can route the plain guitar sound or the modelled sound from the Guitar Out jack on the rear panel, enabling you to use other effects units or amps for these sounds
Final Conclusions
The big question is can you throw away all your other synth, effects and modelling units if you buy a GR-55? The answer depends on what you need. For many live playing situations, the GR-55 will do a very good job of handling all the tasks asked of it and keep setup very simple, compact and eminently portable. It is also a good upgrade step from the older GR-30 and GR-33 units.
However for those advanced users utilising units like the VG-99 to their full extent, or those wanting the tonal purity of a real amp and effects setup for their guitar tones, it is more than a little limited. Also, players uncomfortable with complicated effects units are going to find the GR-55 too complex for their tastes (for them, the GR-20 is still a good option).
Overall, the GR-55 is lots of fun and is a step forward in guitar synth technology – so much so that I bought my review unit within a day of trying it and was gigging with it two days later. More importantly, it is showing the way to go and I for one am hoping that Roland will bring out an advanced version with more powerful amp and effects modelling.
Features
- Up to four sound source at a time: two synth tones, guitar modelling and normal guitar input
- Over 900 of Roland’s latest fully editable PCM sounds, including pianos, organs, strings, vintage synths, and much more
- COSM guitar and amp modelling
- Two effects engines, plus global reverb, chorus, and delay effects
- An onboard looper
- Built-in USB audio player with foot control
- Available with or without GK-3 divided pickup
Suggested Retail Price : R 9,995.00
Distributor : Musical Distributors
Tel : 021-799-4950
Web : www.bothner.co.za
Written By : Alan Ratcliffe
Tech Review: Samson Meteor USB Microphone
Usability is excellent, and the zero-latency monitoring through the headphones works perfectly
The Samson Meteor Mic is a very good-looking piece of kit designed to offer high quality large-diaphragm condenser recording in a small and convenient package – one of an expanding range of ‘prosumer’ items targeting ‘musicians on the move’.
First impressions out the box are very good – the Meteor is solidly constructed, chrome plated and very well designed, with all the controls easily accessible. The fold-out legs are stable and tweakable, and make it very easy to set the Meteor up on any flat surface. The microphone can also be mounted on a stand for more ‘traditional’ recording. Connection to the computer is via USB, and there is a headphone out for monitoring. The front panel has a power light (which doubles as a clip indicator), a mute button and a volume control for the headphones – all you need for recording on the run.
Installation is trivial – for Windows 7 everything happens automatically, and XP requires a couple of mouse clicks before the automatic installation kicks off. I wanted to get a rough guitar/vocal sketch down, so I fired up Live, selected the Meteor as my input, and was ready to record. I ran a Rode Nt1a – Focusrite pre as my comparison setup – many times more expensive than the Meteor, but the sort of rig that Samson would be looking to replace.
Usability is excellent, and the zero-latency monitoring through the headphones works perfectly. The recording level is set in Windows audio setup – I found this a little unusual but it works well enough. Comparing recordings between the test microphones led to a number of observations:
Overall presentation is fairly neutral – with less air and sparkle than the Rode. This is great for spoken word or laying down simple ‘authentic’ rock tracks, but it would be difficult to get the vocal to cut through in busier pop mixes.
For medium to high register vocals the Meteor sounded great. This would be its bread-and-butter application, and it is obviously set up accordingly. The tone is good, there is detail without harshness, and the vocals have a ‘weightiness’ that will be excellent for voice-overs. Handling of plosives and wind noise is about the same as the Nt1a (without pop-shield) – fine as long as you don’t overdo things or get too close.
Low register vocals tend to get a little muddy. Proximity effect is well judged though, with no boominess or ugly resonances.
Results on acoustic guitar were very serviceable – not as bright and open as the Nt1a, but fairly close to the source and with a pleasing overall tone. I would have preferred slightly more detailed transients, but for general-purpose use this sort of thicker tone is more versatile.
Unfortunately for Cubase users there is a bit of a snag – the plug-and-play audio standard that makes the Meteor so easy to install does not provide ASIO functionality, so it’s not possible to use the Meteor with newer versions of Cubase (which only use ASIO). There may be a workaround for this but it didn’t work for me and a quick Google search shows I’m not the only one.
So basically the Meteor does what it is designed to do extremely well – it’s very compact, looks great, is easy to install and set up, and is capable of making some very good recordings in its ‘design role’ – sitting on a table wherever you happen to be, plugged into your laptop, capturing whatever you lay down. The headphone output is an added bonus and turns it into a portable sound card. It shows some limitations when you try to get too much out of it, and won’t replace a good large-diaphragm condenser/pre combo for studio pop vocals just yet, but for the price it sounds brilliant and fulfils it’s design role admirably.
Price: R 995.00
Supplier: Audiosure (Pty) Ltd
Tel: (011) 790 4600
Web: www.audiosure.co.za
Written By : Matthew De Nobrega
Tech Review: HardWire SP-7 Stereo Phaser
Any pedal where at least half the emulated models sound great and are usable is a winner in my book and in this case each model is rich and clear.
HardWire is a relatively new high-end guitar pedal manufacturer that until recently was distributed under the Digitech name. HardWire straddle the boutique and mainstream markets, producing rugged, hi-end digital effects pedals that, as their name implies, all have true hardwired bypass and constant high-voltage rails to maintain tonal clarity. They have become quite popular locally.
Their latest design is the SP-7 Stereo Phaser which offers seven classic phaser types, with true stereo I/O and with a tap-tempo speed control.
ANATOMY & SOUNDS
The SP 7 is housed in a boss-style stomp box with 4 controls:
Speed – sets the LFO rate.
Depth – sets the phase depth.
Modify – sets the bias, feedback and sensitivity depending on the type of phase selected.
Type – sets the phase type.
Phase Models:
2 Stage – A smooth, subtle vintage phase sound that I quite enjoy.
4 Stage – Reminiscent of the MXR Phase 90 or EHX Small Stone, depending on which way you set the modify control. Modern – A very deep and wide phase reminiscent of an MXR Phase 100 or a Mutron Bi-Phase depending again on the Modify setting. Think Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd or early Smashing Pumpkins.
Boutique – If you’ve ever heard Incubus you will recognise this type of phasing immediately. It is very deep and swirly. I am not a big fan of this sound but it is well represented with richness and colour.
10 Stage – Similar to Boutique in its depth but sounds more like the guitar is trying to talk to you with pronounced vowel type sounds when playing on the lower strings. Higher up the fret board it adds a nice colour to distorted leads.
Envelope – Each note triggers the LFO starting frequency allowing the phase to be triggered with each note much like an auto-wah does, although a lot more tasteful and subtle.
Dynamic – Interacts with your playing dynamics. Allows you to strum hard and hear no phasing then play delicately to bring out the swirl.
What strikes me about the SP 7 is that even at full depth there is little to no loss of definition, unlike even some classic phasers. It is, after all, a high-end digital unit and the sound is very clean yet at the same time very rich and detailed. Even though the unit offers a variety of phaser types, each type has a wide spectrum of sounds thanks to the great range of the Speed, Depth and Modify controls.
A very unusual feature, especially for a modulation type effect is the tap tempo function which, as on many modern delay pedals allows hands free control of tempo matching during a gig. On the SP 7 this is achieved by holding down the engage switch for 3 seconds, tapping the tempo, and then holding down the switch for another 3 seconds.
