42
DEC’11 - MAR‘12
muse | three
EDITION 18CONTENTSJoin our
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EDITOR’S NOTE
I
Editors Note and IndexCover Feature: Hartke KiloCover Feature: Hartke KiloGear NewsGear NewsGear Review: Peavey Vypyr 100Instrument Review: Tanglewood TSB 58 HBGear Review: KXaudio KX15Gear Review: Bose L1 CompactInstrument Review: Reverend FlatrocGear Review: Swart AST master Guitar AmplifierInstrument Review: Warwick Pro Series Bass GuitarsSpecial Feature: Campus of Performing ArtsWhy Can't We Get No International Recognition by David ChislettGuitar Maintenance with Alan RatcliffePlay Better Bass with Alistair AndrewsPlay Better Bass with Alistair AndrewsPlay Better Guitar with Kurt Slabbert Play Better Guitar with Kurt Slabbert Your Private Universe with Jon Pike
t’s time to fill those Xmas definitely a product to consider if HD E lect r ic gu i tar and Alan you’re a budding young bassist stockings with new gear and entertained a boutique amp called the looking for a pro bass guitar. Alistair musical instruments. What Swart AST Master as well as the also takes us through various bass else could readers of Muse competitively priced Reverend Flatroc guitar strings on pages 32 & 34 – a very Tech want as a gift? Sure PC guitar, a brand that has been gaining in informative and important aspect of tablets and touch-screen popularity over the past few years and improving your playing.Smartphones are all the rage is now available in South Africa.
Greg had a chance to check out right now but a brand new Finally we also got to test a set of the Bose L1 compact rig, another piece of music gear tops that any day! KXAudio KX15 loudspeakers and boy piece of gear that will no doubt be on
Bassists should be happy with do these things ‘gooi!’ Loud, clear and many a gigging musician’s wish-list. this edition. Our cover feature reveals definitely a lot of bang for your buck.The entire rig is wireless making it the beast that is the Hartke Kilo bass So get going with those wish-easy to assemble, transport and gig amplifier which literally had reviewer, lists. There are these and so many with. He also test drove a new Peavey Greg Bester, beaming wi th other cool pieces of tech with your VYPYR guitar amplifier, part of the appreciation. On pg24 professional name on it! Don’t forget to visit brand’s new range that combines amp Jazz bassist, Alistair Andrews checks modelling along with amplification. museonline.co.za daily for news and out the new Pro Series from Warwick Resident guitar gurus Nic Roos and music info.Basses, produced in Korea, and on Alan Ratcliffe also got to play with offer at very competitive prices. These some nice new toys; Nic was super Adios till next year.get a resounding thumbs-up; impressed with Tanglewood’s TSB 58 Dave Mac
W
muse | four
COVER FEATURE By Greg Bester
hen it comes to Bass long history and a huge product inputs, buttons, knobs and the ampl i f ie rs , more range incorporating old technology graphic EQ and is neatly laid out and power is a lways with the new, still manufactured very user friendly. On the far left hand be t te r. There ’s solely for bass players. They offer side of the front panel, two ¼” jacks nothing worse than a amplifiers and cabinets of all sizes are provided – one for input and one b a s s a m p t h a t and flavours for every type of player for connecting your tuner. delivers flimsy tone and in the case of high powered bass Selecting input sensitivities for lacking punch and amplifiers, they are no exceptions. If active or passive basses is done by
impact because it is exactly the low it’s power you need, look no further the push of a green-backlit button end in a performance that creates a than the Hartke Kilo 1000 watt bass labelled “Active”. Depressing it sets sense of weight and authority that amplifier. More boom? You got it. the amp to accept active basses. A makes people move to the rhythm. valve overdrive channel is provided Bass amps have evolved somewhat and this can be toggled by over the years and now we have depressing the green-backlit “O.D.” The Kilo is a monster of a thing. It’s many different designs, some Button. heavy. It’s rugged. It will break your stemming from the past where Next is the compression control foot if you drop it on it. It takes up valves were king, some relying on and the desired amount is dialled in three rack spaces and you’re going to microchips to keep their power from the off position at “0” to total need a pretty serious rack to keep it at management efficient, and some s m a s h a t “ 1 0 ” . A b o v e t h e bay. It has two oversized, ultra taking a hybrid approach using new compression knob is a button sturdy handles on the front panel, and old technology together. For this labelled “Mute” and this is pretty self which is about a centimetre thick and reason bass amplifiers have become explanatory. Other usual suspect made of solid die cast metal. To say as tonally varied and interesting as buttons relating to tone like “Deep” this amplifier is well made is an their guitar counterparts and and “Brite” are also provided and understatement and I’m pretty sure selecting one relies heavily on the these, too, are self explanatory, that if you drop it from a two storey taste of the player. along with the three-band EQ, window it will survive. Just don’t kill
One company that has been comprising “Low”, “Mid” and “High” anybody, okay?producing amplifiers for well over rotary knobs. One tone shaping knob twenty five years to meet the needs that isn’t so straight forward is the of bass players is Hartke. Founded in “Shape” control. To toggle the shape The Hartke Kilo is 1000 watts. Yes, 1985 by Larry Hartke and Ron circuit on and off a green-backlit that’s right, 1000 watts of bone Lorman, Harkte was made famous by button labelled “Shape” is provided crushing bass power. It offers 1000 their development of an aluminium and this is linked to a rotary knob watts in mono bridged mode at 4 cone speaker that was to typify the below it. The shape circuit “applies a ohms and, surprisingly, can be used Hartke look and sound. The result pre-set equalization curve with a in stereo with 500 watts per side all was a speaker capable of brighter slight lift in the low frequencies, a cut the way down to 2 ohms, a rare tones with a more pronounced in the mids, or a slight lift in the highs, feature with bass amps. The midrange and because of this new depending on its setting”. Next, we amplifier is a hybrid design coupling technology it was quickly adopted by see buttons labelled “EFX” and the solid state power section with a the likes of Jaco Pastorius, Marcus “GEQ”. These buttons toggle the valve preamp, comprising three Miller, Darryl Jones, Jack Bruce, Will effects loop, located at the rear of the 12AX7 preamp valves. The front Lee and Garry Tallent. amplifier and the 15-band graphic panel has a recessed section for all
Now, in 2011, Hartke boasts a
Construction
Features
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COVER FEATURE
The Hartke Kilo is a mother of a bass amp that is immensely full featured and offers huge tonal possibility.
Hartke Kilo EQ, situated at the far left of the 4x10’s and connected the amplifier keep certain notes from popping up, I panel. Both can be enabled or in mono bridged mode, since I figure had a full, powerful, even tone at all disabled by connecting a two-button most bass players will utilize this positions on the fret board. footswitch to the rear panel jack configuration. Three basses were Next I turned my attention to the labelled “EQ+EFX”. auditioned including a Music Man tone circuits and found the three
Likewise, a further two-button Stingray 5-String, a Fender P-Deluxe band EQ to be focused and effective. footswitch can be attached to the USA, and an Ibanez ATK. The shape control also added jack labelled “MUTE+OVERDRIVE” The Kilo proved to be all it something interesting but, as to toggle those features on and off. promised and I was surprised at the always, the tone you’re after is Footswitches are not supplied with transparency of its sound. It always subjective to the material and the amplifier and have to be definitely was loud and pushed a lot it would need to be auditioned on a purchased separately. of air but what I really liked was how it case-by-case basis. The same goes
Finally we come to the master really let the voice of each of the for the brite and deep settings. section which controls master basses I auditioned come through, However, it was still comforting volume, L+R balance in stereo even at high levels. I chose each of to know that the options were there if operation, and the level of the direct the basses I did for that reason as so needed.out, which is located at the rear of the they all have a distinctly different amplifier in balanced XLR format. A tonal quality to them. handy feature is the ability to choose The tone circuits were helpful to The Hartke Kilo is a mother of a bass where in the signal chain you want take me wherever I wanted to go but, amp that is immensely full featured the direct out signal to be fed from. A as always, a straightforward and offers huge tonal possibility. rotary selector included under the approach with minimal processing is There is no doubt in my mind that direct out level knob gives the option a good place to start and this is the anybody interested in a quality, high of sending signal after the input, path I took. On the five string I was powered amplifier will be most compressor, EQ, or EFX circuits. really interested to hear how this pleased with their purchase and will
amp handled the low B. It handled have it for a very long time because it and then it handled some more. is built to last. Go move some air! There were buckets and buckets of In testing the Kilo a cabinet was not massive low end tone and after supplied so I had to source one. Or dialling in a little compression to two. I came upon two SWR Goliath
Conclusion
In Use
Suggested Retail Price: R 13,995.00 incl. VATSupplier: Audiosure | Tel. No: 011-790.4600 | Website: http://www.audiosure.co.za/
•• Celto Acoustique Drivers*• Die Cast Aliminum Woofer Chassis• Genuine Neutrik Speakon NL4MP connectors• Cabinet finish: Touring grade, Sand coarse textured, Waterborne coating• M8 Fly-points • 35mm Top- hats
CNC Fabricated / Birch Plywood cabinet
* Celto Acoustique drivers are of the highest quality using the finest materials available.
