Ear Training - A Guitarist’s Note
by Marc Noel-Johnson, in Guitars, No Comments
There’s lots of software like this EarMaster 5 Pro which will help musicians develop ear training, attain perfect pitch, and recognize harmony. They are all in their own way excellent tools, more than fit for purpose, and no doubt will do the job adequately.
However, if you’re just learning an instrument, especially the guitar, you may not have the facilities or even the desire to get to grips with software and all that it involves. In fact, most people who learn guitar do so because it doesn’t necessitate learning music in the traditional way. There are millions of guitarists around … continue reading ‘Ear Training - A Guitarist’s Note’
Soundtoys pro-plug-ins go native
by Paul Lavigne, in Music Software, No Comments
A few months ago Soundtoys released almost all their plug-ins in Native format, allowing non Pro Tools HD users to use their plug-ins. Like many people, I read a lot of amazing reviews on these plug-ins and heard top producers use them on regular basis.
The plug-ins I was eagerly waiting to use were the Filterfreak and the Echoboy, but with the Crystallizer, Phase Mistress, Tremolator and Speed I definitely got … continue reading ‘Soundtoys pro-plug-ins go native’
Gibson Flying V - Due for a Revival?
by Marc Noel-Johnson, in Guitars, No Comments
This iconic guitar, the Gibson Flying V, has now been around for 50 odd years. However, it hasn’t been in continuous production for all that time like the ES-335 or Stratocaster.
In fact it was discontinued by Gibson in 1960 through general lack of interest, but now the consensus is that it was ahead of its time design wise, along with the other two models in the ‘futuristic’ stable at the time, the Explorer and the Moderne. There were sporadic reissues in the 1960s and 1970s, but it was only with the rise of 1980s metal players that it began to gain popularity. Now it’s in continuous production.
The various design changes, custom jobs and different variations of the … continue reading ‘Gibson Flying V - Due for a Revival?’
Traktor Kontrol X1- First ‘hands on’ video
by Paul Dakeyne, in DJ Gear, No Comments
It can occasionally be a bit of a bummer living a considerable distance away from our great metropolis, proven by the fact that I sometimes miss ‘exclusive debuts’ of gear such as the super cool Traktor Kontrol X1 which was premiered in London yesterday. Ben Scully of DV’s Synergy Music Computer team however, didn’t and took down a video camera to film Traktor Pro being stroked and teased by the Kontrol X1 - and thence followed the ‘oohs and arr’s’ from the assembled masses. A quick email quote from ‘Synergy Ben’ describes … continue reading ‘Traktor Kontrol X1- First ‘hands on’ video’
Orange Dual Terror - Gig Report
by Marc Noel-Johnson, in Amplifiers, No Comments
No sooner than the Orange Dual Terror had landed in our warehouse, it was whisked off smartly by our very own Digital Village neo-punkists, Hans Briikx, to be shown off to their admiring fans at the Bull and Gate in Kentish Town. This is a great room to play, there are no reflective surfaces causing unwanted frequencies to bounce around, therefore everything can be heard clearly, an ideal situation to evaluate a piece of gear.
Mike Fletcher, Hans Briikx guitar player and DV store manager, told me afterwards that the Dual Terror was a real surprise … continue reading ‘Orange Dual Terror - Gig Report’
Ableton Live Intro launches today
by Barney Jameson, in Music Software, No Comments
Ableton Live Intro - three words that are likely to prompt toothy grins among bedroom producers, live performers and DJs alike as they wake up this morning to discover that sequencing on a budget just got a lot more feature-packed.
How so? Today marks the official beginning of Ableton’s tenth anniversary celebration, dubbed Able10. To celebrate its birthday the developer has swiftly launched Live Intro into the entry-level market segment that … continue reading ‘Ableton Live Intro launches today’
Traktor Kontrol X1 - DJ Performance Controller announced
by Paul Dakeyne, in DJ Gear, No Comments
Well, the news is out. Shrouded in mystery and with nothing other than a dodgy Ritchie Hawtin YouTube video to get tongues waggin’, Native Instruments today reveal the Traktor Kontrol X1, DJ Performance Controller. Designed for both software and DVS timecode DJ’s, this new unit aims squarely at the Traktor Pro user but being also full midi capable, allows integration with Serato Scratch et al too.