The retained definition that sounds great in mono really lets it down in stereo. No epic stereo swirls, or crazy psychedelic whooshes – just a polite jitter between speakers. There was, in fact very little difference in modulation between left and right.
SUMMARY
The SP 7 is an exceptionally good stomp box… in mono.
Any pedal where at least half the emulated models sound great and are usable is a winner in my book and in this case each model is rich and clear. It may be too clean sounding for analogue-Nazis, but the retained note definition is a strong plus for me. The Tap Tempo function is also an ingenious addition.
That said, this is marketed as a stereo phaser and as such it is far too subtle for my liking. In any case, there are very few guitarist I can think of who are willing to lug around a second amp to play in stereo. The SP 7 gets a big A+ for sound quality and flexibility but a D- for neglecting its main feature.
Distributor: Rockit Distribution
Tel: 021-511 1800
Suggested retail: R 1,795.00
Written By : Nic Roos
Tech Review: TC Electronic TonePrint Guitar Effect Pedals
Recently I had a chance to play around with three of the new TonePrint guitar pedals from TC Electronic.
Construction
At first glance the TonePrint pedals each look like a mini brick and picking it up I couldn’t help thinking “okay I could build houses out of these if I had enough of them.” They have a steel chassis and are built really solidly.
There is one screw at the bottom of the pedal that can be opened with any coin and gives you easy access to the battery compartment, so from a build perspective these pedals are great and I reckon they would be flight proof if you are a travelling musician. The switch on the pedal looks to be high quality and should sustain many hours of being stood on.
The 3 stomp boxes I tested were; the Flashback delay and looper, the Hall of Fame reverb and the MojoMojo overdrive…
Hall of Fame Reverb
The controls on the reverb unit include; tone, decay FX level and a rotary knob to select the type of reverb you would like to use. There are 10 different reverbs to choose from. There is also an option called TonePrint where you can download some presets of other well known musicians via a USB cable. This is a stereo pedal so there are 2 ins and 2 outs.
There is also a pre delay long/short switch; this changes the time between the direct sound and the reverb. The Pedal runs off a 9v battery that is inserted by removing one screw in the back of the pedal. Here you will also find 2 on/off switches which switch between true bypass and buffered bypass mode.Buffered bypass works well if you have a long cable and don’t want to lose quality.
The actual sound quality of the reverb is what you would expect from TC Electronic; exceptionally warm and the guitar tone really comes through.
Flashback Delay Pedal
The Flashback delay pedal has a decay, feedback, FX level and rotary knob; it’s also a stereo delay pedal with 2 ins and 2 outs. There are 10 delay choices as well as the TonePrint option mentioned earlier.This pedal also has a switch where you can choose between the rhythm of your delay. It has 3 settings; a quarter note setting, a dotted 8th note setting and a quarter plus a dotted 8th note setting. So first of all with all these options you end up with an extremely versatile stomp box. You can also set the tempo by holding down the switch and set the timing by playing it on the guitar which is very different to the tap tempo that most other pedals have but is also very effective.
The quality of the sounds are great and once again deliver the kind of quality TC are renowned for.
MojoMojo Overdrive
The MojoMojo has drive, level, bass and treble knobs as well as a voice switch; when the voice switch is in the up position the signal is true to the input, with the switch in down position you get a bass boost.The pedal runs off a 9v battery and once again one screw in the back of the pedal allows easy access to the battery compartment.
This pedal definitely has tube amp characteristics where the sound cleans up by lowering the volume of your guitar. I must say I was using single coils and I also found that running the bass and treble at 12 o’clock on the pedal worked best with my amp which was a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I was running the level at about 1 o’clock and the drive at about 11 30 and found this to be a great setting controlling the drive from my volume control on my guitar.
Be sure to go check these pedals out – there is a whole range to choose from and they are extremely robust and high quality products.
Distributed by : Prosound (Pty) Ltd
Tel : 0861 4SOUND
Web : www.prosound.co.za
Written By : Kurt Slabbert
Tech Review: Beyerdynamic TG V71d Live Dynamic Vocal Microphone
“Built like a tank, the V71d has a hypercardiod polar-pattern, progressively damped capsule suspension, rear-attenuation and a hum-buck coil to avoid unwanted stage and handling noise…”
Established in the 1920’s, Beyerdynamic is well known in the recording world for their legendary microphones.
When it comes to microphones for the sweaty, loud and bumpy world of live sound there are many good old workhorses such as the ubiquitous Shure SM85 and entering this market requires bringing something new to the table. This is what Beyerdynamic aims to do with the release of their Tour Gear series, which is aimed at the touring live musician and is set to match the quality of their famous M 88 and M 160 studio mics.
The TG V71d is a dynamic vocal mic designed to counter the many problems associated with live sound such as feedback, unintelligibility and bleed, and to deliver clear, hi-quality sound on extremely loud stages, making this mic ideal for rock and metal gigs.
ANATOMY
Built like a tank, the V71d has a hypercardiod polar-pattern, progressively damped capsule suspension, rear-attenuation and a hum-buck coil to avoid unwanted stage and handling noise, and feedback. It is optimised for very close miking, compensating for proximity effect. This means less colouration when singing with one’s lips touching the mic.
A major feature is Beyerdynamic’s Sound Channeling Technology or SCT which is supposedly responsible for the “Beyerdynamic” sound. It involves specific sound geometry behind the diaphragm, special acoustic fabric, a two stage treble resonator for optimal high-frequency reproduction and special sound holes for a frequency-independent polar pattern.
SOUNDS
A mic check over a PA revealed very little self noise, probably due to the hum-bucking coil, and while the frequency response shows a considerable boost between 5-10 kHz, I could not hear any over-hyped presence or harshness in that area. Further tests in a simulated gig situation, (actually a recorded rehearsal) showed that the V71d has a very natural tone. The singer was always intelligible, not unlike a Shure SM58 although a little smoother in tone, less susceptible to plosives and a lot less handling noise.
Designed for very close miking, it still sounds very natural with the mic right up close. Impressively it handles a lot of level from a singer without much change in tone. Whether or not ‘SCT’ is just a marketing catchphrase, something makes this mic very smooth and natural yet very present. Some may say it lacks colour but neutrality is good in live situations. Often in a live mix one finds the need to compensate for a vocal mic’s tone with EQ but with the V71d I found myself EQ-ing to bring out certain nuances in the voice, which was rather nice.
Feedback was not an issue and took quite a lot of PA volume without a peep. The off-axis bleed was impressively low even with excessively loud drums nearby thanks in part to the frequency-dependant polar pattern.
The mic’s Achilles Heel, however, is that its off-axis noise rejection and tone are greatly reduced when in the hands of anyone who learned their mic technique from watching Hip-Hop and Hardcore videos. This may be a little unfair, as any mic‘s performance suffers when one covers the rear phase ports by holding on to the capsule, but in the V71d’s case it is particularly noticeable. It is a minor point but one worth mentioning considering the number of people who don’t know how to hold a microphone properly.
SUMMARY
While certainly not the cheapest mic for its application, it is incredibly solid and will last a long time. Whether it lasts as long as the virtually indestructible SM58 is debatable but it is, in my opinion, sonically superior.