• All magnetic systems are developed using FEA analysis. • The 3 engineers behind Celto Acoustique have more than 15 years
of experience in driver design. • Brand philosophy and market are similar to other famous European brands.
B-18 MKII
BT-152 MKII
B-218 MKII
R 5,310 .00
R 5,850 .00
R 8,910 .00
Subwoofer - 800W RMS 35~13000Hz (-6dB)
Dual 15” 2-way, 1” HF 800W RMS
Dual Subwoofer - 1600W RMS 35~13000Hz (-6dB)
muse | eight
GEAR & INDUSTRY NEWSFor daily gear, instrument and industry news visit museonline.co.za
Legendary Left Hook Rockin' Bluesman Tours UK with Carlsbro Gregg who is among the greatest ever left hook players – he does not restring the guitar, simply playing his right hand Strat upside down – has been a leading US session man since the mid 70’s. He has recorded and toured with the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, The Gap Band, Spenser Davis and even the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra; most famously as lead guitarist on Jackson’s 1984 Victory Tour.
More recently he has been a fixture of the blues circuit and international festivals, earning the accolade of “King of the Rockin’ Blues” from the Monterey Bay Blues Festival. Gregg has been playing clubs across England and Scotland on an eight date tour, from 31 October until 19 November, with regular UK accompanists Marty Prior on bass and Spencer Lee Horton on drums.
Gregg is familiar with Carlsbro amps, having previously demonstrated for the company and on arrival in the UK, arranged for delivery of the 50 Top for the tour. However the new 50 Top was something he hadn’t bargained for, exclaiming, “Whatever you guys have done in the development of the 50 Top since I last played one, is outstanding. It's a completely different sound from the previous models I've used. My experience with the rig was an absolute pleasure and everywhere I played, people raved about the sound.” The sound engineer on the first date of the tour, at the famous Monday Blues Club in Oxford, added his praise, saying it was “the best guitar sound I’ve heard in 10 years of running
sound at the Monday Blues”.The LH1200 - 50 TOP DC is a classic ‘True Valve Amp’ inspired by the much loved
original 50 Top.The new twin channel amp head has switchable channels & two master volumes which
are footswitchable. The valve complement of 4x 12AXT’s and 2x EL84’s gives you 50w of incredible power @ 8 or 16Ω’s. The preamp has a host of feature benefits including, Hi and Low sensitivity Jack inputs, 3 band EQ using Silvered Mica Capacitors, ‘Sleep Mode’ automatic muting with no input present.
Distributed by TV Audio | 011 805-9910 | [email protected] | www.tvaudio.co.za
PROAUDIO LAUNCH INTRODUCES NEW SHOWROOM AND PRODUCTSIn a glittering affair, wholesale distributors of several leading audio, DJ and instrument brands, Proaudio, introduced their new offices and showroom to invited guests. The upbeat event was highlighted by an entertaining performance by cover rock band, Supafly (also known as FLIES), fronted by guitarist/vocalist, Gavin Morein. All three members of the band have been in the music business for over two decades now and have proven immensely popular for corporate events and parties.
Popular DJ, Lady Lea, also attended, demonstrating to guests her mobile sound rig built into the boot of her sponsored Citroen consisting of two Pioneer CDJ2000 media players and a Pioneer DJM-400 mixer.
Proaudio are distributors for the following brands; Behringer, Audix, HK Audio, Hughes & Kettner, Pioneer Dj, Pioneer Lifestyle, KRK, Fane, SKB, Flight Ready and Kirlin.
Their new showroom and offices are situated at: 419 Martin Crescent, Greenhills Industrial Estate Sam Green Road Tunney Ext 6 Edenvale/Germiston.
Distributor: Proaudio | 011 822-1430 | www.proaudio.co.za
muse | nine
GEAR & INDUSTRY NEWSWharfedale Pro WPM-1 Series
For more than two decades, the Pearl Masters sound has been heard on countless recordings and in the world's top recording studios. The Masters sound is synonymous with legendary drummers like Jeff Porcaro, Dennis Chambers, Ian Paice and many others. The Pearl Masters Premium Series offer the discerning player precision, beauty, innovation and options.
The new Legend series is a direct reaction to the constant demands from the drummers of today wanting more tone, more warmth and more flexibility in today's ever changing Recording environment.
Both the MMP and the new Legend Series feature upgraded low mass aluminium Opti-Mounts, Masterworks / Reference bass drum spurs, bass drum claws, floor tom legs and leg brackets.
Masters Legend Series includes our revolutionary Fat Tone Hoops on all Toms and Floor toms. These are our all new thin Fat Tone Hoops with our exclusive hemmed and welded edge resulting in a hoop that is both lightweight and extremely strong to further promote maximum resonance.
Masters Legend snare drums also feature Pearl's premium low-mass swivel tube lugs that assure perfect tension rod to lug alignment along with Pearl's innovative Golden-Ratio air vents for improved low end response on toms and bass drums and improved attack on snare drums. All shells are constructed using Pearl's exclusive SST Superior Shell Technology manufacturing process.
The New Legend series drums are ideal for all musical styles for example; R&B, Classic and Heavy Rock, Folk, Jazz, Punk and Country.
Distributed by Tradelius Music Group | 031 502-3080 | www.tradelius.co.za
The AKG CBL 410 PCC is a simple to use, plug and play desktop microphone for use with any PC or Laptop. It improves audio quality incredibly when making a conference via VOIP. The microphone reproduces the voice with a clear and natural sound.With its 3,5 mm stereo jack it is a 100% plug and play device. No drivers are needed.Its ability to be cascaded makes the CBL 410 PCC the perfect tool for modern communication for both single person use in the office
and/or multi-person use in a modern meeting room.
This microphone provides optimum intelligibility and audio quality for your meetings. The CBL 410 PCC is also an e x c e l l e n t c h o i c e f o r r e c o r d i n g applications. Available in black or white.
Distributed by Wild & Marr | 011 974-0633 | 021 787-9378 | 031 564-3877 | www.wildandmarr.co.za
AKG launches CBL 410 PCC plug and play desktop microphone
The WPM-1 from Wharfedale Pro is a personal monitoring solution with a number of great features that suit performers and artists who demand perfect monitor mixes and total control. A 5” full range driver is matched to the on-board processing, EQ and amplification to provide clear, natural and intelligible vocal foldback.
The WPM-1 can be stand mounted with straight or boom mic stands, alternatively the WPM-1 can be placed on the stage itself for maximum versatility. Front panel controls allow you to fine tune your onstage vocal sound and the integration of your monitor mix. With a WPM-1 you no longer get the monitor mix that your engineer supplies; you hear exactly what you want to hear.
The balanced microphone input has a through output so your performance can be seamlessly integrated into the front of house mix. The WPM-1 also includes an instrument/line level input and mix output, facilitating use as a small format personal mixer with 3 inputs. This versatile interfacing allows the WPM-1 to fit into the widest range of on stage situations.
The WPM-1 uses the same high tech gas assist injection moulding techniques as used in our famous Titan Series loudspeakers, ensuring road tough reliability and ultra light portability.
Distributor: Audiosure | 011 790-4600 | 021 555-1617 | 031 569-9260 | 051 430-4455 | www.audiosure.co.za
Pearl introduces Masters Premium Legend Series Drums
eightBy Greg Bestermuse | ten
GUITAR AMPLIFIERS
Peavey Vypyr 100 The Vypyr 100 is a combo amplifier that delivers 100 solid-state watts to two
“custom voiced”12 inch Peavey Blue Marvel speakers.
