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Ed Space Editor
Mark Davie
mark@audiotechnology.com.au

Sing Sing Heads South Publisher

Philip Spencer
philip@alchemedia.com.au
Column: Mark Davie Editorial Director
Christopher Holder
chris@audiotechnology.com.au
Editorial Assistant
Preshan John
preshan@alchemedia.com.au
Art Director
Dominic Carey
dominic@alchemedia.com.au
Graphic Designer
Daniel Howard
daniel@alchemedia.com.au
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Philip Spencer
philip@alchemedia.com.au
Accounts
Jaedd Asthana
jaedd@alchemedia.com.au
Subscriptions
Miriam Mulcahy
mim@alchemedia.com.au
Proofreading
Andrew Bencina
Regular Contributors
Martin Walker
Paul Tingen
Guy Harrison
Greg Walker
Greg Simmons
Blair Joscelyne
I knew this day would come. I’ve dreaded it, mulled been ticking along paying the rent through private hires Mark Woods
over it, but long accepted the reality of rental life; to engineers like Forrester Savell and bands like British Chris Braun
that one day I’d have to move. I currently rent a house on India while the flow of commercial work had largely been Robert Clark
Andrew Bencina
a sizeable piece of land that’s very attractive to funnelled through Sing Sing. Now Kaj and Jude have been Ewan McDonald
development. As it happens, roughly the same size parcel forced to figure out how to downsize from four rooms at
as the 852sqm Sing Sing Studios occupied at Gordon Sing Sing to the two at Sing Sing South. Distribution by:
Street in Cremorne. That’s going to developers too. When I arrive, Adam Rhodes is wrestling a 60m-long Network Distribution Company.
High-rise apartments is the best guess. One thing’s for anaconda onto the back of an SSL 4000 G/G+. He AudioTechnology magazine
sure, it’s never going to be a studio again. helped install a lot of the gear in the original Sing Sing, (ISSN 1440-2432) is published by Alchemedia
Publishing Pty Ltd
My studio will be going, too. Four or five years ago now, and now he’s decommissioning some for storage and (ABN 34 074 431 628).
my friends and I scrounged together enough material, recommissioning others here. Contact (Advertising, Subscriptions)
squirted tubes of Green Glue, and built a room within the The Front Room will get the SSL 4000 G/G+ console T: +61 2 9986 1188
two-and-a-half car garage that keeps noise down and lets with one bay lopped off to fit it into the control room. PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest
NSW 2086, Australia.
us play into the night. We spent about as much money on The Back Room — connected to the larger multi-space
Contact (Editorial)
it as we’d have all paid renting rehearsal rooms over a year, live room — will be the Neve room. It already has a T: +61 3 5331 4949
so we figured getting two years out of it would make it a custom monitoring console patched into a variety of PO Box 295, Ballarat
bargain. It’s become my office, a small production studio, preamps, and will also likely house the Neve side console VIC 3353, Australia.

a rehearsal space, a testing lab, and now it’s probably going packed with 18 1073 channels. It’s going to be the craziest
E: info@alchemedia.com.au
to be replaced by a townhouse, or three. collection of gear, with as many boutique mics, amplifiers, W: www.audiotechnology.com.au
Eventually I’m going to have to relocate. It could be preamps and outboard they can possibly squeeze into the
soon, it could be another year (while the developer two studios. Best of all, Sing Sing South will continue to
scrambles for approval). Or, as the real estate agent uphold that long tradition of tracking through a Neve and
All material in this magazine is copyright
encouraged me — the son of a Chinese-Malay immigrant mixing on an SSL. © 2017 Alchemedia Publishing Pty Ltd. Apart
— “the ‘Chinese’ could buy it and landbank it.” My Though it’s sad to see Sing Sing shut down, I’m excited from any fair dealing permitted under the
Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by
chances of renting or buying another place on almost about the records that are going to come out of Sing Sing any process with out written permission. The
publishers believe all information supplied
a quarter of an acre with a generous garage are as good South. It’s a great room and the gear collection is going to in this magazine to be correct at the time
as me finding a spare million under my mattress before be formidable. Personally, I don’t know what I’m going to of publication. They are not in a position to
make a guarantee to this effect and accept
auction. Not going to happen. So I’m going to have to keep or lose, but seeing how a new beginning is coming no liability in the event of any information
downsize too; from the garage to a bedroom. Looking together at Sing Sing South makes me realise it might be proving inaccurate. After investigation and
to the best of our knowledge and belief,
around my studio, there’s a baby grand, drums, four guitar the end of an era, but not the end of making music. prices, addresses and phone numbers were
amps, two bass amps, a PA, multiple keyboards, two pairs up to date at the time of publication. It is
not possible for the publishers to ensure
of monitors, loads of mics, stands, leads, outboard and Got something to share? that advertisements appearing in this
mark@audiotechnology.com.au publication comply with the Trade Practices
control gear. I’m screwed. Act, 1974. The responsibility is on the person,
Recently I poked my head in at Sing Sing South to see @marktdavie company or advertising agency submitting or
directing the advertisement for publication.
how the downsizing was going over there. Sing Sing South markof1984 The publishers cannot be held responsible
is the smaller companion studio in South Yarra. It’s mostly for any errors or omissions, although
every endeavour has been made to ensure
complete accuracy. 12/5/2017.
AT 6
 07 3376 4122 • info@atprofessional.com.au • www.atprofessional.com.au

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CONTENTS121
26
Internet Famous:
How 3 Musicians Cracked
the YouTube Code

FEATURES
38 Doc McKinney: Working on The Weeknd
40 Tycho Mix a Tour on Touchscreens
44 Thundamentals: Moving Beyond Skip Hop
48 Snarky Puppy Live
56 Recording Stuart & Sons Pianos for Mr Stuart

Could Digico’s SD12 60

REGULARS
be the Next PM5D? 10 What’s On
24 Studio Focus: SAE Sydney
52 PC Audio
54 Apple Notes
82 Last Word, Phil McKellar

REVIEWS
16 Shure Motiv Portable Interfaces
22 Korg Gadget for Mac
Roli Blocks Makes Next-gen 64 Apogee Elements Audio Interface
MIDI Affordable 76 66 BAE vs AML: Battle of the Neve Clones
70 Sennheiser XSW1 Wireless Microphone System
72 Presonus ULT Powered Speakers
SUBSCRIBE & WIN! 78 Korg Kronos LS Workstation Synth
A Presonus AR12
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Worth $799

SEE PAGE 97
AT 8
HUNTER CAMPUS TAFE NSW
INSTALLATION BY MUSOS CORNER

We are proud to be celebrating 50 years as one of Australia’s leading musical instrument and pro-audio retailers. Its
been a long journey and we’ve have come a long way from originally selling pianos in 1967,
aƚŸŅŸŅųĹåųʱƴåÏŅĬĬ±ÆŅų±ƋåÚƵĜƋĘBƚĹƋåų±ĵŞƚŸ‰e8)c„œaƚŸĜÏ%åŞ±ųƋĵåĹƋĜĹƋĘåÚåŸĜčĹØųåĀƋ±ĹÚĜĹŸƋ±ĬĬ±-
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 REGULARS

WHAT’S ON
All the latest from around
the studio traps.

CRYSTAL MASTERING Spotify alone), Aleyce Simmonds

and Casey Barnes (including the
Crystal has mastered releases for Davey Lane
single Just Like Magic produced by
(You Am I), Branch Arterial, Drakezilla, Anna O,
M Squared) all enjoying spins on the
Romeo Knights and James Hale. King Gizzard and
wireless and chart success.
The Lizard Wizard also brought in their second
New music for core metal outfit
album, Murder of the Universe; one of five to be
Tongues and the soundtrack of the
released this year.
Foxtel documentary Men of Wood
WILLIAM BOWDEN MASTERING & Foam by Band of Frequencies
also came out for both digital and
Will has been stacked up with jobs for producers
vinyl release. Paul also confesses to
Shane O’Mara, Brendan Gallagher and Matt Fell as
being more than a touch star-struck
well as releases from Fiona Kernaghan, The Basics,
mastering some new music for
and many more at his Launceston suite in Tasmania.
US Hall of Famer Louie Shelton
APHEK featuring Boz Scaggs and the late
great Leon Russell.
Aphek is celebrating 25 years in business this year
by giving the control room a complete makeover. STUDIO 52
Aphek has replaced the flooring, put in fresh
Studio 52 is busy again preparing
acoustic treatment, and most importantly, installed
for the onslaught of school bands
the first Heritage Edition Audient ASP8024 console
taking part in its annual Kool
in Australia. It took way longer to install than
Skools Project. The studio records
anticipated, but the sound and ease of use has made
around 300-400 original acts each
it more than worthwhile. The 24 buses and 12 pre-
year comprising young people aged
fade aux sends make tracking a breeze and clients
between 15 and 18. “It’s a huge task
are loving the sound. One of the aims in purchasing
but a fun one,” said owner Paul
the new console, was to make it easier for visiting
Higgins. “There’s always a lot of
engineers to use the studio. This has been working
amazing talent coming through, and every so often
well, with engineer/producers Caleb Artist and
some real stand-outs that go on to major careers in
Daniel Keating being first in and quickly getting a
music. We are now in our 21st year of Kool Skools.
handle on the Audient’s routing and loving the ease
Some of the bigger names that got their start and
of tracking bands like Viral Eyes. Caleb and Daniel
first recording through Kool Skools and Studio 52
are particular fans of Aphek’s newly acquired pair
include Delta Goodrem, Missy Higgins, Anthony
of Distressors too. Owner Greg Dixon has been
Callea, Jordie Lane, Tim Wheatley, The Cat Empire,
doing pre-production work on Draxson’s full-
Natasha Duarté, Marc Collis, Casey Donovan,
length album and work with multi-instrumentalist
Dean Geyer and Axle Whitehead. Over the years
(and 25 year client) R.B. Brown.
we have recorded over 600 albums for the project you almost don’t need a pre!” said Higgins. Studio
PAUL BLAKEY MASTERING and encouraged young songwriters to write over C has also had Adam S3X-H monitors for a long
5000 original songs.” time, and now a matching set of monitors have
While Paul ‘Rat’ Blakey and the 12th & Vine Post
Studio 52 has also been updating its gear been added to Studio A. “You’d really struggle to
mastering studio on the Gold Coast have been
collection lately with a bunch of Universal Audio find anything better than the S3X-H regardless of
flying under the national radar, the projects being
units including 6176 channel strips, Dual 610 pres, budget,” said Higgins.
mastered there certainly haven’t. Paul has been busy
UA Thunderbolt Satellites and plug-ins and a few There are currently two production suites for
with tracks from Sony artist Amy Shark (Adore
of the 4-710d four-channel valve/solid state rack rent at Studio 52 over the next six months, one with
made No. 1 iTunes and No. 2 on Triple J’s Hottest
units. They also bought two of the Klark Teknik gear and one without. Call Paul Higgins on 0412
100 as well as netting over 10 million streams on
1176 compressors. “We’re really impressed and 686 252 to find out more.
happy with all of it,” said Higgins.
Both the studio and graphics department MARSHALL CULLEN
WHAT’S HAPPENING? computers have been upgraded to new six-core
4.3GHz Mac Pros with 32GB RAM and i7 iMacs.
Marshall has spent the past couple of months
Got any news about the happenings in your outdoors. There was Paul Kelly and Charlie Owen
Having always loved Audio-Technica 4033 and at the Port Fairy Folk Festival on a very nice Midas
studio or venue? Be sure to let us know at
4050 condensers, Higgins went out and purchased Pro 2. Then he jumped on an Avid Profile to mix
whatson@audiotechnology.com.au
a pair of the top of the range AT5040 vocal the Hoodoo Gurus at Canberra Day, and A Day on
condensers. “They sound amazing and so loud, the Greens at Rutherglen, Clare Valley and Hunter

AT 10
Valley with production from POWA and racks ’n’ NEWMARKET STUDIO
stacks from JPJ. “Thanks to all the top system crew, After recording their EP with engineer/producer
riggers and loaders who make it happen for these Callum Barter last year, The Hunter Express were
events,” said Marshall. back in to record their forthcoming album. The
band — comprising drums, bass, pedal steel, two
PIRATE STUDIOS electric guitars and keys — was tracked live to the
Pirate Studios has been tracking drums, strings Otari two-inch, then transferred to Pro Tools for
and guitars for Daniel Champagne’s Fault Lines quick edits and overdubs. The refurbished RCA
album, an EP for local bands The Novellas and 44 ribbons combined with the Sennheiser 409s
Mojo, an album of children’s stories and songs worked a treat on the guitars. The modded Gefell
for Annie Bryant, demos of solo material for The MV691s with omni M93 capsules on overheads
Swampstompers’ Corey Legge, and a live recording combined with the AKG C12Bs as rooms on the
mix and master of the Lachy Doley Group for drums and proved to be a magic team. Barter
ABC South East. Probably the most fun had was is using a hybrid mix system, combining digital
tracking the electric autoharp through the ’60s plug-ins with analog summing through the
Plexi Marshall. Harrison console. Gabriella Cohen was in for a
special filmed live performance thanks to Remote
DAMIEN GERARDS Control Records. Engineer/producer Lilith Lane
All the engineers at DG’s — Russell Pilling, Peter has been in the studio tracking a new album with
Holz and Andrew — have been doing their fair energetic pout-rockers CASH. For tight drum
share. Cody Munro Moore has almost finished sounds they used the medium iso booth and
his debut solo record, Big White (pictured) were the classic SM57 came in handy for Ash Acid’s
working on their second album with Russell Pilling, hard-hitting snare style with a Beyer M201 on the
High-Tails were in for a mix, The Urban Guerillas bottom skin. Joe O’Keane the drum tuner was on
are still going strong after many years and starting hand for several snare changeovers. Guest bass by
a new album. Also in were Mike Foxall from Nancy Yolanda DeRose came up a treat with a smidge
Vandal, The Dirty Earth, Enticer, BLAAND and of drive on the Sansamp DI, running through the
Jake Brightwell. On a high note, recent bluesy Fairchild compressors blended with a Beyer M88
sessions recorded and mixed at DG’s with Christina mic on the cab. UK Artist Henry Sparks made
Crofts, Luke Escombe and The Hollerin Sluggers all the long journey over to record his new album
made the top 20 on the ABRAC charts. with Melbourne band Bush Gothic at Newmarket.
Andrew Beck has been mastering recordings for Engineer Dave McLuney made sure the valve AKG
Sunscreen, Rust, Archer, Web City, Lonely Sheep C12s got a good work out.
and Country Politan on vinyl at his new suite on
Sydney’s Central Coast, as well as some attended TRACKDOWN
sessions back in the Red Stairs. The Simon Leadley Scoring Stage at Trackdown
Peter Holz has been enjoying his newly has recently gone through a series of upgrades. It
refurbished Red Stairs Room with artists including now boasts 24 Channels of Neve 1081R preamps
Calais, Peking Duk, Samantha Jade and Wasters. (12 Blue Knob and 12 Red Knob), which sit

AT 11
alongside the Class A Millennia HV-3D and 32
Raindirks. There is also a stereo pair of Empirical
Lab EL8-X Distressors.
The Control Room monitoring has been
upgraded to a Neumann 7.1 system featuring three
KH420s, four KH120s and an KH870 sub. The
piece de resistance is the Euphonix S5 console,
which replaces the Yamaha DM2000 and allows
for up to 334 routable channels and the option of
working as a control surface, a traditional console
or both simultaneously.
The first session on the console was a 50-piece
orchestra conducted by Chong Lim and was closely
followed by a recording of the 17-piece Sydney All
Star Big Band playing arrangements of Ed Wilson Sarah McLeod and Mick Skelton

featuring Tom Burlinson and Emma Pask. Whilst

the Scoring Stage was being upgraded The Studio Toe To Toe’s Album Rise with Producer Steve Balbi Rattlegun, The Sea Gypsies, Lloyd Spiegel, The
was busy recording ADR for projects such as Reign, for Golden Robot Records. Finally, Chris Jackson’s String Contingent, Louis Valentine & The Golden
The Patriot, The Butterfly Tree, Out of The Shadows been over at A Sharp working on a number of jazz Age, Woy, Yeo’s latest single and highly anticipated
and Battle of The Sexes. projects with Joel Sena. new album, and the Proximity soundtrack album
February also saw a complete equipment by Rob Law.
A SHARP reshuffle/re-think of the control room; adding Andrei has found himself mastering new releases
Life’s been busy at A Sharp. Steve James has another 10 channels of external Neve, API and for Kilter, Mazde, Tash Sultana, Hayden Calnin,
been camping out at the studio tracking and Chandler mic pres to the already existing selection LANKS, Leisure Suite, Kintaro and more, as well
mixing projects including a new single for The and an SSL AWS 948 console. New gear additions as releasing his own new music for the first time in
Screaming Jets and mixing a live album for The include a new PYE compressor, Thermionic Culture over a year under the moniker Ghosting.
Choirboys. Nathan Sheehy’s also been busy Vulture, Otari 5050 reel-to-reel and Leslie 147RV. Also recently joining the team at Deluxe Mastering
finishing CREO’s new EP, the single having been is musician and engineer Becki Whitton, who’s
well received by Triple J and started a new album DELUXE MASTERING already had the pleasure of mastering a Piano Day
for The Knowgoods. Adam Dempsey has been mastering new releases compilation for local label Spirit Level, as well
Freelance Producer Tony Wall has also been for Didirri, Dreamcoat, Jaimi Faulker’s new album as releases for RUME, Squidgenini, Parker, and
putting the finishing touches to Sarah McLeod’s mixed by Dave Manton, Pastel Park, Porcelain Cosmos Creature.
new solo album with Mick Skelton and recording Pill, Joyce Prescher, Raised By Eagles’ new single,

AUDIO SCHOOL’S ADD CONSOLES SPL FINDS NEW LINK

www.spl.info
JMC Academy has splashed out for two new SSL from Yamaha Music Australia ran in-depth digital
Duality consoles as part of a $10m reinvestment mixing console training on the Yamaha QL5 for Starting from May, SPL is being distributed in
at both Brisbane and Melbourne campuses. Now TAFE NSW staff at the Hunter Campus. The TAFE Australia by Link Audio. For over 30 years, Sound
the educational institution officially has an SSL recently kicked its professional live audio training Performance Lab from Germany has been making
Duality at every campus. While the Duality offers up a notch by updating and enhancing its sound professional audio equipment for music, film, and
the legendary SSL sound through its high-grade production facilities. Musos Corner played a big broadcast. Its product range includes monitor
analogue signal path and full-featured channel part in the process. Not only did the retail store controllers, mic preamps, headphone amplifiers,
strips, it doubles as a fantastic teaching tool too. supply current industry standard gear but it also and more recently, 500 series modules. At the
Full DAW integration allows it to function as a provided direct access to industry experts and the recent Pro Light & Sound show, SPL announced
control surface for automation. Head of Audio essential training services required to make TAFE the new SMC7.1 surround monitor controller,
Engineering and Sound Production in Brisbane, NSW (Hunter) a stand-out audio production the MADICON USB to MADI interface and the
Keith Halpin commented, “We are looking training facility. Crimson 3 monitor controller/audio interface.
forward to students being able to build every
JMC Academy: www.jmcacademy.edu.au Link Audio: (03) 8373 4817 or sales@linkaudio.com.au
project with a very solid foundation the moment Amber Technology (SSL): 1800 251 367 or sales@ambertech.com.au
they plug a microphone into the desk.” Hunter TAFE: www.tafensw.edu.au
Inbetween Brisbane and Melbourne, Mark Condon Musos Corner: (02) 4929 2829 or salesteam@musoscorner.com.au

AT 12
AT 13
 • Real analogue performance
• Slim keys that are easy to play

korgantuan deal

$1,499 korgantuan deal

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•
RRP $2,199

s s
• Vacuum tube driver circuit
l s $1,299 RRP $1,799

korgantuan deal • Sample based production machine

• Exports data

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RRP $799

$599 RRP $749

*Laptop not included

• Analog modeling tone generator

• Versatile and distinctive vocoder
• A full range of effects

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61-note $3,999 3-note $4,69 88-note $4,999

• Full length, unlooped piano and drum sounds, plus new
STAGE VINTAGE PIANO
electric pianos
• 640 programs and 288 preload combinations
• Korg’s exclusive 7-inch colour TouchView™ display

7 a

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sounds
88-note 61-note • Intuitive and simple interface

$1,999 $1,399
88-note RRP $3,099 61-note RRP $1,999

volca beats
ANALOGUE RHYTHM MACHINE
olca bass
NALOGUE BASS MACHINE
olca keys
NALOGUE LOOP SYNTH

RRP $579

• Series of analogue music-makin

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k a s
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VISIT KORG AUSTRALIA’S

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 GENERAL NEWS

ANTELOPE AUDIO GOLIATH GROWS NOVATION’S SYNTH PEAK

www.antelopeaudio.com www.novation.com

Antelope Audio’s Goliath HD is giant. It features 64 channels of Novation has launched a new polyphonic synth called Peak,
I/O and 16 new Accusonic mic preamps, each with their own designed by Chris Huggett — the man behind Bass Station,
volume control on the front panel. As you can expect, Antelope Supernova, OSCar, and many other synths. Peak takes its
hasn’t skimped on the clock, incorporating 64-bit Acoustically inspiration from the Bass Station II analogue monosynth, but
Focused Clocking (AFC) jitter-management technology and a incorporates an FPGA to give pure digital control. It has eight
10M input. The conversion is based around ESS chips, resulting voices with three New Oxford oscillators for each voice, and you
in 124dB of dynamic range at the analogue inputs, and 129dB can opt to begin with either Numerically Controlled Oscillators or
on the way out, and supremely low THD figures despite being 17 digitally-designed wavetables, which include mathematically
crammed with I/O. Not satisfied to settle with enough mic pure sine waves. It has a resonant multi-mode analogue filter and
preamps to track a live band, Antelope also included four three distortion points for each voice. It’s capable of receiving
DI inputs, two transformer-based re-amp outputs, a built-in polyphonic aftertouch; there’s also reverb, delay, and chorus effects;
talkback mic, two headphones output, a pair of analogue inserts and an onboard arpeggiator. Peak connects via CV, MIDI I/O, or
and dual MADI. Antelope has also made it a killer Pro Tools USB. Novation also announced Circuit Mono Station, which adds
front end with exacting HDX delay compensation. Probably the a paraphonic analogue synth to the top of the pad-based Circuit
best feature, however, is Goliath’s ability to talk to more than controller. Like Peak, it’s derived from the Bass Station II and has
one DAW at a time. By incorporating both HDX Digilink and three sequencer tracks that benefit from the 32 pads. It has two
Thunderbolt/USB 3.0, you can switch between either mode, and individually-controllable oscillators, three distortion modes, and
therefore any DAW, without skipping a beat. Add onboard DSP, one multi-mode filter with high-pass, low-pass or band-pass. It
and it doesn’t get bigger than Goliath! also offers four waveshapes, a sub oscillator, ring modulation, noise
generation, plus an overdrive.
Federal Audio: 0404 921 781 or sales@federalaudio.com.au
Innovative Music: (03) 9540 0658 or info@innovativemusic.com.au

ADAM AUDIO REDEFINES S CURVE PRESONUS BOLTS WITH QUANTUM

www.adam-audio.de www.presonus.com

Adam Audio’s new flagship S Series line of nearfield, midfield and Quantum is Presonus’s new 26 x 32 Thunderbolt 2 audio
main monitors comprises five models — the S2V, S3V and S3H, interface. Taking full advantage of Thunderbolt’s high transfer
and the larger S5V and S5H. Innovations unique to the S Series speeds, Presonus says Quantum offers extremely low latency
include a completely new and efficient long-throw Extended and expandable I/O. Its 26 inputs are comprised of eight built-in
Linear Excursion (ELE) woofers, one-piece dome/cone hybrid XMAX remote-controllable mic preamps and two sets of ADAT
mid-range driver for better dispersion, low distortion and power Optical inputs. Two TRS main outputs are complemented with an
handling, new waveguides for the tweeter, and a high-power DSP additional eight balanced line outputs, plus 16 Optical outs and
engine based on the latest generation of SHARC chips. The S two pairs of headphone sends on the front of the unit. Further
Series also debuts Adam Audio’s S-ART tweeter, the latest iteration expandability comes by stacking up to four Quantum units via
of the accelerated ribbon design. All S Series model cabinets are Thunderbolt for a maximum of 96 inputs and outputs. BNC
constructed from thick vibration-resistant material for cleaner word clock I/O keeps things in sync, plus you get five-pin MIDI
sound even at higher SPLs. Rounded edges help minimise edge- and S/PDIF I/O. Sampling rates go to 24-bit/192k and Quantum
diffraction effects. David Angress, Chairman of Adam Audio: integrates tightly with Presonus Studio One for enhanced
“Under its new management, our R&D team has employed best functionality such as recallable mic pre settings. Quantum’s
engineering practices, modern materials technology and advanced onboard features can also be controlled using Presonus’s free UC
DSP to create this third generation S Series line.” Surface control software for remote access.
Federal Audio: 0404 921 781 or sales@federalaudio.com.au Link Audio: (03) 8373 4817 or info@linkaudio.com.au

AT 16 MORE NEWS AT www.audiotechnology.com.au

 REVIEW

SHURE MOTIV
Portable Interfaces
These Shure pocket-sized audio interfaces are easy to Jands:

use and easy on the eyes. (02) 9582 0909 or

info@jands.com.au
Summary
Shure’s Motiv interfaces are great for run ’n’ gun applications that
Review: Preshan John don’t have demanding I/O requirements.