From a performer’s perspective it allows greater expressive freedom thanks to its neutral tone, substantial noise-rejection, reduced proximity-effect and wide dynamic range.
The TGV71d is a performer and live engineer’s dream and would be of great value on tour and a worthy addition to ones arsenal of sonic tools.
Distributor: Technology Innovated Distribution (TID)
Tel : +27 10 5000 111
Web : www.tidistribution.co.za
Suggested Retail price: R 2,578.00 inc. VAT.
Reviewed By : Nic Roos
Samson XP510i Portable PA With iPod Dock
“This rig is the perfect setup for a singer/songwriter performing in a small to medium sized venue”
First Impressions
My impressions of Samson as a company is that of a dynamic organisation with their ear close to the ground when it comes to filling the gap for decent quality audio gear at reasonable prices. They also tend to be rather innovative with their product lines, living proof of which is the popular Expedition 308i PA system. In fact the success of this product has lead to them introducing a slightly higher spec version, the XP510i, subject of this review. The package consists of a pair of 2-way speakers with 10-inch woofers and a 500 watt Class D powered mixer. On first inspection the XP510i is neat, concise and seems well thought out for an all-in-one portable PA system. It is perfectly suited to the market it is addressing with all the right features and some very smart innovations.
Anatomy
Firstly, a look at the powered mixer; the mixer houses a 500 watt (2 x 250 W) Class D amplifier equipped with a total of four line/mic stereo inputs complete with XLR and stereo jack connectors (plus phantom power for your mics), one channel with stereo jack ins, one with optional stereo jack in or RCA and one channel with just RCA which also doubles up as your iPod channel.
All channels include volume-gain rotaries as well as 2-band EQ. That’s a total of 7-channel inputs which is ideal for this configuration. The first four channels, with the mic/line inputs, also include the 24-bit DSP effects which are basically 10 reverbs. This is great for adding a bit of depth and ambiance to your vocals or possibly a guitar/keyboard etc. Each of the four channels can have the effect activated/ deactivated individually, however, there is a single master rotary to control the depth.
Likewise there is also only a single knob to select which of the 10 reverbs you wish to use. So one setting fits all is the name of the game with this option. Two additional nifty features include a monitor out channel with separate volume control and a set of RCA-outs for plugging in a recording device. Naturally there is a master volume out knob too. Master outputs are twin jack connectors.
Finally we have the iPod docking bay (iPhone fits perfectly too) to plug the device into. What’s particularly useful with this docking station as opposed to simply plugging a 2-to-1 cable into a channel of the mixer is that when docked, your iPod/iPhone will charge at the same time. All connections are found on top of the unit which is really handy and makes for easy access and plugging in.
The speakers each house a 10-inch woofer and a 1-inch titanium tweeter in a 60° x 90° horn. The plastic molded enclosures have a useful handle on top for carrying and are angled so they can be used as floor monitors too. They also have integrated 1-3/8-inch speaker stand mounts. But perhaps the most impressive feature of all with these cabinets is the clever portability in their design. You see one speaker houses the powered mixer (which can easily be disconnected, depending on your preference) whilst the other cabinet stores your speaker leads and mixer power cable.
But that’s not all folks… (!) Once you’ve stuck all your cables away and neatly put your mixer back in the cabinet (two easy to turn rotary plugs ensure the mixer fits snugly) the two speakers slide into each other making one package to carry weighing a paltry 22.6 kg’s (see fig below). This feature is amazing and means that the XP510i lives up to its name as a truly portable PA system.
Sound
The amp kicks out a maximum of 250 watts per channel so right off the bat you need to realise that this is not a massive system. Whilst Samson’s sales material claims the rig to be suitable for a “DJ entertaining 500 people at a large club,” that I’m afraid is slightly exaggerated although the overall delivery of the sound is adequate with good dispersion from the speakers.
If you’re after some bass best to place them on the floor or a solid raised surface as they are understandably lacking in some real presence when pole mounted. Overall though the sound is well balanced and there is a built in limiter on the mixer to avoid any nasty blow outs. This rig is the perfect setup for a singer/songwriter performing in a small to medium sized coffee shop or restaurant or for small band practice sessions. It of course will be ideal for presentations requiring integration of musical performance and speech which, incidentally, the mixer also has – a speech/music button to toggle between desired requirements.
Conclusion
There are aspects that really impress with the XP510i. Firstly it has been very well thought out in terms of portability and versatility. The fact that you can plug up to four mics in, or up to seven line inputs means that any average sized band can utilize this for intimate gigs or rehearsals.
However it’s the one or two man band setup that I think will be the most interested in this package. You can plug your mics in, plus have 2 or 3 guitars/keyboards plugged in, plus a sampler, drum machine or any playback device (iPod or otherwise) that you desire without the hassle of plugging in and out during performance. Add to that the useful reverbs and you’re pretty much set to play.
If you’re delivering your performance to an intimate crowd in the aforementioned environment then the XP510i could prove a really smart investment.
Features:
- Dual 2-way speaker enclosures, powered mixer with built-in 500 watt (2 x 250) Class D amplifier
- Packs up into a single portable unit that weighs just over 50 pounds
- 10-channel mixer with built-in iPod dock, four mic/line inputs, three stereo inputs and phantom power
- Custom 10-inch woofers in 2-way vented enclosures with 1-inch high frequency driver
- Ten studio-quality 24-bit digital effects
- Integrated 1-3/8-inch speaker stand mounts
- Enclosures tilt back for use as floor monitors
- Cables included
Pros:
- Great all in one portable PA package
- All components fit into one unit for carrying/transport
- Versatile connectivity options
- Well built
- Good feature list on mixer
Cons:
- Struggles a little at really high volume
- Single control of all FX
Also try out the XP 308i if you’re looking to save a few Rands. A slightly smaller rig (150 watts per channel) it contains all the same marvelous features except the onboard DSP effects and will adequately fulfill the one-man-band role too.
Suggested Retail price:
XP510i – R 8,995.00
XP308i R 6,995.00
Supplier: Audiosure
Tel: 011-790.4600 | 031-534.6460 | 051-430.4455 | 021-555.1617
Web: www.audiosure.co.za
Written By : Dave Mac
M-Audio Venom
”A powerhouse of synthetic sound and inspiration”
Media giants Avid have launched their first M-Audio product since the company’s acquisition. This hype driven release comes at you in the form of the new Venom synthesizer, another first for M-Audio. Their bold leap into the deadly realm of hardware synths has been highly calculated from both a practical and a market viewpoint in order to give us the best for the price.
The Venom is a 49-key, 12 voice, multi-timbral, virtual analogue synthesizer with audio interface and the Vyzex integrated software editor to give you comprehensive control and patch management. Its design and appearance is unmistakably reminiscent of the legendary Virus TI Polar virtual analogue synth from Access music with an all-white-with-grey-knobs scheme, taking the modern rather than the vintage aesthetic approach. The sound engine, on the contrary allows you to choose from 94 oscillation waveforms from some of the greatest true analogue synthesizers in history, allowing purists to get their fix of warmth and texture regardless of their budget. I/O options include 1/4” main outs and mic and instrument inputs, stereo RCA inputs, expression and sustain pedals, MIDI I/O and USB as well as a phones out on the front panel. The Venom’s main console is focused around the 4 performance control knobs with which 30 parameters on the 3 envelopes, 4 LFOs and 16 node mod-matrix may be accessed.
