THE DOG - AUTUMN 2012

ISSUE 8Credits

EDITORRoberta Pia

0131 229 8227 [email protected]

DEPUTY EDITORAlex Marten

0131 229 8227 [email protected]

CHIEF WRITERRoberta Pia

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERAndy McKay

(Purrrfect Photography)

CONTRIBUTORSSigne Akmenkalne, Will Baker,

Garry Boyle, Alex Fenton, Martyn Hopkins, Alex Marten, Toni Martone, Andy McKay,

Guy Perchard, Rod Vaughan

SHOP PHOTOGRAPHS DN Anderson

www.dnanderson.co.uk

ADVERTISINGRoberta Pia

0131 229 8227 If you would like to advertise in

The Dog, please email [email protected]

FRONT COVER ILLUSTRATION The 16K Design Works

DESIGN & ART DIRECTION The 16K Design Works

0131 661 3737 [email protected] www.16kdesign.com

PRINT Cocoa Creative Consultants

0800 644 0646 [email protected] www.cocoadesign.co.uk

CONTACTRed Dog Music

1 Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2HY 0131 229 8211

[email protected] www.reddogmusic.co.uk

AUTUMN 2012 THE DOG 3

N

ot Doomsday Prophe-cy, the 2011 “made for television” movie, where Eric and Brooke

team up to save the world. (*SPOIL-ER ALERT* the world doesn’t end, but yes, Eric and Brooke do hook up – just in case). No, no, I’m talking about the ancient Mayan Calendar prediction, which should obviously be taken seriously.

It was based on the observations of a dark rift in the Milky Way (sounds delicious) and basically implies that we all have, roughly, less than 100 days to “get busy”. Luckily for us at Red Dog Music, we already went and won Instrument Retailer of the Year 2012 in The Scottish New Music Awards, so PHEW - our work here is done. Got that in the nick of time, didn’t we!? YAS! We did. And while we’re here, thank you to everybody that voted for us.

The question now is: what are YOU going to do with your last days on Earth as we know it? Probably act like a sane person and not climb Ever-est, but enjoy life’s simple joys: music and food. So, crack on with this

magazine, buy yourself the guitar that YOU’LL NEVER HAVE THE CHANCE OF HOLDING AGAIN, write the greatest song ever written before it’s too late, and gorge yourself on kebabs and sausages. Unless you’re vegetarian. Actually, if you’re vege-tarian, you probably should. Because, like, it doesn’t matter now...

On that note, I’ll leave you with a musical/food-based pun - because I got sole! (That wasn’t it). We made a cookery programme recently with Snoop Dogg - just before he changed his name to Snoop Lion, incidentally. In the last scene of the programme, he really made us all laugh out loud (or lol, if you prefer). He is, after all, our ‘Dogg’ brother and knows how to tickle us (with puns), so he busted this out: “Whole chicken breasts, grilled and sliced - never diced, please. Chopped up carrots,radishes, tomatoes and some lettuces. Spinach,onion, garlic and cucumber thinlysliced. Avocado, hummus, if you’re feeling saucy, rice – and that’s a wrap.” Yours faithfully, until the end of the world... Roberta ‘Dog Evangelist’ Pia

editOriAL tOp dOGsWHAT’S on THE RED DoG MuSIc STEREo THIS ISSuE

JOHN WILLIAmS ‘JURASSIC PARk’ THEME TunE Yep, it’s still on repeat. Don’t you judge us.

DUB PHIzIx AND SkEPTICAL FEAT. STRATEGY

‘mARkA’ A filthy beat, an awesome vocal, a total tune.

FRANk BURkITT ‘mR ITV’ A song about the state of the X Factor generation. Some-thing we can ALL relate to.

LULU AND THE LANmPSHADES ‘YOU’RE GONNA mISS mE’ Two girls, two cups. No, it’s not what you think. YouTube them and prepare to be AMAZED.

DOGPRESENTS

THEREDDOGMUSIC

REDDOGMUSIC’s

“what are YOU gOing tO dO with YOUr last daYs

On earth?”

hiya pals! Lads and ladies, as this will be the last magazine release before 21/12/12 (in other words, EVER), I am dedicating this edition to The Doomsday Prophecy.