This stunning new kid on the block enables you to … continue reading ‘Traktor Kontrol X1 - DJ Performance Controller announced’
Guitar Hero Gets Kicks From Kasabian
by Paul Dakeyne, in Broadcast, Digital & New Media, No Comments
In our seemingly never ending search for the next weird and wacky ‘controller’, here’s another we get a kick out of… (sorry). Here comes my shortest DV Blog post, and probably the longest sentence, therein: Ladies and, well probably just gentlemen actually, we combine your favourite Saturday afternoon recreation of ‘Footy’ with (mosh pit, ‘geezer’ fave, stadium rockers) Kasabian and round it off with … continue reading ‘Guitar Hero Gets Kicks From Kasabian’
A Guide to Buying Guitars – part two
by Marc Noel-Johnson, in Guitars, No Comments
When you visit a guitar store, take some time to browse around and look at the stock. Does it look clean, or is everything covered in a layer of dust? Have a close look at the guitars, especially the acoustics; are the strings tarnished or rusty? Take note of the type of guitars on sale - are they all in the cheaper price bracket? Are there only one or two expensive guitars that they keep behind the counter? If so, you’re probably in a place where they don’t really have access to the major brands and you’ll end up with an inferior guitar from an unknown … continue reading ‘A Guide to Buying Guitars – part two’
A Guide to Buying Guitars – part one
by Marc Noel-Johnson, in Guitars, No Comments
Buying a guitar should be easy these days. There’s virtually unlimited choice in terms of style and price when the time comes to buy your first guitar. In the musical instrument world, the term ‘choice’ has never been so meaningful. Couple it with ‘availability’ and ‘value for money’ and you have the three key elements that when combined, form a template upon which to base the buying experience. To translate this into guitar purchasing terms, when you’re in a music shop and you’re looking to buy, ask yourself, ‘Are there plenty of different models to choose from?’, ‘Can I take it away today?’, and ‘Am I getting a good deal?.
When I started out there … continue reading ‘A Guide to Buying Guitars – part one’
Laney - It’s a Brit Thing Part 2
by Marc Noel-Johnson, in Amplifiers, No Comments
This Laney VC15-110 is a limited special edition 15 Watt combo finished in OEW, or ‘old English white’ vinyl. It’s a slight departure for the company, which doesn’t really have a history of making small runs of special amps. It’s Class A/B, has reverb, and sports a 10″ custom Jensen speaker. There are only 350 available wordwide and once they’re gone, that’s it, no more.
Of course it’s a valve job, with two EL84s in the power section, a set up which is now widely used by nearly all manufacturers in the amp business making 15 watters. It’s especially appealing visually, having a whiff of ’boutique-ness’ about it. There will be a review from … continue reading ‘Laney - It’s a Brit Thing Part 2’
Wayne Lotek, Mercury 2009 Prizewinning Album Producer - Interview Part 2
by Paul Dakeyne, in Interviews, No Comments
We continue with part 2 of our Wayne Lotek interview:
DV247:
The attractions of visiting new countries and cultures are obvious, but for you it seems to form a vitally important, perhaps even spiritual connection to your musical production, writing and recording process: Can you elaborate on this?
WL
It’s true. I do get a lot of influence from visiting other countries and … continue reading ‘Wayne Lotek, Mercury 2009 Prizewinning Album Producer - Interview Part 2’
Hiwatt - It’s a Brit Thing Part 1
by Marc Noel-Johnson, in Amplifiers, No Comments
We have a long tradition in this country of building guitar amps, and we should be rightly proud of the companies who have dedicated themselves to producing a quality of product, both in design and engineering terms, that’s both coveted and imitated throughout the world.
One of these companies is Hiwatt. The picture on the left of a stack finished in the union flag was made for a trade show, so you won’t see it for sale in your local music store, although you could order it from the custom shop! The regular production models look like this; Hiwatt HG50RC Hi-Gain Combo, and very fine they are too.
Hiwatt started out like nearly all guitar amp manufacturers, with one guy responding to the needs of local musicians or friends in need of a repair. Dave Reeves, who was working for Mullard in the mid sixties, found himself in this very position, and started … continue reading ‘Hiwatt - It’s a Brit Thing Part 1’
Wayne Lotek, Mercury 2009 Prizewinning Album Producer - Interview Part 1
by Paul Dakeyne, in Interviews, 1 Comment
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing a certain Record Producer with 15 years experience in the cutting edge Urban music scene. He has forged critically acclaimed tracks for both established upcoming talent whilst successfully creating his own unique and often imitated productions as an Artist in his own right. Oh, and he just happened to produce this years Mercury Prize winning album, “Speech Therapy”..His name..?
Wayne Lotek
DV247:
Hi Wayne, does this interview find you at your home studio in Melbourne or at one of your other favoured countries to produce/record?
WL
Yeah back in Melbourne now, good to be back but the … continue reading ‘Wayne Lotek, Mercury 2009 Prizewinning Album Producer - Interview Part 1’
Tiny Terror vs. Tiny Terror Hard Wired
by Marc Noel-Johnson, in Amplifiers, No Comments
The Orange Tiny Terror has been an amazing success, with over 30,000 units shipped worldwide. Those are serious numbers for a single model of amplifier and those sales have helped put Orange back amongst the big boys in the amp game.
I was lucky enough to grab one of the first Terrors when they first appeared in 2006. The first thousand were actually manufactured in Korea and everything since has come out of China but don’t pre-judge, this is a killer amplifier.
If you’re not familiar with the Tiny Terror, it’s a 15 Watt, portable valve guitar head with only three controls, volume, gain and tone, which produces clean, crunch and massive overdriven sounds. It has true British gain characteristics - aggressive, punchy and loud! It can be switched down from 15 watts to seven, a facility that renders it indispensible in any recording situation where overdriven guitar sounds from a ‘real’ amp is the order of the day. Most players will use it with … continue reading ‘Tiny Terror vs. Tiny Terror Hard Wired’