MVi
Expect to pay $215

The MVi’s dense Shure construction would do

serious damage if thrown at a window. That’s not
to say it’s big — it’ll easily fit in your back pocket.
Its weight and indestructible feel means it probably
wouldn’t suffer if put through strenuous conditions
in the ‘field’. MV51
All three Motiv devices serve slightly different Expect to pay $299 MV5
purposes but accomplish the same basic goal — a Expect to pay $175
portable, simple interface for use with a computer The MV51 is the largest of the trio in both size
or iOS device. Each is capable of transporting and weight, with a design that spins off the Shure MV5 is the cheapest of the bunch. I love its looks.
24-bit/48k over USB 2.0. They’re plug ’n’ play, and Classic 55 microphone. It’s as much an interior You can mount the spherical mic on the included
the hardware controls changed my Mac’s system design accessory as a serious tool. The control aluminium stand, or sit it flat on your desktop as
volume — a neat touch. For on-the-run recording, section mirrors the MVi, with the same five DSP an interior design element. Unfortunately the stand
the ShurePlus MOTIV iOS app offers recording options available. Instead of an XLR input, the provides little isolation, so any kind of vibration —
and editing functionality on your iPad or iPhone. MV51 sports a built-in large diaphragm cardioid like typing on a keyboard — travels right through
The MVi is the only Motiv that doesn’t have a condenser mic. Unscrewing the rubber foot on to the mic capsule. The buttons on top for DSP
built-in mic. To compensate, it’s also the only Motiv the ‘photo frame’ leg reveals the mic stand thread toggle and Mute produce a loud click in the mic, so
that has a proper XLR/jack combo input. The which lets you perch the entire unit at the end of a don’t fiddle with these in the middle of a recording
Class A preamp is capable of providing phantom boom. Granted, it looks weird and you’ll have two or podcast. Same with the headphone volume dial,
power for condenser mics, and an economical cables — USB and headphones — plugged into it, mounted a little awkwardly behind the mic.
+36dB of gain, while the jack will let you DI any but it does the job fine for rough-’n’-ready single- Personally I preferred the sound of the MV5’s
instrument. The five DSP selections affect the input input applications like vocal overdubs or quick microphone over the MV51’s. Which is strange
quite significantly, making it easy to flick through acoustic guitar tracking. because it’s much cheaper, but it seemed to like my
and pick the best one. The idea is to capture ideas The mic sounded decent, although it leans toward voice better. Unlike the MV51 and MVi, it has three
in the moment without getting nit-picky on signal accentuating honk if it meets a poorly matched DSP presets instead of five (Flat, Music, Speech).
chain perfection. The touch strip provides a classy source. Gain seemed to vary noticeably with Again, I noticed sizeable jumps in level between
method of controlling mic gain or output volume. different DSP choices, with Flat eliciting the lowest these presets which suggests there’s more going
There’s a slight lag on the central touch-sensitive level. The Speech setting worked well on spoken on than just an EQ curve. It proved to be easy to
button but nothing that’ll stunt your workflow. word, even seeming to add a little compression. capture a usable, natural sound.

AT 17
 LIVE NEWS

AT’S NEW LINE ARRAY IN A BOX L-ACOUSTICS GIVES IT STICK

www.l-acoustics.com
Aussie manufacturer, Acoustic Technologies, has released its
new line of full range, compact self-powered line array cabinets. The L-Acoustics Syva is an elite stick PA. The high-powered
The first to be released is the TLA039 which comprises a cabinet speaker system features six medium-frequency and three high-
containing three 6.5-inch long throw woofers and nine two-inch frequency drivers in a sleek J-shaped progressive curvature format.
full range elements. The cabinet is powered by a 1200W Powersoft The transducer arrangement called ‘segment source’ produces a
amplifier with onboard DSP. Dimensions are 560mm high, 200mm directivity pattern of 140°H/26°V, optimised for surface coverage
wide and 350mm deep. Weighing in at 14kg, the TLA039 is ideally and 35m of throw. Syva can be accompanied by the Syva Low
suited for highly reverberant spaces such as big halls, houses of high-powered sub or Syva Sub infra extension to achieve 142dB
worship and similar, where room for sub bass cabinets is limited. max SPL. Syva Low has two 12-inch drivers and a response down
The nine-element speaker component can be adjusted for optimal to 40Hz. Syva Sub has a single KS28-grade 12-inch driver to
focusing. It is also available as a passive cabinet with a range of extend bandwidth down to a staggeringly low 27Hz. One LA4X
flying hardware and multiple colour choices to choose from. amp can drive up to four enclosures. Syva can be wall- or pole-
mounted, as well as flown, standing on a baseplate, or standing on
Acoustic Technologies: (07) 3376 4122 or sales@atprofessional.com.au
the Syva sub.
Hills: 1300 445 571 or www.hills.com.au

DIGICO STADIUS ULTRA PREAMP SOUNDCRAFT’S MINI LINEUP

www.digico.biz www.soundcraft.com

The sound of Digico consoles has long been a selling point — Soundcraft has added three adorable Notepad mixers to its console
clean and precise, yet happy to be driven hard. Lately Digico’s Tech family, two of which offer Lexicon DSP and a USB interface. The
Director, John Stadius, has been itching to put out an even better Notepad-5 is the baby of the bunch with a single XLR combi input,
preamp design for ultra-discerning engineers to stuff in their and two stereo line inputs via both TRS and RCA connectors. The
SD-Racks. The Stadius is an eight-channel mic preamp card that Notepad-8FX and Notepad-12FX both have a fader for the master
will slot into existing racks. It’s the result of wanting to push the channel, more inputs (four mic preamps on the 12FX), three-band
internal conversion stages to 32-bit, and needing a preamp that EQs, aux and headphone outputs, plus built-in DSP including
would make use of the extra bit depth. Though technically, 24-bit Lexicon reverbs, chorus, delay and tap tempo control. Soundcraft
is more than capable of handling the Stadius’ 123dBA of dynamic also unveiled two new Mini Stagebox models — the 32-in/12-out
range. Either way, it’s an impressive beast with a frequency 32i and 16-in/8-out 16i — designed specifically for the Si series
response of 20Hz-44.5kHz ±0.1dB, and <0.002% THD + noise and products. The rackmount stageboxes are equipped with Studer-
zero phase shift between 20Hz and 22kHz. Each channel has twin designed preamps and interface with an Si console via MADI for
32-bit AD conversion which chunks through the code and spits easy input expansion; up to 80 inputs for Si Impact after a recent
out digital bits in 73 microseconds. Digico has also reduced the firmware update. No local hardware configuration or option cards
card’s operating temperature because it… ‘sounds cooler’. Nice to are needed or required — engineers can simply plug in, power on,
know the humour’s not lost in all those cutting edge specs. select inputs and control remotely using a Soundcraft Si console.
Group Technologies: (03) 9354 9133 or sales@grouptechnologies.com.au Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or info@jands.com.au

AT 18 MORE NEWS AT www.audiotechnology.com.au

SHURE AXIENT DISRUPTS DIGITAL
www.shure.com

Shure debuted its new Axient Digital wireless system at the NAB
2017 Show in Vegas and blew up previous notions of what a
wireless system could handle. Axient systems now have a tuning
range of a whopping 184MHz. Compared to 80MHz of the
previous Axient, and 64MHz of ULX-D. Like ULX-D, it can pack
up to 63 channels into 8MHz in High Density mode. There are
also two transmitter levels you can buy into; the AD and ADX
Series. Both feed the same dual or quad receivers. With AD
Series transmitters, you get the core necessities like exceptional
RF performance, digital audio, and networking options. Stepping
up to ADX incorporates ShowLink: real-time control of all
transmitter parameters with interference detection and avoidance. MONKEY WRENCH SINGS BLACKBIRD’S PRAISES
The ADX Series also includes Axient’s first micro bodypack with
an integrated self-tuning antenna for better concealment and Mick Chambers has been working every side of a gig for 20+ years;
comfort. Axient Digital is compatible with the Shure Battery Rack working as a musician, engineer, booking agent, venue consultant
Charger which supports up to eight rechargeable batteries in a with some of Australia’s biggest and best — The Angels, Richard
single rack space. Clapton, The Radiators, Ian Moss, Thirsty Merc and more. If there’s
one thing he knows, it’s a good rock ’n’ roll system. Recently he was
Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or www.jands.com.au
on the hunt for a new system for his Sydney-based PA company,
Monkey Wrench Australia. “I was on the lookout for a new system,
originally I was going to buy a second hand Martin Wavefront
system, or build another system myself like I’d previously done,”
said Mick. “A good friend and fellow engineer told me about
Acoustic Technologies and how good they were, so I started to
do my research. On paper the CLA looked great and the reviews
from people I knew who owned AT gear was enough for me to roll
the dice and go with it. It’s probably the best decision I have made
since I started in live audio! I may just be one of AT’s biggest fans
and I will be recommending it to anyone and everyone.”
Mick went with an Acoustic Technologies Blackbird Composite
Line Array (CLA) system from the Australian-based manufacturer,
with CLA700 top cabinets and CLALF3200 subs. “Compared to
JBL VTX GETS AN A GRADE
my previous systems, setting up the CLA gear was much easier,”
www.jblpro.com
said Mick. “One PowerSoft X4 amp to drive the entire rig versus an
18RU amp rack was a huge advantage. When I had it all wired up
JBL has added another tier to its VTX flagship line array range.
it looked so compact, so I was curious as to how it would stack up
Despite having a different prefix and look, the 12-inch A12 sits
against the six double 18-inch subs I was used to. Then I turned it
roughly between the 10-inch V20 and the 15-inch V25II, rounding
on, and it pumps! Such thunderous lows from four single 18-inch
out the VTX range as a complete family. Everything has been
bins. The CLA700 boxes are surprisingly powerful and smooth.
freshly designed on the A12. The new HF section combines three
The 150-degree dispersion on the top boxes made the mix crystal
drivers, the HF phasing-plug and waveguide into a single part.
clear from almost beside the stacks.
JBL says it yields better tolerances, increased sensitivity above
“Its first test was an outdoor gig on ANZAC day with a crowd of
6kHz while reducing distortion and weight. The four 5-inch mid-
about 1200 punters. The CLA rig made this seem like a walk in
frequency drivers are integrated into the HF waveguide while still
the park. From the stage to the back fence, the mix was clean and
providing a smooth horn surface, and both 12-inch LF woofers
powerful. I can say that I am very proud to be a part of the AT
are the fourth-generation of JBL’s Differential Drive. It’s also been
family. Harry and the team did such a great job on this system. I
designed with touring in mind to speed up rigging time., Vertec
am now looking to save the dollars and double the FOH to cover
are still available, but will come down in price as a more affordable
even larger gigs.”
line-array from JBL.
Monkey Wrench: www.monkeywrenchaustralia.com.au
Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or info@jands.com.au Acoustic Technologies: (07) 3376 4122 or info@atprofessional.com.au

MORE NEWS AT www.audiotechnology.com.au AT 19

 SOFTWARE NEWS

NEVE 2254E TURNED MULTI-BAND REASON 9.5 GETS VST SUPPORT

US$199 | www.plugin-alliance.com www.propellerhead.se

It seems the Neve 2254E compressor/limiter is in vogue. Check It’s been the number one feature request for years, and finally
out our review of AML’s take on the hardware later this issue, Propellerhead has delivered. The latest version of Reason officially
but if software is your bag, you can download Plugin Alliance’s offers full support for VST plug-ins. That’s right — your love-hate
Lindell Audio version, the 345E plug-in. It chains three 2254E relationship with Reason can now become pure love. Watch in
models together to create a multi-band version. It keeps the 1.5:1 awe as all your favourite plug-ins open without complaint in the
to 6:1 compression ratios, but adds features like a Nuke button for software. Or if you’re a Reason user who’s never explored VSTs,
dramatic over-compression, a side chain function, and a Niveau now you can check out the thousands of processing, instrument,
filter for tilting the side chain and high-pass filter response towards and effects options out there, both paid and free of charge,
preserving more of the bass energy and lending itself to the API available online. Propellerhead has worked hard to ensure the new
‘thrust’ compression effect. The attack and release controls differ compatibility hasn’t diluted the Reason experience in any way.
slightly from the original, allowing you to select an insanely fast VST plugs will be right at home in the Reason rack. You can drag
two microsecond attack. There’s also auto release and auto makeup and drop them from the browser, use CV with your plug-ins, add
gain, and the crossover points are easy to dial in with a digital Players, and even put them in Combinators with Reason’s own
number readout. Now you can have not one, but three Neve devices or Rack Extensions. If you already own Reason, version 9.5
2254E’s per channel, and even run them in mid-side. will be available as a free update at the end of May.

Innovative Music:
(03) 9540 0658 or info@innovativemusic.com.au

NOVATION’S COMPONENTS STANDALONE OUTPUT ANALOG STRINGS

global.novationmusic.com US$199 | www.output.com

After spending months in development, Novation has come out Output has released its latest virtual instrument called Analog
of hiding to reveal a new update for Circuit Components users Strings. It’s designed to do more than your average sampled
around the world – Components Standalone. The new update strings library, instead drawing on both sampled and synthesised
gives you the keys to Components on Mac or PC, to use offline string sounds to create a diverse palette of tones. The instrument’s
and without a Facebook or Google login. If users have registered ‘ingredients’ consist of two string orchestras, some rare vintage
Novation hardware, they can access Components Standalone by synths, and unconventional elements for sound design. Analog
signing in to their Novation accounts. If you’re wondering what Strings lets you blend these sounds together to create a unique
Components is, it’s a platform developed specifically for Novation’s starting point. The software engine includes advanced modulation
groovebox, Circuit. Components gives you a suite of free tools so routing, dual tape loopers, dual arpeggiators, flux sequencing, and
you can expand, tweak and create your own customised instrument. four macro sliders for creating truly unique yet usable string-based
Components Standalone features easier navigation so you can sounds covering a variety of textures. Analog Strings comes with a
quickly visit the areas of Components you go to most often. 39GB sound library and 500 presets — more than enough to keep
you busy for a while.
Innovative Music: (03) 9540 0658 or info@innovativemusic.com.au

AT 20 MORE NEWS AT www.audiotechnology.com.au

 Digital Mixing Redefined. Again.

he new StudioLive 32 digital console/recorder is by far the most powerful

T mixer in its class. It is a mixing and recording powerhouse that is equally
formidable in live and studio applications. Nine years in the making, StudioLive
One-touch Multitrack Capture™ SD Card recording
without a computer—leave the laptop at home.

32 remains at the head of the class for ease of use and sound quality.

)URP;0$;SUHDPSVLQFKFRORXUWRXFKVFUHHQDQGDb[b$9%
Totally re-designed Fat Channel with State
networking interface, to 1.6-billion DSP instructions per second and 40 Space Modeling now has vintage EQs
LQSXWVWKH6WXGLR/LYHbIHDWXUHOLVWLVQRWKLQJVKRUWRIPLQGERJJOLQJ and compressors in an all-new UI.

Also mix wirelessly, or over a wired network from anywhere, using UC

Surface touch-control software for Mac, Windows and iPad . Includes
100mm touch-sensitive motorized faders
new versions of Studio One, Capture™, QMix®, UC & UC 2.0 software. maintain that intuitive 1:1 fader-per-channel
workflow which StudioLive mixers are famous for.
9LVLWpresonus.com to learn how we’ve leap-frogged our competition again.

Our customisable fader layer lets you place

any channel or bus fader anywhere you want.

StudioLive 16 and StudioLive 24 coming soon.

Proudly distributed in Australia by

P: 03 8373 4817
www.linkaudio.com.au PreSonus products are proudly distributed in Australia by Link Audio. www.linkaudio.com.au.

AT 21
 REVIEW

KORG GADGET FOR MAC

Music Production Software
Korg’s suite of nifty synths are ported to the
Mac and given a stripped down DAW to play in.
Review: Christopher Holder

I want them to exist so badly. sound real enough; and now they’re on your other a palette of flavours that are as extensive as they
When Korg first released Gadget as a desktop… your Mac computer’s desktop. are delicious. I’ve been messing about with Gadget
mobile app environment, its graphic design Korg has released Gadget for Mac, matching a for days and I’ve not yet felt like I’ve touched the
department breathed flesh ’n’ blood life into the full complement of Gadgets with an easy-as-you- sides, there’s simply so much to explore.
gadgets themselves, looking all the world like like sequencer. Arguably the bigger news is the
real-life tabletop microsynths in the promos. ability to then export your Gadget noodling as an WILL HE DONCA?
Stroke of genius really. The fact these little Ableton Live Project, and Gadgets being available On the drum machine front, there’s an
gadgets are small – and by necessity a tad limited as softsynths within your DAW (VST, AU, AAX). embarrassment of riches. From the à la
– ceased to be an issue. They were adorable and I More on that later. mode dance voicings of London, to the droll
wanted them to be alive. It’s impossible to exhaustively describe each DoncaMatic sparce-ness of Tokyo, the sample-
They’re not… alive, that is. Their corporeal and every Gadget here, but synth fans will lose led mayhem of Bilbao and Recife to the more
chassis are imagined; and must live in our themselves for days. Some Gadgets are obviously buttoned-up drum room formality of Gladstone…
imaginations… but just imagine having 20-plus inspired by classics of yore such as the ARP oh, and the four-voice Amsterdam, which delights
Gadgets on your desk, all sync’ed… Odyssey, the Roland TB303 or Korg’s MS20, but in blowing things up. There isn’t a Gadget drum
Anyway. Enough of the daydreaming. They mostly the gadgets are utterly novel — providing synth with a step sequencer, which feels strange to

PRICE PROS CONS SUMMARY

NEED TO KNOW

US$199 intro; US$299 Huge range of instruments Limited sequencer Aficionados have loved the iOS Gadget ecosphere for some
Huge sonic scope Mac only time. Now Gadget moves way beyond the constraints of on-the-
CONTACT Gadgets look incredible bus sketchpad noodling. Worth it as a suite of VSTs. Perfect as a
CMI: www.cmi.com.au jamming environment… especially if Live is your DAW of choice.
Korg Gadget:
www.gadget.korg.com

AT 22
me; all the playing needs to be mediated through
the piano-roll sequencer.
So. Much. Synthesis! From ’70s analogue models,
’80s PCM, ’90s-style sampling synthesis, through to
trap and dubstep wobbliness, and anthemic trance
hand-wavers. Bass synths. Lead lines. Glassy pads.
8-bit chippiness. When you think you’re beginning
to get a handle on the difference between your
Marseille and your Glasgow you then get lost for
days in the iM1 inspired Darwin… with an array loyalty to the suite (and any future upgrades), includes all the Gadgets as plug-ins for your DAW.
of ‘expansion cards’ all thrown in. (Ah, the M1, my and good press from editors of audio magazines The drawcard with Live is you can seamlessly
first synth. Playing Patch 001 ‘Universe’ was like geeking out over the sheer scope. segue from messing about with sounds, loops, and
being sucked through a wormhole.) As for the workflow? Gadget for Mac is a more broad-brush arrangements within the Mac Gadget
I know I said these Gadgets, due to the petite than adequate sketch pad. Not even Korg thinks environment and retain all that work when you go
proportions, have some inherent limitations. And, you’ll be leaving your main DAW behind, but the to incorporate it into a Live session.
sure, there’s nothing in here that threatens the four-cornered GUI works well enough. Actually, Want to share your songs as stems for others to
sheer heft of a Thor or a Reaktor, but the level of like the Gadgets themselves, there’s a surprising desecrate… I mean, creatively alter? Then Gadget
sophistication is still disarming. Often you can level of sophistication. The limitations are in the talks fluent Alihoopa as well.
toggle between GUIs within a Gadget to access arranging more than the jamming and processing.
extra parameters. Very often the Gadget will have For example, each track can access its own insert GO GO GADGET
its own onboard effects. Sometimes the Gadget will effects, including a neat side-chain effect for instant To sign off, I’m (almost) sorry for continuing to
have an onboard arpeggiator (I wish more had one, dancefloor-pumping compression. geek out about the attention to detail, but it truly
to be honest). is astonishing. These gadgets are gorgeous. Korg
The vintage keys selection of Alexandria (think: WILLING & ABLETON could be forgiven for creating Kingston — the
Fender Rhodes), Firenze (B3-style) and Montreal Which leads neatly to the Ableton Live integration. perfectly observed arcade homage — and stop
(clav and more) are very welcome, as is the high- I don’t use Live (I’m a Reason man, and looking right there. It’s perfect: from the Jump buttons
gloss Salzburg piano. forward to v9.5 where I’m banking on being able that trigger the arpeggiator and its tuning, the
New to this porting of Gadget is the ‘reel to reel’ to use my Gadgets as VSTs within my Reason old-school CRT-look of the Kingston GUI, through
Zurich ‘universal audio recorder’, which means you Rack – please, please, please!) but AT editor Mark to the coin on Kingston’s dashboard (which, okay,
can demo a vocal or guitar into the DAW. Speaking Davie does. So I squirted him a quick-fire Gadget doesn’t actually do anything). Even the colour is
of recording guitars; those wielding an axe will creation, which he graciously gave the thumbs up redolent of a time (think: Repco dragster, complete
appreciate the Rosario effects board. and opened in Live. with T-bar gear shift and sissy bar… okay, now I’ve
Bingo-bango, according to Mark it opened up lost Gen Y onwards).
FULL SWEET! ‘flawlessly’ as VSTs in Live, where he was able You might be forgiven for thinking I’ve been
No, this hasn’t been a full roll call of all 30 Gadgets. to massage my Gadget tracks. Even the track sold the Korg sizzle and lost any sense of what
That would be impossible here and they’ve all naming and mute states were retained through this product is all about — producing music. Fear
mostly been around in the iOS world for some time the translation. This is really a ‘best of both not, the sounds are all there. The emphasis is on
now anyway. Nevertheless, I applaud Korg for not worlds’ scenario. dance music and electronica, undoubtedly, and in
holding any back in this release. Such parsimony As mentioned, for those not drinking the (ever this, Gadget for Mac excels. Just don’t begrudge
may have yielded some additional micro-payment enticing) Ableton Kool Aid, the Gadget for Mac yourself the delight of enjoying the experience
payola but I’ve no doubt Korg will be repaid for its download (which is surprisingly lean given, I that much more thanks to Korg’s team looking
generosity with word of mouth recommendations, guess, the relatively scant reliance on samples) after every last detail.

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AT 23
STUDIO FOCUS:
I www.sae.edu.au

Tertiary audio education is enjoying some While audio is a smaller slice of SAE’s pie, it collaboration and study areas. For some fresh air,
hefty financial investment lately. SAE hasn’t been forgotten. Seven studio control rooms the stairs lead to a rooftop recreational space with
Institute recently opened the doors to its new are dotted about the premises, along with seven 360-degree skyline views across the CBD.
$12m, seven-story Sydney facility located at 39 live recording rooms and two 5.1-enabled audio Building this many studio spaces into a seven-
Regent St in the inner-city creative hub of post spaces with Avid S6 control surfaces in each. story campus required judicious acoustic planning.
Chippendale, next to Central Station. Instead of learning signal flow on a Behringer The solution was to place the studios on the top
General Manager of SAE Australia, Lee Aitken, eight-bus, you can expect to sit behind a Neve two floors of the building to minimise mechanical
said the new campus was built to accommodate Custom Series 75 or SSL AWS 948. Two dedicated transmission issues. It gave a good acoustic base
a growing demand for a range of creative media mixing rooms rely on UAD Apollo interfaces line before attending to each studio’s needs.
programs in disciplines like film, animation, equipped with eight cores of hardware processing Principal architect Andrew Holmes says,
games, design and web/mobile. “The new campus via Quad Satellites with bundles from iZotope, “Innovative technologies were employed to resolve
has been fitted out with the best facilities and McDSP, and Softube to go along with the UAD acoustically sensitive areas from the building’s
industry-standard equipment to support hands-on plug-ins. DAWs include Pro Tools, Logic Pro X, concrete structure to create studios with a high
learning in small class environments,” said Aitken. and Ableton Live. There’s even a standalone ‘critical level of acoustic comfort. The overall acoustic
“Our focus is on giving students access to the types listening room’ where you can bask in the glory of design of the theatre, control room and live spaces
of technology and equipment they’ll be using in ATC’s SCML20ASL reference monitors. in the new facility has been directed towards
the workplace, and equipping them with both The outboard gear list is drool-worthy. JLM achieving high acoustic performance. Low ambient
the technical and soft skills needed to kickstart Audio products are well represented with five noise in live rooms, control room and other
successful careers from day one of their studies.” LA500 and FC500 compressors, a Mac Opto listening spaces has been given high priority. A
Though SAE’s roots are in sound production, compressor, Head 2-Pac headphone amp, and chilled beam cooling system was developed for the
there’s no ignoring the rapid growth of the film, BA2 stereo mic pre. Besides the home grown project to provide a silent form of cooling rather
games, and animation sectors, and the opportunity goodies there’s GML EQs, TLA channel strips, than previous fan driven systems.”
it poses for an educational institute. At the new Neve pres including 1073s, a Chameleon Labs Sydney Campus Manager, Radovan Klusacek,
Sydney campus, film students benefit from five 7720 compressor, Drawmer tube channel strips, says, “Aspiring audio students look for a variety
dedicated edit suites including a specialised room a Bricasti M7 reverb, ELI Distressors, an SPL of things in a tertiary education provider. SAE
for colour grading. There’s a foley room, plus a film Transient Designer, a UAD 1176LN, and more. Institute provides an immersive, hands-on
studio with cyclorama soundstage dubbed ‘The For students needing some downtime, one entire experience that covers every possible level of
Wonder Room.’ The Gaming department is well level of the campus is a dedicated chill-out area studio, post, and live production. Students
catered for too, with an inventory of the latest VR with a kitchen and lounge. They can also head to are in the studio learning from day one. Our
headsets like Oculus Rift kits and Samsung VR, all one of four quiet study rooms to knuckle down industry‐focused courses develop technical skills
the major console platforms, as well as Android and smash out that essay, or brainstorm a big and knowledge, whilst encouraging creative
and iOS touch devices. group assignment in the two open plan student independence and inspiring artistic expression.”

AT 24
AT 25
 FEATURE

INTERNET
FAMOUS How three musicians have cracked the code
and made it big on YouTube.
Story: Paul Tingen

The Internet was once the brave new hope of

the leftfield, the trendy, and the creative.
Those of you who were around in the early days
HOW MUCH CAN YOU MAKE?
will recall the idealism and optimism of everything
being free; free to participate, freedom of Since 2007, the top five most-viewed YouTube For example, the “Charlie bit my finger — again!”
expression, democracy for all, and a world without videos are music videos. Digging further, of the 80 video of one toddler biting another has been
boundaries. That same equality also meant anyone most viewed YouTube videos of all time, only four viewed 847 million times, and made their lucky
could track mud all over the utopian carpet. are non-music videos. Finding out how much exact- parents an estimated US$100,000 in YouTube
Fast forward 20 years and the Internet is blamed ly people can earn today from uploading videos to revenue and another million from merchandise and
for most everything that has gone wrong in the 21st YouTube is bizarrely complicated. Uploaders have other ad revenue.
century: trolls, cyberwars, government’s spying on to allow ads, then wait to see if YouTube places an As a result, YouTube music videos have long since
its own people, fake news, the demise of the fourth ad with their video. If placed, uploaders are paid ceased to be mainly a promotional tool, and have
estate, even the erosion of society because we’re all per click on ads appearing on the same page as become a significant source of revenue for big
suckling on social media feedlots. Phew, talk about their video and per view and/or click on a video labels and major artists. At this point, the average
a bad rap. ad that appears before their video. Estimates of musician will ruefully reflect on the few hundred
The Internet also decimated the music industry as actual returns vary enormously — from US$0.80 hits on their YouTube videos, and netting millions
we knew it. For many who were adept at navigating to US$8 per 1000 clicks — and a recent advertiser may appear to them as much pie in the sky as land-
this old model, it felt ‘bad’, ‘wrong’, ‘so sad’. It exodus has slightly drained the pool of money to go ing that elusive big record deal, or as having one of
required a new way of thinking, and new business around, but a ballpark average of US$2/thousand the freak hits YouTube has become famous for.
models to provide artists with a living. For many, ad impressions is often mentioned. That may not
With big record deals and record companies, going
that meant retreating to the last line of defence, the sound like much, but with some videos attracting
the way of the Dodo, YouTube offers attractive
road, to scrape an income off the highways. hundreds of millions of views (in 47 cases to date
opportunities for any motivated and persistent
However, an increasing amount of musicians are exceeding a billion) this can result in payments of
self-starter with a large creative output.
managing to make substantial money by using the hundreds of thousands of dollars per video.
very disruptor of the traditional music industry
business model — and doing so without having to
resort to life on the road. These musicians combine
the Internet and social media outlets with cheap
studio technology and an ear for viral hits to make
livings that range from getting by to being rich
and e-famous. Yet, even with millions of fans,
their success largely flies under the radar of the
mainstream media. Welcome to the brave new
world of the YouTube musician.
Here are the stories of three YouTube musicians
who have managed to carve out a sustainable
online career. Each has done so in a very different
way, but taken together their stories act as a
blueprint of a more common future for artists.

