Sound/Music: Priism: An Introduction

Earlier this year I worked with a great crew to record a promo for a DJ duo known as Priism. I've not been into my House music for a long while, but these two got me listening to some of the stuff I was into at uni again. They are both gifted DJ's in their own right, but together they have a chemistry that can only create something quite special. With their debut record on the precipice of release, this is the promo we put together in a day of cross London shooting. I hope you enjoy:

They have a Soundcloud page, where they have been uploading mixes, so go and check it out:
PRIISM Soundcloud

Gear Review: Audio Technica ATH M50x Headphones

   Audio Technica's ATH M50x headphones are the latest revision to their very popular ATH M50 cans. They represent a professional solution for people using the headphones in a wide variety of scenarios. They are the same great headphones, with those great full sounding drivers, but with a very useful collection of detachable cables. You get standard length curly and straight cables, as well as a long straight one, for those occasional long runs you get. So lets take a closer look.

New Gear Day: POD HD

I know it's been out for a while, but I just got one (for a rather striking price).

The POD HD is a wonderfully versatile amp modeller and multi-effects processor. In this new HD guise the amp models have been completely revamped to have a much more natural break up and dynamic response to your playing.

Gear Review: Blackstar HT Dual "Pure Valve Distortion" pedal

    This pedal is part of Blackstars HT range of tube driven effects pedals. The HT-Dual is one of seven distinct drive pedals in the range and sits in a position that makes it probably the most versatile of the bunch. Similar to the HT-Metal, it is a two channel, foot-switchable, distortion pedal; with a drive circuit that is powered/flavoured by a standard 12AX7/ECC83 pre-amp valve.
   I've been using for about a year now in a whole host of environments and usage scenarios so I thought I'd share my experiences.

Gear Review: Lovepedal Redhead

    The Redhead is a limited run pedal which re-releases an older Lovepedal design, the Superlead, in a new shell and with a tweaked EQ/Tone control circuit. The circuit isn't completely original, it is said to be derived from something like an old Marshall Guv'nor circuit, but with simplified tone shaping controls. Some would question why you would pay the kind of money you do for boutique effects, when you could effectively build them yourself for a fraction of the cost; I say who cares. This thing looks good and sounds great, and it wasn't built by me, a second rate solderer at best.

Music: New original track by me "Supernova"

I've been off work and ill since Friday, but I haven't wasted my time in front of the TV or playing video games... I've wasted it making music! Well maybe not wasted, but used for extra curricular pursuits. I've been toying with idea of writing an album/EP for a very long time, and I've always had a few little ideas which needed turning into bigger ones to make something worthwhile (longer than 1minute 30 anyway).

I had a little idea at the start of January. Just a lick over a little melody. It lasted maybe 10 seconds. It's become a monster 3:30ish song with at least two parts of a song structure! I'm relatively pleased with it in it's embryotic state. Have a listen


http://soundcloud.com/churst/supernova-full-wip-1st-draft

Gear Review: Chapman Guitars ML-2

This is a review of the original Chapman Guitars ML-2, which was released as a limited run of 250 units worldwide. This is not a review of the since re-released model now available from Andertons Music. If you want to know more about that then I recommend watching this video on Rob's Youtube channel.

     Chapman Guitars is a guitar company based in the UK, run by Rob Chapman (of YouTube fame), who makes limited run guitars based around the principle of collaborative design. They also offer a custom shop design fulfilled by Jaden Rose, in the form of their Explorer shaped Ghost Fret.
     The ML-2 is the most recent guitar to come out of Rob Chapman's company. The guitar was  collaboratively designed by votes cast by his YouTube followers and members of his forum. The design of the guitar was prototyped by Jaden Rose, but copied and built en masse in a factory in China.

Gear Review: AKG K240 MKII studio headphones

     AKG's open-backed studio-grade monitoring headphones, equivalent to their own closed backed 271 mkII, are a lightweight and well priced option for the hobbyist or professional musician and audio engineer.
     These headphones have been out for a little while now, but I've been using them fairly extensively since I bought them around Christmas time. I thought it was about time I did a review in case anyone was thinking of buying a new set of cans...

Music: Nighthawk Theme by me

This is a song I put together for a YouTube competition being run by Andertons Music store in Guildford, UK. I composed it the day before and then recorded and edited this in about 3 hours.

I didn't win or even get short-listed, but it is the most rapidly viewed thing I've ever uploaded to YouTube. So I'm quite proud of it.

Also, If you are considering purchasing a Blackstar HT Dual 2 channel distortion pedal, the guitar track for this video is made entirely using the 3 distinctively different sounds you can get from this unit.