D igital modelling has come a long “custom voiced”12 inch Peavey Blue Supplied with the Vypyr 100 for this way over the last few years Marvel speakers. There are four channels review was the Sanpera I footswitch starting with the now rare available for each of the three banks, comprising four buttons for preset and Johnson amplifiers, levelling totalling 12 channels or patches altogether. bank selection, along with control of the out with the now ubiquitous Each preset patch is fully programmable onboard looper. L ine 6 range and the i r for full recall. All in all you get 12 amplifier Also included on the Sanpera is an bandwagon cohorts and types, 11 editable stomp box effects, and expression pedal that can be switched culminating in the current 11 editable rack effects. All amp models, between wah and volume by depressing Kemper profiling amplifier. stomp boxes and rack effects can be the pedal similar to how a traditional wah is
I suspect the main reason why these mixed and matched ‘til your hearts content toggled on and off. amplifiers have seen so much success in and stored. However, despite what seems like a
pretty straight forward operation, I have one complaint about the Sanpera: the wah/volume toggle is way too sensitive and switches when not expected to, which may cause problems in a live situation.
Another oddity is the operation of the USB recording output. Because the device is seen as a soundcard by the PC and only offers one way operation, i.e. recording and no playback, monitoring has to be done via the amplifier’s headphone jack in real time which means you cannot monitor o t h e r t r a c k s f r o m a r e c o r d i n g simultaneously. I suppose the feature was intended to be used as sort of an idea recorder but it does baffle me why Peavey didn’t supply a playback facility on the ASIO protocol.
The Vypyr 100 is a great sounding digital modelling amplifier that many people will find useful and convincing enough to be used in most performance situations. Besides a few quirks with the footswitch
recent years is because they pack a huge Also featured with the addition of a and USB recording facility, I can see this palette of tonal possibility in a relatively Sanpera footswitch is a looper along with amp delivering good tone to those in need compact package that is readily available wah and volume pedal control. Other of it and that’s what counts.at a twist of a knob. Gone are the days of features include a chromatic tuner and a even having to bring an amplifier to a gig; “power sponge” for attenuating the just plug in your Pod and you’re ready to output, a USB recording output, and a
Vypyr 100 – Retail R 6,999.00 incl. VATrock and roll. MP3/CD/Aux input in 1/8” mini jack format. Vypyr 15 – Retail R 2,299.00 incl. VATOne company that is no stranger to Vypyr 30 – Retail R 3,699.00 incl. VATsuccess in the amplifier market is Peavey, Vypyr 75 – Retail R 5,499.00 incl. VATnow famous for their 5150/6505, JSX,
The first thing I will say about the Vypyr is Vypyr 60 Tube – Retail R 7,699.00Valve King, and XXX valve amplifiers. that the amp models and effects all sound Vypyr 120 Tube – Retail R 9,999.00Truth be told, there are many professionals great and are convincing enough to be Vypyr 120 Tube Head – Retail R 9,299.00all over the world that depend on their used in most performance situations. They
products to deliver their tone night after are all easily edited and stored and the user Please visit www.peavey.com for more night and that says a lot about what they’re interface of the amp is pretty intuitive and information on the complete Vypyr range. capable of. Peavey too have entered the straight forward. digital modelling market (albeit late in the
However, I must admit, I was game, in my opinion) with the introduction
disappointed to find that I wasn’t supplied of their Vypyr series amplifiers. Let’s take a
the valve version (the Vypyr Tube 120) look.
which houses a 120 watt valve power section. Just think, the versatility of a modelled preamp section with the warmth
The Vypyr 100 is a combo amplifier that of tube power! But alas, I was not to hear delivers 100 solid-state watts to two it.
Conclusion
The Vypyr range:
In Use
Suggested Retail Price: R 6,999.00 incl. VATSupplier: Tropical Music Contact Tel. No: + 27 11 466 3535 FeaturesWebsite: www.tropicalmusic.co.za
·15watts (RMS)·24amp models & 24 effects·Direct recording output
·30watts (RMS)·24amp models & 24 effects·Direct recording output
·75 watts (RMS)·24 amp models & 24 effects·USB recording output
·100 watts (RMS)·24 amp models & 24 effects·USB recording output
PEAVEY VYPYR 15W PEAVEY VYPYR 30W PEAVEY VYPYR 75W PEAVEY VYPYR 100W
www.tropicalmusic.co.za |Tel: 011 466 3535 | [email protected]
Exclusively distributed by
Whether you’re a novice or a professional PEAVEY has you covered
Unit 3 | 27 Silverstone Crescent | Kyalami Business Estate | Kyalami | Gauteng
NEW ..... Look, Feel, Touch and Listen Showroom
Offering top power, superior performance and full professional operating features in a roadworthy compact chassis, the PVI series amplifier is perfect for even the most demanding sound reinforcement installation and touring applications.
PEAVEY PVi 1000, 2000, 2500, and 3000 POWER AMP
· PVi 1000 - 360W X2 @ 4ohm· PVi 2000 - 540W X2 @ 4ohm
· PVi 2500 - 690W X2 @ 4ohm· PVi 3000 - 900W X2 @4ohm
FX Series mixers feature new, Peavey-exclusive technology to enhancelive sound reproduction and project studio recording, including Silencer mic preamps, which allow very high gain with low noise and distortion for crystal-clear signal reproduction. These mixers also include dual DSP engines, USB ports and built-in Mp3 player/recorder
PEAVEY 16FX, 24FX AND 32FX MIXERS
eightBy Nic Roosmuse | twelve
INSTRUMENT REVIEW
The Tanglewood TSB 58 HB“...The tone is convincingly thick and sweet but also unexpectedly detailed and lush
for a guitar in this price range”
T anglewood have a growing reputation for building high- Unplugged, I listened Nigel Tufnel-like for qual i ty, entry-to-pro level the characteristic Les Paul sustain. Not acoustic guitars and are also hearing anything, I played a chord. ‘There gaining favour in the mid-priced it is!’ E major – 32 seconds. A whole 10 electric guitar market, producing seconds longer than my Epiphone Les Paul copies of classic models. It must Standard, if that means anything!be said though, they have some The TBS is fitted with custom
stiff competition from other mid-priced Entwistle HV 58 pickups that are built to manufacturers who are also producing original '50s specs with Alnico magnets, affordable high-quality instruments. enamel-coated wire and scatter-wound
On review is the Tanglewood TSB 58 coils. Hearing them through both solid-HB, a Les Paul copy, which, for the price, state and tube amps was a pleasant will inevitably draw comparison to surprise. They are very touch sensitive, Gibson’s affordable Epiphone line. have a snappy attack and a bright yet full
tone, free of the muddiness often found on other Les Paul copies. The neck pickup in particular was well balanced even with At first glance the most striking thing about overdrive.this guitar is that it has the most gorgeous
As the HV 58s are vintage replicas, book-matched honeyburst maple top I’ve modern players may find them slightly ever seen on any Les Paul of any make. The lacking in midrange and output, but I like dark mahogany back is also stunning. In their bright but balanced response that fact, as far as copies go, it looks almost to nicely complement a mid boost from an spec, apart from the less than attractive amp. Tanglewood headstock with its awkward
Playing some clean chords, the tone taper and kitsch green mother-of-pearl is convincingly thick and sweet but also logo inlay.unexpectedly detailed and lush for a guitar Apar t f rom minor cosmet i c in this price range, due in part to the imperfections, where the finish bleeds brightness of the HV 58s.onto the binding, as well as a skew volume
The HV 58s aren’t high output pickups knob, the overall build quality looks very but give a surprising level of harmonic good. Particular attention was paid to the detail that sounds very sweet and musical ABS nut and frets, which are immaculate.when overdriven. Single note envelopes decay with bell-like smoothness. While the tone is typically thick for a Les Paul, The guitar was shipped already set up, so note definition is retained very well at high the action and intonation was spot on. The gain on chords and fast single-note runs – snot-green Kluson-style tuners (which I again, unlike many comparable Les Paul rather fancy) are a lot stiffer and more copies.accurate than even those found on real
Gibsons, and stay in tune after hours of wild bends and vibrato.