AT 26
ANDREW
Andrew Huang strictly adheres to a schedule called Songs To Wear Pants To.
of releasing a video through his YouTube From his home studio in Toronto, Huang
channel every Monday and Thursday. His output is charted the trajectory from there to his current
a mixture of vlogs — often about music production YouTube output. “The Ebay thing was my first

HUANG and music theory — and videos with musical

content that could range from original songs, to
feats like rapping 300 words in 60 seconds, and his
breakthrough novelty children’s song Pink Fluffy
foray into sharing music online, and yes, it did
make me money. The Songs To Wear Pants To
website streamlined how people could contact me.
I was songwriting for hire and at the peak I was
Unicorns Dancing On Rainbows. His ‘Song creating 15 songs a month; for weddings, friends,
SUBSCRIBERS: 750,000* Challenges’ are also wildly popular, where Huang for all sorts of people, many of which were not
reconstructs 99 Luftballons entirely from samples even shared online. I also started creating pieces of
VIDEO VIEWS: 87 MILLION* made using red balloons, or limits himself to using music for free using the suggestions of site visitors
*All figures from mid-April, 2017 the notes in CABBAGE to write a metal song… that they really enjoyed and shared. It turned out to
about cabbage, or makes a beat using samples be a good business model, because I was reaching
harvested from beets. more and more people. Over time I expanded into
Hailing from Ottawa, Ontario in Canada, more typical commercial music work. I started my
where he was born in 1984, Huang started playing YouTube channel alongside that, and it eventually
piano as a teenager and also developed a keen took over.”
interest in music technology. He went on to study The shift to being YouTube-centric was largely
composition at York University in Toronto, but due to the success of the Pink Fluffy Unicorn video,
switched to a Fine Arts degree because it allowed which Huang uploaded in November 2010 and says
him to take courses on a far wider variety of it, “changed my life.” Perhaps more important than
different musical topics. While still in his last year the fluffy music, which is a one-off in his otherwise
at University he hit on his first Big Idea, which was more adult repertoire, the videos galvanised his
to sell his songwriting skills on Ebay to the highest visual style. The latter, stresses Huang, is key. “In
bidders. Just two years later, in 2004, when he was my early years on YouTube I created some music
still only 20, he turned this idea into a website videos with a few film-making friends that were

AT 27
 very much in the vein of MTV: telling a vague
story with some very stylised performances. At
the same time there were fans who were creating
animated content to my Songs To Wear Pants To
material. So in the beginning my YouTube output
consisted of polished professional music videos
and fan art. That took quite a few twists and turns
to get where I am today; vlogs and music videos
that aren’t made with a big team or tons of lights
and special locations. Instead they are polished in
a different way, and very much about me providing
an experience for viewers from which they can take
something musical and educational.”

STRIKE ON THE UPBEAT

An significant element that makes Huang’s videos
fascinating to watch is his upbeat, easy-going online
personality. An appealing online alter (or real) ego is
common to all three interviewees in this article, and
most likely pretty crucial. However, today Andrew
Huang’s business model doesn’t solely rely on
YouTube, but also on Patreon—a website allowing
fans to act as patrons of the arts—and income from
commercial work, both avenues that may also work
for the less charismatically-inclined.
“Income from YouTube has never been
predictable,” Huang explains. “You have spikes and
dips in your views, which depend on what you are
putting out and on whether YouTube’s algorithm
is friendly to you, allowing your videos to show up
in searches. Your income also depends on the kind
of ads that appear next to your videos or whether
there are ads at all. So YouTube is always there, but
YOUTUBER TOOLKIT: the money I receive from it fluctuates a lot.
“By contrast, Patreon is great for me. Though
ANDREW HUANG it takes a long time to build up your Patreon
As far as production quality goes, YouTubers can get fanbase, it now provides me with regular income.
access to all the music and video gear required for I can set my Patreon page to receive contributions
relatively little money. Underneath each of his videos per month or per creation, and I have 600
Huang provides links to much of the equipment he Patreons who support the videos I put out, and
uses, with his main camera currently being a Canon this generates between US$4-5000 per month.
EOS 80D DSLR, combined with a Rode VideoMic Pro The money I would make from 600 people in ad
camera-top shotgun microphone. His video editing
software is Adobe Premiere Pro, which he regrets
YouTube-specific music impressions would be just a fraction of that. But
the last couple of years the majority of my revenue
does not integrate with his main DAW, Ableton Live content doesn’t seem to has been from larger commercial work for hire.
9. “There’s a lot of manual work involved in importing
and exporting files between these two programs!”
become part of a wider That is usually the most lucrative. For example, I
recently did a partnership with LG, promoting a
In addition to Ableton Live, Huang’s Toronto studio cultural discussion, and fridge of theirs, and I composed the music for their
includes Tannoy Reveal 802 monitors, the Ableton is often seen as not cool campaign and shared about that with my audience
Push controller, Native Instruments’ Komplete in a YouTube video.”
Kontrol S61 keyboard, Shure SM7B dynamic mic, to talk about. This Like most musicians, Huang writes his own
Universal Audio Apollo Twin interface, Sonex despite the fact that music and is eager to promote it, calling himself
Pyramid acoustic foam and the RealTraps portable a “noisemaker/shapeshifter.” He’s released an
vocal booth for acoustic treatment, and the Teenage more people may view impressive 40 albums — mostly containing
Engineering OP-1 synth. certain YouTube content synth-based music and influences from rap and
dubstep — which he sells independently on CD
“The OP-1 is definitely an irreplaceable piece of
equipment,” adds Huang, “because there’s nothing
than a popular TV show and vinyl, or via DFTBA Records (Don’t Forget To
else like it. It’s small, aesthetically pleasing, has Be Awesome, a website specifically set up to allow
incredible battery life, and the most important thing YouTubers to sell merchandise), with downloads
is that it makes everything a bit more fun. It has a via the usual services. However, he seems quite
very enjoyable and interesting workflow. It’s a bit content for it to be a minor aspect of his income.
less direct. You don’t always know what parameter “Selling my own music is not the main part
you’re tweaking, and this forces you to explore more of what I do,” he said. “The whole video and
and rely on your ears rather than looking at numbers marketing has taken off in such a way that music
on your screen.” sales can’t compete with that. I am lucky to have
a sizeable audience and content that is friendly

AT 28
 MIXING WITHOUT HEARING
In sharp contrast to his normally cheerful, upbeat video style, late in 2016 Andrew radar. It’s frustrating, because it means I’ll never be a top-tier mixer. It sucks, but I
Huang soberly revealed a bombshell: he suffers from serious hearing loss. In can’t let it get in the way. I’ve had to deal with it, and I don’t think about it too often
the vlog he describes how one day 10 years ago he was listening to music and anymore. It’s just the way it is.
noticed everything sounded thin and distant. After testing his gear, he realised it “I do a few things to try to compensate. I use Aumeo [www.aumeoaudio.com], which
was his hearing that was the problem. Visits to several doctors gave no clues as is an app that comes with a small device with an input and headphone output.
to any cause or cure. As someone who was moved to tears describing how much It plays you a range of sine waves and you have to indicate when they become
he loves music in another vlog, it’s “a major bummer.” In fact, it’s every musician’s imperceptible so it can create a profile of your hearing. It then compensates for
nightmare, and something most musicians and audio professionals do their best this with an EQ graph. Sometimes when I’m working in Ableton I go through the
to keep secret, as it might affect their professional profile. Huang’s courage in Aumeo device when listening on headphones. It gives me a closer experience
‘outing’ himself, so to speak, is admirable, but how does he deal with it? of what a normal set of ears would hear. While mixing I am always looking at the
“I have a lot of low end loss, and a little bit of high end loss, and it’s much worse in Ableton spectrum analyser, which gives me a live readout of all the frequencies
the right ear,” Huang explains. “Once in a while I get a lot of tinnitus, and some- that are active. I also regularly put my hand up to the speakers to feel the amount of
times there’s a week where some of my hearing returns. However, for the most bass. All that gives me a pretty clear idea of what my mixes sound like. I’ve recently
part it doesn’t change. ENT specialists tell me I still can hear the range of human considered having someone else mix my stuff, which will be an experiment, as it’ll
speech, so they’re not too concerned. The musical perspective isn’t really on their be hard for me to know what they’ve done, and how it compares to what I do.”

enough to regularly get requests for commercial bit of self-promotion; asking viewers to like As for the future, Huang’s main focus is on
partnerships. I know many YouTubers who have and subscribe to his channel, pointing out his further developing his YouTube presence. “I
more subscribers to their channels and are reaching Patreon page, downloads and other content he definitely want to keep a lot of variety. I don’t want
millions more people than me, but who are not able provides. This inevitable commercial aspect of to settle into a format. I have a love of all things
to connect with advertisers because their stuff is life on YouTube may contribute to the artistic musical and want to continue to share that. I keep
deemed offensive or in other ways controversial.” credibility gap that distances the mainstream track of all the ideas I think of or that are suggested
One thing that Huang does have in common media. Moreover, Huang’s own videos, like most to me by others, and then it’s a juggling game
with almost all YouTubers is being extremely content provided by independent YouTubers, lean between something I may want to promote —
chuffed with his independence. Like the others heavily on the side of entertaining the viewer for a whether it’s my own music or something I’m hired
interviewed here, he has no need or desire for few minutes. for — or an idea that is exciting, or tagging onto
a record contract. “It’s great to be independent. Huang agrees that YouTube does not appear something that is trending — the time to strike
I’m in control of what I am making and when it to be conducive to the creation of ‘high art’: with that is as soon as possible.
comes out, how I am promoting and marketing “The environment you work in definitely shapes “It’s also an issue of what I am physically able
it. There still is value in what labels provide, people’s perception and experience of it. Generally to produce while sticking to my release schedule
primarily in terms of promotion, but the traditional speaking, YouTube-specific music content doesn’t of Monday and Thursday. My wife’s brother
music industry and YouTube are still separate in seem to become part of a wider cultural discussion, sometimes comes in a few days a week to help with
many ways. As a YouTuber you’re in a different and is often seen as not cool to talk about. This editing, and occasionally some people come in to
world than if you are a traditional artist. You put despite the fact that more people may view certain help with a shoot. But primarily it’s just me and a
out different content, and you approach social YouTube content than a popular TV show. There’s a camera. Sometimes I will film myself while I am
platforms and live events in a different way.” widely held view that an artist working on YouTube actually playing and singing, at other times I will
is not at the same level as, for example, someone lip sync. YouTube viewers appreciate that level of
ART UPSTARTS signed to a record company. However, YouTube authenticity and extra bit of impressiveness that
Like all artists who work professionally online, is slowly becoming more accepted as a legitimate comes from seeing you’re doing everything live, but
Huang’s YouTube page contains links to a whole outlet for artistic work. That’s a side I want to be I don’t hold myself to that. I simply try to find the
swathe of social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, part of. I’m 100% into moving YouTube forwards, video concept that will best present the idea or the
Tumblr, Instagram, Soundcloud, Snapchat, etc) not only in terms of the number of viewers but also piece of music I’m presenting.”
and his videos all end with the equally mandatory in the quality of work that is available on it.”

AT 29
 Kawehi is not primarily a YouTube musician, living, and signed a seven-year, seven-album record

KAWEHI but calls herself a “one woman band” who

uses many different web sites, including YouTube,
Vimeo, Soundcloud, Bandcamp and Kawehi.com to
release her videos and music. Her YouTube stats are
less stratospheric than those of the real high-flyers,
contract as part of a band. Her ‘dream come true’
quickly turned into a nightmare lesson about the
pitfalls of the traditional music industry.
“I 100% loathed the experience,” she rued, “and I
left three months into the contract. It meant I could
SUBSCRIBERS: 161,000 but she’s nonetheless enjoying an impressive not make any creative content for another seven
independent internet-fuelled music career. years that would not belong to someone else. That
VIDEO VIEWS: 13 MILLION Kawehi made a name for herself by performing experience was a tough one. With my hands tied
all the musical parts of her videos live through for seven years, I did everything to pay the bills:
looping. It’s an impressive feat, but what helped her waiting tables, busking in the streets, writing radio
stand out and flagged as Vimeo Staff Picks were spots. One positive was I met Paul during my time
the moving images she and husband Paul Wight in LA and we got married. After the seven years
created. For example, in the video of her song I tried everything to get back into music. I had a
Anthem she sings and beatboxes each musical part band at one point, and that was a lot of fun, but it’s
with different versions of her head in cardboard really difficult to get five knuckleheads in one room
boxes. It is fascinating to watch and an apt to cooperate with each other! I ended up doing the
illustration of what’s she’s doing. Many of Kawehi’s ‘solo singer/songwriter with a guitar’ thing, but I
videos are closer in style to traditional music felt I wasn’t getting any better.”
videos, and some are arty in a way few YouTube
videos are. Because of this, and perhaps also TRICKLE TO REVENUE STREAM
because she’s a photogenic young woman, Kawehi Seven years of laying low and being forced into
gets more attention from the mainstream media average day-jobs, followed by creative stagnation
than the average YouTuber. is not the stuff dreams are made of. However,
Originally from Hawaii, and part Japanese, being fully committed to their dream of cobbling
Kawehi started out playing ukulele (“everyone in together a living from making music, Kawehi and
first grade in Hawaii gets a ukelele to play”), piano her husband began piecing the puzzle together.
and violin. She moved to LA in 2002, at the age Eventually they found some aces in the pack;
of 19, because she wanted to pursue music for a looping, creating videos, Kickstarter, and a leap

AT 30
into the unknown, or more specifically, a move when her cover of Nirvana’s Heart-Shaped Box
to Kansas. Kawehi unravelled their trajectory: was also chosen as a Vimeo Staff Pick. This time
“Around 2011 I was getting into looping stuff live, interviews with Kawehi appeared in a wide variety YOUTUBER
which I found far more creative and interesting. I
had to put my mind into being a bass player, and a
of news outlets, both print and online, resulting in
a huge boost in online views and fans. Kawehi has
TOOLKIT: KAWEHI
When Paul and Kawehi moved to Kansas they
violinist, and so on, and come at a piece of music now been able to oversubscribe eight Kickstarter
took over a 200-year old brick building that used
from several different angles. Then one day Paul projects for seven EPs and a short sci-fi film, and
to house Black Lodge Recording Studios. Paul
suggested we do videos. That definitely changed Eve: A Sci-fi Visual Album is expected to be out by
now has his own studio there, which is appar-
everything. I started off not having any videos, the end of the year.
ently full of outboard and other studio hardware,
and when Paul mentioned that people were doing
COVERED FOR CONTENT whereas Kawehi has her own room that contains
videos now I realised I needed to stay relevant. I
essentially the same gear she uses live. Though
needed to have enough content out there on the Kawehi’s modest 20-odd videos on YouTube and
minimal, she’s come a long way from the Boss
Internet and let people see what I was doing.” Vimeo are mostly covers of songs by acts like
RC30 looping pedal she began with: “The thing
Kawehi had tried funding the recording of a Crowded House, NIN, Sia, Garbage, Muse, and Led
with looping is that you start with one thing, and
first album using Kickstarter, but was unsuccessful. Zeppelin, but also contain several originals. In all
then you keep wanting to do more. The RC30 only
Then, in April 2012, luck struck with her loop cover cases, she puts her own stamp on these songs. She
has two tracks, so I went up to the RC300, then I
of Britney Spears’ Criminal, and Vimeo featured it also regularly tours, and the majority of the music
realised I still wanted more tracks and different
as a Staff Pick. “I went from 800 fans to 3000 fans she releases as audio-only is her own material.
sounds. So I started to run Ableton Live, and
and after that I could fulfil my Kickstarter project. Although Kawehi has the looks and personality
love it. It opens up endless possibilities. I run
I’d never been able to do that before. But it was all to become a full-time YouTuber, she is instead a
it through an Apollo Twin interface, and I have
still on a small scale. We needed to put out more musician who happens to use YouTube as a way of
the Helicon VoiceLive Touch 2 for vocal effects
content, so one night after too many shots of sake promoting herself.
and to create background vocals. I also have the
we decided to quit our jobs and work full-time on “What I do at the moment is a combination
Novation Launchpad which keeps everything
music. We lasted a year, after which we had to sell of everything,” says Kawehi. “If you’re not with a
organised and allows me to record and stop and
our house because we couldn’t afford it anymore. record label you need to do everything yourself,
start things. I have a pedal that does the same
In 2013 we moved to Kansas, where we bought and you need to go down every possible avenue
when I can’t use my hands. The Novation Mini
a studio from the leftover cash from selling our to stay relevant and keep your career alive. At the
Nova is my keyboard, and I use a Les Paul guitar.
house. Moving from LA to Kansas was a big leap in same time, I don’t want to release a video once a
The monitors at my studio are Yamaha NS10s,
our favour money-wise. Being able to create stuff week, because it’s not conducive to me developing
and my main live vocal mic is a Shure SM58,
without having to worry about paying your bills as an artist. It makes sense if your objective is
whereas I use a Neumann TLM 103 in the studio.”
really was a game changer!” to provide weekly entertainment for people,
Not long after moving to Kansas Kawehi and but that’s not what I’m interested in at all! It’s
her husband enjoyed a second stroke of luck also why I stick to Kickstarter and haven’t tried

AT 31
 I’m doing it live, so if I mess
a part up I need to start all
over again. All videos are
shot in one take

Patreon. My Kickstarter campaigns have been “Arranging songs, so I can play them live with was also done live. We recorded it in the fields off
really successful, and I would hate to have to deal loops takes a lot of work. The arrangement needs the road that runs between our studio and the local
with a monthly subscription and a commitment to be interesting so people don’t get bored while town. That was a lot of pressure, because we wanted
to regularly produce videos. Instead I like the watching me build it, and it can be a problem if to catch the sunset, so there was limited time to
idea of people getting excited about larger and a song has five different sections. Some songs are do it. I record the audio of the videos back into
not so time-bound projects.” impossible to loop for that reason. And I can get Ableton, but don’t really mix it after the event. The
The covers Kawehi creates are now a by- really picky about the sounds I use. I may spend post-work is done by Paul, who colours the videos
product of her Kickstarter campaigns, because an entire day on just a bass sound! To be honest, I and touches everything up before it goes out.”
one of the perks for backers who donate over really enjoy that part of what I do. I prefer working
a certain amount is that they can suggest three in a studio, looking for sounds and building an
songs for her to cover. “I work my way through arrangement over being in front of a camera or up
the suggestions and try them and go with the on stage. I like the behind the scenes part.
one that works the best,” she says. “I would never “When I think I have the arrangement, Paul sets
have thought of some of the suggested songs, but the camera up and says: ‘OK, let’s see it.’ It’s then that
I ended up having a good time with them because sometimes I realise I don’t have it. I’m doing it live,
figuring out a different angle is interesting. With so if I mess a part up I need to start all over again.
a song like that Britney Spears one, I needed to All videos are shot in one take. Sometimes, like with
approach it differently. My gripe with pop music the Nirvana song, I get it on the first take, though
is its repetitiveness, but I can find something to with that video I keep thinking, ‘Oh, I wish I had
enjoy in any song. done this or that.’ The video for my song Telescope

AT 32
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LEO Leo Morachiolli’s path to YouTube fame was
shorter and more straightforward than that
of Huang and Kawehi. It’s taken him only three
had opened his YouTube channel far back in
2006, and once his studio was up and running
he uploaded a number of acoustic covers, and

MORACHIOLLI years to amass his impressive audience, once again,

largely under the radar of the mainstream press.
Before YouTube fame hit, Morachiolla was very
the occasional metal cover, in which he slowly
developed his visual approach. In October 2014
he posted a metal cover of Lady Gaga’s Pokerface,
much like millions of other aspiring musicians which bore most of the hallmarks of the metal
SUBSCRIBERS: 1.5 MILLION around the world. Born in Norway in 1978 to an covers series for which he’s become famous: his
Italian father and a Norwegian mother, he started maniacal, wide-eyed persona; the hard-hitting, in-
VIDEO VIEWS: 277 MILLION playing guitar and singing at age 15, played in your-face metal style; and the switch from starting
bands, one of which had a record contract with a the song slightly understated to going full on with
small Norwegian label. screaming vocals are all there to a large degree.
However, Morachiolla concedes, “unless you’re At the time, though, it was just another video
really big, you can’t make money from music in for Morachiolli. “I had begun posting videos of
Norway, so I ended up having to do nine to five my acoustic covers to promote myself in the local
jobs. For years I worked mostly in kindergartens area,” he recalls, “and I did a metal version of
and did music as a hobby. But when we moved to Pokerface just for fun. After a while I noticed it
Oltedal (a small town in south-west Norway) in was getting a lot of views, and within a year it had
2011, I quit my job and built a studio just outside one million views. That’s when I decided to focus
our house, called Frog Leap Studios, and recorded on doing metal covers. I checked out all the issues
local bands there. Also, after having played in metal with licensing and doing everything to the letter
bands for years, I had gotten tired of that, and I of the law, and how you can make money from
started playing acoustic shows in the local area, just ad revenue. I really sat down and went for it, and
to do something different. In addition to all that, decided to put out a video every Friday.”
I began doing music and promotional videos for
studio clients, as well as for myself and to promote ARTISTIC LICENSE
the studio. I made an okay living from that.” You can trace Morachiolli’s route to Internet
Totally unexpectedly, and for reasons that are success and how he spent a year searching for the
still a mystery, fortune struck in 2014. Morachiolli right formula on his Frog Leap Studios YouTube

AT 34
channel, where he’s kept all 500+ videos he’s
ever posted. His pre-Pokerface videos have a few
hundred to a few thousand views; typical of your
regular local musician or studio. Today, presumably
helped by Morachiolli’s post-Pokerface fame, the
views of his acoustic covers are in the hundreds of
thousands. Pokerface itself has 7.3 million views.
However, the views of videos posted in the months
after Pokerface are back in the thousands again.
Just before Christmas 2014, Morachiolli
uploaded a metal cover of Santa Claus Is Coming
To Town, and in May 2015 a tutorial on how to
play Pokerface, and then in July a cover of Deep
Purple’s Black Night. The number of views ran
into the tens and hundreds of thousands, good
but not staggering. Finally, on September 29,
2014 Morachiolli posted a metal cover of Sia’s
Chandeliers (5.4 million views), and suddenly his
winning formula became crystal clear. A metal
cover of Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off followed a
fortnight later (3.6 million views) and from that
point onwards he’s released a metal cover every
week. The pattern is obvious: metal covers of well-
known songs, preferably pop songs, get millions
of hits, with the highlight the 30 million hits for
his metal cover of Adele’s Hello. Acoustic covers,
tutorials, and vlogs are far less popular.
“I now put out maybe two or three videos a
week,” comments Morachiolli,” and they can be
a vlog, or a tutorial, or just anything I feel like,
and then there are the music videos. Deciding on
what to do comes down to what I am feeling in
the moment, and what is interesting to me. I don’t
really speculate on what people want, as long as
I’m happy with what I do, that seems to work. Of
course, the metal videos get millions of views, but
I like to mix it up. It can get tiring to do the same
thing over and over. Recently I had a video about
going up the mountain close to our house, and I
have videos with drone perspectives of the local
area, and so on. People like nature here in Norway,
so they love these things.”
I’ve been getting offers from big record labels,
Morachiolla lives in the middle of some truly which is crazy, because I don’t need a record
stunning scenery, so if his metal covers ever were
to flop, there’d always be a job for him at the local
company taking a big piece
tourist office. For now he’s making a handsome
living from YouTube, and associated revenue
streams. “YouTube’s ad revenue is an important
source of income,” he says. “But honestly, I don’t
really understand how it works. YouTube takes care
of it all. In addition I have a crowdfunding page YOUTUBER TOOLKIT: LEO MORACHIOLLI
on Patreon, and supporters give me between $1-5 Morachiolli: “I record everything in Reaper. For nels to record live drums. This is cool, even though
per video, and they get all 180 songs I’ve done, maybe eight years I had a Boss eight-track I normally program my drums using Toontrack
and other stuff. Then there’s the money I make digital recorder, which kind of worked like a tape Superior Drummer. I also use Toontrack’s EZMix
from selling my covers on iTunes, Google Play and recorder and was great to learn on. Then I used Cu- lead vocal pack. The other thing I often use in the
Amazon. It’s the biggest compliment that people base for a couple of years, and when I started the box is Native Instruments’ Kontakt, which is great.
are buying my music, both as individual songs and studio someone recommended Reaper because Out of the box I have a Novation Remote 37SL
as albums. I also sell some merchandise, but the it’s light on the CPU. I really liked it, so I’ve stuck MIDI controller, and I mainly record my guitar and
track sales are now my main source of income. with it since. I like the customisation options that bass parts through a Kemper modelling amplifier.
“The licensing was taken care of via Loudr, and are part of Reaper, and also the bundled plug-ins. My monitors are the Genelec 10As, which are kind
now by SoundDrop. I upload the song I cover Of course, it’s not the program, it’s what you do of oversized for this room, but they’re really good
to SoundDrop every week, and they contact with it that’s important. and neutral sounding. I record my vocals using the
the record companies and secure the licence so Shure SM7B, which sounds great, and I also use
“I use Reaper in conjunction with the PreSonus
the songwriter gets a percentage of each sale. Aston mics sometimes.”
StudioLive 16.0.2 16-channel digital mixer, which
SoundDrop also takes care of distributing my
functions as a soundcard, and has just enough chan-
tracks to iTunes and Amazon and Google Play.