Video after the break

Audio: The cables aren't made of gold anyway!

I always hear people talking about cables and tone, whether they are guitarists or Hi-fi enthusiasts, and I think there is quite a lot of dodgy folk-lore about what is actually going on with regard to the design decisions made on using certain metals, like gold, nickel and copper, in their construction. I have a certain amount of experience in this field and would like to put a few things straight.

Audio: Learning Mastering

I've decided that it would be worth my while learning how to master music. So I thought I'd share my experiences on here as it happens. I'm not really following any guides. Maybe the odd pointer here or there, but mainly just working from my own experience and instinctually feeling my way through the process. Given that it is said of the process said "the better the source material, the better then end product" I thought I'd have a bash at some of the worst (audio quality wise) source material I've ever recorded!

Last week I tried my hand at re-mastering a piece of music I recorded with my 'band' at Uni.

The piece was painstakingly arranged in an entire day after my friend, and guitarist, James, walked the length of the corridor and said "I've just come up with this awesome acoustic thing... We have to work out how to make a song around it!" or something to that effect. So I called my friend Chaz, also a guitarist, who owned a bass and told him to come over for a jam. It's pretty heavily influenced by a couple of Coldplay tracks which were into at the time. (I still stand by my opinion that the Blue Room EP is pretty magical)

Music: Archive

Another job done. The last two weekends I have been recording a band called Archive. They have been playing to sold out crowds at Ancienne Belgique (3000ish capacity) in Brussels and Le Zenith (6050 capacity) in Paris. The strange thing about this band is that barely anyone would have heard of them in the UK. This is despite the fact the all of the constituent members are from London, more specifically Brixton.

2009 Music Review

So a round-up of last years musical experience. Covering most of the positive notes from an otherwise slightly underwhelming year for music.

Music: Something new from me, Ambient Fear

I'm not wholly sure it can be classed as music... but it has a certain ambience about it and some kind of a rhythm that grabs the attention from the off... if I do say so myself...

The piece started off as just one noise, the horrible distorted one that clicks in and out and then stays for the duration of the "alarm" towards the end. I was looking for a scary sound that would fit a bit of video I took, of a spider taking down its web. I got a bit carried away and went off on a bit of a tangent. This was the result.

The sounds I started with were royalty free samples given away with various magazines. I altered most of them in Ableton Live using creative effects, like beat repeats, splashes of distortion and digital reverbs. All of the effects are running live, so you can grab anything and screw with it to change things up a bit!

The piece is by no means complete. More of a taster of a set of sounds. I threw it together quite quickly in Ableton Live 7. This project could probably do with a few tweaks. Here it is:

SoundCloud

Myspace

Space out...

Work: Kasabian Tour!

This November, Kasabian are hitting the road and doing a UK tour. With any luck the guys over at Concert Live have or are about to get the go ahead for a deal to do their instant live CD thing for the tour.

They've told us that a verbal agreement has been reached and we'll be on it! Doing a recording for such a popular band is always a massive thrill. The crowd noise you get from those pure Kasabian fans is just amazing. Plus Kasabian's sound is just so cool. This cannot possibly be a bad product.

I'm well excited.

Kasabian

Concert Live

Music: Marit Larsen

So after promising to have a recommendation from my re-listening of our recordings I came across this one. She was the first support on Jason Mraz' UK tour earlier this year, and I believe has picked up quite a following in her native Norway and throughout some of Europe. Marit Larsen is her name. Her live set up was a fairly usual set up for a folk-pop band. Acoustic guitars, piano, a few strings and some light percussion. Her character shines through the music. Which is what really lights up performance and makes her stand out.

Now it's strange to say, but I feel that her studio albums are way over-produced. The live performance is where she and her music really excels. If I have to pick any songs from her albums, that are worth checking out; from her album "The Chase" the song Fuel, for it's stripped back feel. I'd also say check the single called "If a Song Could Get Me You" which is just annoyingly catchy pop.

But more importantly, seek her out live. I think since the Jason Mraz tour she has retreated back into mainland Europe, but still worth trying to look out for Marits shows!

Click the pic to get to Marit Larsens site!


(picture sourced from flickr)

Work: Rick Wakeman @ Hampton Court Palace

The last two weekends of April, I was working with Rick Wakeman and his production crew for his latest show, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, live at Hampton Court Palace. The show is based on the music from his concept album, released in 1973, of the same name. Rick has said he wanted to do this show that year as part of the promotion for it. He was denied, but has now been given full permission for it to go ahead. It now happily coincides with a 400 year anniversary of the rule of Henry VIII, which Hampton Court Palace is rightly celebrating.