4 THE DOG AUTUMN 2012

Check our blog at...blog.reddogmusic.co.uk


L istening to their records is one thing. Seeing them per-form live is another... I remember watching them for the first time at Ord Ban in Aviemore and completely

forgetting to scoop my jaw up from off the floor until long after they’d finished their set. Needless to say, I had drooled down my own chin, but ashamed I was not - the energy and musi-cianship of these three legends is beyond belief. Don’t like instrumental folk music? Take it from me: don’t knock it until

you’ve tried it on for size.

Interview by Roberta Pia

Lau are, without a doubt, one of myfavourite bands in the entire world.

• How did you come up with your name? Lau is an Orcadian name for light, or fire. Kris (Drever) is Orcadian - it came from him

• Describe your music in three words Indescribable, fantastic, describable.

• Tell us about your songwriting process. It’s a true democracy. We actually write whole melodies together. Very slow, very rewarding.

• What do you want your music to achieve? A gold house and a rocket car.

• Which bit of music gear could you not live without and why? We all love a well built DI box - not even joking. Buy a good DI box folks, it won’t ever let you down.

• What’s your personal favourite Lau song? Ghosts (Martin) - I love it and am proud of its politics.

• What’s your favourite track off the forth- coming album, Race the Loser, and why? Saint Monday, which for us was a new way forward in combining music and words in what seems like a very natural and intuitive way, although it took us a few years to get there. For me, it seems like the song that is a starting block for the next album.

• Which album would you recommend the track-skipping generation listen to from start to finish? Stevie Wonder’s ‘Innervisions’ because it is very nearly perfect.

Damn, that is a preposterous question. The album that lives on my mp3 player for all travel occasions and stress relief is Glen Gould playing Bach’s Goldberg variations. It’s an album that comes up a lot on Desert Island Discs, and obviously has some lasting quality because I have never been unhappy to hear it - even after hundreds of listens. But actually, it’s just a silly question.

• You have a UK tour coming up in October, as well as the release of Race the Loser. Talk to us. Yes I will! This is the best planned, most exciting, biggest tour of Lau’s UK life. We have new music that we love, old music that we love, and I just bought (from Red Dog Music, of course) a shiny new Moog Minitaur (which we used a lot on the album) to shatter the foundations of venues around the country. As we speak, I am working out how to wire it into my accordion. No, I’m not joking... although yes, I probably should be. Come and see the tour, folks. It will be epic.

• Who would win in a fight - you, Kris or Aidan? What would each of your fighting techniques be? I would win of course, the really short guy is better armed - didn’t you know that? Also I have no pride or sense of fair play.

• What’s your favourite instrument? Today, it is The Moog Minitaur

• If you were asked to put in a message in a bottle, what would you write? If anyone knows how to wire a bass synthesiser into the back end of a piano-accordion, please contact me immediately. And come and see Lau.

• If you could only listen to one artist for the rest of your life - excluding The Beatles, because they’re too obvious a choice - who would you pick? Bearing in mind they’d need to have a good back catalogue that would suit all sorts of moods and times of the day (unless you’d be content listening to Gabber for breakfast, lunch and dinner - in which case, good for you).

“THE REaLLY SHORT GuYIS BETTER aRMED.”

AUTUMN 2012 THE DOG 9 8 THE DOG AUTUMN 2012

“I JuST BOuGHT a SHINY NEW MOOG MINITauR TO SHaTTER

THE FOuNDaTIONS.”

Martin Green, Kris Drever and Aidan O’Rourke

BaLTIMORE FIDDLE FaIR {COuNTY CORk}They wait until everyone has left the pub and walked up the hill to the marquee before they let the band start. Magical and sheer class.

GLaSTONBuRYPerhaps this is a populist choice, but true!

THE INSIDER FESTIvaL {avIEMORE}The most amazing little music festival on Earth.

www.lau-music.co.uk

FavOuRITE FESTIvaLSLAU’s

Intellitouch Freedom One: The First Wireless Guitar Tuner Pedal(Red Dog Price: £89.95)

A few of the Red Dog music staff take time out to tell us what they think are the coolest bits of gear in-store at the moment. Let’s meet them and find out what they think rawks...

A

re you ready for something ridiculously exciting AND futuristic? Nice one, take a seat –

we don’t want you to pull a muscle and/or wet yourself – and put your paws together for the first WIRELESS guitar tuner pedal. You heard us.