Tanglewood have done a great job with the While Les Pauls are famous for their TBS. Its playability and a vintage tone thick tone and equally thick, tree-trunk beyond its class add up to a versatile Les sized necks that limit their desirability for Paul copy that goes a long way towards some styles of playing, the TBS’s shallow giving other brands a run for their money. If neck and big frets make it incredibly easy you can live with the headstock and the to play. This gives everyone from shoddy (though easily and cheaply beginners to shredders (who don’t want replaced) volume and tone pots, the their instrument slowing them down) otherwise beautiful TBS HB would make a access to the Les Paul tone and vibe capable mid-priced musical companion without the strain, putting the TBS ahead for most rock styles.of much of its competition.
On the down side, the tone and volume pots are rather shoddy as only about 25 percent of the taper has any effect on the tone or volume.
Sounds
Anatomy
Playability
Conclusion
Supplied by: Rockit Distribution Tel: 021-511 1800 Suggested Retail Price: R3,995.00
X Audio may not be a brand quite as well known as some its counterparts, but the name George Krampera may certainly ring a bell to many audio fanatics. Krampera is the ‘K’ in KX Audio and is cited as one the true ‘audio pioneers of modern times.’ The Czech native has an
illustrious career spanning 5 decades and he made a number of breakthroughs, notably at RCF, including the development of the silicone spider. He also designed the complete ART active speaker series, which was a hugely successful line for the company.
The KX15 is part of an all-active range from KX Audio that consists of 6 loudspeakers in total and includes two 2-way variants; the KX12 and KX15, a 3 way full range loudspeaker, the KX30 and 3 sub-woofers; KX1.2, KX1.5 and KX1.8. The KX15’s on review arrived very well packaged, the boxes belying the size of the actual speakers which thankfully are pretty much the same dimensions as most 2-way 15’s and weigh in at a sizable 32 Kg’s each. to a circle about 30-40 metres wide, where the audience stood. I
The professional, 18 mm Plywood construction has a asked the musicians their thoughts afterwards and they heavy duty coating and is encased with durable rubber top and summed up similar sentiments to my own; Loud, clear and bottom end caps which should protect the fine finish from nasty powerful were three words synonymous with the overall chips on the corners. The cabinet has recessed side handles, impression of the pair of KX15’s in use. Using a lot of percussive three recessed M10 suspension points for rigging and a top hat instruments, woodwinds, synths and vocals, there was nothing for pole mounting. The front panel is covered with a metal grille these speakers could not seemingly handle. offering a somewhat austere look to the cabinet.
The KX15’s are very well constructed and feel built to handle the The speaker components used in the KX range make use of the rigours of portable rigging on a regular basis. Using them on latest in neodymium magnet technology to reduce weight and pole mounts they were extremely sturdy and certainly looked maximise power handling and acoustic output and as such are the part onstage. Sound wise we really could not fault them and designed with each component being a perfect match. The 15- whilst they were not the only speakers being used for the PA, it inch driver is equipped with a 2.5-inch voice coil and an epoxy- was the KX Audios that stole the show and gave the band some reinforced cone, and uses what KX Audio call ‘inside outside’ much needed volume... as well as detailed, quality sound. technology, which refers to the coil windings being wound on both sides of the former.
Frequency response of the LF section is quoted in the specifications as going down to 58Hz at -3dBs and the internal crossover is at 1.0kHz. The HF section taps out at 18kHz (also at -3dB) and horn coverage is 80 x 40 degrees, which is horizontally wide and vertically narrow enough to focus more of the output energy direct at the audience. There are 2 dual colour LED indicators for signal present, limiter, thermal condition and power ON status.
The KX15 offers 500 watts of total power, 450 of which is via a high efficiency, current enhancing, switching low frequency amplifier to drive the 15 inch speaker whilst the tweeter receives its power from a ‘High Power Bandwidth 50 W high frequency amplifier.’ An onboard speaker management system completes the package.
Usually we are confined to testing loudspeakers in a simulated environment but on this occasion an opportunity arose to use them at the Hout Bay Green Faire for a short 40 minute band performance. The speakers were pole mounted on a small stage and were placed either side facing a large open field, possibly twice the size of a rugby pitch.
However, the band’s performance only needed to project
Anatomy
ConclusionFeatures
In Use
eightMuse Reportmuse | fourteen
REVIEW
Suggested Retail Price: R 19,995.00 each incl. VATSupplier: Tradelius Music Group
Contact Tel. No: 031 502-3080 Website: www.tradelius.co.za
K KX Audio KX15
eightBy Greg Bestermuse | sixteen
LIVE SOUND Bose L1 Compact
B
Suggested Retail Price: R 17 995.00 INC VAT | Supplier: TIDContact Tel. No: +27 (0)10 5000 111 | Website: www.tidistribution.co.za
The Bose L1 Compact is a well designed, high quality, compact amplification system for both public address and personal monitoring.
ose has always been a more diverse variety of inputs: a hi-z name associated with two instrument, one RCA stereo input, and one In the L1 Compact, Bose has cleverly descriptors: compact and 1/8” stereo input for iPod, etc. On each constructed a powerful system that can, quality. They are a company channel you will find a two-stage level/clip first and foremost, be lifted with one hand w h o h a s b u i l t t h e i r light, volume potentiometers, and their and transported with ease – a refreshing reputation on producing patented ToneMatch presets for either a feature. The entire system, including the products that, despite their dynamic microphone or an acoustic guitar. extensions, weighs a modest 13kG. There diminutive nature, supply On the rear panel you will find a ¼” are four components in a complete setup,
clear and powerful sound that rivals the balanced line out and one stereo RCA namely the base, which houses the best component systems many times their output. subwoofer, amplifiers, and integrated size. This has made them pioneers in the mixer; the high/mid speaker array, which home audio market where the now cleverly slots into the front panel of the popular satellite/subwoofer combination base; and two extensions, which can As you would expect from a systems are so ubiquitous. extend the system from virtually ground Bose product, the sound is
But Bose is evolving. No more are level to two metres (what Bose calls either clear, balanced, and potent. they limited to the home audio market or to the collapsed or extended configurations). This system is surprisingly producing noise cancelling headphones What I found great about this system loud for such a small for weary travellers in need of a quiet is that all the wiring is self-contained within package and the tone is journey to the soundtrack of a Mozart the components and the connectors for consistent even when concerto. They have now stepped into the the extensions and the array are housed driving it into the red. world of public address and personal within the end slots. This means that it’s Regarding the 180 amplification. In fact, they have released a merely a matter of plug and play without degree dispersion, this is range of products which can accomplish the hassle of cabling. no joke or tall claim as I both tasks with equal precision. Of course, As far as the array goes, there are could clearly hear every I am talking about the L1 amplification some neat design features there too. Bose detail at every angle from s y s t e m s , w h i c h c o m e i n t h r e e has implemented what they call “Spatial the speakers’ orientation. configurations as of this writing: Dispersion Loudspeaker Technology” This feature was most
which consists of six small speakers, each impressive and it is clear ! L1 Compact firing at a different angle. This, Bose that they spent a great deal ! L1 Model I Single Bass Package claims, delivers “nearly 180 degrees of of R&D to achieve it. ! L1 Model II Single Bass Package with the horizontal sound coverage” which causes
ToneMatch Audio Engine the sound to remain consistent even at extreme angles to the orientation of the
The Bose L1 Compact is a The model I was given for review was the system.well designed, high quality, L1 Compact so if you would like more compact amplif ication information on the other two versions, system for both public please visit www.bose.com.
Once the L1 is assembled the main address and personal features are focused in the integrated monitoring. It is well worth mixer. The mixer houses two channels and the money and is fantastic can accommodate a variety of input purchase for anyone sources. Channel one is dedicated as a looking for great sound microphone input and supplies one without a large footprint. balanced XLR connector for easy Bose has once again connection. Channel two can accept a d e l i v e r e d o n t h e i r
philosophy of quality and compact engineering.
Construction and Components
So How Does It Sound?