AT 35
Things like Facebook and Instagram and so on to do. Sometimes I use things that I’ve only thought
are just promotional tools in all this. I also put my of while shooting. I don’t plan too much for the
videos on Facebook, but I link them to YouTube so videos, I’m really spontaneous.
I still get the views. I’m now averaging between 15 “I think my visual style has been there since the
and 18 million views per month on YouTube, and first metal video. It evolved further with all the
that’s more than enough.” costumes, but I’ve always been really crazy when
I play live. In the metal bands I was always the
THE HEAVY METAL GRIND guy who gave 120% on stage, even though I’m a
Like Huang, Morachialli agrees that sticking to really calm person when I’m not playing. I started
a regular release schedule can be hard work and experimenting with the weird angles you can
requires focus and discipline. The music videos, get with GoPros and in general the videos have
says the Norwegian, “usually take me three to become more crazy, perhaps because I’m more I upload the song I cover
four days, with one day for the video, so the audio
recording takes the longest. When I choose a song
relaxed. I think it’s just fun. There are so many
musicians on YouTube just sitting on their bed,
to SoundDrop every week,
I have to hear something clear and strong in it looking down at their guitar, it’s interesting to see and they contact the
that gives me a main guitar riff to play. The song
also needs to have a strong chorus. I like staccato,
something else.
“There are better guitarists and vocalists
record companies and
chugging guitar riffs, and I don’t really analyse than me, but my strength is that I can do a bit secure the licence so the
the chords from the original. I may instead create
different chord structures that fit me singing the
of everything; I know how to play, record and
mix, and how to film and edit, so it’s the whole
songwriter gets a
melody. I tend to record the guitars in sections — package. I’m really content with how things are percentage of each sale
the verse, then the chorus — and overdub rhythm at the moment. I get my own creativity out in the
guitars four times to get that massive metal sound. metal arrangements and by adding original parts
After that, I add the drums, the bass, and then the to the songs. I’m kind of spoiled now because I
vocals, and finally any other instruments I may use. have total control over what I do and don’t have to
Once the track is arranged and recorded, work with someone else unless I want to. I’ve been
Morachiolli turns his attention to recording the getting offers from big record labels, which is crazy,
video. His gear consists of a Canon 70D camera, because I don’t need a record company taking a
which he says was a “real epiphany, because when big piece. I have my own audience and I reach the
you use a DSLR camera suddenly it doesn’t look entire world through YouTube!”
like a home movie anymore.” His main rig is It seems that some of the original brave new
supplemented by a couple of GoPros and a drone. promises of the Internet have come through
His video editing software is Adobe’s Premiere Pro. after all.
With all that gear in hand, Morachiolli explains
that, “most often I’m just winging what I’m going

AT 36
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 FEATURE

All-round producer and MIDI guitar programmer, Doc

McKinney, explains how he and The Weeknd pulled together
18 songs from 40 collaborators and fashioned Starboy.
Interview: Paul Tingen
Photo: Zoe Prinds-Flash

ABOUT DOC
Martin ‘Doc’ McKinney was born in Canada,
but grew up in Minneapolis, where he started
his music career playing guitar in punk-rock
bands. It was during his first tour at age “13,
14” that he squatted in Manhattan. Growing up
as a black kid playing guitar elicited sneering
responses, but “what people don’t understand
about me is that I don’t give a f**k,” said McKin-
ney. “I grew up punk rock as hell.”
In 1994, in his early twenties, McKinney
decided that there wasn’t much space for
him to grow as a musician in Minneapolis,
so he moved to Toronto. It was here that he
began the duo Esthero, with singer Jenny-Bea
Englishman — their debut album Breath from
Another (1998) became a trip-hop classic.
McKinney went on to work as a co-writer
and producer with artists like Kelis, Raphael
Saadiq, Stiffed, and Santigold. Because of his
background as a musician and a guitar player
he says, “there’s a lot of room for me to be
creative when I’m working with new artists.
My main thing is developing artists. I’m not
motivated by money, so the music means eve-
rything to me. I definitely have a lot of ideas
and like to be involved in and collaborate on
every aspect, at least in the beginning stages.”
 Not one song on The Weeknd’s [aka Abel Benjamin Diehl], Cashmere, Cirkut writing Tools. Ableton is very transparent for writing and
Tesfaye] 18-song third album, Starboy, is and producing in different rooms, with others production. It’s very flexible when you’re changing
credited to less than five writers. There were 40 dropping by. Sometimes all three rooms would be things like pitch and tempo. However, if I was
credited on the album in total including Daft filled, but it was empty a lot of the time. Most of scoring a movie, I’d use Logic, which is great for
Punk, Diplo, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. To the production took place at Conway, then Daft MIDI and composing. Pro Tools is the best for
help hold it all together, the 45-year old Martin Punk did their thing in Paris, Max Martin at his cutting live instrumentation and vocals.
‘Doc’ McKinney worked alongside Abel as compound, and Benny in New York. “I actually use a MIDI guitar to do all the
co-executive producer. “Writing pop music is very different to keyboards and even the drums. I also have real
Doc McKinney’s relationship with Tesfaye traditional song writing now. It’s not like country drums, bass, and keyboards in my studio, but
started right at the beginning, in 2011. McKinney music, where one person comes up with the lyric whether I use them depends on what the project
co-wrote and co-produced, with Carlo Montagnese and melody and chords and is the sole writer of needs. My MIDI trigger is the Fishman Triple
(aka Illangelo), five of the nine songs on The each song. In contemporary pop, producers and Play, which has the fastest latency of any MIDI
Weeknd’s debut mix tape, House of Balloons. The beatmakers have turned into writers. Anyone who guitar, short of the ones that work with buttons.
two also co-produced all songs on The Weeknd’s contributes an idea, even just two words, gets a I’ve been working with MIDI guitar for so long
follow-up, Thursday, also released in 2011, but credit. That’s why you see many writers per song — that I’m used to latency, but the Fishman is totally
hadn’t worked with The Weeknd since. Starboy is typical of that.” workable. I used it a lot on this album, as well as
McKinney wasn’t involved at the very early AT: How do you start the songwriting process? playing regular guitars. I’m lucky that Abel is a
stages of Starboy either, but soon got his teeth MDM: “False Alarm was one of the first ideas big fan of guitars, so many of the ideas we came
stuck back in. Besides executive producing, Abel and I developed. It started out as a punk jam up with started on guitar.”
Doc was involved in songwriting, engineering, session, with me on guitar. Many songs resulted AT: There’s a fair amount of Auto-Tune over Abel’s
playing, programming and producing. Some of the from actually playing, rather than programming. vocals, was that always part of the plan?
songwriting took place at McKinney’s own studio MDM:“We had lots of conversations about it. Abel’s
in Toronto, but for seven months they were holed voice is beautiful and he doesn’t normally need
up in Conway Studios in Los Angeles, where they Auto-Tune. Instead we used it to create a certain
had a lockout of the entire studio and beatmakers vibe. It was not about trying to sound cool. You
and musicians were coming in and out, working in can be a great guitar player on the acoustic guitar,
all rooms.
AT talked to McKinney in Los Angeles
I actually use a MIDI guitar or you can be a great electric guitar player. They
are two different things. It’s the same with singing
about Starboy, and he was at pains to credit the to do all the keyboards with or without Auto-Tune. For example, Sidewalk
contribution of the collective and Abel’s central
role. McKinney: “Abel is really hands-on and
and even the drums. I’m has a classic soul sound and would have sounded
derivative if Abel had sung that without AutoTune.
super-creative, and always working. When I came lucky that Abel is a big fan It helped make the record sound more current.
into this record, there already were quite a few
song ideas. Abel is a close collaborator with Max
of guitars, so many of the “Many different people cut Abel’s vocals for this
record, by the way. If the spirit catches him, every
[Martin], and they had already recorded most of ideas we came up with way works. If I recorded him, I used a vintage
the two songs that were to appear on the album
[Love To Lay and A Lonely Night]. Abel had also
started on guitar Neumann U67, which sounds amazing on him,
and a UREI 1176 Blue compressor. Sometimes a
worked on the basics of the song he’d written with Shure SM7 or SM57 also works great on Abel. Max
Benny [Blanco, Attention]. Plus he’d been in Paris Martin or Daft Punk might have used a different
working with Daft Punk. The making of this record mic and recording chain.”
was very different to the other records I’ve worked AT: Was there a lot of back and forth between the
on with Abel.” We’d talk and listen to music then start wailing 40 collaborators over the seven months?
AudioTechnology: How did you get involved with away on guitars, keyboards or drums, and musician MDM: “Sometimes it takes five minutes to come up
The Weeknd? friends of ours would drop by and play along with with a melody and a chorus, but then you can play
Martin ‘Doc’ McKinney: “When I first met us. We weren’t serious about trying to create a pop around with it for a week, or a month, or longer.
Abel, he’d already been writing and recording or punk song. We weren’t trying to fit things into Sometimes we’re close to the end and the bridge
with various people and had put four songs on genres, we just tried to make great music and create still hasn’t been written, or it’s not quite right, then
the Internet a few months earlier. Henry ‘Cirkut’ something that made us feel something. you have that moment of inspiration. We play with
Walter and Adrien ‘AG’ Gough had been working “I played some of the guitars in False Alarm pitch, tempo, sometimes we try a melody or a song
on one of these tracks as part of a production and that’s me playing the lead guitar on Sidewalks! over a trap beat or a house beat; you’re constantly
team I was mentoring called The Dream Machine. I rarely credit myself for instruments on playing with it. The production may change, which
They told me to check Abel out, so I invited him records. I don’t like these credits that go, ‘hi-hats may prompt a key change, which inspires another
into my studio on the first of January, and quickly programmed by X, bass in the bridge by Y.’ It’s too change, and so on.”
established that natural connection which happens much. Sidewalks started with an idea I laid down AT: The final track list is 18 songs. With so many
occasionally in music between an artist and a maybe a year earlier with a producer called Bobby collaborators, how did you get it all to gel?
producer or writer. I’m quite a bit older than him, I Raps. I did the drums and guitar and Bobby killed MDM: “Drawing together all that material was
have two kids and a family, and his third mix tape the bass line. Abel liked it, so we worked on getting difficult. We spent a lot of time on pre-mixes.
had more sexual content. We didn’t seem to be able it to the next level. We got Ali Shaheed Jones- Cirkut made rough mixes of each track in Cubase
to get that right, so I dropped out of making it. Muhummad from A Tribe Called Quest in who before transferring the sessions to Pro Tools and
We also didn’t manage to connect for his first two did some cool orchestral stuff on it, and Kendrick handing them over to Manny Marroquin and
albums, but then he asked me to come on board [Lamar] did an amazing job. I was stressed out, Serban Ghenea. There are few artists, perhaps only
and produce the new record.” because he wanted to start tracking so fast and I Prince and Michael Jackson, who can go from pop
AT: What is Abel like to work with? was still in Ableton, so I had to cut his vocals in to rock to hip hop and be convincing. Fortunately
MDM: “Abel is very private. In the beginning, it that. Ableton is not an ideal DAW for cutting vocals Abel is comfortable in all those genres and has
was just Abel and myself working at my studio. He’s on, but it came out amazing.” the ability to use different aspects of his voice and
a very strong songwriter but likes to collaborate AT: Are you primarily an Ableton user? contrasting vocal sounds. Above all, he has the
with many different people. At Conway Studios MDM: “I’ve been working in Ableton for the ability to remain excited about songs after working
we had a core team of Abel, Ben [Billions, aka last 10 years, though I also use Logic and Pro on them for five months. He really is a visionary.”

AT 39
 FEATURE

TYCHO RIDES
Tycho’s music might be chill,
but operating monitors is not.
Naturally, we were intrigued
when we spied Waves’

WAVES’ EMOTION eMotion LV1 touchscreen

system at the position.
Story: Mark Davie

AT 40
 Before Scott Hansen started making ambient
electronic music under the Tycho moniker,
he was a graphic designer with a different
pseudonym — ISO50 — working for Adobe (the
makers of Photoshop and arguably the epicentre of
the design universe). Naturally, visuals play a big
role in Tycho’s live show — proportionately relying
on the landscapes looping onscreen as it does the
soundscapes looping onstage.
It’s equally dependent on screen visuals behind
the scenes too. Panning across the trestle tables
assembled at side of stage at Laneway in Sydney,
there’s a Macbook Pro running Arena — a visual
playback engine, a PC laptop taking care of
playback via Reaper, and two Dell touchscreens
controlling a Waves eMotion LV1 mixing system
for monitors.
It’s still rare to see fully-fledged touchscreen-only
mixers in the high-stakes world of touring audio,
but they’re scarce as hen’s teeth at the monitor
position. The de facto standard for digital monitor
consoles is probably still the Yamaha PM5D. It’s
been hard to shake off its perch not because it
sounds superlative, but purely due to its workflow,
and plethora of physical knobs and faders.
However, all those tactile bits and pieces come at a
price; size. A luxury Tycho doesn’t have, explained
monitor engineer Sage Plakosh: “We chose the LV1
because we’re doing a bunch of back-to-back fly
dates, and we needed our own console that would
fit in a really small frame.”
Beyond that, there were two other main selling
points: the ability to use Waves plug-ins, and the
sound quality. “I have an SSL bus compressor
and PAZ Analyzer on every output, and I find it We chose the LV1 because we’re
runs Waves plug-ins better than other consoles
out there,” said Plakosh. “And the sound quality is doing a bunch of back-to-back
really on par with a DiGiCo SD9.” fly dates, and we needed our
However, the switch to the LV1 wasn’t without
a learning curve. “I started in the business when own console that would fit in a
analogue was king,” continued Plakosh. “Going really small frame
from tactile to touching the screen for fader moves
was definitely new to me.” In fact, he’s already
planning on taking a look at some control surfaces
when the tour hits Europe and they won’t be doing
as many fly dates. The SSL Nucleus is high on his Sage Plakosh peers out through the smoke to make sure every-
list to check out, as a couple of fellow engineers one’s happy onstage. His dual screen LV1 setup gives him touch
he knows have used the same combination with access to all his channels and Waves plug-in parameters.
success. “I’d like to get to that point for monitors,
because of speed,” said Plakosh. “Right now, if
I want to get to a channel, I have to select the
channel page, select the mix, then select what I’m
doing. Half the gig is being able to respond to the
musicians’ needs as quickly as possible, and I could
be quicker if I had a dedicated surface.”

ORDER FOH TWO

It doesn’t stop there, Tycho’s entire console system
is LV1 dependent. “We’re using three DiGiGrid
IOX interfaces; two in my rack and one on stage,”
outlined Plakosh. “Then we have a DiGiGrid IOC
at FOH for routing back to the PA. There’s just a
CAT6 cable that runs between us to connect the
devices. We share inputs and head amps at the
moment, because we don’t have enough I/O to
split the signals.”

AT 41
 Scott Hansen is a vintage synth Plakosh said the first week setting up the system
aficionado, yet the diminutive was tough. Because the LV1 platform is open to
Korg Monologue has found its configuration, when the rig arrived from Brown
way into his arsenal. Note Productions in Colorado it took a while for
the crew to bed in their preferences. “You can set
it up to play so many different roles,” explained
Plakosh. “It was initially configured so when I’d
mute something, it’d mute it at FOH. We had to
work out a lot in rehearsal.
“From a hardware standpoint, these IOXs get
toasty hot. When they originally came to us,
they were racked one on top of the other which
would generate a lot of heat and start to degrade
I find it runs Waves the reliability, like most electronics. Putting space
between them helped a lot. Once we got it under
plug-ins better than other control, we’ve been having a good run with it.”
consoles out there, and The Tycho show comprises 16 channels of
playback, with cues on top of that. On the live
the sound quality is really side there are 10 drum inputs, two stereo guitars,
on par with a DiGiCo SD9 mono bass and loads of keyboards, including
Korg’s recent Minilogue, which gets a run alongside
Hansen’s vintage synth collection. Both positions
run a Waves Extreme Soundgrid server to power
their plug-ins. It’s almost overkill, as it can run up
over 500 instances of a given plug-in. Plakosh uses
the LV1’s own EMO plug-ins on all the live inputs,
One of the downsides of flying “even if it’s nothing more than high and low pass,”
your console is the TSA can he said. “I also have a basic comp/gate and EQ if
mess with it. Luckily it all worked I need. The EMO stuff is good. I’m using the SSL
when Plakosh plugged his DiGi- EQs for drums because they sound amazing. I’m
Grid iOX’s back together. using the dbx 160 on the kick, which takes a little
of the punch out of it, and the API 2500 on guitars,
which sounds amazing.”
Out front, engineer Bryan Berge, was bullish
about the benefits of using Waves’ LV1 system,
saying the sound is, “cleaner and has more
headroom,” than other systems. “You can run
the Extreme servers on many other systems, but
when it’s built into the network, you get super low
latency.” Berge explained LV1’s virtual rack system,
saying, “you have eight plug-ins per channel, and
Bryan Berge making final prepa- when you switch over to the next song, you have
rations to his LV1 setup before the same eight plug-ins. It’s more like a rack with
the Tycho show begins. built-in hardware. I’ve never really run into any
issues, you can get slick with how you route things
so if you need something in addition to the eight,
you can send it to a matrix or a group and have an
additional eight on top without any added latency.
“There aren’t loads of people using it: Dweezil
Zappa has it at monitors and FOH, Flume’s using it
at monitors, Pitbull at FOH. It’s still pretty new. The
nice part about that is we’ve got 24-hour access to
All the little boxes keeping all the computers
Waves’ support team if we’ve got any issues. We’re
in sync — Reaper running playback, and Arena
also giving them input for design and build for the
taking care of visuals.
next version.”

AT 42
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A 43
 FEATURE

THUNDAMENTALLY
SOUND
Thundamentals aren’t afraid to show their
stripes on Everyone We Know. Relying on
Artist: Thundamentals
familiar engineer Dave Hammer to knock
Album: Everyone We Know their diverse influences into line.
Story: Mark Davie

AT 44
 In the early 2000s I went to an MC battle at background balanced by Pon Cho’s jazz training.
Melbourne’s Hi-Fi Bar and witnessed a kid While one reaches into the vinyl crate, the other
get mauled for one simple, yet contentious, taboo. I will be scrolling through his soft synths.
remember cringing when the first words flowed out
of his mouth and something was conspicuously
“When I first started, I was obsessed with
making everything from record samples,” said
Heaps of stuff is taboo
missing… that Aussie twang. You couldn’t get more Morgs. “I would sample bass lines and spend three in the Australian scene.
Metropolitan than a Swanston Street basement in
the middle of Melbourne’s CBD, but because he
days trying to tune one bass note. It was hell. Pon
Cho’s come from a jazz background and is always
There are still a lot of
didn’t sound like he’d walked onstage wearing a looking for a soft synth. Out of those two things we purists who say if it
wife beater, stubby in hand, he was lyrically
assaulted by his occa rival.
work easily together.”
Both Morgs and Pon Cho don’t profess to be
didn’t come straight
For most of the last decade, mainstream Aussie masters of the diverse range of genres and styles from vinyl onto an MPC
hip hop has been militantly self-referential. At
first the manifesto simply read, ‘you speak in an
on Everyone We Know, but they’re quick studies.
“A lot we figure out by trial and error,” said Morgs.
then you’re a hack
Aussie accent, you should rhyme in one too.’ Then “Also, so many people are uploading their ideas
as the Skip Hop sound cemented into its own on the internet, you might hear a reverb trick and
genre, branching out from the breakbeat-heavy, not be too sure how to do it. Then in two seconds,
string-laden, party anthem sound to incorporate someone’s got an instructional video on the
influences from overseas was largely frowned upon. internet teaching you how to do it.”
Thundamentals have been pushing back Pon Cho explained the process of making beats
against those restrictions for their last two is usually a personal tutorial in some technique:
albums, to the point where their latest, Everyone “Most beat makers would probably feel the same
We Know encapsulates trap and grime alongside way. You listen to something and wonder how they
breakbeats, and even indie rock. DJ Pon Cho, did it. THEN YOU FIGURE OUT HOW THEY DID IT, MAKE
one of the two producers in the band, reckons it’s THREE OR FOUR BEATS USING THAT TECHNIQUE, AND ONE OF
all a bit of a croc anyway. “Everyone in the scene THEM REALLY STICKS WHICH BECOMES ‘THE ONE’.
definitely listens to American hip hop, but no one “An example would be My Friends Say.
really wants to go there because of the backlash,” Around the time we wrote that I’d written two
he said. “American hip hop is where it started similar beats before it where I’d drawn volume
and that’s where all the innovation is happening. automation on the synth to get that swelling
That’s where trap came from. sound. Usually when I do synth stacks it’s two or
“Heaps of stuff is taboo in the Australian scene. three sounds. That one was mostly just Serum,
It’s impossible to do anything without someone it was before I started stacking synths with V
being pissed off about it. There are still a lot of Collection to make it sound a bit more unique
purists who say if it didn’t come straight from vinyl
onto an MPC then you’re a hack. I beg to differ.
than just the power saw patch.” MASCHINE GEAR
BREAK BEAT & MERGE Both Morgs and Pon Cho heavily rely on Native
People who are successful and creative understand
Instruments’ Maschine in their workflow. Here’s
that it doesn’t really matter how you did it as long While diversity is the aim, there are some fine
how they integrate it:
as the end result is cool. breakbeats on the album too. The song Sally
“People liked our last record, So We Can features one, and Morgs said the funk track Never Morgs: “I’ve still got an Akai MPC1000 that
Remember, because we were stepping outside of Say Never has two breaks merged together. “I had I used heavily on the previous record, which
what people were comfortable listening to on the the pitch at about +8,” he recalled. “Then I brought is weird because I’ve got Maschine. Now
Australian hip hop spectrum. I don’t want to make them into Maschine, chopped them up and got the I’ve switched to almost solely working with
a blanket statement, but most Australian hip hop groove I was looking for.” From there it’s a process Maschine in the studio and using the MPC live.
before that record was more in the vein of pianos, of layering to take them from ‘good enough’ to a Every now and then, if I’ve got my turntable
live drums and violins — uplifting tunes. That place where the original break isn’t identifiable. setup but not my computer, I’ll record it into my
Hoods sound is iconic; people love that sound, “We went further with the breakbeats to make sure MPC. However, I’m so obsessed with Maschine
and it’s a good sound. We’re trying to use more people weren’t going to hear it on the record one because it’s easy to use.
influences we listen to. Still stay true to what people day and think, ‘oh, that was the break from that.’ “Sometimes we sequence in Maschine, but
like about Oz hip hop, and the band, but pay more USUALLY WE DO A HIGH AND LOW CUT ON THE BREAKS we always end up bringing the multi-track out
homage to that musical American stuff.” THEN LAYER THEM UP WITH KICKS AND SNARES. We also into Cubase. I started using it when I was 17,
layered some hi-hat because we had Gusto’s [from and it’s stuck with me. I moved to Ableton Live,
EVERYTHING YOU DON’T KNOW Hermitude] kit in the studio. then Logic for a bit, but I’d keep going back to
DJ Morgs, a longer-standing member of the band Pon Cho played trumpet on that track, and the Cubase for little tasks, so I just decided to stick
and the other producer, has always tried to keep bass was cobbled together from a real bass they with it. When we work on stuff we’re generally
Thundamentals diverse, “rather than having Oz sampled in the studio. None of them are bass working out of my system. Pon Cho will usu-
hip hop sounding albums,” he said. “On our earlier players and while they were trying to work out ally keep his demos to about six tracks, then
records, we had surf influenced songs, and darker how to get the right impact in the bass line they bounce them out and bring them over.”
’90s hip hop songs as well as Middle Eastern style naturally turned to sampling. They were working Pon Cho: “I’ll sketch an idea out in Maschine
tracks. I still buy and sample heaps of records from out of Glebe Recording Studios, Col Joye’s old because it’s easy to get a loop going without
the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, which can lead in strange place, and he had “a really nice bass hanging on copying and pasting audio; you can click and
directions. There’s four of us and we all have the wall,” said Morgs. “It had old strings on it and unblock stuff which makes it heaps faster.
different tastes and switch between what we like at sounded really clean and smooth, but it wasn’t Feel is always important in hip hop. It’s nicer
any given time.” really the sound we needed. I had an old Yamaha to play it in on pads and get in touch with the
There’s a bit of a yin and yang vibe going on I bought for $50 that had been sitting in my groove a bit more.”
between the two producers. Morgs’ sample-heavy cupboard for five years. It needed a battery, so we

AT 45
 You’ve got to be really careful
of hitting plug-ins too hard;
they can sound bad, real fast

found one and tuned it up. WE ENDED UP USING THAT,

RECORDING NINE DIFFERENT BASS NOTES AND PLAYING IT
ABOUT DAVE HAMMER
ON MASCHINE BECAUSE WE KNEW HOW WE WANTED THE Talking to mix engineer, Dave Hammer, on the phone I detected a slight New
BASS LINE TO FEEL.” Zealand accent. “Don’t hold it against me,” said Dave. “I came here in about
There are always a few live layers in a 2000. I was looking to get into the music business and it felt healthier here
Thundamentals tracks, whether it’s bass, percussion than in New Zealand. It was hard kicking off but 17 years later things are
or live guitar, and they made use of Glebe’s re- going okay.”
amping system to send sounds out through guitar Dave’s not solely a hip hop engineer, lately he’s been producing and co-
amps or capture the hall reverb. Hermitude also writing with Megan Washington, and he’s been involved in producing and
have around 30 analogue synths set up and patched recording contestants over several seasons of The Voice.
in, but Pon Cho tended to resort to Arturia’s V “I just love music in general,” explained Dave. “I try not to be within one genre.
Collection of soft synths. “I’ll probably piss lots of There are things I don’t really do well, but the concept of how I think about
people off by saying this, but I didn’t really notice music can be applied to a few different areas. I get off on sounds and songs.
any difference between the 30-odd analogue synths I’m all about a song’s journey from beginning to the end — long-winded
Hermitude had in the studio and the Arturia pieces of music can sometimes lose my attention. It’s the listener’s mentality
V collection,” said Pon Cho. “I’m sure there is in the pop world. The only challenge is when I have to bounce around between
a difference, but by the time it’s been through projects and capture different headspaces. You’ve got to get a feel for what-
the hands of a really talented mix engineer, they ever the artist needs, otherwise it doesn’t come across right.”
can kind of get back some of that crustiness and
He owned Def Wolf Studios until selling it recently, and now rents a produc-
warmth you might not have in a soft synth.”
tion space there. “It suits my needs, which is mainly production and mixing,”
RIGHT ‘TOOL’ FOR THE JOB explained Dave. “If I want to do a band I just hire out a larger room.”