Wireless microphones have been done, wireless headphones, wireless speakers... so it makes sense that a wireless guitar tuner would eventually make its way into the land of brain-melting musical equipment. It’s very simple – OnBoard Research Corpo-ration, the company that revolutionised the musical instru-ment tuning industry by creating the world’s first clip-on tuner, have taken the concept of the original guitar tuner, crossed it with the concept of the standard tuner pedal and created the Intellitouch Freedom One.

It fits onto your pedal board, as normal; the difference with the Freedom One is it comes with a high quality wireless link that plugs directly into the output jack of your guitar. All you have to do is whap it in and the Intellitouch sends a wire-less signal to the pedal, saving you from having to plug anything in. You don’t even need to bend over.

Basically, stay perfectly in tune with minimal effort. Intellitouch does the hard work, so you don’t have to. Just like Flash.

Alternative RecommendationAKG WMS40 Guitar Wireless System £59

PICKS!PRODUCT

REDDOG

Picked By:

Name: Will

“BASICALLY, STAY PERFECTLY IN TUNE WITH mINImAL EFFORT.”


Buy online at

RedDogmusic.co.uk and use code ‘dog2’ at the

checkout to get 5% OFF

your purchase or come

into the shop for

a demo!

PICKS!PRODUCT

Epiphone EJ-160E John Lennon Vintage Cherry Electro-Acoustic Guitar(Red Dog Price: £379)

I

n the words of John Lennon, “all you need is love”. Well, music heads -that’s not strictly true, is it? Because

what is love if you don’t have your favourite guitar in your hands?

That’s why we’re asking you to take a minute to check

out THIS curvaceous wooden structure.

The first thing I noticed about the Epiphone EJ-160E is how playable it is. It’s

easy to rock out on and it’s pretty flexible in terms of playing style. The sec-ond thing I noticed about the Epiphone EJ-160E is how lovely it sounds – it has a warm, bright tone to it that made my ears happy the minute the first note rang out. The third

thing I noticed about the

Epiphone EJ-160E is how unusual it looks, with the volume and tone knobs placed on the front of the guitar – commonly found on electrics, of course. The reason for this is because the EJ-160E is modelled on John Lennon’s famous Gibson J-160.

It’s the same jumbo shape, the same feel and includes the same mini-acoustic humbucker pickup as Lennon’s original J-160 – this particu-

lar model, however, features Lennon’s signature on the body. If you’re a Beatles fan - and let’s face it, if you’re not, you’re either a) mental o r b) lying to try and be controversial – this beast of an acoustic guitar is an absolute must.

If you’re still not sold by the EJ-160E, then maybe we can push you over the edge with the following two reasons: a portion of the pro-ceeds of each guitar will be donated to the BMI Foundation, Inc. for the John Lennon Scholarship Fund which supports music education AND – wait for it - it costs less than £400. In short, IT’S A WINNER.

Let me sup with this: I love The Beatles. John Lennon

is my hero. This guitar is awesome. I’m a fan.

Alternative RecommendationEpiphone Hummingbird Cherry Burst £219

REDDOG

“mODELLED ON LENNON’S FAmOUS GIBSON J-160”

Picked By:

Name: Roberta


Buy online at RedDogmusic.co.uk and use code ‘dog2’ at the checkout to get 5% OFF your purchase or come into the shop for a demo!

Roland V-Studio 20 Computer Recording Solution (Red Dog Price: £172)

PICKS!PRODUCT

G

uitarists, your dreams have FINALLY come true. Imagine if BOSS guitar effects and

Roland’s groundbreaking COSM modelling joined forces in the form of a very simple, sturdy and portable black box that included a powerful piece of recording software that could, potentially, help you take over the world... well, there’s no need to imagine it. It’s been invented, and they’ve named it the V-Studio 20.

This amazing product, from the amazing minds of Roland and Boss, features the simplicity of a portable, hardware recording system and f uses it with the power, flexibility and control of modern computer-based recording software. The V-Studio 20 is the perfect recording device, and can be used whether you’re at home, stationary, or on the road, not sta-tionary – all you have to do is connect your guitar or microphone and the V-Studio 20 offers up an array of BOSS effects for you to play about with. Once you’re ready to rock, you can record directly to your

computer for further editing and mixing using Cakewalk Guitar Tracks recording software.