Conclusion
Features
muse | twenty
INSTRUMENT REVIEWby Alan Ratcliffe
R
Reverend Flatroc“The Flatroc is lively and resonant guitar with plenty sustain.”
everend guitars have been edges and the setup was near perfect balances well to give a good combined making waves as a brand to including a properly cut nut height. If I sound when both pickups are used watch for a few years now had to find a flaw, I would say that the together. The lower powered neck and are well regarded as a pickup and pickup surround chroming pickup is nicely rounded, but retains manufacturer of relatively could be a little better - but to be fair, it clarity and articulation at all times. inexpensive but very good only suffers by comparison as Master volume and tone I've always quality guitars. More than everything else is so good. liked for the simplicity but the "Bass
that, they have a rather unique aesthetic contour" control takes it to a whole new appeal and, rather than being simply level without adding much complexity. just another take on the classics, This control allows you to turn down While the Flatroc was very well set up to manage to offer guitars which are the bass to thin down and clean up the begin with, it had a slightly higher unusual in design while still managing low end of the sound and works to action than I usually prefer. However, a to retain a familiar look with something really make the Flatroc an incredibly quick bridge adjustment and the action of a retro feel. flexible guitar, allowing you to get came down as low as I expect on a 12"
articulate tones from any pickup setting radius fingerboard, and thanks to the and with any level of drive. immaculate fretting there were no
The Flatroc is a somewhat Gretsch buzzes or fretting out on bends. I got the inspired guitar - from the Rev-tron feel that it had been set up with a low pickups (similar to the Gretsch action first and then raised to a more While the review model was orange, Filtertrons) to the orange finish of the generic middle-ground. The locking the Flatroc is also available in both black review model. On the other hand, it has tuners and graphite nut work well with and cream finishes. The cream model Gibson-style body and fingerboard the Tune-O-Matic bridge to keep the also differs by sporting an unbound binding, Tune-O-Matic bridge; and stop guitar in tune well, even with a lot of maple fingerboard, which will add a tailpiece, while the stomach contour, string bending and aggressive playing. little more brightness and attack to the bolt-on maple neck and lever switch The neck is a modern feeling tone.owe more to Fender-style guitars. To "superstrat", but while slender and easy, top it all off, the feel and playability of not too thin or too narrow to get used the neck and the 12" fretboard radius to. The controls are well-placed – right This is one flexible guitar - from clean are very modern and easy playing. As at hand when needed, but not so close country finger picking through with all Reverend guitars, the Flatroc as to be a problem for a wilder right rockabilly and blues, all the way up to sports a graphite nut and a set of hand. alt and indie rock, the Flatroc can locking tuners. The shape of the korina handle them all with élan. It looks body is vaguely reminiscent of a distinctive, plays well, is easy to use Telecaster with more of an angular, The Flatroc is a lively and resonant and relatively inexpensive - what more offset feel to it. guitar with plenty sustain. The Rev-tron could you ask for?
pickups are definitely in the Filtertron ballpark – dynamic, articulate and
The finishing is flawless and I could find chimey, but with a little more power and no area of the construction that looked subsequently more midrange growl sloppy or messy. The fretting was than vintage Filtertrons. The bridge perfect with no raised ends or sharp pickup is hotter than the neck, but still
Playability
First look
Variations
In conclusion
Tone
Fit and finish SA Distributor: Guitartone 021 855 5963 / 082 824 0667 www.guitartone.co.zaSuggested Retail Price: R6.300.00 including hard case (incl. V.A.T.)
muse | twenty one
INSTRUMENT REVIEW
I
Swart AST Master Guitar Amplifier “If you like an amp with a flexible sound
that is simple to operate and sounds like heaven, this is as good as it gets.”
but weighing in at leans much more to the tweed, with the less than 18 kg. pushed midrange, gritty edge, Labels on the compression and sag that makes those panel are clear amps so popular. Where it differs is with a n d e a s i l y a little less mid push, a bit more clean readable. headroom and a sweeter driven tone. It
Lo o k i n g a is still very much a blues/classic rock little deeper, you tone, but not quite as in your face and can see that the the clean tones are much sweeter and amp is a head more dynamic. Speaking dynamics, adapted into a this amp translates everything from combo cabinet as clean playing with the volume down to the valves are distorted power chords incredibly well, horizontal, facing all from playing dynamics and guitar forwards with an volume tweaking. air vent in the The reverb tone is very dense, lush cabinet under the and warm with an almost 3D depth and h a n d l e . T h i s quality, while the trem is very sweet, means that the able to conjure swampy sounds with
chassis has to be ease without getting too choppy.recently had the pleasure of removed to replace One th ing wh ich I f ound trying out the whole range of valves, which is a bit inconvenient but remarkable is how well the AST Master Swart Amplifiers and, while does let you see the immaculately built responds to different guitars – it t h e e n t i r e r a n g e w a s circuitry inside, and thanks to the sounded just as good on a Strat as it did impressive, the AST Master threaded inserts, there is no chance of on a humbucker Telecaster, Filtertron was the model which jumped stripping threads regardless of how and P90 guitars – even an electric 12-out at me as having the best often you roll tubes. string fared well. In fact, it was an
feature set, tone and volume for my absolute pleasure to play an amp that needs. brought out and flattered the character
of so many different guitars with little The controls are simple on the AST tone or gain tweaking.Master: Volume; Tone; Reverb;
Changing the power valves from ! 18 – 22 W (depending on output Tremolo Speed; Tremolo Depth;
the stock 6V6s brought out some valves) Master Volume; and a master volume additional voicings from the amp –
! 1 x 12” combo cabinet with bypass switch. There is a two switch El34s turned the amp into a classic rock Celestion Gold speaker footswitch included with switches to machine, while the extra clean
! Bypassable master volume defeat both reverb and tremolo. The headroom of 6L6s brought me right
! Valve reverb and tremolo simple control arrangement makes it home to my Twin, but at lower volume
! Runs 6V6, 6L6 or EL-34 power easy to tweak on the fly during and with some added sweetness at valves performance, although the vintage-breakup. style rear facing controls do take a little
This is essentially the AST Head Mk II in adjusting to if you are used to forward a cabinet big enough to house either a facing amp controls.1x12 or 2x10 speaker configuration. If you like an amp with a flexible sound The review model had a Celestion Gold that is simple to operate and sounds speaker. The AST Master has a like heaven, this is as good as it gets.Volume-wise the AST Master holds its defeatable master volume and can run own with any reasonable drummer and EL-34 along with the stock 6V6 and 6L6 perfect level for most gigs. The master family valves. volume does makes it a much more
usable amp volume wise, but if you can, bypassing the master volume does add
The AST Master is an impressively a bit more sweetness for those venues appointed amp. From the two tone where you can crank the amp up.tweed finish to the cabinet using threaded inserts and machine screws, the AST Master screams class. It is a In a word: gorgeous. While people large amp for a 1 x 12, measuring in at often cite the Swart family tone as being 61 cm wide x 28 cm deep x 51 cm high, half Tweed, half Blackface Fender it still
In Use
Features
Conclusion
Volume & Master Volume
SA Distributor: Guitartone021 855 5963 / 082 824 0667 www.guitartone.co.zaSuggested Retail Price: R21,050.00 First impressionsIncl. V.A.T.
Tone
eight
By Alistair Andrews
muse | twenty four
INSTRUMENT REVIEW
Suggested Retail Price: Pro Series Prices range from R 7,000.00 to R 13,000.00Supplier: Music Power | Tel: (011) 466-9515
Warwick Corvette Bubinga Bass Guitar
Warwick have introduced a new line of Pro Series Basses made in Korea that are awesome value for money. There is a choice of two Corvettes with either Ash or
The Corvette’s sound is unmistakably Bubinga bodies. The other models in the Warwick; crystal clear and punchy and the series are:Bubinga combined with the electronics ! Thumb Bolt-On (Ovangkol body and give this bass an amazingly big sound. Maple with Ekanga Veneer Stripes)Excellent blended sounds are easy to coax ! Streamer LX (US Cherry body and from the circuit as you sweep from one Maple neck with Ekanga Veneer pickup to the other. If you use the neck Stripes)pickup and boost the bass control there is ! Star Bass Pro (AAA Flamed Maple body enough bottom-end to make the stage with laminated back, sides and top and vibrate. If you use the bridge pickup only, Maple neck with Ekanga Veneer you get a Jaco-like [Pastorius] sound that Stripes)is very, very impressive.