Dave Hammer is the mix engineer He’s got a Bricasti reverb, a couple of Chandler preamps, a few compressors,
Thundamentals have been relying on for their a Manley reference cardioid microphone, Barefoot monitors, a piano and
last two records. “We did preliminary mixes of all a bunch of analogue synths. However he mostly mixies in the box and has
the songs, but in the end, felt more comfortable bought so many UAD plug-ins over the years it feels like he’s trying to collect
handing it off to Dave,” said Morgs. “We had a the whole set. “I’ve bought way too many plug-ins,” he said. “If you pull up an
space in mind when we were making it, but once 1176 on UAD and compare it to an outboard, it doesn’t quite sound the same.
Dave got in there, he created more width in the But it’s probably as good as it’s going to get and as long as you don’t hit it too
songs. It’s why we were so keen to get him back hard, they sound great.”
onboard. To have someone solely concentrating
on the mix added another perspective.”

AT 46
 Dave Hammer isn’t worried too much about Oz
hip hop politics, after all, Dave said, “that’s why
hip-hop is an exciting genre because people that
make hip-hop aren’t worried about whether the There’s no real formula for
instrument or the sound fits into the genre. They’re hip hop sonic arrangement,
more interested in experimentation and trying to
find sounds that are different to other people.” so getting the low end right
Hammer doesn’t have a set hip hop mix is super-important.
process with 808 presets dialled in, and kick
chains ready to go. Mixes can take a couple of
weeks of back and forth trying to build the mix
around the hook, which Hammer can identify
anywhere. On Reebok Pumps, it wasn’t the beat
MIX PROCESS
or the vocal that hooked him, it was the comical
lyrics. “The raps in that are hilarious!” he said. “I Dave outlined the way he builds up a mix, starting
was just getting off on that.” with bringing everything up and crafting a balance:
With the low end, he just “mucks around until “Once I have a balance that sounds close enough
I find a good place for it. You’ve got to be careful to show the guys, then I tweak that, clean up audio,
when you’re compressing low end. Sometimes I’ll carve up sounds that need more attention, and try
let it go straight to the master bus, other times I’ll to match those kicks and snares while making sure
parallel process it, or send it out of the box through the vocals have got space to pop over the top.
something to give it character without losing mass. “To keep those vocals out front, I start with some
“It generally changes track to track. When you’ve EQ to clear out the gunk, and maybe use some
nailed a sound you think you can deploy to every tape saturation or distortion, running in parallel.
other track on the record, you move onto the next Even though it’s a form of dynamic processing,
song and it doesn’t feel right when you apply the distortion can bring things forward without having
same principles. You’ve got to rebuild the ideas to compress it. You’ve got to be really careful of
within the context of that mix.” hitting plug-ins too hard; they can sound bad, real
fast. I generally don’t hit them hard and bring them
FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT in parallel. It seems to have the same effect without
Hammer tends to keep his processing as the sound of the plug-in deterioration.
streamlined as possible, finding that clarity helps the “Some vocals will have a compressor on the track
arrangement shine. “I have a love/hate relationship and there’ll be another compressor running in
with EQ because I can hear the phase movement,” parallel getting the compressed feed. It’s a great way
he explained. “I try and do as little as I possibly can. of controlling close-ups. BY MESSING WITH THE ATTACK
NEUMANN, Sometimes filtering can help. Depending on the AND RELEASE OF THE COMPRESSOR IN PARALLEL, YOU CAN

NO MAN arrangement, I would probably filter out the low

end of a kick drum to find the soft spot. There’s no
REALLY SHAPE THE CLOSE-UP SOUND AND MAKE THE VOCAL
MORE ATTACK-Y OR MORE LAID-BACK. I might use an
Pon Cho: “We used Hermitude’s 25-year old optical-style compressor over the lead vocal track
real formula for hip hop sonic arrangement either.
Neumann U87 for vocals. In the end it made to smooth it out while letting the transient through.
Some songs will have a lot of low end in the kick
it slightly difficult because we were expe- Then run a FET in parallel to mess with the attack
drum others will have none, so getting the low end
riencing some sibilance issues in the mix. and release and bring back the explosiveness.
right is super-important. It’s not like a rock band
We used to use a Shure SM7B, which works “I love dry vocals, and the juxtaposition against
where the kick drum is virtually the same sound
well for rap. We also used the U87 for every wet vocals. A dry vocal feels even drier followed
and sonic arrangement for each track.
female part on the record, except for Peta by a vocal that’s super-wet. Sometimes the effects
“Sometimes I’ll replace the kick drum or add
& The Wolves, who recorded themselves returns might get a bit of stereo widening, so the
another, but generally I try not to. On a couple of
and when my partner did some backing room sound on the vocals gets a bit of width.
the songs I ran the kick drum out into a preamp to
vocals on Sally, which I used an SM7B for. Other times I might mess with the old trick
distort it. I ALSO HARDLY EVER PUT A COMPRESSOR OVER
Dave wasn’t as fussed by the choice. THE DRUM BUS TO MANIPULATE THE GROOVE. THE GROOVE of dropping it down an octave, distort it and
“Sibilance is a crazy thing, sometimes I hear SHOULD BE IN THE ARRANGEMENTS AND SEEMS TO BE blending it in. It worked on one track, then I did
commercial records and freak out about MORE ACCENTUATED AS A BYPRODUCT OF PARTS COMING it with a group of vocals and they told me to turn
the sibilance, then I hear some interna- THROUGH CLEARER.” it off! You try a bunch of things and some work,
tional rap artists and their sibilance sounds Throughout his process, that’s Hammer’s goal; others don’t.”
super-silky and almost beautiful. You’ve to make sure every part of the arrangement can
got a sibilance issue to deal with in every COMBINED EFFORT
be heard. “They do a great job and the sounds are
vocal chain. I don’t feel like any microphone all there,” he continued. “My job was to bring a bit Knowing that Everyone We Know combined so
records sibilance correctly.” more colour to it, give it some mass and make sure many influences, Hammer spent a lot of time
they’re heard in the mix rather than letting sounds making sure they’d all play we’ll together on
add up on top of each other and becoming a wall of the same record. “I get really obsessive over
sound or noise. how album’s sound, I reference how every song
“I like to pan things as hard as I possibly can sounds against each other,” he said. “There are a
while keeping mindful of what should live in the few different sounds on this record, there’s the
centre, which is vocal, kick and snare. The kick in breakbeat laidback Aussie hip-hop style, and then
hip-hop should be massive so I filter out anything you’ve got Reebok Pumps with a big 808 and trap-
that doesn’t have important low end information to inspired bass. It’s a major consideration, to try and
bring up my headroom.” get those different sounds on the same record.”

AT 47
 FEATURE

SNARKY PUPPY LIVE:

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
Jazz/funk collective Snarky Puppy are all about
improvising, even their console and mic choices.
Story: Preshan John
Live Photo: Anna Madden

AT 48
 Midway through their popular tune What balance. When the whole band’s playing, rarely do I added up, it’s usually well beyond where Harrison
About Me, Snarky Puppy frontman Michael shift anything more than a few dB in any direction. or I could request anything.”
League calls out, “Hey, it turns out half the band There’s definitely a happy middle line. If there’s However, neither engineer is complaining; it’s
tonight is from Dallas, so we’re gonna let the peaks or troughs, or large swings, the players create actually worked in their favour. They’re so used
Texans jam while the rest of us take a water break.” them. It’s very little fader riding during a show.” to nutting out unfamiliar consoles with the tour
With that, he and half the band walked off the manager yelling “soundcheck in 10” that it doesn’t
Melbourne Recital Centre stage, leaving the MIC CHECK matter what’s in front of them anymore — they’ll
remaining four to improv their hearts out for the Over the past four years, Harrison and Recchia make it sound good.
next six minutes. have gradually refined the band’s mic collection. “We’ve seen most, if not all of the popular
From what I understand, a ‘typical’ Snarky “The mic choices have progressed more and more console choices out there at some point or another,”
Puppy gig is anything but typical. Each live towards getting the sound as soon as you bring up Harrison says. “It’s not like having one or the other
performance is refreshingly unpredictable; one of the fader, and not actually having to carve out the is going to dramatically change our day.” If pushed
a kind. Adding to the intrigue, you’ll never know sound with EQ,” said Harrison. “It saves you a lot to voice a preference, Harrison says he digs Midas
which of the roughly 40 member-strong jazz/funk of time at soundcheck.” However, in step with the gear and Matt is partial to Digico.
collective will form the lineup each night — or how band’s improvisational spirit, if a venue’s mic locker It also helps they’re not heavy plug-in users.
long they’ll stay there apparently. It matters not, bares a few treats they’ll happily jump at the chance For Harrison, it’s actually a pet peeve: “I don’t tour
because only players at the top of their game make to set it up. Matthew Recchia says, “When you walk with my Waves plug-in pack or some other suite
the Snarky Puppy roster. So even when the band is into a new room, if they have something nice — of plug-ins. I’m a pragmatist. I simply want things
broken down based on state of origin… or colour like an EV RE20 — we’ll set it up. We’re all about to work. Years of doing sound hasn’t left me with
of their pants, or favourite food… it’s evident from playing with nice toys.” an appetite for putting too many extras in. With
the first minute of the show you’re in for a treat. The band feels the same way about instruments. Snarky Puppy I’ve got 45 inputs to move through
It’s fun to watch talented musicians ditch Before the Melbourne show, one player uncovered at soundcheck, it’s not like there’s time to be
the script and jam, but I wonder whether that a Korg MS20 in the venue’s back rooms. It wasn’t whacking plug-ins on all of them.
unpredictability rubs the sound techs the wrong long before it was onstage. “It’s not that any particular plug-in
way? When I ask Michael Harrison, FOH for manufacturer’s suite is a sore point for me, I’ve just
Snarky Puppy, he says he doesn’t mind one bit. In CONSOLE-ATION never gotten into using them. I’ve also got a dislike
fact, he’s learnt to embrace the unexpected when Snarky Puppy usually doesn’t have spare budget to for some of the situations I’ve seen other engineers
out on tour. Same with monitor engineer Matt spec consoles for Harrison and Recchia. Probably in. Real ‘toys out of the pram’ situations where their
Recchia; it seems the improvisational culture of the because they spend all their budget hiring and flying rack isn’t recognised by the host desk, and
band has been adopted by the entire crew. lugging around Hammond organs, Leslie cabinets, a he says, ‘oh my god, that’s my show over.’ I don’t
room full of exotic percussion instruments, and the want to be having that day. I just want to mix the
COMMON MIDDLE GROUND rest of their seemingly never-ending instrument list. band. That said, when I’m at front of house and
Originally from Scotland, Michael Harrison has a “The priority is always getting the correct everything is running fine, if there’s a nice reverb
surprisingly relaxed demeanour. Surprising because backline,” says Recchia. “By the time the costs are unit sitting there, of course I’ll try it.”
his job requires mixing 11 musicians who are all
improvising on upwards of three instruments
each; it’s not a snapshot-able affair. “Snarky Puppy
is a heads-up band to watch,” observes Harrison.
ENGINEER OLD SCHOOL
“Things happen. They don’t play the same set list When Michael Harrison isn’t on tour he runs his own production
in the same order with the same songs in the same company, E H Sound Ltd, back in his homeland of Glasgow. Matt
way every night. There’s a healthy level of variation Recchia’s day job is house engineer at the Georgia Theatre in Ath-
in their performances.” ens, GA. He also tours with drum and percussion duo GhostNote.
You’d think that means active mixing and Harrison worked Melbourne Recital Centre’s Digico SD5 like an
non-stop fader popping, right? In Harrison’s case, analogue board; soundchecking one input at a time, none of this
not at all. He has a unique, almost set-and-forget thumb stick business. The SD5 runs via Optocore to an I/O rack
approach to mixing that’s rooted in trust — trust in located to the side of stage. Main outputs go to a Meyer Galileo
the musicianship of the band members to basically DSP system processor on the way to the d&b amplifiers.
mix themselves.
Harrison walked through how he sets up the
console, which represented a musical rather than
technical approach to the concept of setting up
gains with faders at unity. “I leave every fader at
0dB at soundcheck,” he explained. “Then I get up
and walk around the room. While I can’t judge the
mix properly in an empty room, I can still hear
the dynamics of the band represented knowing
the faders are all set at 0dB. I don’t have to make a
mental note and think, ‘right, that’s how it sounds
when the overheads are back such and keys are up
such.’ No, this is my dead centre for everything.
“It’s like line check is sensing the median
dynamic for every player, and placing the median
dynamic along this line. So when they play up, it’s
appropriately over that line. When they drop back,
it’s appropriately below that line. So everybody
can oscillate around this happy middle to form a

AT 49
 Given Melbourne Recital Centre hosts far more va-
riety than purely classical performances, it needed a
PA capable of more than simply reinforcing acoustic
instruments. Ground stacks are employed for most
contemporary shows, each comprised of three d&b
V-Series line array elements, a Y7P infill, and a J-Sub
per side. The top three elements of the T-Series left/
right hangs cover the hall’s balcony area.
Phillip Pietruschka, Sound Technician at MRC, says,
“The idea of what the PA is supposed to achieve has
gradually changed over time, from something that
was principally there to reinforce what’s already hap-
pening acoustically on stage to a more conventional
amplified concert approach.”

Keyboardist Shaun Martin’s vocoding skills are as

entrancing as his keyboard chops. Shure SM58s
cover vocal duties and that rubber pipe feeds into an
MXR TalkBox.

A D112 on snare? The unlikely pairing works a treat

to accentuate that in-the-chest oompf on Jason ‘JT’
Thomas’s second low-tuned snare drum. Other kit
mics include a pair of Neumann KM184s on over-
heads, Shure Beta52 and Beta91 on kick, Sennheiser
e604s on toms, an Audio-Technica 2035 on ride, and
a Beyerdynamic M201 on main snare.

AT 50
Matt Recchia used Melbourne
Recital Centre’s Digico SD8
to create 11 separate monitor
mixes for the band. Wedges
are the go here; IEMs are no-
where in sight. Mixes are sent
to nine d&b M4 15-inch wedges
and two subs for both the
drum and percussion risers.

The percussion setup gets a

riser as big as the drum kit’s.
There’s a lot going on here,
from congas, bongos and
djembes, to tambourines
and pandiero. For the most
part, percussion instru-
ments are spot miked with
Shure dynamic mics. A pair
of SM81 condensers capture
everything from shakers and
chimes, to cymbals.

When a band takes a Hammond B3 It’s not often you see the original
and full-sized Leslie cabinet on tour, Shure Beta 57’s unique grille
you know they don’t compromise on design. Harrison and Recchia
backline. The rotary cab is miked with like to use it on Mike Maher’s
a Shure SM7 down low, and two Rode trumpet. Chris Bullock plays
NT5s to capture the spinning horn. both saxophone and flute during
The Moog Voyager comes in via DI. the show, with a Sennheiser MD
Keys form a big part of the Snarky 441 on sax and a Shure Beta
Puppy sound — organ, piano, synths, 87A on flute. But you’ll find an
the full gamut. Besides the B3, the additional SM58 sitting next to
input list includes a Fender Rhodes, both of these mics — that’s for
Moog Little Phatty, Moog Voyager, effects. Both Mike and Chris run
Korg Kronos, Yamaha Motif, Nord these ’58s into their own, ever-
Stage EX, and Clav. Halfway through changing string of stompboxes
soundcheck someone discovered and reverbs to create unique
a Korg MS20 which was promptly sounds during the show.
added to the lineup.

AT 51
 REGULARS

PC Audio
Have you ever considered
your PC itself as a source of
audio material? Prepare to
enter a strange new world
of magnetic fields and
mechanical interference
Column: Martin Walker

This ‘PC Audio’ column is getting a bit meta. fans, or the impulse/strength of solenoids, electro MAD SCIENTISTS UNITE!
See, typically I write about how to get the magnets, relays and the like, in order to generate
Inventive people are also harvesting parts from
most out of your PC for recording, but lately I’ve free-running or tempo-synced mechanical noises.
elderly PCs for future projects, such as the powerful
actually been recording my PC! As an inveterate experimenter and PC builder,
rare earth magnets and motors from old hard drives
Let me explain. Electromagnetic fields can be I’ve accumulated several boxes full of computer
(vimeo.com/2155213), or turning their insides into
found all around us, yet they all remain inaudible components over the years, so I was able to dig out
mechanical LFOs (vimeo.com/66666625), while
and invisible to us until converted into waveforms old computer cooling fans, LEDs, motherboard
DVD drives can yield laser diodes and stepper
using a suitable pickup. Some fields — like the buzzers, motors from a CD drive, all of which
motors (youtu.be/JtZ0Zx2-XMg). However, we
earth’s own magnetic field, and that around a bar could then be controlled from the KOMA Field
are now straying from our original ‘PC audio’
magnet — are static, but the alternating currents Kit to create new sounds. I even found several
remit. Some musicians are really serious about
(AC) produced by most mains electricity supplies multi-finned CPU heatsinks that sound like mini-
using computer parts to make real music, a classic
produce time-varying electromagnetic fields. It’s cymbals when pinged. Robotic drum kit anybody?
example being Sonic Robots, who built ‘Glitch
those fields we can pick up from suitable electrical
FLOPPY DRIVE MUSIC Robot’ (vimeo.com/105351395), a robotic music
appliances — table lamps, radios, TVs, mobile
instrument dedicated to glitch sounds, which they
phones, microwave ovens, even personal computers Even more bizarrely, further Internet research
describe as ‘Sounds from the in-between of error
— and turn them into sound. into the possibilities of creating audio/music
and prediction, little sounds that are amplified,
My own journey started last year, after I bought from PC components led me into strange new
small sounds made big’. This installation uses an
a couple of ‘induction coils’ (aka telephone bug worlds of mechanical music emitted by arrays
array of old hard drives to create snare drum rattles,
mikes, available widely and very cheaply online) of retired floppy disk drives turned into musical
solenoids pinging towards drum heads and metal
that pick up these electromagnetic fields. After instruments. I found myself listening to wonders
tongues (for basslines). Accompanied by melodies
plugging the bugs into my mic preamp and waving like the James Bond 007 theme played on an array
courtesy of a MIDI keyboard, this is a tour de force!
them around inside my PC, I was amazed at some of 13 floppy disk drives and one hard drive
of the alien, robotic sounds they picked up from (youtu.be/jEzXjJN1RH0). If your taste tends more LEITMOTIF
its CPU, the R2D2-like hard drive activity, frantic to classical music, try George Whiteside’s Phantom
As you can see, the world of PC Audio needn’t
graphic card updates, scratchy mouse movements, of the Floppera (youtu.be/dmoDLyiQYKw), a
be restricted to traditional recordings via audio
and motor buzzes and static bursts from CD/ sophisticated four-part rendition of Bach’s Toccata
interfaces and soundcards. My next wave of
DVD drives. Moreover, because you’re capturing in D Minor for two 3.5-inch and two 5.25-inch
experiments will be using a sensitive light
magnetic fields, absolutely no handling vibration or floppy drives.
modulation sensor that picks up changes in light
wind noise appear on the recordings — a rare treat! Now these are somewhat more sophisticated
levels, so I should not only be able to capture
fare, requiring a specially-designed floppy disk
KICKSTARTING PC SOUNDWORLDS sounds like 50/60Hz audio buzz from mains light
controller that waits for MIDI data, determines
bulbs (boring), but also hard drive activity directly
I found myself so fascinated by this new world of the corresponding frequency, and then repeatedly
from the flashes of my PC’s front panel LED,
magnetic fields morphed into audio that I ended up instructs one of the drives in the array to move its
fluorescent display soundplay from digital synths
supporting a recent Kickstarter project from Koma data head back and forth at that frequency. The
and CD players, and the infra-red signals sent out
Elektronik, for their Field Kit (koma-elektronik. most advanced device in this genre I’ve discovered
by multimedia remote controls. This time however
com/?product=field-kit). It’s a handy little box was built by Polish hacker Silent, and consists of
it’s a handheld device whose output can be plugged
that not only contains four preamps suitable for a massive 64 floppy drives, eight hard disks (on
into my Zoom H4N digital recorder and taken
induction coils and contact mics, but also synth- percussion), and two scanners, and has been
out for field experiments — I’m hoping to record
like modules including an LFO and envelope christened ‘The Floppotron’. Listen to it performing
the play of reflections from a nearby reservoir on
follower, a CV-tunable radio that can receive Smells Like Nerd Spirit (youtu.be/GwuCQ3u2N_A),
a sunny day, and to explore inner city collages of
broadcasts on AM, FM, and shortwave bands for and prepare to be amazed. Yep, these techniques
luminal digital activity, as demonstrated in this
use as another audio source, plus analogue and are geeky in the extreme, yet I have a genuine
fascinating What You See Is What You Hear video
digital sensor inputs so you can use switches and respect for people who can re-purpose PC
(vimeo.com/13617192) from Daniel Fishkin, in
varying voltages to trigger or modify sounds. hardware to such exotic ends. By the way, if you
which street sign advertising and illuminated
Hang on, I hear you say, what’s this got to want to go further back in time PC-peripheral-
shop displays in Times Square are turned into a
do with PCs? Well, the Field Kit also has a DC wise, try this dot matrix printer playing Eye Of The
’symphony of light’ by his sound camera. Not too
Interface with pulse/PWM adjustment you can use Tiger (vimeo.com/58200103). Clever stuff!
flashy for you I hope!
to control the speed/of small electric motors or

AT 52
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 REGULARS

Apple Notes
NAB Consumer Report
Column: Brad Watts

Ed Note: While not strictly an Apple-only column,

this is all Mac-relevant. Enjoy Brad’s floor report
from the premiere broadcaster’s conference.

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the cloud hosting platform. This won’t mean you’ll be to render audio formats such as 5.1, 7.1 and
2017 NAB conference in Las Vegas. The show locked into Azure for Cloud Collaboration in Pro Dolby. You can have up to 1000 tracks with real-
is massive, with around 1700 exhibitors and Tools as Avid is committed to allowing users to time EQ, dynamics processing and VST plug-ins
approximately 105,000 attendees throughout the use their choice of cloud platform. Pro Tools First on all tracks when used with a Fairlight Audio
four days open to the public. It’s a good few will also gain the ability to freeze audio tracks. Accelerator PCIe card.
kilometres from one end to the other according to Track Freeze will be important to those working Admittedly, DaVinci Resolve is still unashamedly
my pedometer, which tallied up over 7km/day for with less than optimal computers, and when in beta, but like version 12 is a free download, as
my stay. While the conference primarily locking in projects before porting over to other no doubt the final version will be (DaVinci Resolve
encompasses the broadcast industry, there was studios and collaborators. Studio with sharing, ultra-high resolution and
plenty on show of interest to the audio world. Avid also announced a new ‘First’ application visual effects is where you’ll need to stump up the
Possibly the largest press conference of the show to be available in June. Media Composer First will bucks). It looks quite promising, and could be the
with 1300 attendees was Avid’s Connect 2017 event. be a free of charge version of Avid’s video editing missing link for you if you’re flitting between music
Avid was pretty excited about the recent additions platform, Media Composer. Now, if you’re like me, and audio production for film and television.
to Pro Tools, the most heralded addition being the and do the odd video editing job here and there, it’s Finally, for something not so new but invaluable,
integration of Dolby Atmos with Pro Tools HD. difficult to find a decent editing platform you can check out an app called menuBUS (www.menubus.
This has been a long time in the making; Avid return to that offers good audio editing features. I audio). It’s a fantastic little add-on for routing
announced the partnership with Dolby around inevitably edit in iMovie then port the whole job your system audio output via AU plug-ins. Utterly
two years ago. It’s taken this long for both teams to over to Logic Pro X. It’s an unnecessary step, but invaluable for testing plug-ins or doing a quick
integrate the 10-channel Dolby surround system one I have to make as I don’t own Final Cut Pro. appraisal of tracks playing within iTunes through
into ProTools, so as you’d imagine the integration Media Composer First is purported to offer four what you may end up using for a final master. You
is quite ‘deep’, to quote Avid. Dolby Atmos uses video tracks and eight audio tracks. All with the can save plug-in settings and setups and it’ll give
10 channels, arranged in what’s termed as ‘7.1.2’ same editing features as the bought version. I’ll be you keyboard control over your system volume,
– seven monitors for the surround channels, a jumping on this as soon as possible as I loathe the regardless of the audio interface you use. Well
single LFE or sub channel, and two additional audio ‘features’ in iMovie. worth the US$39.
channels above the mixing space. These ‘above’ Which brings me to another video editing
channels are crucial to the immersive audio field platform, Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve. The
created by Dolby Atmos. It’s worth noting, there’s NAB show was Blackmagic’s stage to announce a
more to Dolby Atmos than film post production. public beta of DaVinci Resolve 14, following the
Technologies such as this are primed for use company’s previous version 12 (I’m told version 13
in the fledgling virtual and augmented reality didn’t feel safe for a company called Blackmagic).
fields. VR/AR offers unimaginable prospects for Now if we cast our minds back to September
audio creatives — get in on the ground floor, as 2016, Blackmagic acquired Fairlight — two great
‘immersive audio’ is opening countless possibilities Australian media tool companies were rolled
in current and yet-to-be-imagined media channels. into one. Of course, Fairlight’s shtick was audio,
While still on the Pro Tools front, the entry- so what’s a video editing company want with an
level, free of charge version, Pro Tools First, is audio company and its technology? Well, DaVinci
getting an overhaul. Avid Cloud Collaboration Resolve (and its big brother, DaVinci Resolve
will make its way into Pro Tools First, allowing Studio) has Fairlight’s audio features melded into
users to collaborate via cloud-based storage the application. That’s not a bad effort for a mere
services. Alongside this announcement, Avid seven months of ownership by Blackmagic.
revealed a strategic alliance with Microsoft, There’s a stack of tools for recording, editing,
naming Microsoft’s Azure cloud is its preferred busing, mixing and routing, along with the ability

AT 54
We’re Zoom. And We’re For Creators

MultiTrack Field Recorders

F4, F8 and FRC-8

dynamicmusic.com.au
AT 55
 FEATURE

Craig Field jumped at the chance to record an

Australian-made 9½-foot, 102-key Stuart
& Sons grand piano, despite it being in
a farm shed under the critical eye
of founder Wayne Stuart.
Story: Craig Field