The V-Studio 20 looks cool, it’s easy to use AND it even comes with built-in stereo mics for recording those impromptu jam sessions, whilst

you and your pals are getting off your chops on White Lightning or Cherry Lambrini or, you know, what-ever. All of this awesome in one little box, and to top it all off, it’s cheap as chips. If we didn’t know any better, we’d say we were being spoilt rotten. In the words of Snap, you’ve got the power – and for £172, it could be at your fingertips.

REDDOG

Picked By:

Name: Andy

Alternative RecommendationThere’s no other product like this on the market. It’s THAT good.

“THE PERFECT RECORDING DEVICE, WHETHER AT HOmE OR ON THE ROAD.”


Buy online at

RedDogmusic.co.uk

and use code ‘dog2’ at the



into the shop for

a demo!

PICKS!PRODUCT

Gretsch 5123B Hollow Body Bass Guitar(Red Dog Price: £1199)

I

f Johnny Cash played bass guitar, he’d play THIS bass guitar. Look at it go! It’s a sexy beast in a fetching shade of ‘sunset orange’. You

can get an idea of what it looks like by looking at a photo of it, sure, but you won’t really be able to appreciate it in all of its magnificent splendour

and majestic glory until you clap eyes on it in real life. It’s absolutely beauti-ful, completely unique and, most importantly, a rare hollow-body style with a big, warm, rich sound that’ll make your organs rumble.

The Gretsch 5123B was originally a limited edition model, originally offered only to Ameri-

ca’s massive

Guitar Center as a “doorbuster special” back in 2010. There was only one of these basses allowed per store, and not every store was offered one. For the lucky mother-funkys who got their paws on one, they got themselves a big beautiful hollow-body bass with two TV Jones

ThunderTron pickups for well under a grand. However, the response to this limited edition was so good that they decided to make a few more, and then a few more, and then a few more after that. So, to cut to the chase, it’s not limited edition anymore... BUT it still looks awesome and has a brilliant back story that you can impress all your friends with. Plus, it’s only a little over a grand – and you’re getting a whole lot of WOW for your money.

As mentioned above, you really can’t understand HOW lovely the Gretsch 5123B is until you see it in real life, get your paws on it and have

a little rock out. So, Red Dog Music invites you to come

in and have a bash. Be our guest.

“A WHOLE LOT OF WOW FOR YOUR mONEY”

Picked By:

Alternative RecommendationEve 4-String Pro Fretted Electric Bass £1199

REDDOG

Name: Barker

Buy online at RedDogmusic.co.uk and use code ‘dog2’ at the checkout to get 5% OFF your purchase or come into the shop for

a demo!


PICKS!PRODUCT

moog minitaur Analog Bass Synth module (Red Dog Price: £489)

L

adies and gentlemen, please; clear a path for the Moog Minitaur: the embodiment of pure filth.

Good filth, though. Bangin’ filth.The Minitaur is a powerful,

compact Analog Bass Synthesizer that features a classic one knob per function design – so it’s very hands on and simple to use. It is the first instrument in the Taurus family that doesn’t use foot pedals. At only 8.5” x 5.25” and less than 3lbs, the Mini-taur puts legendary analog Moog bass into a package designed to fit into today’s performance and pro-duction environments, to quote Ace Venture, “like a glove”. There are no confusing or convoluted menus to dig through. Plug in a MIDI controller or hook it up to your computer and start playing immediately.

And before you get fooled by its size, the Minitaur delivers all the growl, snarl and low-end that is

associated with the Taurus family of Bass Synthesizers in a rugged per-formance package that is small enough to take with you anywhere.

If it’s a face-meltingly filthy bass sound that you’re gagging on, look no futher – this badboy has your name plastered all over it. The Moog Mini-taur takes Moog’s legendary analog circuitry to a new, lower price point, allowing anyone to add the fattest of fat bass to their sonic arsenal.

Show us your bass face.

Alternative RecommendationMoog SlimPhatty £649

REDDOG

Roland microcube Black 2 Watt Compact Guitar Amp(Red Dog Price: £99)

PICKS!PRODUCT

I

f you’re familiar with the Roland Cube, you’ll know that it’s an awesome, powerful and much sought

after guitar amp. Imagine, if you will, all that awesome and all that power in a much more compact, portable version that still packs as much punch as ever... Ok, you can stop imagining now (and wipe your chin)

as we present the Roland Microcube. The first thing to note is that it

features Roland and Boss’ signature COSM (Composite Object Sound Modelling) amp models - SEVEN of these babies, to be precise. Don’t understand what this means? Me neither! I’ll let Roland explain...