The balance of the notes on all the They all have Wenge fingerboards with strings and in any position on the neck is Tigerstripe Ebony on the fretless models.quite remarkable which is another Whilst the Star Bass is only available Warwick trademark I’ve come to respect in 4 and 5 string versions the others also from the brand. If you are looking for a boast a 6-string variant as well. You have a brighter sound, the Ash version would be wide variety of colours and finishes to a better option, but by using the treble choose from and I am certain they have control I got enough brilliance on the covered most tastes.Bubinga to satisfy my needs. The specifications on most of the
models are quite similar and I tried out most of them. I was very impressed with the workmanship, sonic quality, and of Whether you are a Slapper, Groover, course the very competitive pricing. Walker or Rocker this bass can be EQ’ed by
For the purpose of this review I will using its own controls tuned to focus on the Corvette Bubinga. accommodate you. The Corvette also
comes in 4, 5 and 6-string models and as a fretless option at no extra charge.
The other basses in the Pro Series line The balance of the bass is excellent and also look, sound and feel amazing.the Corvette is quite light in comparison to
many others that I have played on. As with most Warwick basses some of the controls feature a centre detent. I always The Corvette’s excellent workmanship, find Warwick basses to look really great great tone and competitive price add to and the Corvette Bubinga is no exception. what is a very playable and awesomely Personally I love natural coloured balanced bass guitar. I was also pleasantly instruments (all my basses are natural) so surprised as to how versatile the the Corvette scores high in my books for instrument is. It has to be said that there great aesthetics. aren’t many basses in this price range that
Closer inspection reveals the offer as the name suggests – a PRO series Warwick Just-A-Nut III, an accurate two- instrument.piece height-adjustable nut, which is now The other models are also pretty made from a fiberglass-reinforced awesome and it would be difficult for me synthetic material called Tedur. This Corvette on test may be built in to choose any one in particular so it’s really
The bronze frets are great and Korea but the hallmark German quality of down to personal choice and needs. A certainly adds to the bass’s amazing feel. It Warwick certainly shines through and really good deal at a really good price at is very comfortable from fret 1 to fret 24. I suggests an instrument that has been the end of the day in my opinion.was also impressed with the action for a carefully constructed.bass straight from the factory. The string spacing on the 4 string that I tested was actually perfect on unpacking.
Sound
Versatility
First Impression
Verdict
eightMuse Reportmuse | twenty six
SPECIAL FEATURE
Campus of Performing Arts to open in Kwazulu-Natal
Campus of Performing Arts (COPA) was In 2012 Campus of Performing Arts (Pty) Ltd will be founded in 2001 and is a Contemporary opening a campus in Morningside, Kwazulu Natal.Music College with campuses in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town. This campus will offer NQF2 National Certificate: Their courses are taught by trained Music Industry Practice (Performance), NQF3 facilitators who are also music industry National Certificate: Music Industry Practice
specialists and professional musicians. This gives (Performance) and NQF4 Further Education and their students one of the most rounded and intensive Training Certificate: Music Industry: Sound practical programmes currently available anywhere Technology (Production) Module 1 of 2.in the world.
Further courses will be added as the need arises.COPA offers full-time and part-time courses in; Bass, Drums, Guitar, Keyboard, Vocals and Sound For more information or to book an interview contact Technology (including Music Production / Sound them on 0860 COPA SA or visit their website Engineering or DJ) and Music Business. Students are (www.copasa.co.za).not only trained in their chosen instrument, but also in modules such as Music Business and Stage Craft to ensure that they are well prepared for a successful career in the music industry. Each campus boasts state-of-the-art facilities with a recording studio, a technology centre, a performance venue and practice facilities for use by its students.
All courses offered by this unique institution are accredited locally and articulate using RPL into qualifications offered internationally. They are registered locally by the Department of Education as an FET college and a Private HET institution. Full accreditation by the CATHSSeta also allows COPA to train previously disadvantaged individuals in learnership (as and when Government SETA Funding permits), with courses found on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). Right now COPA is provisionally registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training until 31 December 2014 as a Private Higher Education institution under the Higher Education Act, 1997. Registration Certificate No. 2011/HE07/004.
Internationally, COPA has signed a franchise agreement with the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) in the UK, which means that COPA also offers a full complement of ACM courses which are internationally accredited using RPL at the FET level. This allows COPA learners to transfer to any of ACM’s international partners to continue or further their studies although conditions do apply for this. To supplement their Local Higher Education programmes COPA has an agreement with the University of Chichester in the UK through RLP for students to obtain recognition internationally.
Author of “1,2,1,2: A Step By Step Guide To The SA Music Industry,” Dave Chislett offers Music industry tips for aspiring
bands and musiciansBy David ChislettPhoto by Jacqui Van Staden
muse | twenty eight
BAND TIPS
Why Can't We Get No International Recognition?
A
Author BlurbDavid Chislett has been in the SA music industry for 25 years. Bassist, journalist, manager, publicist, film maker, author and consultant, he has gotten his hands dirty.
His book 1,2,1,2: A Step By Step Guide To The SA Music Industry is an easy to understand, no holds barred self-help book for anyone wanting to do better in the business.
It is available from Exclusive Books, Look & Listen stores and all good independent shops.
He also hosts workshops and private consultations to help artists get ahead.
www.davidchislett.co.za
fter 30 years of listening to song writing experience of the actual results speak for themselves. SA artists and making South African number that you play. This flies in the battle not because they are not music I think I know the face of logic. It defies reason. And yet, talented, not gifted not interesting... a n s w e r t o w h y w e just about all of you do it. Song writing They battle because the overall consistently fail to break is a skill, just like playing, singing or standard of their song writing is just out into an international doing gymnastics. The more you do it, not up to scratch.market. I have watched the better you get. Sure some days you You gotta get over yourselves my bands, played in bands, will write rubbish, but the more you friends. This is not magic, not mystical,
managed them and gigged with them. hone the craft the better your rubbish not a mystery. It’s a job and the more And finally the secret dawns. Yes, this will get until you are able to write really you do it, the better you get. So give up is the big one, this is the hint that you good stuff with seemingly little effort that attachment to each song you write need to really make yourself a career because you have written and written as if it is some precious gem of blood as an artist. And man is it simple! and you know the craft, the tricks, the and bones you squeezed from your
short cuts, the theory and you have soul. Set it down and get writing
written the rubbish out along with the another and another. Maybe that one
good.WAS a real gem, but statistically
We buy into so many myths: speaking, chances are it is not. Even
overnight success, one hit wonder, the biggest genius delivers their fair
only being able to write when the muse share of rubbish. They just never
strikes. Sorry, none of these are true! If Every musician knows that in order to release it.
improve you must practice. You put in you are choosing your album tracks As a consumer, you are sick and those hours, play those scales, go for from a pool of 15 or so, it stands to
tired of buying albums that only really lessons, pick up hints and tips, chat to reason that there will be a percentage have 2 good tracks on them and the other players and generally work very of not so good and even bad songs. rest are just fillers. As an artist battling hard and put in a lot of hours to get The bigger your pool, the greater the for market share in a depressed better on your instrument. number of good songs. Simple. economy, why would you do exactly And yet, when it comes to writing Percentage wise, maybe the same, but the same thing to your audience? Up the songs and the music that this number wise: more. Work it out!the ante people, write more, get better technical craft will be expressed The one thing the big major labels and differentiate yourself through through, almost without exception, overseas have got right traditionally is excellence. artists write enough songs to fill a set that they are very focussed on good
or an album and stop. What this means songs. You WILL choose your album That’s the secret, Simple isn’t it?is that your songs have the sum total of tracks from 80 songs. Not 20. And the
Write.And write some more.And write more songs.
eight
by Alan Ratcliffe
muse | thirty
TUTORIAL
EEffect Pedal Boards
very guitar effect junkie knows that stomp boxes multiply when you're not looking (or at least, that's what we tell our partners). You start out with a simple overdrive and maybe a stomp tuner. Then before you
know it, you need a power supply unit to feed your plethora of pedals and are making up short patch cables by the dozen. At some point they start becoming inconvenient to connect together every time we want to play – especially when you regularly need to transport and set them up at practices and gigs.