As a live instrument the Venom proves very powerful indeed. The two modes of operation(512 single and 256 multi patches) along with the in-depth Vyzex software will allow you to easily design your sounds and setup multi-timbral performance patches. The Venom is also equipped with a mutli mode arpeggiator with tap tempo making it even more suited to live use. The Venom’s versatility presents a number of options when playing live. As it is both an interface and a controller its integration with Ableton Live would allow access to the Vyzex plugin as well as provide assignable MIDI controls for further hands on operation. The 4 part multi mode also allows you to use the Venom as the entire rhythm section of your band with 4 layers of latched arpeggiation possible and a great range of drums and rhythmic sounds to select from.
Use the Venom as an effects processor for guitar or vocals on stage or simply as a very powerful standalone synth keyboard with the ability to tap tempo and layer sounds while playing. The Vyzex editor also gives you the power to preload and assign 2 bar MIDI sequences which can then be triggered live as part of your set. The easy and rather appealing interface will quickly become part of your musical makeup rather than just another accessory.
Every musician, regardless of their discipline searches for character of sound when choosing an instrument. This tends to be very difficult when dealing outside of the 20k upwards price bracket, which makes the Venom a formidable contender as it is by far the most versatile in its price range. The true power of the instrument lies in its sound. A great deal has gone into the analogue modelling sound engine to ensure its great tonal characteristics and the filter really does have it’s very own feel to it. The patches, combined with the sound creation capabilities of the Vyzex editor allows one to not only create styles of pop and dance music, but the edge to delve into slightly darker genres too. The smooth warmth of the analogue with a bright digital sheen, the aggressive mod and glide controls enable one to achieve snappy, up-close and personal direct sounds and anything in between. A huge effort has been made to streamline this instrument into a powerhouse of synthetic sound and inspiration.
Despite being a so-called entry level synth I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to hear the Venom on new record releases or even on tour with the likes of Nine Inch Nails.
Pros:
- Bang for the buck.12-voices.
- 4-part multi-timbral.
- Powerful, full-featured synth engine.
- Can process incoming audio through internal effects.
- 30 synth parameters available through performance control matrix.
- Separate volume controls for mic and instrument gain.
- Arpeggiator with tap tempo.
Cons:
- Mic input is 1/4-inch, rather than XLR.
- Audio interface limited to 44.1 kHz.
Suggested Retail Price: R 7,599.00 incl. 14% VAT (estimated)
Supplier: Midi Music
Tel: (011) 417 3400 | (031) 564 3886
Written By : Stefan Wyeth
The PreSonus StudioLive 16.4.2 Digital Mixer
“The best mixer for band-orientated live mixing and recording.”
In 2008 PreSonus, revered studio-orientated manufacturer, released the StudioLive 16.4.2, their first mixer, aimed at both the live and studio market (hence the name).
With more people mixing ‘in the box’ on affordable DAWs the idea of working with a desk has increasingly been left to live sound and big studios. Only recently have manufacturers incorporated an audio interface into a mixer for easier connectivity to computer. The StudioLive is part of this new generation of mixers, able to function as a FOH mixer while recording onto your laptop via Firewire. Easy to use and packed with features, it’s become very popular globally.
To list all its features would take up the whole magazine. What follows are some highlights.
Anatomy
The StudioLive 16.4.2 is a powerful 16-channel, 4-subgroup digital mixer and Firewire interface with onboard processing on each channel, six auxes and two digital effects busses.
A major feature is that each channel boasts the same revered, high headroom Class A XMAX mic preamps found on PreSonus’ FireStudio interfaces, each with a line-in and an insert point for outboard gear.+
The high-definition AD converters, with JetPLL anti-jitter clock syncing, have an impressive 118dB dynamic range.
The Fat Channel is a collection of digital processors on each channel/bus, including a gate, compressor, 4-band semi-parametric EQ and limiter, all with great presets and user presets.Each channel also has phase reversal and a HP filter. There are two effects busses with dozens of reverbs and delays, also with presets and user presets.
For live applications, a 31-band graphic EQ is found on the Master Section and I’m told there will be a free firmware update, adding six mono graphic EQs for the six aux buses.
The StudioLive’s ease of use is another big feature. Unlike most digital desks where functions are controlled through a paging system on an LED screen, the StudioLive provides easy access to most controls on the board itself while only a few system functions are controlled on screen. For a desk packed with features it has an ingeniously simple layout. Each channel/bus has its own Select button which calls up that channel or bus’s settings. This also allows the Fat Channel to take up more board real-estate, giving you quick access to processor parameters.
Apart from the Master Section meters, there are 16 meters in the Fat Channel section that can display processor settings, channel input, output and gain reduction levels, aux output levels, aux and effects send levels as well as a fader-position locater display – a cost-effective alternative to motorized faders.
Channel settings can be copied to one another and mix settings for the entire board can be saved and recalled as Scenes.
The StudioLive is 100% compatible with most DAWs, showing up as a multi I/O interface. 32 in/18 out Firewire recording and playback streams make it a versatile recorder well beyond its 16-channel designation. The StudioLive tracks at either 44.1 or 48 kHz sample rates. While higher sample rates would be more luxurious (and expensive), would your computer cope with 16 tracks at 96kHz coming at it simultaneously for an hour at a one-take live show? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
The desk ships with a special software bundle: Virtual StudioLive allows you to control the mixer from your computer and if you download the StudioLive Remote app you can control your StudioLive in VSL through a wireless network…wait for it… via your iPad!
This means that, should you, at a gig, need to move away from the desk to replace a faulty mic, you would still have control over the mix.
Also in the software bundle are Capture, a ‘set it and forget it’ live recorder designed specifically for the StudioLive, and Studio One Artist, PreSonus’ powerful yet ‘bloat-free’ DAW designed by two top ex-Steinberg designers. Also included are Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig 3 LE, Toontracks’ EZdrummer and a special Native Instruments Kore sample set.
Should you have another StudioLive on hand you can daisy-chain both together via the second Firewire port in a master/slave configuration, giving you 32×34 recording and playback streams and various linking options.
In Use
The XMAX preamps deliver on their promise of transparency, deeper low end, smoother highs and headroom! Oh, sweet headroom! Transients are well represented. The Fat Channel processors are all high quality tools that sound surprisingly musical.
The speed and ease of use cannot be overstated, with virtually no learning curve. Tracking in Capture was as simple as arming the appropriate tracks and hitting record. Tweaking is quick and easy, a two- or three-button affair – Select channel, select parameter, set parameter. Simple! I felt completely focused on the music I was mixing and not bogged down by the process, as if thought and execution were one.
Apart from providing great front end, the advantage of a mixer interface is its ability to mix down pre-recorded tracks too. Once mixed, desk parameters can be saved for full recall later.
Similarly, in a live context, Scenes of each act’s mix can be saved and recalled after sound check.
Working in Studio One is a joy.
Think Cubase meets Pro Tools without the bloated extras. It’s incredibly stable with a ‘drag and drop’ GUI and includes great sounding sample packs, soft synths, instruments, comprehensive plug-ins and third-party VST and AU compatibility. More than just a recorder, sequencer and mixing tool, the Pro version of Studio One allows you to master and sequence whole albums.
Conclusion
While similar mixers exist in the same price range, such as the Phonic Summit, some with more features, the StudioLive looks like the best mixer for band-orientated live mixing and recording.