AT 56
 I first met New Zealand-born score composer leaning over your shoulder while you try and It was a very respectable setup, with an
Alan Griffiths and Ukrainian-Australian capture an image of their creation. I was a little Earthworks PM40 PianoMic internal bar and
concert pianist Evgeny Ukhanov when they both nervous, for sure. a spaced pair of Earthwork QTC50 omni
came up to record in my Blue Mountains studio microphones. Earthworks microphones are
with high hopes. Hopes I’d helped raise. They’d had FARMING OUT THE WORK amongst a handful that can respond to the
a number of very disappointing experiences in The farm was a spectacular 500-acre property and substantial frequency range of a grand piano this
studios around Melbourne when trying to record the owner, artist Peter Crisp, was very amiable size. It also makes a great deal of sense to have a
their body of classical compositions for solo piano. and excited for the recording to happen on his smaller diaphragm surface area that will respond
Alan sent the files to me to have a listen, and I was property. Alan wasn’t understating it; the shed was to sound and pressure then return extremely
quietly confident we could do better. At the time an just a shed. The piano had some boards placed quickly to its original position. We also tried
arts trust had installed a Steinway Model D concert behind it, but whether they helped with the overall spaced pairs of Neumann KM84, AKG C451 and
grand in Underwood Studio’s main room, and I sound is doubtful. Beesneez Lulu Fet cardioid condensers, as well as
assured him we could do a far better job with our Once the team had all arrived, Mr Stuart took a pair of Earthworks QTC 40 omni condensers. I
Steinway and studio combination. some time to talk to us about the piano. He took have a late ’60s pair of Neumann KM84s I like to
Boy, did I eat those words. Evgeny through its range and explained the fourth use in the studio, but the later model ones I had on
A piano’s sensitivity, touch and ability to expression pedal, which can be used to catch this job didn’t really work, as they seemed to have
communicate its rich harmonic vocabulary comes additional harmonics in phrases if used correctly. It a slight 400Hz build up that distorted the image of
from the culmination of all its 12,000 moving parts also has 102 keys instead of the usual 88. the piano.
working together harmoniously. Crucially, the After the rundown it was over to me.
piano’s ‘action’ — its hammers, keys, and how the When it comes to miking up fine acoustic
two combine to strike the strings — is the pianist’s instruments — whether live, location or studio
key to unlocking that vocabulary. The Steinway — my first move is to listen to the instrument
we had at the studio had three prepared actions: and allow that sound to linger in my thoughts. ABOUT STUART
one for predominantly classical players, one more It’s important to have a clear mental image of the
modern (Wessel, Nickel & Gross) action for jazz sound you are hearing as it is in the space. At times,
& SONS
and other projects, and one premium action I could sense the others waiting for me to actually Stuart & Sons are the only legitimate piano
awaiting the likes of Mr Ukhanov! do something, but you need to put that out of your makers to rise in Australia since the demise of
The day finally came for our first session and the mind and focus. the last of the post-colonial builders Beale & Co
wonderful Steinway Model D — King of Pianos! In my studio I have my desk and setup in my and CE Davies whose origins date back to the
Lord of Sound! — with its new premium action main room, similar to Paul Epworth’s setup at The early 20th century. Deregulation policies since
meant for the silver fingers of Mr Ukhanov… Church. I’m not separate from the performance the 1970s shifted complex labour intensive
stuffed up. Yep, it totally stuffed up. The technician or the artist and I find it’s a good thing. I’m sure of manufacturing industries off shore leaving a
had forgotten to make a few crucial adjustments what I hear in a performance by getting it direct, void filled by imported products and stencil
to the new action and as Evgeny tried to play, and therefore know exactly what my recordings duplication of old brand names.
the piano continually did not strike or struck too need to translate. Likewise, on location I want to be Wayne Stuart, a Tasmanian by birth, was
much. Slowly Alan Griffiths, patient saint of a man close to the action without interfering. fortunate in being selected to participate in the
that he is, began to lose his sense of humour. The first institutionalised training program for piano
piano needed adjusting after almost every other CREATOR DIFFERENCES technicians at the NSW Conservatorium of
take and by the end of that first day we decided to Because there’s so much detail in the design of a Music in 1974. This led to post graduate studies
call the whole thing off. grand piano I find its best to mentally divide the in Japan and Europe under Australia Council
instrument into three elements: performance, study grants. For the past 40 years Stuart has
SECOND CRACK sound and interplay. committed to building his own vision for the
Over dinner that night, after a few drinks lifted Performance is the transferral from the artist acoustic piano in the 21st century. His work is
the pressure and disappointment, a friendship into the instrument via the keys and hammers famous around the world for its unique vision
was formed through the day’s adversity. Alan striking the strings. and achievement. Stuart believes that the piano
and Evgeny later listened back to the recordings The sound is just that, the sound. If you listen has not been perfected but rather, has become
I had made and agreed they sounded a great deal within the instrument you will find its decisive moribund by reproduction of proven forms and
better than what they had, even though the actual centre. Fine pianos like the Stuart & Sons have a market place infatuated with brand names
performance takes were unusable. no discernible crossover between ranges, though that serve business models of mass production.
Thankfully, life’s always offering second chances. if you listen closely you will find an area on the Stuart is part of a miniscule group of artisans
Five months after that disastrous session, I sound board where the top and bottom seemingly worldwide who endeavour to push the bounda-
was pleasantly surprised to receive a call from — and seamlessly — meet. Try and focus on that ries of musical instrument technology beyond
Alan. Soon after, I was heading a few hundred centre sound. the status quo.
kilometres west of Canberra at daybreak to Interplay is the space away from the piano
He has pioneered many innovations and pushed
record his work Introspection, again with Evgeny. where both those sounds meet. Depending on the
the frequency boundaries beyond historical
This time on a 9½-foot 102-key hand-built Stuart environment, there may be a number of places that
limits. He has been responsible for adding
& Sons concert grand. There was one catch: the interplay occurs.
almost two octaves to the ambitus of the
piano was located on a farm in a huge tin shed. As I began to make decisions Wayne Stuart, the
acoustic piano in his lifetime, a challenge never
How Aussie can you get? owner and maker of the piano, stepped in.
before attempted.
“Oh, and Mr Stuart wants to meet you,” Alan “No, no, no,” he said, as he started directing me
said. “He wants to sit in on your recording setup with his experience of mic placement. “Listen, this The magnificent 102 key, 2.9m concert grand,
and watch what you do. Seems he really dislikes is what we’ve done previously in the studio.” This veneered in rare Tasmanian blackheart sas-
sound engineers as they always mess up his pianos man knows a thing or two about sound, so I let him safras is one of 11 instruments with this ambitus
in recordings!” shuffle me here and there for about three hours. currently in the world.
It’s not something we as engineers or producers We tried different mics in different places, and then Learn more at www.stuartandsons.com
often get to experience; the instrument maker made sample recordings and listened back.

AT 57
 ABOUT
UNDERWOOD
STUDIOS
Craig Field owns and operates
Underwood Studio located
in Wentworth Falls, just over
an hour’s drive from Sydney’s
CBD. The studio was built with
the help of an acoustician from
Macquarie University in 2010.
The studio has a Yamaha 2016
S6 7-foot Concert Grand. The
piano was purchased new from
Yamaha and uniquely voiced for
the main room of the studio.
www.underwoodstudio.com.au

Each time we tried a new arrangement Wayne to mixing Blumlein mic

seemed to be getting closer to a sound he was setups you can tune the
happy with, but I had a feeling that we could do lower frequencies by gently
much better. I decided to speak up after many adjusting the panning.
hours of fussing and many takes, which is always
tricky with an experienced client. HUMMING ALONG
“I think we can do better,” I said. The piano was such a large
There was silence, then relief. See, Wayne is instrument, and if it had
the kind of man who has relentlessly pursued occupied a more controlled
excellence, so rather than hurting his pride, those environment I would likely
words brought him joy. I went about a whole new have tried omni microphones
setup and about four hours later we had our new in a Decca tree configuration.
sound; one which everybody agreed was more However, when things are
faithful to the sound occurring at that moment in less than ideal you really
that space. Until then, Wayne had predominantly need to keep positive and
been exposed to spaced pair setups. It was the first steer the project in the
time he’d both had the pleasure of working with direction you want to go.
ribbon microphones and had an engineer attempt Attempting to ‘fix’ recordings in the studio is never The Crisp family’s hospitality, and sharing our
to capture his piano with a Blumlein pair. a good idea, so I had to accept and embrace the space with the sound of the surrounding 500 acres
In our final set up we kept the Earthworks PM40 imperfections of the environment. It was a far cry of farm and nature, helped create a truly great
pair over the hammers to capture the ‘Performance’ from the controlled rooms and customised silence living and work environment. The Australian-
aspect. We complemented that with a pair of Royer of my own studio, so I had to set the microphone made Stuart & Sons piano seemed right at home
121 passive ribbon microphones in a Blumlein gains to not only respond appropriately to the as its magnificent open sound echoed the almost
stereo setup to record the ‘Sound’ and a pair of piano and performance but also avoid too much endless landscape.
Rode NTR active ribbons in a similar Blumlein pair ambient interplay. Thankfully, it went better than the first session.
for the ‘Interplay’. Being a farm, beyond occasional visits from Even Wayne Stuart agreed, who sent me this note:
The extremely fine corrugated aluminium strip resident animals there were a number of obstacles You have achieved extreme clarity and dynamic
of ribbon microphones makes them so unique. I had to contend with. A water pump on the farm range without harshness or a too metallic tendency. It
By having such a low mass diaphragm, they can seemed to sporadically switch on and create a hum really is quite impossible to achieve this level on any
respond to very subtle changes in sound pressure. in the electrical lines. With a bit of vigilance during other piano and not get harshness of all sorts. The
Ribbon microphones naturally exhibit a bi- the sessions I noted the times it switched on and subtlety/flexibility of the sound envelope is unique.
directional pattern, and while many multi-pattern off, and by the third day I was able to organise Thumbs up, Wayne Stuart.
condenser microphones can arrive at a similar discussions and review times around its routine.
pattern, the use of complex active electronics Occasionally the farm workers would come by on a More information on pianist Evgeny Ukhanov
to achieve bi-directionality can impart noise, bike or tractor to stop in and see how the recording can be found at www.evgenyukhanov.com.
distortion, and undesirable off-axis artefacts. was going. Which it usually wasn’t by the time they More information on the composer Alan
Because of the environment, I didn’t stray too poked their head in. Grifitths and the album Introspection can be found
far from the piano to avoid collecting unwanted I won’t deny I was stressed at times trying to at www.griffithscomposer.com
sources. That’s where the Blumlein technique has capture such a large score of complex material
an advantage. Because bi-directional microphones with technical problems, deadlines and all those
are heavily beholden to the influence of proximity interruptions. Nevertheless, it’s not an experience
effect — tending to lose detail in the lower I would have traded. However unusual it was to
frequencies the further they get from the source record a concert pianist in a tin shed, being outside
— they normally give optimum results when used of the studio environment was a unique and
at closer distances to the source. When it comes rewarding experience for Alan, Evgeny and myself.

AT 58
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 REVIEW

DIGICO SD12
Digital Live Console
With two of everything — touchscreens,
master faders, operators, talk loops, and
power supplied — Monitor City thinks the
Digico SD12 could be the PM5D replacement HIDDEN TIL LIT — A feature gleaned from
every monitor engineer’s been waiting for. Digico’s flagship consoles, HLT aligns the
onscreen colours with the LEDs rimming the
Review: Mark Davie rows of encoders. If they light up pink, you
know you’re dialling in your aux send levels.
The two banks of encoders also let you toggle
DUAL 15-INCH TOUCHSCREENS — With a LIGHTBAR — No need to go scavenging for between a locked preference and the last
one-to-one ratio of onscreen channels to console lamps, the integrated lighter is just one used row. For instance, if you always want to
faders, and two sets of channel processing way the SD12 keeps things compact and neat. easily access gain and pan on the two encoder
encoders, the SD12 workflow is lightning quick rows, simply hold the encoder option button
and functional. Bottom line, says Barnard: “It’s while selecting the gain or pan row, and it will
inherently more simple to have a channel strip store that preference so you can easily jump
in front of you with a fader at the bottom of it.” back to it after you’ve adjusted send levels.

YNAMIC METERING — 10-segment

dynamic gain reduction metering is a
nice touch, giving the user a more ac-
curate rendition of the smaller onscreen
visual. It also meters all the way down to
-24dB. The metering beside each fader
is also a big step up from an SD9, with
full fader-length 20-segment metering
in very fine gradations.

PRICE PROS CONS SUMMARY

NEED TO KNOW

Systems under $60k Dual touchscreens No onscreen Waves plug-in The Digico SD12 is a best-of-everything console for applications where
Highly expandable control you want SD5 and SD7 control without the physical size or cost. As
CONTACT 25 assignable macros if the flagship features weren’t enough, Digico decided to double up
Group Technologies: Two freely assignable master — dual touchscreens, dual master faders, dual encoder sets, dual talk
(03) 9345 9133 or faders loops, dual power supplies. There’s plenty to go around.
info@grouptechnologies.com.au Visual feedback, HLT

AT 60
 Ade Barnard walks us round the back
of the SD12: “We’ve gone with [the
optional] Optocore because we think
it’s the future. MADI obviously, and
we’ll put some DMI cards in it as and
when needed. The Aviom DMI is great.
If a client says they want to stick it on
their Dante network, or integrate it into
pre-existing infrastructure, to have the
option to put DMI cards in that deal with
that is great.”

Recently, when I wass covering Tame Impala’s

Impalas SoundGrid,
SoundGrid it doesnt
doesn’t have onscreen control of Monitor City had already featured the SD12 at a
live show and ogling FOH engineer Adam plug-in parameters. This is a direction the entire number of high profile events, sometimes partnered
Round’s neat dual Digico SD11i setup, we got SD series seems to be moving in, offloading plug-in by distributor Group Technologies’ demo board.
talking about the new SD12 console. hosting and control from the console to an external “This weekend it’s going out on Hot Dub Wine
It had been released a month earlier in a touchscreen. Although not quite as neat, it makes Machine, it’s been out with Dan Sultan and a bunch
worldwide multi-city launch — the morning sense that touring engineers would be responsible of other acts, we had it down at Port Fairy Folk
after my AudioTechnology colleagues attended for their own plug-in updates and control package, Festival on the main stage doing monitors, and a
the kickoff event at Group Technologies’ HQ in while hire companies provide the console interface. second one at FOH on the second stage,” rattled off
Melbourne, I was standing in front of a newly While the SD12 might not exactly replicate Barnard. “We’re very happy with it.”
minted SD12 on Digico’s NAMM stand. During the everything Round has managed to eke out of Barnard, in particular, is a big fan, especially of its
launch video, Digico MD James Gordon gradually his two boards, it’s certainly going to cater for one-to-one, onscreen channel-to-fader ratio. “As a
built a virtual SD12 with Minority Report-style a huge range of FOH gigs, and is also heavily monitor engineer, I like it on my end of the core,” he
flourishes. As he dragged in each module bit- suited to life at the other end of the core. The first explained. “It operates very similarly to an analogue
by-bit, you could see much of the SD5 and SD7 console in that everything is directly above where
flagship DNA come to bear in a smaller footprint; you’re operating. When I’m mixing monitors and
multiple banks of macros with LCD scribble strips, have a drummer waving at me saying, ‘I want more
Hidden Til Lit colour-coded encoders, and dual of him, please’, I’ve got to be fast because he’s got a
assignable master faders. Feigning the reveal was limited window of time to communicate before he
complete, he saved the best till last — a second 15- It’s a very powerful has to get back to his primary job of drumming.
inch touchscreen to ensure every physical fader had To be able to be in the position where I’ve got
an onscreen channel strip right above it, just like board. It has a bunch of everything I want in front of me, and fast, is great.
the SD5 and SD7. functions that are very Mixing monitors is about speed and workflow, and
Other than Digico’s own products, including the both are really good on this console. The ‘aux sends
budget-friendly S series, only a few manufacturers similar to the SD5, and to faders’ function, which is across all the boards
deem it necessary to align faders to onscreen a huge step forward in now, means if I’m working on the downstage right
controls. There’s the Avid S6L and Soundcraft’s mix, I’ve got 24 channels I can work with. I’m not
Vi series. Allen & Heath’s D-Live almost does it, Digico’s game just working on one bank of 12 faders while the aux
Yamaha is beholden to its Centralogic style of mix page is open.”
operation, and Midas consoles are generally lower
on screen real estate. Depending on how important
that one-to-one connection is to you, Gordon’s
onscreen reveal ticked a whole lot of boxes. SD12 console sold in Australia went to Monitor

INVESTMENT ROUND
City, so AudioTechnology headed down to the DIGICO SD12 SPECS
factory to chat with owner Ade Barnard about • 72 input channels, 36 buses, 12 x 8 matrix
Round, and Tame Impala, are heavily invested the new acquisition. Being a monitor engineer, and an LR/LCR master bus, all with full
in Digico; as well as the dual SD11i FOH setup, he immediately saw the new console’s potential. processing including dynamic EQs, multi-
they were using an SD10 at monitors. At a surface “There’s a gap for a monitor board, especially band compressors and Digitubes.
level, it seemed the SD12 could potentially replace in international touring,” said Barnard. “The
• 12 stereo FX units.
Round’s carefully cultivated setup, specifically [Yamaha] PM5D has gone away, and nothing has
because it had dual 15-inch touchscreens. It’s also replaced it. People have been using the [Avid] • 16 graphic EQs.
got dual redundant power supplies, another feature Profile, but it doesn’t work for monitor engineers. • 48k or 96k internal sampling with no loss
Round’s dual console setup affords him. There are Most monitor engineers don’t particularly care of processing.
a couple of ways in which the SD12 doesn’t quite for using Waves. Whatever that person onstage is • UB MADI 48-channel 24-bit/48k USB
stretch to the redundancy level of Round’s setup. generating, they want to give it back to them as it interface (half that channel count when the
Mirroring two SD11i’s means he has two engines sounds so they can make reasonable decisions — console is operating at 96k, even though
in case one goes down; a feature only the SD7 based on what they’re hearing — as to how they UB MADI continues to record in 48k).
has implemented in a single console. The other play. I thought that gap would be filled by the SD10,
• Stealth Core 2 software, making it compat-
limitation of the SD12 is its Waves integration. but this is a better monitor board than the 10.”
ible with all other SD series sessions.
While there’s an optional DMI card for 64 I/O over In the six weeks since purchasing the board,

AT 61
 SD12 AT THE FOREFRONT
Nick Burns, owner of Forefront Productions in New- could have. They use two racks, plus they wanted the form factor is also a big consideration for a theatre
castle, recently commissioned a Digico SD12 and D2 ability to do Waves I/O.” looking to squeeze as many chairs in as possible.
rack for the Civic Theatre in Newcastle. The theatre Like Barnard, Burns also appreciates the flexibility “It’s one of the smallest footprints for the channel
already has an SD9 with two D-Racks, and the new the one-to-one channel/fader relationship gives FOH count it has and the channel count it’s likely to take
gear will add to the theatre’s inventory, allowing operators: “With Digico consoles, you’ve always been on.” He’s referring to Digico’s recent Stealth Core
them to move consoles between the Playhouse and able to have any channel strip on any fader layer, and 2 upgrades, which upgraded the available channel
the theatre. The ability to spread I/O around the now having the full channel strip processing control count and amount of onboard processing across its
theatre is a key consideration for the theatre said on each screen is an extension of that usability. You console range for a small fee. “For two or three grand
Burns, “the SD12 has at least two MADI I/O ports, can mix the way you want to, with quicker access to you bought a new console,” he said. “From anyone’s
plus two DMI slots which can add 64 I/O of any things.” Burns also appreciates the small things, like point of view, buying a product where you can extend
flavour, plus the analogue and AES I/O onboard. It’s having an integrated light strip so you don’t have to the life of it with an update is great. In the past you’d
72 inputs immediately took care of the theatre’s I/O hunt around in drawers for console lamps. The small have to pay the price of the initial investment. I don’t
count, but it was more about how many racks they know if anyone else is doing it to that scale.”

Having two touchscreens, two sets of physical

channel encoders and the ab bility to mirror and BANKABLE MACROS — By adding
rearrange fader layers also m means it’s possible for scribble strips, Digico has multiplied
the SD12 to be operated by two t engineers at once. the usefulness of its macro buttons by
It’s not something Barnard immediately sees a use five. The SD12 has 25 assignable macros,
for, but envisages a role for it in a complex scenario giving the user far more flexibility and
limited by space. feedback of what they’re controlling.
In the spirit of neat pairin
ngs, the SD12 also has
two talk loops integrated intto the console. “It’s
really useful,” said Barnard. “You can have one talk SNAPSHOTS — The snapshot system
loop going to FOH, the otheer going to wedges. For also has an LCD for feedback, letting you
FOH you could send one to monitors and another know which snapshot you’re previewing,
to the stage manager if you wanted
w to talk to them.” pre-loading, or firing.

MASTERING THE FADERS

S
There’s one more pairing to cover besides dual
screens, dual power suppliess, dual operators, and
dual talk loops — and that’s the dual master faders.
In practice, they don’t have tto be master faders at
all. Barnard threw a few usess around for the second
fader; a lead vocal, lectern, o
or whatever input
is crucial to your show, even n a talkback in. For
monitors he appreciates the ability to use one for
in-ears and one for wedges: “If you’ve got the faders
configured as your two solo buses and ‘Solo Choice’
activated, say you’ve got you ur keyboard player on
in-ears, you can send her to Solo 2 and everyone
else who is on wedges is sittiing on Solo 1. That way
when you pull up Solo 2, it goes to your ears rather
h MACRO SNAPSHOT are t can
than all the wedges.” Being able to have more than one bank of macros select EQ All in the graphic EQs,” he said. “I stand
Barnard, and Monitor City, aren’t strictly is also a big boost to the console’s flexibility. The downstage of the centre pair, and EQ those wedge,
monitors-only. For FOH applications Barnard LCD scribble strips allow you to have multiple then all your monitors across the stage have been
suggested you could “use the two master faders to macros associated with the same button. Digico EQ’d. They won’t all be right, but they’ll all be real
control your main PA hang separate to your outfill has opted for five banks, giving 25 macros in all. close. That’s just saved me 15 minutes.”
or front fill. Which would be really handy if you Previously, when Barnard had to mix on a console A lot of the DNA from Digico’s flagship SD5
had a singer who jumps off the front of the stage. with only one bank of macros, like the SD11, he and SD7 consoles has flowed down into a console
We did Nick Cave the other day, and he was on had to really plan them out. “Now you can have package worth around the $40-50,000 mark.
and off the stage the entire time. In fact, they built 25 controllable macros at the touch of a button,” Whether its bankable macros, dual assignable
a platform just so he could climb down and talk he said. “You couldn’t do that without the LCD master faders, dual touchscreens, two sets of channel
to the audience. To have your front fill on a fader scribble strips, you’d need five bits of tape running processing encoders and Hidden Til Lit technology
would be incredibly handy. He was sticking his down the side. The way the toggles work is more which lets you identify exactly what onscreen
microphone in it all the time, but the engineer did a intuitive now, too. The mute function works more encoder you’re tweaking, it all translates into one of
great job and we never heard it scream.” like a standard mute. You hit it, it turns on, hit it the best workflow experiences in a console at this
The routing flexibility is a big plus says Barnard. again and it turns off. The overall macro setup is price point. It’s price puts it in direct competition
Beyond the master fader programmability, the a lot cleaner, too, and using it with an iPad gives with the SD8, making it a choice between more
matrix is also incredibly flexible. “To be able to you access to those macros as well as everything faders and processing, versus dual screens, flagship
send anything, anywhere is big,” he explained. else, which is really powerful when you can adjust control and DMI expansion options.
“You’ve always been able to move stuff around, but EQ standing on stage.” “It’s a very powerful board,” concurred Barnard.
to be able to feed the matrices from anywhere — Pairing the iPad with Digico’s ‘EQ All’ function “It has a bunch of functions that are very similar to
including feeding the solos to the matrix — means is another one of Barnard’s favourite time savers: the SD5, and a huge step forward in Digico’s game.
you can do almost anything with this board.” “If you’re EQ-ing a stage, as long as all your wedges We’re very happy with it. It’s a great console.”

AT 62
 REVIEW

APOGEE ELEMENT
Thunderbolt Audio Interfaces
It’s back to basics with Apogee’s newest
interface family, delivering an elementary
audio experience that doesn’t skimp on the
important stuff.
Review: Preshan John

Like Mama always said, it’s what’s on the However, if we had to pick, we’d probably among Apogee’s cheapest offerings — so the loss
inside that counts. Solid advice when all agree that an interface’s sound is more in aesthetics and control converts to savings in
choosing friends or baking a pie, but it turns important than its looks, or even its physical your account. After all, it’s what’s on the inside
out it’s a good philosophy for designing audio controls. So would you forfeit the latter for the that counts.
interfaces, too. sake of affordability?
When it comes to pro audio, Apogee knows In a bid to make top-notch audio more SOFT OPENING
a thing or two about making products with financially accessible, Apogee recently introduced I’d say the Element’s packaging is extremely
high-quality insides. Continually delivering the Element Series; a family of three that claims underwhelming, but having reviewed Apogee’s
impressive spec sheets has required paying to deliver no-compromise pro audio standards, flagship Symphony I/O Mk II converter last year
keen attention to every component in the yet is disrobed of hardware control and exterior I think a no-frills unboxing experience is just the
signal path, every time. Apogee does a good bells and whistles. LCD screens, colourful meters, company’s style. You won’t get a Thunderbolt cable
job on exteriors too — the Duet and Quartet gain knobs, and phase switch buttons are nowhere either, so make sure you budget an extra $45 if
set standards for interface design. to be found. On a per-channel basis, Element is you take the Element route.