The solution to this common problem is a pedal board – a board with all your pedals semi-permanently you to run your cables underneath attached, with all the audio and power and even mount a power supply connections in place. A pedal board lets under the board (freeing up valuable you transport everything easily and set surface space).up and tear down quickly and is usually a
some power hungry or unusual voltage lot neater. Ideally you then simply pop Case pedals, so usually they are not the board on stage or floor, connect it to A carry case or bag for your board is recommended for any but the smallest power, guitar and amp and you are ready important to protect your board and the boards. to go. pedals on it when you are travelling. For
travelling to and from practice a simple Inputs and outputspadded bag will do, but when you are
A few commercial boards have built in gigging, a hard case becomes essential. When you are looking at buying or sockets for plugging in to your guitar and
While hard cases can double the building a pedalboard, there are a few amp. Not an essential feature for most cost of your board, consider the total features to look at and decide on. players. It is important that they be in value of all your pedals and imagine an
convenient positions with amp output at amplifier rack falling on top of it – which Size the back of the board and guitar input at should put things into perspective. Size is all important – you have to be able the front or side. Rear inputs are
to fit all your pedals on the same board. problematic as they often mean the Slatted surfaceMore importantly – unless you have guitar cable will drag across the surface A surface made of slats makes it easier to been using exactly the same setup for of the board as you move, which causes route patch and power cables by running decades – you have to leave room for all kinds of chaos.them underneath the board, making for a expansion. On the other hand, a huge much neater pedalboard layout. The pedalboard takes up floor space, which board must be raised or angled to can be at a premium on many smaller
The single best way to attach pedals is provide clearance for cables.stages.
with adhesive Velcro strips, and most commercial pedalboards come with
Power suppliesAngled surface Velcro included. The hook side of the Some commercial boards come with When you have multiple rows of pedals, Velcro is stuck to the bottom of the pedal built-in power supplies for your pedals. the ones in the front row can obscure or while the loop side is fixed to the board This has the advantage of being make it difficult to activate the pedals in and pedals are attached simply by convenient and usually makes for a the second or even third row behind pressing them down. neater pedalboard. them. Boards with an angled pedal Most importantly, this allows you to
However, they usually only supply surface, raise the rear pedals rows up remove and move your pedals as your one voltage and don’t allow for higher than the front, making it easier to board changes (or you need to upgrading the supply when you add in reach them. Angled boards usually allow reconfigure the layout for a specific gig).
Pedalboard features
Attaching pedals
by Alistair Andrews
muse | thirty two
TUTORIAL PLAY BETTER BASS
... Continued on pg 34
THE RIGHT STRINGS FOR YOUR STYLE
T
Roundwound
Flatwound
Groundwound
Wooten, Marcus Miller, Larry Graham, etc. Other players to take he type of strings we use on our instruments full advantage of their bright, full sound are Roger Waters of Pink play an enormous role in how it both sounds Floyd, John Entwistle of the Who, Geddy Lee of Rush, Chris and feels.We should never under estimate the Squire of Yes, Billy Sheehan, Stu Hamm and countless others. My
role strings play in the overall tone we get out favourite bassist Jaco Pastorius had a legendarily expressive of our basses. Understanding the various sound, which was the result of Roundwound strings singing aspects of bass strings will help us know directly against the wood of his fretless bass.which ones to use for our playing style. Flatwound strings have a ribbon-like winding wound along the
core string. Flats have a mellow sound to them. They feel smooth and have very little finger noise since they have fewer grooves up and down the string. Flats also have a longer playing life, since
Every bass string is comprised of two strings – the Core string there are fewer cracks where dirt and oil can build up. A lot of and the Winding string. fretless players prefer them. I don’t. You may find Flatwound The Core string is a thick wire from one end of the string to the strings to be a little too mellow for rock, R&B and funk. But you other. Around the core string another smaller string is tightly might like them for jazz and reggae where you may need a more wound in a spiral all the way up the length of the core string. If you mellow sound.look closely at a bass string you will see little grooves all the way Halfwound or Groundwound strings are a nice compromise up the string. That is the tiny winding string. The winding string between round and flat. Halfwounds are essentially adds brilliance to the string’s tone. If you have an old set of Roundwounds that are partially ground-down and smoothed strings, try unwinding one to see how it looks. out, to providing a middle ground between brightness vs. The technique used to wind that wrapping, as well as the actual deadness in sound, and metallic roughness vs. smoothness in material used, creates the essence of any string. feel.
Tapewound strings are more common on acoustic bass guitars or basses that use a piezo pickup system, and are often used when a player is looking for something closer to an upright bass sound. Paul McCartney used them on his Hofner Bass.Do not get confused between Nylon Tapewound, which is an actual winding type, and Taperwound or tapered, (like the strings inside a piano) which is something that could technically apply to any winding or material type. A string that is "taperwound" gets either progressively, or suddenly smaller as the string gets to the bridge. The idea is that more, or all, of the core wire is making direct contact with the "saddles" at the bridge. The effect of this tapering is a longer sustain and a brighter sound.
Nickel and Stainless Steel are the most popular for Roundwound and Flatwound strings. Some Flatwounds also may use Ribbon or Nylon. Different materials have different sound and “feel” There are two main types of windings, Roundwound and characteristics.Flatwound and some that fall in-between them. Nickel sounds more mellow than the brighter sounding Stainless Roundwound strings involve a metal wrapping, generally made Steel. It feels a little softer on the hands and has less of the of stainless steel or nickel, around the core that is not ground metallic high end treble in the sound than steel strings. This also down or smoothed out. You can actually feel the rough, metallic equates to less finger noise coming through and a smoother, ridges in these strings when you touch them. They represent a mellower sound than steel while still falling on the bright/clear more modern sound and are capable of producing a wide range end of the spectrum.of tones that are distinctive to many styles of music. They are Stainless Steel Roundwound strings fall furthest on the bright, probably the most commonly used types of strings today. "metallic" end of the sound spectrum. Observing the comments Roundwound strings are used in almost all styles of bass playing, of numerous players, the consensus seems to be that stainless and are essential for slapping, popping and tapping where you steel are the clearest, brightest strings out there. They often want a nice bright tone.increase the perceived volume output in sound from the bass, but They produce a very wide range of frequencies and carry much also tend to be rougher on the fingers and instrument. The more of the high end- where words like brightness, clarity, even aggressive, cutting, sound in hard rock and metal is generally the metallic or "clanging" come in. They also have a longer sustain sound of stainless steel Roundwound strings played aggressively than more "old school" bass sounds, which more often came from with a pick.Flatwound strings.
These high-end frequencies are strongly emphasized in the clear, percussive effect of slapping and popping in players like Victor
Construction of Bass Strings
Material
Winding
THE RIGHT STRINGS FOR YOUR STYLEby Alistair Andrews
muse | thirty four
TUTORIAL ... Continued from pg 32
Till next time, LET THERE BE BASS!!!
Tension, or how stiff or loose the string feels, is determined by a variety of factors. Gauge - Thicker strings have more mass and therefore more tension, but it is only one of the factors in the overall feel- two different brands the same size can and will have different tensions, and even one brand with the smaller gauge could feel more tense after the other components come into play. Scale Length - Longer scale = more tension. The same brand of strings will feel more or less tense if the scale length is longer or shorter.String Height or Action - Higher string height or "action" will make strings feel tenser. Adjusting the truss rod and changing the height of the saddles on the bridge can adjust this. Core - A string with a "hex" core will have more tension than one with a "round" core. The core is the wire in which the wrapping (nickel, steel) etc. wraps around. "Hex" or "Round" refer to the shape of that wire and thus how the contact with the string is made. Coated strings have a super thin advanced coating on the wrap
wire. This make the string last longer. I use coated Rotosound, Nexus Bass strings for the richness in mid-tones on all my basses.Double Ball End strings have balls on both ends and fits on Steinberger-type, or other “headless” basses.
The diameter is measured in inches. A very standard middle ground is .105 for the E string and .45 for the G-string. Names such as "light," "extra-heavy" etc. are assigned by the makers and are not industry standard markings.In general, the thicker the string, the fatter and more low end in the tone, but this also will increase tension and require more endurance to play.If you like to tune your E string down to D, definitely go for a thicker string.
Finding the right strings could a long process of trial and error. Lighter gauge strings are very popular in players who use a lot of
There are just too many variables to consider – playing technique, slapping/popping. My preference is .125 (B) .105(E) .85 (A)
pickups, bridge, body wood, etc. The same set of strings can .65(D) .45(G) .25(C) on 6-string Bass
sound different on various basses and under different fingers. You just have to experiment in order to find what you like. It took me years to find my “dream” strings.