The pre-amps alone, with their smooth transparency and generous headroom, set it apart from the competition but in conjunction with the Fat Channel’s wealth of processors, the tremendous (shall I repeat it?) tremendous ease of use, its recording capabilities and integrated software, the StudioLive 16.4.2 is a big winner.
Of course, if 16 channels aren’t enough for you, there is the StudioLive 24.4.2, adding, amongst other things, another eight channels to play with.
It would have been nice to be able to use the StudioLive as a control surface in Studio One or other DAWs. I’m told there are as yet no plans for this kind of upgrade but it is not entirely out of the question. Alternatively, do it the old fashioned way of automation in real time during final mix-down.
Personally, I’m blown away. It’s easy to see why the StudioLive is so popular. Anyone working with bands in South Africa’s small but thriving music scene should definitely sit up and take notice.
For more information, visit www.presonus.com.
SA Distributor: Tuerk Music
Tel : 011- 792 8402
Web : www.tuerkmusic.co.za
Suggested retail Price:
StudioLive 16.4.2 – R 25,995
StudioLive 24.4.2 – R 35,995
Written By : Nic Roos
AKG Perception 820 Tube Microphone
“…a great way to get your hands on a tube mic from a respected brand at an affordable price.”
AKG’s Perception Series was launched in 2005 essentially to introduce affordable microphones to the market. Notably though, tube microphones have been surprisingly missing from their range, notwithstanding of course the C 12 VR, the only other AKG tube model still in production. But at a price of well over R35,000 it’s not the type of mic you’ll find in the average recording studio. So the 820 is a welcome addition as the new flagship for the Perception Series. There are two significant features that make this microphone particularly interesting; it has a tube design and its polar patterns and other controls are located on a separate remote control unit.
Anatomy
Yes it’s made in China but the Perception 820 looks as good as its European tradition belies. This is a beautiful looking piece of kit, well built, heavy and solid with superb finish and top notch switches and knobs all round. Internal design features dual ‘back to back’ 1-inch diaphragm capsules which combine with ECC 83 dual-triode tube circuitry to deliver the 820′s warm tube sound. The architecture is designed to enhance even-order harmonics which in turn form the backbone of a tube microphone’s distinctive sound. The actual microphone has no on-body controls as, once it is connected to its control unit via the supplied seven-pin power/microphone cord, all setup is controlled from there.
The remote control unit itself is cast in classy silver and looks like a scaled-down high-end hi-fi amplifier, with a pleasingly minimalist front panel.
The prominent central dial here is used to control the microphone’s polar pattern and nine detented positions are available, from omni-directional mode at the 7 o’clock position, through cardioid at noon, through to figure-of-eight at 5 o’clock, with intermediate positions available between these poles. The other controls on the front panel include a -20dB pad switch and a bass roll off option which provides 12dB per octave high-pass filtering below 80Hz.
As far as actually feeding the signal from the remote control unit to your audio interface or mic preamp of choice is concerned, a regular XLR cable is required, although this is not included. You’ll also find a ground lift button on the back panel which will help eradicate hum if necessary. The mic itself is just under 8-1/2″ in height with a 2″ diameter and weighs just shy of 2 lbs. Sharing the signature look of the current Perception line, the 820 has a chrome silver grill and head basket with a “vintage” light-blue brushed-metal body.
Versatility
With a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz (±5 dB) and its ability to handle SPLs of up to 155 dB (with the pad engaged) this makes it a modern, multifunction tube mic: It can handle chores such as recording drums and guitar amps traditionally, jobs for dynamic mics – as easily as it does vocals and acoustic instruments.
Sound
Whilst the word ‘warmth’ is the obvious description to use on a tube mic the 820 is just that but in a subtler way. With the nine polar positions one has plenty of choice and you’ll find what you need to get a great sound almost regardless of the source you’re looking to record. Sonically it is much clearer and clean sounding than you may expect from a tube mic, and its warmth seems to be more of an absence of harshness in the top registers than the thickness in the mids that is sometimes associated with a tube mic.
Verdict
By now you may have gathered that the 820 gets a massive thumbs up from us. It easily competes with mics almost twice its price and its bulletproof design coupled with its amazing versatility make it a utility microphone every studio could do with. This is indeed a great way to get your hands on a tube mic from a respected brand at an affordable price.
Pros:
- Solidly built.
- Nine polar patterns.
- Remote switching capability.
- Great sound quality.
Cons:
- No stand-by switch.
Distributor: Rockit Distribution
Tel: 021 511-1800
Suggested retail: R 8,995-00
Written By : Muse Reports
Line 6 POD HD300
Line 6′s new POD HD line of amp/effect modellers are the much anticipated updates to the POD line of amp and effect modelling floorboards. The basis of the POD HD range is a selection of 16 all-new HD amp tones coupled with 80 – 100 effects models (depending on model) taken from Line 6’s successful M9 and M13 stompbox modellers. Each of the three models in the HD range share the same amp models, sound quality and 80 of the same effects. The HD300 is the entry-level floorboard in the HD line.
First impressions
The HD300 has a solid feel to it thanks to the all metal chassis, switches and pedal. The knobs, switches, pedal and even the toe switch under the pedal all have a solid feel and firm action. The metal “roll bar” between the footswitches and knobs also inspires confidence as a road-ready piece of gear.
My usual gripe with multi-fx floorboards is the “wall-wart” power supplies that most use, which is usually the single biggest source of problems with these units. The HD300 does use a wall-wart, which is understandable as an entry-level model (although the bigger models also have this problem and can’t claim the same excuse). It is however, a better than usual supply, with thicker power cable and a range of clip-on adaptors for different territories (sadly, no round 3-pin adaptor though).
The HD300 also lacks a power switch, which is inconvenient in a home or studio setup where you often want to be able to turn off without unplugging.
Controls
The onboard controls are the bare minimum for amp and effect control, which makes them quite easy to use live although they do not offer quick access to deep editing. The pedalboard is well thought out to make use of the six switches: a tap/tuner button; a switch to toggle between the three modes for the last four switches; and the last four switches which can be toggled between calling up four patches in a bank, a manual mode which allows you to turn effects on and off and a mode to control the looper functions. The pedal has a toe switch to turn the wah effect on and off.
Connection
The HD300 has more connections than you would expect from an entry level unit, including both unbalanced ¼” jack and balanced XLR outputs as well as a ¼” headphone socket. It also has a USB port for connecting directly to a computer, allowing direct recording and playback as well as letting you edit and save patches via an easy to use and comprehensive patch editor/ librarian.
Alongside the expected ¼” guitar input, there is a 3.5mm input socket which allows you to connect a CD or MP3 player for jamming with pre-recorded music or backing tracks. The rear panel also sports an extra XLR connector labelled “L6 Link” which lets you connect to Line 6’s DT50 amp and integrate control and patches together. What is notable is more what the HD300 doesn’t have – an effects loop.
So aside from putting a few effects between guitar and the HD300, there is no way to expand on the effects capabilities. It also means that it is not possible to use the common “four cable method” with an amplifier.
Amp Models
While 16 amp models may seem minimal compared to some other modellers (including older PODs), Line 6 stress that the emphasis is on quality rather than quantity and the models are all new, higher resolution models with improved feel and tone over the older PODs.