PRICE CONTACT PROS SUMMARY

NEED TO KNOW

Element 24: $959 Sound Distribution: Outstanding sound quality Forfeiting hardware control doesn’t seem so bad when you get
Element 46: $1449 (02) 8007 3327 or info@ Road-friendly build excellent preamps, plenty of I/O, and industry-leading conversion for
Element 88: $2399 sounddistribution.com.au Excellent control software less cash. Apogee Element Series is a cost-effective stepping stone
Control: $339 from prosumer to pro; and if you’re irrevocably the hands-on type,
CONS Apogee Control is definitely worth the extra.
Single Thunderbolt port

AT 64
 Like the brown cardboard box, the unit is amount of detail in the Element Control window to
unassuming — a metal block with a bunch of I/O suit your session.
holes on either side. We received the middle child It all looks and sounds quite overwhelming at
of the Element family, Element 46, with four XLR/ first, but spend some time with it and you’ll be
line/DI inputs and two sets of headphone outputs building and tweaking low latency mixes with
on the front. The rear sports a pair of XLR monitor blazing speed. You can also cut the window down
outputs, optical I/O which covers ADAT, SMUX to just the ‘Essentials’ if you want to keep an eye
and S/PDIF, word clock I/O, a Thunderbolt port on preamp gain and output levels without the app
(yep, just one) and socket for the external power hogging your screen. If you want to do all that
supply. I didn’t expect to like Element’s boring while moving around the studio, Apogee’s Element
form factor but it’s actually a very nice piece of kit. Control Mobile App lets you take the reins using
Rubber strips under the silver bookends help keep your iOS device.
the unit secure on a desktop. It’s fairly heavy and
sturdy, and you feel comfortable shoving it in a HARDWARE CONTROL
backpack because there are no protruding knobs or Apogee knows not everyone would be pleased
scratch-able screens to damage. having Elements’ hardware control stripped in
the name of affordability, so the company wisely
NUMBERING THE ELEMENTS created an optional control device for Element
While the units appear pedestrian, the specs are called, wait for it… Control. It looks like a Big
the precise opposite. D-to-A conversion has a very Knob-style monitor controller, but it’s only I/O is
respectable dynamic range of 123dB and a ruler-flat a mini-USB port. Eight user-definable buttons on
response of ±0.05dB from 10Hz to 20kHz. On the the top panel give you custom access to a range of
way in, the converters give 119dB of dynamic range parameters on your Element interface, while the
and a frequency response of ±0.2dB from 10Hz to Mic, Headphone and Speaker buttons dictate the
20kHz. Onboard mic preamps offer a massive 75dB function of the detented central knob. To configure
of gain and all three interfaces can operate at audio the unit to your liking, you simply hit the Remote and Focusrite ISA428 Mk II combo gave a nice
resolutions up to 192k. Round-trip latency via the Control Assignments button in the Element palette of transistor, transformer, and tube preamp
Thunderbolt connection is stated as 1.41ms at 96k Control software. flavours counting up to 12 inputs — sufficient for
with a 32 sample buffer size. Don’t let the boring The Control unit certainly heightened the most multi-tracking purposes. Don’t forget, if you
black exterior deceive you — when it comes to Element experience. Without it, even the most need higher input counts, Element 88 has eight
audio quality, Element means business. common tweak, like adjusting monitor or built-in pres. For even more I/O, hook up two
headphone level, required either minimising the Elements to your computer’s Thunderbolt ports
SOFTWARE CONTROL software to the Essentials pane, or constantly and they’ll work in tandem. Keep in mind you’ll
Sacrificing all onboard hardware control naturally switching between windows. A physical device to need two ports and two Thunderbolt cables to
means you rely heavily on software to take control these basic functions really does make a control the units from the computer, because the
command of an Element interface. Thankfully, difference, especially when you’ve got a long session. units don’t daisy chain. Somewhat frustratingly,
Apogee delivers the goods with an excellent you’ll also require optical cables to bridge the audio
application, though Mac-only, called Element ALL IN THE DETAIL between the devices, which is not handled by the
Control. It’s a small download from the Apogee There’s something about Apogee conversion that Thunderbolt stream.
website that takes half a minute to install. just hits the spot, and all the outputs are high More and more interfaces are appearing with
Opening Element Control for the first time quality. Listening on AKG K702 headphones built-in talkback mics. Element cleverly saves
revealed a pop up window requesting permission through the onboard amp, the high end was far this extra cost by hijacking your Mac’s built-in
to make Element 46 my Mac’s playback device. It smoother than my Focusrite Forte which sounded microphone and using it as a Talkback input. I
went on to present a number of Element Control slightly more brittle. Lows felt firmer and more think it’s a splendid idea — if you want to speak
templates I could load: ‘Getting Started’, ‘Vocal rich. The soundstage is as wide as it should be, and to the artist, you’re going to be at your computer
Overdub’, ‘Direct Monitoring’, and ‘Essentials’ oh, so detailed. Stereo spread is presented with 95% of the time anyway. For all other instances,
(for control of the onboard analogue I/O only). pin sharp precision and instruments mixed front the Talkback source can originate from one of
Naturally I went for the full banana and selected and centre seem very coherent, tending to poke Element’s physical inputs, or from another playback
‘Full Functionality’. out of the mix that tiny bit extra than the Forte. It device. The Talkback destination has to be one
The mixer is extremely thorough and intricately definitely sits atop the prosumer class. of the five stereo Playback channels. I routed it
configurable. The Hover Help window displays a to Playback 3-4 and had this channel turned up
little blurb about whatever control your mouse is on IN USE only in the headphone mixes sent to the talent.
— super useful when initially nutting it out. For the Gaining up a mic for the first time, I was instantly Engage the Talkback input using the latch button
Element 46, channels strips are laid out with the four impressed with how quiet Element’s preamps are, in Element Control, or its assigned button on the
analogue inputs first, then the eight optical inputs even when cranked up to +75dB. The signature hardware Control unit.
(which are displayed as four stereo-linked pairs by Apogee sterility is evident but it’s not a bad thing.
default), then five stereo playback pairs for internal It’s a clean sound that’ll match well with pretty ELEMENTARY
routing. You can create up to four independent much anything. Buy any prosumer interface on Apogee’s Element Series is about delivering the
mixes, one of which is labeled FX Send. the market today and its built-in preamps aren’t fundamental requirements — or elements — of
Element 46’s three stereo analogue outputs going to disappoint, but I’m confident in saying the high-quality audio without compromise. It does
(Main L/R, HP1 and HP2) can be fed with any of Element’s pres are among the best you’ll get in a do- the job fabulously. Conversion? ‘Industry leading.’
the four mixes, or any of the five stereo playback it-all box. The Soft Limit option is a nice touch but Preamps? Well above average. Inputs and outputs?
channels, selected via a dropdown box above each don’t treat it as insurance for insensible gain setting Enough for most small- to mid-sized applications.
output’s volume control. The Element Control — it gets ugly if pushed. Latency? Thunderbolt is as quick as it gets. If you’re
window lets you stack the four mixes so the faders The ADAT I/O is an easy way to add eight willing to take an elementary approach to audio,
pile on top of each other, and you can tailor the extra pres. Connecting my trusty UAD 4-710D Apogee’s latest offering has you covered.

AT 65
 REVIEW

BAE vs AML
Neve Clone Shootout
It’s a Class A battle of the transformers as two
Neve recreation specialists go head-to-head.
Review: Greg Walker

BAE 1023L FREQUENCIES AML ez1073-500

BAE takes more out of Neve’s 1084s book than its 1073,
with selectable frequencies for the high shelf, and the same
FREQUENCIES
AML sticks strictly to the 1073 script with its frequency
frequency selection as the 1084 in the high pass filter. You’d
selection; it’s an exact replica.
be hard-pressed to find a Neve with this many options in the
mid-range band though. • HF Shelf (±16dB gain): 12kHz

• HF Shelf (±16dB gain): 10, 12, 16, 20 or 24kHz • Mid-range Bell EQ (±18dB): 360Hz, 700Hz, 1.6kHz, 3.2kHz,
4.8kHz or 7.2kHz
• Mid-range Bell EQ (±18dB): 160Hz, 270Hz, 360Hz, 510Hz,
700Hz, 1.6kHz, 3.2kHz, 4.8kHz, 7.2kHz, 8.2kHz or 10kHz • LF Shelf (±16dB): 35, 60, 110 or 220Hz

• LF Shelf (±16dB): 35, 60, 110 or 220Hz • High-pass Filter (18dB/oct slope): 50, 80, 160 and 300Hz.

• High-pass Filter (18dB/oct slope): 45, 70, 160 or 360Hz

PRICE CONTACT SUMMARY

NEED TO KNOW

Expect to pay Muso’s Corner: Both the BAE and AML Neve recreations are quality builds, with all the right components. While the BAE’s
BAE 1073MPL: $1499 1300 687 672 or expanded EQ control and output attenuation take the biscuits in the 1073 stakes, AML’s 54F50 Comp/
BAE 1023L: $3799 salesteam@musoscorner.com.au Limiter literally smashes everything in its path.
AML EZ1073-500: $1615
AML 54F50: $2380

AT 66
 I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m function as a line-level driver and also features a guitars, electric bass and vocals the single module
getting a little tired of the extremely tall switchable impedance of 1200 or 300Ω to optimise unit performed beautifully. The sounds had a
pedestal that Neve’s vintage recording equipment for various microphone sources. The front panel strong sense of solidity to them, with great tonal
sits upon these days. I’m not sure whether it’s the is simplicity itself, with one large stepped rotary balance and a slight thickening and smoothing to
online frothing of nerdy engineers and producers, control for preamp input and another smaller knob them that helped the tracks sit easily in the mix. I
the dewy-eyed look the Neve name elicits from for output control. Between these are the large found I needed to take care with this module not to
young up-and-comers, or the increasingly obscene push-buttons for Hi-Z input, phase reverse and overdo the input gain on loud sources as the sound
asking prices of genuine vintage items offered up phantom power selection. There’s also a DI input could blow out quite easily, but it was no problem
on Ebay and Reverb.com. In any case I can’t help on the front for ease of access. For mine, the output to adjust input and output levels to get just the
feeling like the whole Neve thing is way control is the key feature here as you can choose required amount of thickening and juiciness out of
overblown… and yet every time I track through how hard to drive the input (clean at lower levels this box. The 73MPL delivers very pleasing Neve-
Neve preamps, mix on a Neve console or run and thick and dirty at higher levels) while making ish tonalities from clean to dirty and everything
something through a Neve compressor there’s that up or attenuating gain at the output stage. This in between. The DI also sounds great on bass and
sound again: the sound of countless great records allows for fine-tuning of the harmonic distortion synthesizers and I found myself using this feature
and doubtless many more great records to come. and larger-than-life bottom end that is a big part of quite a bit with great results.
It’s gluey, thick, musical, undeniably satisfying, the Neve sound. Moving over to its big brother the 1023L, it was
even culturally significant, and nothing else out Sacrificing compactness in order to deliver a joy to augment the BAE mic preamp sound with
there quite does the same trick. There’s no fighting comprehensive tonal control is the 1023L – a three some sweet analogue EQ. I was able to capture
it! Indeed BAE and AML are two companies module-sized behemoth that again uses the 1073’s larger than life kick drums, electric guitars and
(American and British respectively) that wouldn’t preamp section but adds an expanded three-band vocals using various combinations of the EQ bands
dream of putting up any resistance and are and the high-pass filter to really shape the sounds.
delighted to go with the flow and give the people The bottom end of this module packs some real
what they want: accurate yet modernised Neve power while the mids give great ‘voicing’ options
recreations at more attainable prices in everybody’s and the top end is super sweet and musical. If there’s
snack pack favourite, the 500 series format. one thing the 1023L excels at it is delivering a sense

DINING OUT
Hitting the limiter harder of real power. In addition to the muscular quality
of the preamp sound itself, the EQ can be used
Just to be clear, I’ve got a couple of preamps in my on the Fast (5ms) setting to great effect, boosting the low mids and cutting
studio built around vintage 1272 Neve cards and delivers more extreme frequencies below to really pump up the perceived
I would be very unhappy to lose them, especially weight of instruments like electric guitars, drums
given how good they sound on loud electric guitar results including classic and keyboards. The BAE 1023L really impressed me
cabinets. These are, however, merely a pair of bite- Beatles-style cymbal as a Neve reproduction that ticked all the boxes in
sized snacks compared to the five-course banquet terms of sound and flexibility.
of 500 series Neve recreations that arrived from explosions, thick-as-gravy
Musos Corner one afternoon in a lovely 10-slot guitars and monolithic HIGH MAINTENANCE
lunchbox. As well as a pair of BAE’s tidy single AML (Audio Maintenance Limited) is a more
rack-space 73MPL preamps, BAE’s mighty three- walls of bass recently established company with a history of
space 1023L preamp/EQ shared centre stage with supplying parts and high-grade kits for the DIY
two large offerings from AML — the ez1073-500 community. Its kits, as well as more recent forays
preamp/EQ and the 54F50 compressor/limiter. All into fully assembled modules, have met with great
these modules share a similar grey palette that gave success and the word on the street is its Neve
the whole rack a very military-grade look. There EQ section plus low cut filter. Compared to the recreations are exceptionally good value for money.
were a lot of knobs begging to be fiddled with and original Neve 1073, the 1023L offers considerably The AML ez1073-500, its take on the Neve 1073,
plenty of things that needed recording and mixing more frequency options in the mid and high is a two rack-space module with full preamp and
in the studio so it was a pleasure to roll up my bands and also allows for playing with some EQ functionality built and tested in England. The
sleeves and get stuck into a steady diet of Neve for overlapping frequencies to create new EQ curves. ez1073 shares many of the same features as BAE’s
the month or so I had possession of the rack. The large faceplate means a spacious layout with 1023L; Carnhill transformers, impedance switching
large Marconi knobs for all major controls and the and a fully Class A hand-wired build. The three EQ
LITTLE BIG classic concentric knob approach to the EQ (the bands and high-pass filter can be independently
BAE (Once Brent Averill Enterprises, now outer ring selects stepped frequencies and band bypassed and there’s a global EQ bypass as
British Audio Engineering) has been racking and bypass while the inner knob control adds gain well. AML has approached the faceplate layout
recreating vintage Neve circuits longer than just clockwise and subtracts it anti-clockwise). The differently by using smaller, separate rotary pots
about anyone else in the game. Their reputation entire EQ circuitry can also be hard-bypassed using to select EQ frequencies and to boost/cut them.
as ‘the next best thing’ to the originals has been one of the sturdy white push-button switches. As There are also separate input gain controls for mic
earned on the back of consistently excellent build with the 73MPL, gain structures are very versatile and line sources and small silver toggle switches
quality, parts sourcing and circuit design. The thanks to the output attenuator. The front panel DI for all selectable features including phase reverse,
73MPL is essentially the preamplifier stage of the is selectable along with line input, phase reverse, phantom power and impedance selection.
Neve 1073 circuit, optimised as a compact 500 microphone impedance and phantom power. All There are a few differences from the BAE 1023L
series module with a few mod-cons such as DI in all the 1023L is a very imposing unit. Its wide worth noting. Maximum microphone amplification
and impedance switching thrown in. The module faceplate and large controls certainly proclaim it as is slightly lower at +65dB and there is no output
utilises original Marconi knobs for the look, and a a heavyweight in the world of 500 series modules. attenuation, meaning if you want to drive the
fully Class A signal path with sought-after Carnhill ez1073’s input hard you will need to patch it into
EYES ON THE ENTERPRISE
transformers and point-to-point wiring for the another device in order to damp down the output
sound. Up to 71dB of gain is available making the I started my ‘rack of Neves’ banquet with the level (the CAPI Missing Link is a popular choice
preamp capable of driving even very soft ribbon entrée-sized BAE 73MPL. On a variety of different for this). The six midrange frequencies and fixed
and dynamic microphone sources. The 73MPL can sources including drums, electric and acoustic high-band EQ are faithful to the original 1073 in

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a way the expanded tonal options of the 1023L are are individually selectable stepped recovery times right interaction of the two involves some careful
not. The AML’s build quality and ergonomics are for the compressor (400ms, 800ms, 1.5s, Auto), tweaking, the results are vivid and extremely
similarly excellent. The unit is easy and intuitive to and limiter (100ms, 200ms, 800ms, Auto). ‘Level’ musical on everything from solo instruments and
use and, of course, it isn’t quite as hungry on your and ‘Threshold’ controls determine overall gain voices to programme material. If the available
500 series rack space. reduction levels to the limiter and compressor attack times aren’t quite doing what you require
In use the ez1073-500 doesn’t disappoint. The respectively. A stepped compression ratio selector of them, AML has thoughtfully provided internal
top end EQ is sweet while the mids are full and (1.5:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4.1, 6:1) and continuously variable jumpers to tweak the compressor and limiter’s
characterful. The unit delivers lovely analogue overall gain make-up control round out an action- attack times; adding further flexibility to the unit.
flavours that definitely have the Neve thing going packed front panel. There are four Class A amplifier There is clean dynamic control available here, but
on. Like the BAE 1023L, the AML’s combination stages and four Carnhill transformers in this circuit for me the 54F50 does its best work when pushed
of low boosting and cutting options effortlessly making it one of the more comprehensive vintage into subtle (or not so subtle) distortion. In this role
adds weight and ‘stature’ to guitars, drums and style solid-state dynamic control units in the 500 it’s a colour box of the highest order. After just the
other sources and the high EQ band, while fixed, series universe. first couple of hours playing with the AML 54F50
is a thing of beauty for sweetening vocals, snares I found myself scanning my racks wondering what
and programme material. To my ears the low end FRESHLY SQUEEZED else I might have to sell in order to buy one, or
EQ band doesn’t quite have the extension of the Within a few minutes of running my first guitar maybe two.
BAE though this is a relatively minor criticism. and drum sounds through the AML 54F50 it was
The main drawback of the module is the lack of apparent this unit was going to dish out sumptuous POST BANQUET WASH UP
output attenuation but again this is easily fixed by amounts of tasty Neve-style gain reduction without I have to say I was very impressed by all of the
using an inline pad or second preamp/compressor raising a sweat. At lower thresholds and ratios with units reviewed here. Both these companies do a
downstream. Prospective buyers need to consider a slow attack speed (25ms) the compressor is sweet great job of recreating the Neve sound at relatively
this, as driving this unit for more harmonic and subtle while dialling more aggressive amounts accessible price points in a format that is quickly
saturation delivers some exciting and musical lends sounds the familiar thickness and harmonic becoming ubiquitous. Vintage audio snobs will
results. The trade-off for this missing feature is a enhancement that the vintage Neve modules are doubtless point to the fact that all 500 series
very significant difference in price with the AML so famous for. Once the limiter is engaged the modules run on 16V rails while the original Neve
unit being exceptionally good value for money and scope for signal processing is further enhanced modules operate on a higher 24V system, however
the BAE being more of a ‘you get what you pay for’ with tighter overall control of dynamics meeting the quality of these sounds speak for themselves.
type of deal. additional harmonic richness. On the Slow setting For those without the advantage of either having
the limiter lets percussive elements breathe a little bought into the vintage Neve market ‘back in the
SKIES THE LIMIT while extending tails and ambiences. Hitting the day’ or being filthy rich these recreations are an
The last course of my ‘Neve-orama’ banquet was limiter harder on the Fast (5ms) setting delivers excellent way to access what are undeniably great
another 500 series goliath, the three-module more extreme results including classic Beatles-style and extremely Neve-ish sounds. My pick of the
sized AML 54F50 compressor/limiter. This unit cymbal explosions, thick-as-gravy guitars and bunch are the BAE 1023L preamp/EQ for power
is inspired by the much-loved Neve 2254 while monolithic walls of bass. Sounds can be magnified of sound and flexibility of use, and the AML 54F50
adding a few variations of its own. Adhering to and made more aggressive without becoming harsh Comp/Limiter for smashingly classic compression
the original’s faceplate layout, the 54F50 features or tonally compromised, drums can go smash or effects. Having said that I’d happily have any of
the distinctive vertical VU meter on the left splat in the best possible way and vocals are leant these modules in my rack. They are the kind
hand side flanked by a series of small toggle an extra dose of weight and smoothness with of audio tools that would see daily use in most
switches controlling global bypass (SYS), limit harsher digital transients massaged into warmer studios and repay the investment with sonic quality
and compress Off/Slow/Fast recovery times and analogue contours. The compressor and limiter downstream come mix time. The only question
Input/Output/Gain Reduction metering. There circuits work well together, and while finding the now is what’s for dessert?

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AT
T 69
 REVIEW

SENNHEISER XSW1
Wireless Microphone System
Sennheiser ramps up the numbers in its entry-level
wireless offering without bumping up the price.
Review: Preshan John

Sennheiser’s original XS entry-level wireless transmitter, and the XSW1-ME2 with the beltpack CHANGE THE CHANNEL
microphone system was a hit on par with transmitter and ME2 lapel micmic. Other options
Keeping to the entry-level pitch, the user manual
Shure’s PGX line. Notwithstanding, user demands include a handheld with an 835 capsule, and
is entirely pictorial. Skipping the tiny print and
change quickly at the bottom end: more channels, beltpacks with a headset mic, instrument cable or
tech jargon meant I had the beltpack system up
better builds, cooler looks — all areas Sennheiser e908 condenser mic for brass instruments. The
and running in about three minutes. It’s a pretty
has addressed with its latest update to the range. system we reviewed operated in the 24MHz of
standard process. Plug in the receiver and run
There are two broad flavours of XS wireless spectrum between 614-638MHz.
a scan by pressing and holding the centre Scan
systems; XSW1 and XSW2. The main differences Both transmitters have individual Power
button. Once it’s happily settled on a channel,
between the two are; preset vs manually selectable buttons and Mute switches, and a couple of AA
power up the transmitter, hold it near the receiver,
frequencies, 10 vs 12 channels per band, batteries will power a transmitter for up to 10
and hold the Sync button. You’ll see a sync light
integrated vs external antennas, pushbuttons hours. The handheld mic is a handful compared
flash red and green on the receiver to confirm the
instead of dials, and plastic vs metal receiver to a standard wired mic, like an SM58, and a bit
pair are communicating, then press the receiver’s
housings. Other than that, the audio specs are the chunkier than Shure’s wireless version of the ’58.
Sync button to lock in the channel.
same, and they both operate within a bandwidth The beltpack transmitter is smaller than Shure's
Sennheiser promises you can use up to 10
of 24MHz. BLX, but isn’t petite either. It sits happily on your
XSW1 systems simultaneously without them
The XSW2 range wasn’t available [in stores now waistline if you’re wearing a tucked-in shirt, but if
banging heads in the RF realm. It’s a numbering
- Ed], so Sennheiser loaned us a couple of XSW1 you try hiding it behind an untucked shirt or in a
system, with group followed by channel numbers.
systems for review; the XSW1-825 with handheld pocket, the bulge will be a dead giveaway.

PRICE PROS CONS SUMMARY

NEED TO KNOW

XSW1-825: $449 Super easy setup Handheld mic prone to Sennheiser’s XSW1 offers an affordable entry into the wireless
XSW1-ME2: $499 Mics sound good handling noise mic world that promises faithful performance, quality sound, and
Affordable lots of channels for the price
CONTACT
Sennheiser Australia:
(02) 9910 6700 or
info@sennheiser.com.au

AT 70
If you’ve got multiple systems, avoid intermodulation by keeping them all
within the same group. So 31, 32, 33, and 37 will get along fine, but you’re
asking for trouble if you throw in a 45. Manual channel assignment via the
Ch+ and Ch– buttons is simple to dial on the front of the receiver. If you’re
BOLT OUT OF
mixing systems, there’s a card chart in the box showing the frequencies each
channel corresponds to. THE BLUE
THE RECEIVING END
While attractively finished, the light weight of the XSW1 plastic receiver
feels cheap. The dual internal antennas are configured in antenna switching
diversity — which means both feed into a single receiver circuit and act
as redundancies for each other — as opposed to the true diversity of the
Supercharge your desktop
XSW2 range. DAW system
While internal antennas won’t elicit as much range, the benefit is you can
chuck the receiver in a bag or case without any dismantling. Having said Ultra-low latency
that, the signal transmission was very stable in my experience when the
receivers were mounted at stage end within line of sight of the transmitters. Lightning quick 10Gb/s Thunderbolt
Besides the usual Sync and channel select buttons, you get volume transfer rate
buttons. Nine 5dB steps provide 45dB of useful level control going into
your console. The next model up, XS Wireless 2, sports a continuous rotary 2 x great-sounding preamps
control for managing receiver output level. Full metering
GAIN IT UP Auto gain feature
I put both systems to work at my local church. The frequency scan took a Pro-grade converters
fair while longer than the first run in my lounge room, likely because of
another Shure BLX system nearby, and the urban location adding more RF
commotion to the airwaves. The first receiver eventually settled down and I
parked the second in clear air within the same group.
When I first ran the lapel through the PA, the ME2 capsule was more
eager to take off than an apprentice fighter pilot. It’s quite a toppy mic by
nature, which when paired with an omni pickup pattern doesn’t result
in loads of gain before feedback — especially if the presenter is the type
who’ll unexpectedly dash in front of FOH to interact with the audience. By
the time I managed to get more than a handful of gain from the mic the
channel EQ curve resembled the Swiss Alps. The ME2 lapel is definitely
better suited to very controlled environments and applications, like
corporate presentations in a boardroom or audio for video. Alternatively
— as is the norm for presentation systems these days — plug a headset into
the 3.5mm jack and you’ll instantly have a much tighter sound that’s easier
to gain up.
Gain wasn’t a problem with the handheld mic, and the 825 capsule has
lots of vocal presence and clarity. High mids are pushed forward but it
doesn’t sound thin. It worked beautifully for male voices and thicker female
vocals. The green status LED was pretty bright and fairly noticeable when a
singer is using it on a dimmed stage. My only gripe is the handling noise —
rubbing the mic’s plastic exterior translates quite audibly through the PA. It
pays to not shift your grip too often.
Battery life is commendable. The three-bar readout on the transmitter
lets you know when to swap them out, but thankfully those moments are
infrequent. I’m still in the habit of slotting in fresh batteries before each gig
but I didn’t get even close to wearing out either the handheld or beltpack
transmitters in a full day’s use. Zoom TAC-2
FIRE THE WIRE Thunderbolt Interface
Everything about the Sennheiser XS Wireless 1 system is designed for
dummies. Which is great, because it doesn’t sound or behave like noob gear
at all. It just presents itself with the utmost simplicity.
There’s a couple of reasons I’d recommend these for portable use. Firstly
because they’re easy to set up — even if you’ve got multiple channels going.
Second is it’ll go into a bag without losing or breaking anything.
Undoubtedly the biggest thing going for it is the ability to run up to 10
channels stably in a system that goes for under $500 per channel. It’s quite
an achievement. It’s perfect for small- to medium-sized churches keen to
ZoomAustralia dynamicmusic.com.au
ditch wired mics once and for all, or even a small venue or restaurant that
needs a couple of reliable wireless channels for the odd presentation or gig.
Bottom line — Sennheiser XSW1 gives you mega bang for your buck.

AT 71
 REVIEW

PRESONUS
ULT12 & ULT18
Powered Speakers & Sub
Whether onstage or in front of it, PreSonus’
ULT range of speakers with pivotable
waveguides will throw long and wide.
Review: Mark Woods BIG BASS — The ULT18 sub is a beast at 43kg and
nearly as big as four ULT12 speakers. It packs the
required punch thanks to an 18-inch Kevlar woofer,
with a four-inch voice coil that can travel 7mm be-
fore over-excursion occurs. Frequency response is
quoted as 45Hz (-3dB) to 250Hz with a maximum of
135dB SPL. Power is 1000W RMS with DSP sorting
out the internal details.