Scale refers to the distance between the bridge (where the strings rest at the bottom of the bass) and the nut (where the fingerboard meets the headstock). Most basses are 34", though 35" is not uncommon for 5 or 6 string basses.Long Scale (MOST COMMON) - 34"Super / Extra Long Scale - 36"Medium Scale - 32"Short Scale - 30"
String Tension
String Gauge
Scale Length
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PLAY BETTERGuitarist Close-Up: Michael Bester
muse | thirty six
TUTORIALby Kurt Slabbert
n this latest installment of a career in the world of music; we My dad bought an acoustic guitar the Play Better Guitar can all learn from the professionals... and I started messing around with it. series we’ve decided to My friend taught me how to play one look into the lives of a Tell us about your earliest memories or two Nirvana songs, which blew coup le o f seasoned of music; where you grew up and my mind and I started working out all professional guitarists to where it all started... their songs by ear. Then that same see how they got to where I grew up in Pretoria and had music guy got an electric guitar and from
they are as working musicians today. lessons as a youngster, mainly piano the first moment that I played on that, In this article we spend some lessons, but I gave up on it when I and felt that sound coming out of an
time with Michael Bester who plays was about 10. Then I picked up the amp turned up nice and loud, I was for Mango Groove and Loyiso Bala, guitar when I was about 17 and never hooked! I got quite serious about as well as performing at various looked back! practicing and writing songs pretty freelance engagements and studio much straight away, and have sessions. It is inspiring to listen to the Where did your passion for guitar worked hard since then, but I guess it stories of those who have carved out come from and how did you start? all goes back to that moment!
I
GUITAR muse | thirty seven
TUTORIAL
Copyright Kurt SlabbertBluenoise Productions
Is it important to study music? For small gigs I use a Laney Cub 12. great way to get to know the fret That is a tricky question! I certainly Although you studied jazz you’ve board. Basically you set your benefited from formal music studies, avoided being pigeon-holed as a metronome very slowly, pick any but I don’t think it’s for everyone and I jazz musician. How do you think you note and play it, in time, in every think that you have to be pretty clear achieved this? available position on your sixth on what you want to get out of it if The only answer I can really give you string, then the same on the 5th, 4th you decide to study music formally. is that I genuinely love so many etc. all the way up to the 1st string Nobody can teach you how to be different styles of music and have and back. Also, say the name aloud musical, or be creative, but I have worked quite hard to be able to play every time you play a note, and don’t always wanted to have command of many styles with the right tones and skip a beat! Then, move on to the the theoretical side of music, it’s just feel, so I guess I was never going to next key, moving through the circle how I’m wired, so doing a music be a true specialist. Even when I was of fourths, which will ensure that you degree was important to me. a student at UCT, and was pretty know all keys equally well after a
obsessed with jazz, I knew that I while!What have you studied? wasn’t content playing any one style I have a BMus in jazz studies from all the time. The challenge that has E.g. UCT. I also enjoy teaching so I did a teaching qualif ication (PGCE) through UNISA a few years ago. Other than that I did a jazz guitar summer course at NYU in New York, f o c u s i n g o n m o d e r n j a z z improvisation, and I’ve also done a sound engineering course, which has come in handy.
always appealed to me the most in 2) Transcribing different solos in Tell us a bit about the gear you use. music is being able to play any style different styles, and by different I have lots of different gear for authentically. instruments, off the CD, NOT using different situations. For session I have my strengths and tabs!work, and most pop/rock/urban gigs weaknesses like any other player, but 3) Transposing music at sight, even if I use my Fender Stratocaster mainly. I guess I have enough of a blend of it’s VERY slow, will improve your fret It’s a stock US Standard Stratocaster, rock, pop, blues and jazz in my taste board knowledge and aural skills like nothing fancy, but I love how and my playing to be able to hold nothing else!versatile it is! For jazz gigs I use either down gigs in any of those worlds. 4) Singing a phrase, playing it on my 1960 Epiphone Broadway, which your instrument and then playing it in is a big fat arch top, or my newish What do you think are some of the every conceivable position and with Tokai 335 copy, which is also a very most important skills to have as a every fingering you can think ofversatile guitar. I have a 1995 Gibson working guitarist?Les Paul and a newish Fender Broad knowledge of styles, good Your thoughts on reading and aural Telecaster, both of which mostly time (rhythm), good tone, good training?come out of their cases for recording reliable gear and you either have to Reading is critical if you want to be a sessions. have incredible ears and memory, or session player. Good aural skills are
And in terms of acoustic work, I be able to read well, preferably both! critical everywhere! You can’t join a have a Martin Jumbo 10 series, conversation if you can’t hear or which I’ve had for a few years and Are there any technical exercises understand what anybody’s saying!just sounds amazing live or in studio, you can share with us that you feel and a cheapish Yamaha classical has been important in your growth Wise words indeed by one of South guitar with a pickup for any nylon as a musician? Africa’s leading professional work. I think the most important things I musicians; Michael Bester.
In terms of amps I have been have practiced have been related to playing a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe for fret board knowledge and aural skills.years now and I’m really happy with that for almost any application and Examples would be:then I’ve recently acquired a MESA- 1) A Joe Satriani exercise from an old BOOGIE Transatlantic TA-30 combo. edition of Guitar Player, outlining a
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muse | forty
YOUR PRIVATE UNIVERSETechniques for
the home studiohe number of ways that you could record a drum kit are almost infinite and with the demands of modern music often requiring a less than conventional drum sound, recording engineers are
once again turning to unconventional recording techniques. Over the years, some legendary techniques have been developed that can go a long way to help create a unique and interesting sound. In this article we are going to have a look at some of the simple ways of recording that can help your track to have a greater impact on the global market.
In 1970 Led Zeppelin’s recording engineer, Andy Johns, pioneered a famously reverberant drum sound. He achieved this by recording the drum kit for the song, “When the Levee breaks” in a three story high stairwell at Headly Grange, England. The drum kit was placed at the bottom of the stairwell and two Beyerdynamic M160 ribbon microphones placed at the top, giving the distinctive resonant but slightly muffled sound. This is a great example of out-of-the-box thinking that can result in powerful and unique sounds.
Producer/Engineer Martin Hannet known for his eccentricities, as dramatized in the movie “24 Hour Party People”, also placed a drum kit in an unconventional space. He had Stephen Morris, the drummer from Joy Division, set up his drum kit on the roof outside a first floor fire escape at Chicago Recording Studios in Rochdale, England. He is also rumoured to have had Morris take apart his drum kit and reassemble it to include some parts of a toilet, during a different recording session.
your attack and release settings can give and placement of all the elements of the You could consider placing drum movement and a “pumping” sound to recording chain will change the resulting kits in other spaces, like a long corridor the drums. You can use this signal alone sound. or a concrete basement, both of which for a heavily processed sound, or you Other engineers have tr ied would drastically change the tone and could blend it with other close mics for a techniques like placing a microphone perceived “size” of your drums. Aside more subtle effect. inside a wooden box before placing it in from placing the kit in unusual recording
Another idea that has been used by front of the drum kit, possibly with a hole spaces there are many other ways of some engineers is to record each part of in front of the microphone’s diaphragm. controlling your drum sound. the drum kit with a close mic, and then to This choice, of whether to put a hole in I have had great success by placing play either a balance of all the mics, or the box or not, can drastically change the a microphone, like a Shure SM58 (try each mic individually, through a speaker. sound. This technique can add some different mics for a variety of tones), at a The technique is then to place either a extra resonance and tone to the drums.distance of two or three metres away snare, tom or kick drum in front of the The trick when recording drums is from the drum kit and processing the speaker so the sound resonates through to experiment and make sure that the signal with fairly heavy compression. the drum and is captured by a mic on the resultant sound serves the needs of the Depending on where you place the mic other side. Again, there are many ways song and enhances the sound for the around the kit you can control how loud you can manipulate this set-up to your better. These are just a few ways that you each element will be in the balance. How specific needs. One such way is to tune can enhance your drum recordings to heavily you compress the signal can the drum differently to either conform or create what may one day become the control how “dirty” you want the sound contrast with the key of the song. stuff of legends. to be. A large amount gain reduction will Another is that your choice of mic, drum give a “gritty” sound, while playing with
Unconventional Recording Techniques:
DRUMSDRUMS