Amongst the 16 models, most of the expected classic amps are covered alongside a few boutique models and they do cover a comprehensive range of musical styles – just about everything you could reasonably expect to need. Also, as with all of the newer PODs, the HD300 can be updated via USB and it is expected that Line 6 will expand and add to these models with future updates (and possible dedicated expansion packs too).
Effects
Effects are a comprehensive set of 80 models which are generally very high quality and most are very usable and musical.
The effects are divided between six effects location slots: three with user selected effects; one fixed reverb only slot; a fixed noise gate slot; and a volume/wah slot. There is, however, one major bugbear – each selectable slot can only hold just one effect at a time and each effect is limited to a specific slot.
This means that there are many effects which cannot be used simultaneously – for instance, the first slot has all the distortion, compression, pitch and envelope effects, so if you want to use overdrive you cannot use a compressor, harmoniser or autowah at the same time. This is very limiting and probably means that most users will resort to using at least a separate pedal compressor and overdrive before the HD300.
Sound
The good news is that the new amp models are great – they all have a noticeable tonal edge over the last generation PODs and more importantly, they respond much more convincingly to playing dynamics and guitar volume control changes.
I was especially impressed when I took the Twin amp model and paired it with a blue speaker and compared it to my Fender Twin kitted out with Weber Blue Dog speakers – bar a few small differences, it nailed the tone and feel convincingly.
In conclusion
The HD300 sounds great, is easy to use, is compact and solid enough for travel and makes a great headphone practice tool. The limitations in effect placement and the lack of effects loop will force many to use it with other pedals or to upgrade to the HD400 or probably the HD500 though.
Main features
- 16 HD amp models
- 16 Speaker cabinet models
- 80 effect models
- Up to 6 simultaneous effects
- 128 user presets
- 24-second on-board looper with dedicated controls
- 1/4″ Main, 1/4″ headphone and XLR outputs
- MP3/CD input
- Expression pedal
- Comprehensive software editor/librarian
- Metal chassis, pedal and footswitches
Supplied by: Active Music Distribution
Tel : 011 466-9510
Email : info@activemusicdistribution.com
Suggested Retail Prices:
HD300 – R 5,595.00
HD500 – R 8,995.00
Written By : Alan Ratcliffe
Steve Grindrod : 50 Years of Guitar Amp Design
“Albion amps are like boutique amplifiers such is their feature set and sound quality…”
Steve Grindrod
Sometime in March this year Steve Grindrod paid his first visit to South Africa. Now for those not familiar with the name, Steve has been designing and engineering amplifier and speaker products for two of the world’s most famous guitar amp companies for almost four decades.
From 1973 to 2000, Grindrod served as Chief Engineer and Director of Research and Development for Marshall Amplification. In 2000, Grindrod was invited by Vox to become Managing Director and Chief Designer, a position he held until 2008. The products of Grindrod’s work have been heard on countless recordings and are featured on more concert and club stages than could be counted. He has since embarked on a new adventure with International Audio Group to form Albion Amplification, a partnership he says has offered him the creative freedom to produce the kind of guitar amplifiers he has been wanting to design for sometime; “There’s no such thing as the perfect design, not when you’re the designer,” he explains. “There’s always something in retrospect that I feel could have been done slightly different or improved upon but ultimately the product has to go into production so one has to move ahead.”
Celebrating his 50th year of producing guitar amplifiers – he designed his first one at 13 years of age “out of necessity,” he adds – this 63 year old, somewhat hippyish looking eccentric guitar player is clearly a perfectionist and can tell you about design flaws that some of the most esteemed players and reviewers of his products are unlikely to have ever picked up on.
On enquiring about his years at Marshall and Vox Steve is reasonably non-committal, suffice to add that after 36 years with the companies he’d had enough of the ‘bean-counters’ and non-musical people having such a big say in his designs. He relates a story where at Vox he was instructed to ensure that a particular segment of an amp needed to have valves instead of solid state technology, this despite the fact that he knew and had advised ‘the suits’ that solid state would sound better for this module. “All they knew was that valve was considered as better and that’s what their customers wanted. They had no idea of sound quality or for that matter any understanding of when and where valves should be used. In the end I set up a ‘blind test’ for them – one with valve and one without for the effects loop on this particular amp and asked them to listen. Of course in the end they chose the one I wanted without even realising it,” he chuckles.
It’s these sort of restrictions and “dealing with corporate bullshit” as he puts it, that made leaving Vox and embarking on this new venture so appealing to him. “Albion Amplification is 100% designed the way I think amplifiers should be. My objective is simple; produce the best possible amplifiers for the most reasonable price. I don’t want to be the cheapest on the market, but I want to be the most affordable for what you get.”
And what you get is quite something as Nic Roos, the Sleepers lead guitarist and Muse Magazine reviewer will attest to. Says Nic, “Albion amps are like boutique amplifiers such is their feature set and sound quality, but amazingly at way more affordable prices. In fact some of the top brand names do not have features I can list on the Albion amps.”
“It is no secret that my products are built in Shenzhen, China. But what I would like you to appreciate is that we really do own our factory. I live here, next to the factory, full time, and work side by side with my manufacturing team on a daily basis. This enables me to constantly monitor products as they are built. To the best of my knowledge there is no other guitar amp company using off-shore manufacturing who can claim this dedication. Most brands who build in China use a nameless, unknown O.E.M. factory. We don’t!” states Grindrod emphatically.
Shooting the breeze with Steve, it’s no wonder then that all products reviewed by us thus far have received a massive thumbs-up for innovation, build quality, sound, feature set and affordability. Here’s a man that has had such a major influence on amp design for over 40 years finally able to produce guitar amplifiers totally with his own vision and it shows in the Albion range.
Originally branded as Wharfedale, the products underwent a name and styling change but the heart and soul of each amp as reviewed by us remains the same.
To read our previous reviews online follow these links…
http://museonline.co.za/?p=958
http://museonline.co.za/?p=517
http://museonline.co.za/?p=1260
Written By : Muse Reports
Band Tips : Ten Tips on Writing Music
1. Write the lyrics for your Song
Many musicians write their own melodies as well as the lyrics. If you already have lyrics, consider them when writing your melody. Some questions to ask yourself before composing the music are: What words do I want to focus on? Are there note lengths or timing that will accommodate certain words better than others will?
a. Consider the following line: I DROVE my CAR down the HIGHWAY. The emphasized words DROVE, CAR and HIGHWAY give the listener an idea of what is going on, even if these are the only words they hear. On the other hand, if you sing the same line but emphasize different words: I drove MY car DOWN THE highway. The listener might have no idea what you’re singing about.
b. You can emphasize words with a louder note, changing the note itself, a longer note or including a rest before or after the note. Experiment with your song and see what sounds the best.
2. Listen to and learn from other composers
There is something to be learned from every single musician or band out there. Listen to how your favourite musicians construct their songs – examine the style, the tone, how different instruments work together and so on and so forth. You can implement many of the same ideas into your own music or even take some of their riffs and tweak them to fit your style. This is a great way to come up with new melodies.
3. Use music composition software
Music composition software can be a musician’s best friend. These programs aid in the writing process by organizing your work and allow you to see what you’re playing. Quality software packages provide features including a metronome to keep beat, playback, so you can listen to what you’ve composed, input, so you can hook your instrument or microphone directly to your computer and notate a song you play or sing and tons of editing tools so you can easily compose a riff.