PRICE PROS CONS SUMMARY

NEED TO KNOW

Expect to pay Versatile Covers not included PreSonus hasn’t broken the mould with the ULT
ULT12: $1699 Rotatable, wide & long- Grille a bit bendy series, but it lets you adjust it. The 110 by 50-degree
ULT18: $1999 throw horn Pivot moulded waveguide can be rotated for wide,
Sound good flat long-throw in either a FOH or wedge orientation. Its
CONTACT Covers more ground than wide pattern can also save you putting up more boxes,
Link Audio: competition in many cases, and it sounds good right out of the box
(03) 8373 4817 or
info@linkaudio.com.au

AT 72
This wide, focussed
dispersion is achieved by the
waveguide design and the
effect is enhanced by the low
Introducing the new...
1.6kHz crossover point,
placing more mids under the
horn’s directional control
Nucleus2
Since its release in 2010, Nucleus has won TEC’s Sound on Sound and
MIPA awards, and we now reveal the next step – a Nucleus for the
world of Audio over IP

PreSonus has a reputation for making quirky

problem-solvers and delivering them at a
reasonable price. The StudioLive mixers and DCP-8
multi-dynamics processor drew my attention to the
brand originally and a few years later I was impressed by
the good ‘bang-for-the-buck’ Eris studio monitors
reviewed in Issue 112. Released in 2013 along with the
co-axial Spectre studio monitor and StudioLive-AI
ranges these were PreSonus’s first speaker products. The
following year’s acquisition of established speaker
manufacturers WorxAudio led to a commercial
live-sound division and its latest release is the brand-new
PreSonus ULT range.
ULT stands for Ultra Long Throw, a range of serious
speakers — not cheapies — PreSonus is casting deep
into the already crowded and fiercely-competitive Professional Clarity
mid-level professional speaker market. No doubt
Nucleus2 DAW Control is Nucleus2 offers a unique
reflecting WorxAudio’s practical background, the ULT based on the concepts combination of audio
range is neither quirky nor particularly innovative. developed for the SSL Matrix. capabilities. At its foundation is
The speakers are a traditional two-way full-range (plus Up to 3 different DAWs can be SSL’s SuperAnalogue™ signal
sub) active design. They have some distinctive features, connected simultaneously and path providing benchmark
but in the main they compete on the execution of an you can switch between them audio quality monitor output to
established concept. with a single button push. “main” and “alternate” speaker
The first good sign is they’re made of wood. sets via +4dBu connections.
Eucalyptus plywood covered in a tough, textured and
slightly sparkly Chemline polyurethane; they look
very nice. At 24kg, the ULT12 speakers are also quite
heavy with a solid, dead feel. Thankfully the handles
are excellent, big and wide and smooth on all the edges.
There’s only one side handle because the speakers are
designed for use as floor monitors as well as front-of- All In One Duality
house rendering one side of the cabinet too shallow for a Nucleus2 is ideal for the The Nucleus2 mic pre’s are
handle. They do, however, have top handles and I reckon professional project studio SSL SuperAnalogue Mic Pre’s,
they’re essential for this type of portable speaker. They with a perfect blend of identical to those used on SSL
get thrown in cars, or the back of the ute packed with advanced DAW control, Duality and AWS consoles
transparent SuperAnalogue™ and our X-Rack system giving
other gear, and often the only way to get them in or out
monitoring with talkback, SSL Nucleus2 a professional
is by using the top handle. The optional padded slip-on console grade mic pre’s, pro standard transparent mic
covers are convenient to use with open cut-outs to access quality Dante audio interface record path.
both the side and the top handles. The perforated steel and bundled SSL Duende
grille across the front of the cabinet will certainly protect Native plug-ins.
the speakers but isn’t as strong as some. It bends in when
you carry the speaker against your chest or legs and pops
out again when you put the speaker down.

PIVOT POSITIONS
Under the grille of the ULT12, the speakers are arranged
in the normal two-way manner with a 12-inch Ferrite LF
transducer below the 1.75-inch HF compression driver. Proudly Distributed by Amber Technology
sales@ambertech.com.au | 1800 251 367 | www.ambertech.com.au
The distinctive feature is the Pivot X110 waveguide. It’s
a bi-radial design and larger than most, with a quoted
horizontal dispersion (-6dB) of 110 degrees while the

AT 73
 DUAL INPUT — Having two Combo XLR/1/4-
vertical dispersion is considerably narrower at 50 inch inputs does away with the sudden-death
degrees. This wide, focussed dispersion is achieved mic/line switches commonly found on powered
by the waveguide design and the effect is enhanced speakers. One input is line-only, the other has a
by the low 1.6kHz crossover point, placing more PreSonus XMAX preamp and accepts mic and
mids under the horn’s directional control. This line-level inputs. Both have a rotary knob for
dispersion pattern also gives the speaker its long- volume and can be mixed together as required.
throw characteristic by concentrating the mid and Two outputs, one for the mix of the two channels
high frequencies in the horizontal plane. and another for the line-only channel, provide
The horn also rotates, primarily so the speaker configuration flexibility.
can be used on its side as a floor monitor but it
could also work in tall, narrow spaces with the horn
rotated and the speaker upright, or as a centre fill
hung horizontally. You need to take the front grille
off to rotate the horn but it’s only a five-minute job
and it gives you a look at the amp/processing unit
while you’re there. Not much to see really, none The voicing was
of these modern units look like much compared
to the amps of old, but its two channels provide a
linear, they had
generous maximum RMS power of 500W LF and plenty of power and
150W HF. On the way to the Class D amplifiers
is 24-bit/96k DSP that provides a choice of three
a good, solid overall
preset frequency response shapes and the usual sound… they were
thermal protections and limiting.
Selecting between preset frequency shapes,
happy to run flat in
activating the HPF or selecting whether to have the great outdoors
the front LED illuminated is achieved by pressing
tiny little buttons along the bottom of the rear
panel. Apart from needing acute eyesight to be
able to read the labels they are effective visual
indicators of the speaker’s current settings and help
avoid unwittingly dialling up a pair of speakers to level needed to be matched to the ULT12 but apart powered boxes as floor monitors are well known.
different settings. from that they were happy to run flat in the great They sit up too high with the connections showing,
The ULT12’s frequency response is quoted as outdoors. Lots of condenser mics through powered the bottom end can be a mess when they couple
going down to 55Hz at -3dB, but for real thick boxes is always a good test of how stable a system with the floor, and the horizontal coverage is
bottom end the ULT18 sub is recommended. Its is. You’re normally searching for every dB you can usually too narrow, especially in speakers with
range is quoted as 45Hz (-3dB) to 250Hz with a get before it feeds back, but sound-checking the non-rotatable horns. As a floor monitor the ULT12
maximum of 135dB SPL. Power is 1000W RMS band was easy and I had good level for the type of is quite compact for a 12-inch design but what you
with DSP sorting out the internal details. Polarity event. Pushing the system up to find the limits had can see looks a bit industrial, with the controls and
inverse and mono switches can help control some it becoming unstable at very high and very low connections exposed to the audience. The sound is
of the outside world problems, like walls. frequencies but that was the condenser mics rather the main priority though and I found these made
than the PA. very good wedges. Selecting the Monitor preset
IN FULL SWING The horn really does have a wide throw and it button cuts low frequencies in just the right place
Whether by happy coincidence or something was much appreciated in this setting. Each speaker and the low end is tight and well-controlled. The
deeper, the first time I used them was straight out was effectively covering about 150 degrees, saving throw of the horn works well on stage and it’s evenly
of the box and onto the fairway of the local golf me having to mount and splay two speakers with spread across the width of the cabinet and beyond.
course for a black-tie fundraiser. If ever there was narrower coverage. There doesn’t seem to be a Up loud the voicing stays commendably flat and
a show with long, wide throw in the sound brief, trade-off in quality or evenness either. Instinctively they’re stable and clear enough for rock levels.
this was it. Playing across a fairway, they had guest you would think the wider dispersion would
speakers, dignitaries and a large swing band for diffuse some of the level so it wouldn’t throw THE FULL WORX
entertainment. I used a PreSonus ULT12 with sub as far, but the narrow 50-degree vertical shape The ULT range will enhance PreSonus’s
on either side of the band. I couldn’t bring myself concentrates the sound energy in the horizontal mainstream credibility by providing strong
to run the multicore across the fairway so I put the plane and I found they did throw the upper- competition in a traditional market. The range also
mixer and racks in a marquee backstage. It was mid and high frequencies a good distance — in includes the ULT10 and ULT15, with 10-inch and
an obvious gig for an iPad set-up but due to my this case it was over 50m to reach some of the 15-inch woofers respectively. All three full-range
stubborn insistence on analogue mixing for live audience, luckily it was a still night. boxes use the same X110 horn and all three can
shows, I walked around to listen to the PA then back The system was next used as in-fills at the be used as FOH, floor monitors or flown using the
again to make changes. It reminded me of the days Theatre Royal Castlemaine for the first week of the on-board M10 rigging points. The sound quality
when you’d pick up the PA from a hire company, recent Castlemaine State Festival and they worked is right up there with its direct competition and
and occasionally forget the multicore. I didn’t have well, easy to set up and again, no EQ required. these are handy speakers with the wide, rotatable
to walk too far around the front with these speakers During a pumping DJ set after one show I was horn making them suitable for a broad range of
though, anywhere forward of the front line of the impressed by how they were at handling a good applications and placements. They are simple
box and you could hear the horn clearly. dose of EDM. Switched to the DJ setting, with subs enough to operate for hire use and the build
I checked them with a dynamic vocal mic first, of course, and these would fill a small dance club. quality combined with a six-year warranty inspires
on the FOH setting, and I liked them straight away. For the second week of the festival, the ULT12 confidence that they will last. The wide coverage
The voicing was linear, they had plenty of power horns were turned 90 degrees and used as floor rivals that of the small array systems but the sound
and a good, solid overall sound. The ULT18 sub monitors. The potential compromises in using is more direct with more bite if things get loud.

AT 74
OUR MOST COMPLETE DAW EVER
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AT 75
 REVIEW

ROLI BLOCKS
MPE Controllers
ROLI might have finally cracked open the market for the
longstanding ‘next
next big thing
thing’ in MIDI — MIDI Polyphonic
Expression. If only Ableton would get onboard.
Review: Mark Davie

PRICE PROS CONS SUMMARY

NEED TO KNOW

Expect to pay Potent ability for expression Noise app is frustratingly ROLI initially rolled out Blocks as an entry point for
Lightpad: $279 Noise app has great sounds ‘almost pro’ beginner beat makers, but the expression you can
Loop & Live: $119 Wireless mobile operation achieve playing with Lightpad is far too powerful to keep
Dashboard app connects contained. Now Blocks can interface with your DAW for
CONTACT Lightpad to DAW simple, cheap and incredibly fun MPE control.
CMI Music & Audio:
(03) 9315 2244 or
info@cmi.com.au

AT 76
 I’m always on the lookout for the studio of the the boundaries of the Lightpad and four bar loops. When using a Drum Rack, you have to convert
future. What image that conjures up in my Also, despite there being a host of chord, every Simpler instance to a Sampler. Then you
mind is forever changing, but it always centres arpeggio and scale types to choose from, there’s no have to assign the dimensions of touch to MIDI
around one goal; achieving more complex tasks, way of breaking out of 4/4. You can also only select parameters… for each sample. It’s arduous, but
easier, and with more musicality. MIDI Polyphonic one chord type at a time, without any recourse to once you’ve set up that drum rack, you can save
Expression (MPE) fits squarely into that mould. Or alter chords after you’ve recorded a pass or on the it as a preset. Forcing instruments to work with
should that be ‘fits cubely’? fly. I found the Blocks concept had lots of little MPE is diabolical by comparison. First, you have
What is MPE? Think of it like breaking down tradeoffs like this along the way. It’s the curse of to figure out the patch you want to use, then
the barriers between notes. You can slide between attempting to make an instrument that’s simple duplicate that track by the polyphony you desire.
any pitch, or modulate a sound by pressure or enough for someone with little music experience to Six tracks will give you six-note polyphony. Once
movement, all without lifting a finger to grab a get started on, but actual musicians want to play. you’ve wrangled the Blocks dashboard to output
mod or pitch wheel, knob or joystick. For instance, you can’t overdub parts, which the number of MIDI channels and assigned each
We’ve already covered ROLI’s Seaboards, which means you have to be an ace at finger drumming voice track a different MIDI input channel, you’re
look like keyboards but feel like a gel shoe insole. if you want to execute anything complex. There’s ready to go. Unfortunately, the MIDI note data
Awkward to play on at first — like learning how also no mixer; all the patches play back at their spreads across all the tracks seemingly randomly;
to walk again — but with four extra dimensions of pre-defined level. And while you can change each forget trying to edit a performance afterwards. You
touch to spur you on through the learning curve, of the four sounds you’re working with at any time, also can’t feasibly change the patch or alter it in any
you’ll be gliding around the keys in no time. it changes them globally across all your loops. way without making the exact same change across
The core of ROLI’s Blocks is the Lightpad. It’s Much like Ableton’s session view. With three banks all the voice tracks. You’re better off treating it like a
square, with a tough plastic body and a silicone top. or four loops for each part, it becomes a test of hardware synth and recording the group’s output to
The top has a bit of give, but it’s hardly the level of invention. How many 4/4 parts can you play with a separate audio track. Like I said, not exactly neat.
squish of a Seaboard, it feels more like a drum pad the same instrument that fit the other loops you’ve Thankfully, other DAWs natively support MPE.
you might find on a Push, or similar. This is where already laid down. It’s like a Chinese whisper of Apparently, Logic and Cubase handle it with
all your finger-drumming and notes are played in. musical ideas. You don’t know where you’ll end up aplomb, as does Bitwig. I have an original version
It’s got ‘DNA’ connectors on all sides. These at the last set of loops, and sometimes you’ll rue the of Bigwig, not the latest update, but it still works
magnetically lock other Blocks into place as well selected palette of sounds. like a dream.
as passing power and control signals. At the Other gripes include the inability to reorder It’s really simple to map the Lightpad, as every
moment there are two other Blocks in the series; loops, you can only re-record over them. In built-in Bitwig instrument lets you map Velocity,
the Loop and Live blocks. Both essentially bring playback mode, once you set a loop to trigger at Timbre and Pressure, which correspond to ROLI’s
software-based controls from the Blocks-specific the next four bar start point, you can’t change your Strike, Slide and Press dimensions. Most also have
Noise app into the hardware domain. Loop is mind and trigger a different loop of that instrument Release, which you can assign Lift to. You can also
recording specific, and the Live block is catered to until it has completed a four bar cycle. On the set multiple parameters to the same dimension and
performance. Both of these are rectangular, with upside, Roli just released an update allowing users adjust the direction they respond too. For instance,
two joining together to form the same size square to export WAV stems via iTunes to use in a DAW. I mapped multiple organ drawbars to the Slide
as the Lightpad. All of them have onboard batteries With all that, it might sound like a hated the dimension, which allowed me to play expressively
that are rechargeable via a USB-C connection on Blocks experience. On the contrary. As with all with their intensity, while they all stayed in relative
the Lightpad. creative pursuits; limitations can be liberating. lock step. It’s astoundingly simple, and would be
While there are some annoyances, sure, the sounds intensely time consuming to emulate in post.
MAKING NOISE on offer are well-selected, modern and eminently If you’re a Bitwig, Logic or Cubase user and
There are two main ways you can use Blocks. playable. You can also expand your palette with looking for an affordable path to MPE, get a
The standard mode is pairing it via Bluetooth packs from RZA, Steve Aoki and more. It’s the most Lightpad Block. It’ll immediately reinvent things
with ROLI’s Noise iOS app. The second way is to fun I’ve had with mobile music-making. With a like arpeggiation. Being able to slide notes of your
connect it to your computer via a USB-C cable fully-charged Lightpad and your phone, you can chord around rather than having to trigger them
(Blocks ships wth a USB-C to USB-A cable) and prod and play for hours. Pound for pound, there’s exactly at the next beat so you don’t mess up any
using it to your control your DAW through the no other instrument that gives you the level of note orders adds a whole new level of movement
Blocks Dashboard application, which is currently expression a Lightpad can for its size. and expression to a simple form.
still in beta. We’ll get to that, but first, Noise. That’s just one of many examples of the way
Noise is free of charge. It’s a fun app with great DASHBOARD OPENS DAWS MPE can revolutionise your music. While there
quality sounds, making it worth grabbing even if Thankfully, ROLI has quickly realised there’s a isn’t a huge selection of MPE-compatible virtual
you don’t have Blocks. You can still operate the app whole other market of music makers out there instruments available, there’s still enough to
with your fingertips, you’ll just be missing the two who would like to get serious with Blocks. To that seriously consider integrating MPE into your
touch dimensions on the Z axis — Press and Lift. end, they’ve released a beta of Blocks Dashboard; workflow. The Loop and Live Blocks are not
It interfaces perfectly with Blocks. It’s essentially a control application that defines the way your for everyone, they’re add-ons for players who
a four-instrument sequencer, allowing you to create Lightpad can behave within your DAW. With get really serious about using the Noise app.
four-bar 4/4 loops in slots along a grid. There’s also just one USB cable, you’ve instantly got an MPE I often found it more convenient to not have
snap, which automatically quantises your playing. hardware input device for the cost of a plug-in. them connected, because it meant I could have
I’m unsure of exactly how much quantisation or of You can use Blocks in a variety of ways to control the Lightpad on my lap without having bits
what sort the snap option is imbuing, but it mostly your DAW, as a fader block with four banks of four de-magnetising. However, I guarantee you won’t
seems musical and adaptive to whatever other parts faders, a Mixer block with four buttons and faders, regret grabbing a Lightpad to go along with your
you’ve laid down. It seems especially smart for a an XYZ pad, Drum or Melodic block. You can also other controllers, especially if you’re used to
non-adjustable function, especially considering play Space Invaders or Pong to kill time. bashing away on a Push, MPC or Maschine.
there’s also no swing control. My main creative DAW these days is Ableton
There is a tempo dial, but no tap tempo, which Live, but unfortunately it’s among the half that
means you can’t tap to get beats moving quickly if doesn’t natively support MPE, which makes
you’ve already got an idea in your head. There’s a integration a bit of a drag. You can force it to
sense ROLI wants you to start from nothing within respond to MPE, but it’s in no way simple or neat.

AT 77
 REVIEW

KORG KRONOS LS
Music Workstation
It’s a Kronos that’s lighter on the fingers, but not on sounds.
Review: Christopher Holder

It’s dirty and underhand: an intro video staccato clav stabs and fast runs a comparative CX3 Hammond emulation, the SGX-1 piano
that has four or five keyboard masters — breeze. When you think about it, we’ve been engine (the best in the synth biz as far as I’m
musical directors and virtuoso players — chasing the ‘hammer action’ holy grail for so concerned), as well as some great analogue
jamming on the Kronos LS? It’s not fair. long we’re in danger of forgetting that there emulation from the Korg MS20 and PolySix
Not as though I needed too much convincing. are many more players who don’t care if the engines, and more. The presets are mostly
I always considered the Kronos to be the manual feels like a 30-foot Bechstein. In fact, try dripping in reverb. You can string together as
ultimate musical director’s workstation; the one- performing a fast palm gliss on a heavy action many as 16 simultaneous effects and there are
stop keyboard that virtually guarantees you’ll keyboard and you’re likely to need hand therapy dedicated knobs for constant access to a couple.
never be caught short, packing a gargantuan for a year. Do I have quibbles? Of course. The piezo
range of sounds from a bunch of killer engines Of course, traditionally, the organ aficionado beep of the buttons sounds uncannily like
— sampling, recording/sequencing, split/ is more than happy to make do with 76 notes or programming a microwave (I’m guessing there’s
layering, Karma… it’s effectively the full Korg less. But there are 88-note advantages, such as a way of turning the beeping off/down in a
toyshop in one package. bashing out a full piano part or making the most menu somewhere). The rhythm generations in
Most of us don’t/won’t need the Kronos but of a keyboard split. the Combi patches sound a bit dated/cheesy
if you draw a wage from making/composing/ Reacquainting myself with the Kronos has to my ear. A believeable sax sound still eludes
arranging/teaching music then Kronos is a no- been fun. What with the two-minute-plus boot us. The UI overall could be more user friendly
brainer tax deduction. It’s the muso’s version of up you know this is not a workstation to be — it’s a task to wrangle all the complexity and
the tricked up tradies ute… why skimp? trifled with. The touchscreen control is useful, depth into a manageable seven-inch window.
And back to that video. The LS version of the indeed necessary, to negotiate the depth and Nevertheless, ultimately, we’re talking about
Kronos employs a lightweight manual that not breadth of editing. the ultimate player’s and MD’s synth.
only makes it 6kg easier to lug, it’s totally suited There are nine synth engines to pick from,
to organ and electro-mechanical pros — making including specialist platforms such as Korg’s

PRICE PROS CONS SUMMARY

NEED TO KNOW

$4999 Lightweight keybed Some of the editing 88-note Korg Kronos power with a lightweight action
feels great is arcane that’s ideal for keys players and 6kg lighter to lug than the
CONTACT Kronos power Touchscreen sounds like RH3-action version. This combination will better suit a big
CMI Music & Audio Greater portability a microwave group of gun players and musical directors sold on Kronos'
(03) 9315 2244 or ‘ultimate workstation’ package.
sales@cmi.com.au

AT 78
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AT 81
 REGULARS

LAST WORD
with
Phil McKellar

I came to arts school in Melbourne, then dropped out In the van we had a Harrison Mk IV, a couple of Otari MTR
and went back to work in the Shepparton canneries to 90 tape machines, recording at 15ips onto Dolby. You had an A
get some dough together. and B reel with 30 minutes on each, hopefully you’d kick off the
In ’79 a mate who worked at the local TV station told me second one with enough time to get the cross over.
the ABC was employing technical trainees. We had a crack Unearthed was used as a way to reach new regional areas.
at it, but neither of us got a return letter. I kept ringing them, As the broadcast transmitter went in we’d announce the
annoying them and sending them letters. Eventually around competition and get all those people on board.
Christmas 1980 they suggested I come do some staging work. It was a battle of the cassette bands. There was a panel of
My girlfriend’s mum told me, ‘you want to get your foot about six of us smashing through an enormous amount of
in the door any way you can.’ I did that and ended up at material for a couple of weeks. Sometimes you’d only get 20
Phil McKellar is a multi- Ripponlea near Melbourne doing staging for Countdown. seconds in before you flicked it because it either wasn’t good or
ARIA winning engineer I was 21 when I started on Countdown. I was a kid from wasn’t Triple J.
and producer. He’s the country, and when they opened the door to the newsroom Grinspoon won the first year we did it. There were two
worked all throughout booth I thought, ‘that does not look right.’ It was the size of a winners that year, the other was Ode to a Goldfish.
the ABC and recorded closet. Then they took me to the ‘big’ studio where they did The deal was they recorded a track and it got airplay on
a bunch of Aussie hit Countdown. I thought it must have been huge to cross to all Triple J; a massive opportunity for kids on the other side of
records, including those different stages, not all squeezed into that small room. the radio. I recorded both bands at Rockinghorse Studios.
Grinspoon’s Guide To One shift would be installing sets in the middle of the night, Grinspoon recorded two in the end, Sickfest was one of them.
Better Living, which has the other was wrangling props like Molly’s set. They put on a concert at the uni in Lismore, and when
been re-released on its A year later they had another intake and I got into a three- Grinspoon hit the stage those kids went crazy. Phil was an
20th anniversary. year training course. I moved into radio in ’84. amazing front person; he had long hair then and was really
You almost had to wait until someone died to move up in the commanding onstage.
ABC ranks. The music production gigs were very coveted. I was I did Silverchair’s Tomorrow EP. Grinspoon heard that and
lucky because I moved through all the networks and learned wanted to do an EP, which became Licker Bottle Cozy.
different skills as well as assisting the music production team. At Rockinghorse there was a big beautiful house associated
One of the jobs was covering sport. I’d go off with Greg Miles with the property you could rent along with the studio. The
and set up one microphone and a Sennheiser 416 hanging out actual recording room at Rockinghorse was fairly small.
the window to catch the crowd going off at the races. Footy, Skunkhour had been there before us and Grinspoon heard
cricket, golf — the great thing about the ABC’s trainee program they’d set up in the house and run a loom down to the studio,
was you got a great background in radio production. which is what we did.
I recorded dramas and music for Sing, a program pumped It sounds like three bands in the first EP and Guide To Better
through classroom loudspeakers. Then there was more art- Living. Later on they ended up being more of a hard rock band,
related and classical program for 3AR, which became Radio but Grinspoon could have been an amazing punk band because
National. Triple J didn’t get to Melbourne until about ’92. Phil has the snotty John Lydon snarl going on.
In about ’88 or ’89, I started working with Chris Thompson I went freelance for 10 years after leaving Triple J, but the
who’d come back into Triple J to look after some live music. last few years in the music industry have gotten so tight. I had
The ABC had converted a big old Greek picture theatre in a mortgage and twins, and was working studio hours, so I had
Waverley into Studio 325, which was big enough to house the to look at something more concrete. Luckily, I got back into the
MSO. We did ‘Live at the Wireless’ from there, it had a Quad ABC at Radio National, and now Double J.
Eight console kicking around, then a Harrison Mk IV. I’m doing a lot of stuff now that I was doing in the ’90s. We
I’d do a session with a band and when it went really well recorded at Bluesfest, and a twilight concert at the Taronga
they’d ask if we could make a record. I did a Kim Salmon with Zoo, where we grabbed Kurt Vile, Martha Wainwright and
STM record called Hey Believer, and Spiderbait’s song Jesus. Teenage Fanclub.
Triple J was leading the ascendancy of alternative rock and Because the ABC OB truck is so huge and we’re not
grunge and I got to ride that wave. It was fortuitous timing really. broadcasting live, it’s often easier to take a Digico SD11 and
One highlight was when Chris, Leah Baker and I headed off Sound Devices SD970 MADI recorder and set up side of stage
to record Nirvana at the Palace. When we got there they said, or in a green room.
‘You can’t record it tonight, you’ve got to come back tomorrow Like every media organisation the ABC is downsizing. Sadly
night.’ So we got to stick around and see this amazing show. the ABC doesn’t make a Countdown anymore, or any of those
The audience was so keyed up to see the band perform. awesome shows like The Factory, Beatbox, or Recovery. The
The other act which blew me away was Jeff Buckley. He was ABC doesn’t really do training anymore either. Music gigs
a rockstar in the sense of that ’60s and ’70s bigger than life in the ABC are very tight now. You’d have to be a very lucky
performer; really charismatic. individual to walk in off the street.

AT 82
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