4. Look for musical inspiration
Before writing a piece of music, it’s critical to feed your mind inspiration. Inspiration comes from all around us: our emotions, relationships, nature, people and experiences – some songs are even about surreal situations. A big part of finding inspiration is putting yourself in situations that rouse inspiration and then recognize it when it comes. We all have different people come into our lives; relationships have always been a hot topic for song-writers. To generate other ideas get out of the house, go somewhere, and do something. This could even be something as simple as walking in the park or down the street. You’ll be amazed where inspiration can be found.
5. Have fun
You first started writing music because you love music. If you’re not enjoying composing music, then do something else for a while. People tend to do what they love best.
6. There is no wrong answer in music composition
Writing music is one of those things you can do and never make a mistake. Some melodies are catchier than others are, and everyone will write some bad stanzas. It’s all right; that’s why we have revisions. Remember this while writing music: it will make you feel better and help you avoid writer’s block.
7. Define your music composition goal
Are you writing music for yourself or for other people? This alone will totally change the tone and style of your music. If you are writing for yourself, you have more freedom to write what and how you want. In contrast, if you are writing for other people, it is a good idea to identify your target audience and write music they will enjoy.
8. Seek advice and opinions
People are always willing to give advice and opinions; take their comments into consideration when writing music. Give your music to family members and friends to get their opinion of your songs. Though people close to you may be biased, their comments are still valuable.
9. Do something different
It’s easy to get stuck in a rut and all of your songs begin to sound the same. Even if you’ve found a great combination of notes or a catchy beat, changing it can be good and help you grow as a composer. An easy way to try something new is pick up an instrument you haven’t played before. Sometimes you find yourself playing the same old keys or strumming the same chords on your guitar. A different instrument can lead you to melodies you may not have thought of otherwise.
10. Practice, practice and more practice
There is no substitute for hard work and practice—it is the only formula that will guarantee you will become a better songwriter.
Source: TopTenReviews.com
Written By : Muse Reports
Recording Electric Guitars
An electric guitar is capable of a wide range of sounds and is unique in that the amplifier and the speakers are as much a part of the sound as the instrument itself. This means that to record the “true” sound of the electric guitar, you need to capture the sound coming from the speakers. The key to getting a great guitar sound is to constantly experiment, trying lots of things until you get the sound that is most pleasing to your ears.
Amp Modelling v. Miking
Amp modelling effects such as the line 6 PODs, Boss GT series of multieffects or Native Instruments Guitar Rig software can offer a quick and easy way to record an electric guitar with decent tone and offer a range of amp tones to choose from. However many players are more comfortable with a real amplifier and will give their best performance when using one.
First & Foremost
The single most important detail in getting great electric guitar sounds is that the sound coming out of the amp should be great. This is determined by the guitar, amp, speakers and the person playing it. So make sure the guitar is free from buzzes and rattles, the strings are relatively new and the intonation is set properly.
If needed, take it for a professional setup before recording. Similarly, the amplifier (particularly valve amps) need to be in a good state of repair and any problems should be sorted out before you go into the studio.
Miking
Open backed guitar cabinets emit sound from both the front and the rear of the cabinet, and you must often capture both to reproduce the real and best tones of the amp. Usually a guitar amp is miked close up with the mic up against the grille of the amp to capture a dry isolated sound. It also pays to add in an ambient mic a short distance away from the amp as well as a room mic a few metres away. This gives you a range of sounds to play with.
In smaller home studios, or those with an unflattering room sound, you may want to omit using the room mic. If you are going to use a room mic, take time to find a spot in the room where the amp sounds good and a spot distant from the amp which sounds good. Use your ears and walk around the room listening for “sweet spots” where the amp sounds good – you’ll know them when you find them.
Try different mics at different distances, positions and angles. Move the amp around the room: try putting the amp in a corner, on a concrete floor, on a wood floor, on carpeting – basically just try everything you can think of!
Close mic
The close mic gives a dry, punchy, detailed sound. Usually dynamic mics such as the Shure SM57 or Sennheiser MD421 are used for close mic as dynamic mics can easily handle the extreme volume levels from electric guitar amplifiers. Set up the mic right against the amp’s grill cloth, pointing it straight at the amp will give a clearer, more detailed sound, but with more highs and a harsher edge. Angling the mic slightly will soften the tone at the expense of a little detail and highs, and moving the mic towards the edge of the speaker will result in a mellower sound, as will moving the mic away from the cloth slightly.
Speakers vary a little, so if the amp has a multi-speaker guitar cabinet, there is usually nothing to gain by miking more than one speaker. So listen to each to see which sounds better and mic that speaker.
Ambient mic
A mic placed a few inches to a few feet back can fill out the sound and create interesting tonalities. Just be careful of the delay which causes phasing – cancelling certain frequencies when mixed with another mic, which can be pleasing or horrible, depending on the frequencies cancelled. So experimenting with distances is very important. If you are recording to a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), it is possible to sidestep any phasing issues while keeping the ambient mic’s tonality by dragging a mic track into time alignment with the other mic tracks.
Room Mic
For the room mic, place a condenser mic anywhere from half a metre to two metres in front of the amp (at the same height as the amp) and point the mic at one of the speakers. The further the mic is from the amp, the more bass and less midrange it will have and the more the room sound will be captured. If you have enough tracks on your recorder, print each mic to a separate track (if possible) to be able to decide the balance between them later, otherwise if recording to one single track, be very careful not too add in too much room mic.
Written By : Alan Ratcliffe
Play Better Bass : The Relationship Between Bass And Drums
As bassists, it is essential that we learn to trust and openly communicate with our comrades on the drums. Bassists and drummers should have a healthy, honest and trusting relationship. Below, I have outlined several key points that you should consider when working and locking in with your drummer.
Both the bass Player and the drummer are responsible for keeping the rhythm section together. Nothing drives a song like the bass and the kick working together. Even if the bass is playing a cool groove or some kind of slapping pattern, it should still be locked in with the kick so that they are hitting the major “groove points” together.
Most professional bass and drum masters understand the subtleties of “beat placement.” Essentially there are three ways of playing “time” in any musical situation:
1) On TOP of the beat (slightly ahead of the metronome Click)
2) In the MIDDLE of the beat (dead center with the metronome click)
3) BEHIND the beat (slightly behind the metronome click)
It is not always that bass and kick need to hit every note together. Each instrument may add independent 8th or 16th notes, but as a general rule the quarter, half and whole notes should be locked together. Sometimes there is a need for space in the music; it sounds better if the drums and bass parts are not both busy at the same time. However, if the bass player tends to keep a very steady low end (less busy) feel free to “play around the beat” more. You do not want to have the bass and drums going in different directions wildly.
Listen to bass players like Rocco Prestia, Jaco Pastorius, Flea and Mark King for bass lines that are busy but perfectly locking in with the Drums.
Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare
In a lot of rock classics the kick drum plays on every second quarter note, while the bass lines are straight 8th notes or in a shuffle swinging 8th. In rock and pop styles of music, the solid relationship between the bass drum and snare drum is vital to a deep groove and feel; the dependence of keeping time on the hi-hat or ride cymbal. Good drummers take the dependence of right hand (or left) as time-keeper, and apply it to the bass drum and snare drum where it belongs, thus freeing up the right hand to play more interesting patterns on the cymbals.
The legendary Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare combination is a wonderful example of how drum and bass can sound as one unit. They are Jamaica’s most prolific drum and bass duo: since they started working together in 1975, they have played on more tracks than any drum and bass partnership I know of. They have backed and produced virtually everyone on Jamaica, from Peter Tosh to Sean Paul.
Besides the music the sound (tone) also plays a very important role, both for live playing, and in a recording context. The key to EQ’ing drum and bass tracks is to contain each track in its own space to keep your tracks from competing for the same frequencies. It’s important to remember to do this all in moderation if you want a natural sound, but the rules are always different depending on the genre and the sound you’re going for.
To highlight “snap”, “attack” or a “plucked” sound, make gradual tweaks of the frequencies between 800 Hertz and 2 Kilohertz. Just make small adjustments, listening carefully and checking how your bass and kick reacts to moderate increases or decreases in each of these frequencies. This is a way of finding where a particular sound “lives.” In other words, the main frequencies that give this sound its main “colour.”
If you boost a frequency in the kick it could be a good idea to cut the same frequency in the bass. If you boost the same frequency in both instruments you might get an artificially hot mix that does not sound as loud as it should.
This Image Shows How EQ Could Be Used To Create Space in The Mix.
DYNAMICS—Soft, loud and all points in-between. The bass and drums should aspire and utilize dynamics as a rhythm section, thus propelling and lifting the musical ensemble to higher levels of tension and release. When there are moments of opportunities to rise and fall with the music, define these sections and work them out dynamically. Oftentimes, this will expose how well you and the drummer are locking in and how much you are really listening to each other. This seems like a given, yet dynamics are often overlooked by many performers. Try just getting together with your drummer and have a bass/drum rehearsal. Find the moments in the song that you can add dynamics.
Till Next Time, Let There Be Bass!!!
Written By : Alistair Andrews
Play Better Guitar – Fun Lesson : Some Extra Licks For Your Lick Bag…
Hi and welcome back to Play Better Guitar, I hope you have all had a great start to 2011.
In this issue I have decided to look at some licks in different styles of playing, almost a fun lesson, and some extra licks for your lick bag. We will get back into the caged positions from the next issue, but for now let us have a little fun.
So let us begin with a little blues. This must be one of my favourites as well as one of those styles where nuances and personality really permeate through the music. Blues is one of those styles that can be slow, fast, happy, and sad and everything in between, using all forms of slurs and bends to get the notes sounding good and believable.
So let us begin with an A Mixolydian inspired lick. Here we go!!
Lick 1
Here we have a typical A Myxolidian Blues type lick, once again the feel you put into this lick will determine how it will sound and feel. This style of music usually goes from strong attack to gentle legato, so always change your feel, and play it your way, make it your own!
Lick 2
Lick 2 is very similar to Lick 1, the difference being that it is written with a triplet feel.
Please play this with a metronome so you can hear and feel the vast difference between swung 8th and triplets; it might be slightly trickier but is so sweet on the ears.
Lick 3
Here we’re going to take the same idea and add some elements from the Lydian b7 scale, which is the 4th mode of the melodic minor scale. Therefore we have elements from 3 scales, being A Minor Pentatonic, A Mixolydian and A Lydian b7. The Lydian b7 is going to add an outside sound. Always make sure that at the end of a lick when playing outside that you resolve the lick properly, that means you land on a strong note like a chord tone which in this case that would be A, C#, E or G.
These 3 scales are the preferred scales for guitarist Robben Ford, definitely an amazing feel player, be sure to check him out.
Lick 4
Now that we have got some cool notes let us add some fire. It is nice to mix it up going from really slow to some really quick passages.
The next lick is definitely some fire; practice it slowly building it up to tempo and once again make it your own; try and find other creative ways of using it.
This run incorporates the use of 8th notes and 16th note triplets.
The use of triplets can bring some spark and interest into your improvisation.
For this lick be sure to try using legato style playing incorporating pull offs, focusing on the beats and the landing notes on the beats of bar 3.
What about sound for this style of playing?
I think it is very personal as to the sound you prefer as a player and I think the best way to look for a sound is to listen to other players and see what they are using. This can be a great starting point, however cloning another player shouldn’t be your ultimate goal but instead try and find a sound that suits your playing style.
Go visit your local music shop and try out some pedals and different amps even different guitars until you find something that works for you.
Good luck with your endeavour till next time, work hard!!!
Copyright Kurt Slabbert
Bluenoise Productions
kurt_slabbert@hotmail.com
Written By : Kurt Slabbert
Your Private Universe : Unconventional Recording Techniques : Vocals
This year I want to take Your Private Universe in a slightly different direction. Over the past 14 issues we have looked at con-ventional recording and processing techniques for a number of the usual instruments you are likely to record at home. I want to continue with recording and processing tricks in this coming year, however I am going to focus on much more unconventional methods that can help you to get some weird and wonderful sounds.
Making your recordings stand out in this modern world where there is so much competition can be very difficult and often you will need to try some very different techniques to create a ‘new’ and ‘exciting’ sound.
In this issue we are going to look at some unusual techniques for recording vocals. Once again, to remind you; when it comes to recording vocals, it is very dependent on the genre of the track as well as the particular feel you want. Some people prefer recording the signal very ‘dry;’ that is with minimal room ambience and other effects and then applying ambience and effects at a later stage. Others will try to get the desired sound in the recording process so little has to be done in the mix. Each approach has its pros and cons, but I will be focusing primarily on recording with the desired sound.
One very interesting and quite popular vocal recording technique is to record the vocal through a mega-phone; this will give you a filtered and slightly distorted sound somewhat similar to running a signal through both high and low pass EQ filters with some applied distortion. I would suggest setting up a dynamic vocal mic like the Shure SM58 about 15 cm in front of the megaphone.
There are a number of bands that have used this technique to great effect (Muse and Tom Waits to name just two). This technique can lend a unique sound to a vocal, helping to create emphasis on a certain phrase or part. Check out Muse’s cover of Feeling Good on their album Origin of Symmetry for a great example of this in action.
Another way of achieving a similar effect is to run a vocal through an electric guitar amplifier, apply tonal or distortion effects to the signal with the amplifier’s controls and record the signal back in. This will give you more control over the exact tone and distortion you desire, but will of course give a different sound than the mega-phone.
Another trick used by Tom Waits is to put a microphone at one end of a long PVC pipe and sing into the other end. This gives a very unique sound with an unnatural ambient character that can help your vocals to stand out. You can hear the effects clearly on his album Mule Variations. Of course Tom Waits has a unique style to his music so bear in mind these techniques are going to result in an unnatural vocal sound, but if you want something more unconven-tional they can be used to great effect.
There are almost endless ways you can get weird and wonderful vocal effects in the recording stage. Some other examples are to record your vocal through a Vocoder or to apply the much used Autotune to your vocals. The Vocoder will give you that synthesized sound that was first heard on Cher’s track Believe, and Autotune will give you the vocal sound synonymous with the Hip-Pop star T-Pain. These techniques however are nowadays considered to be a bit overdone and cheesy.
There is really no limit to what you can do to vocals to create the unconventional, just make sure that the vocal sound you settle on works well with the genre of music you are creating.
Written By : Jonathan Pike
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