“Once a musical instrument generates sound vibrations, it reaches the human ear through various mediating, objects, each of which significantly affects the sound. The material and con-figuration of the instrument, the electric/magnetic amplifying system, the air and the rever-beration of the room all affect the final sound. Sound modeling, the latest DSP technology, “virtually” reconstructs these objects. Roland’s breakthrough Com-posite Object Sound Modeling (COSM)

uses the advantages of multiple modeling methods and succeeds in accurately emulating existing sounds, as well as producing sounds that have never before been created.” - Thanks, Roland. You’re a pal.

The Roland Microcube also fea-tures 6 DSP (Digital Signal Processing) effects and a brand spanking new Digital Tuning Fork, so you’ll never be out of tune again. This amp really does offer all the tone you’ll ever need whilst on the move – so, if you’re a musician that doesn’t like to remain stationary for too long, this is the amp for you. What else? Oh yeah, IT’S TINY - so, you could potentially play a game of catch with it, if you were feeling completely idiotic.

REDDOG

Alternative RecommendationFender Mustang Mini £99

“FACE-mELTINGLY FILTHY BASS SOUND”

“AN AWESOmE, POWERFUL AND mUCH SOUGHT AFTER AmP”

Picked By:

Name: Dee-dee

Picked By:

Name: Paws



Buy online at

RedDogmusic.co.uk

and use code ‘dog2’ at the



into the shop for

a demo!


PICKS!PRODUCT

Yamaha DxR Speaker Series (Red Dog Price: £480-£619)

Y

amaha have launched a brand new range of PA speakers that aim to boldly go where no

speaker has gone before. Taking inspiration from their big brother, the DSR Series, Yamaha have managed to combine FACE-MELTING power in a totally compact and easily port-able unit. What every musician wants from their speakers is a) to be able to carry them between gigs without breaking a body part and b) to sound as loud, as pure and as awesome as humanly possible.

Never before have you been able to get active loudspeakers that are both portable AND affordable, as well as harbouring the kind of power that the DXR Series boasts. Team Yamaha, however, have combined the two most important features that a musician desires from their speaker system.

Yamaha DXR8: The most compact of the DXR Series speakers, the DXR8 makes the most of its 1100W of power, delivering extremely high output while maintaining outstanding resolution. Adding a DXS12 sub-

woofer gives you an ultra-compact high-power SR system.

Yamaha DXR10: Portable, yet capable of producing an astonishing 131 dB SPL, the DXR10’s compact, functional design makes it ideal for a wide range of applications. Whether providing simple vocal/instrument amplification, very power-ful floor monitoring or comprising a compact SR system—the DXR10 delivers without compromising sound quality and power.

Yamaha DXR12: The DXR12 is an extremely high-power loudspeaker that is capable of producing a maxi-mum SPL of 132dB with its impressive 1100W of power. It is the perfect solution for live sound applications that demand wide bandwidth and extremely high-resolution sound.

Yamaha DXR15: The DXR15 achieves class-leading SPLs and full

bandwidth performance by combining a powerful

Class-D amplifier with a high-power woofer and Yamaha’s cutting edge technologies. Throw in some D-CONTOUR and you’ll feel like you’re

using a subwoofer.

Alternative RecommendationJBL PRX525 Active Speaker £674

REDDOG

“SPEAkERS THAT ARE BOTH PORTABLE AND AFFORDABLE”

Picked By:

Name: Alex



Go-Go-Gadget!On Stage Gk7800 Guitar Care kit (£9.99)

Keep your guitar looking f-f-f-fresh with the On Stage GK7800 Guitar Care Kit. It comes with 4oz of Guitar Polish, 2 Polishing Cloths (one to apply polish, one to wipe polish off), 3 picks (1 light, 1 medium and 1 heavy)and last but not least, a string winder. In short, this is the

ultimate guitar survival kit that will keep you and your beloved guitar feel-ing happy, looking SEXY and, most importantly, prepared for any eventuality – such as beer spillages, pick loss, or broken strings. It’s a tough life, being a musician.

PICKS!PRODUCT

TC Electronic Polytune mini Pedal Tuner (£64)

A most revolutionary bit of kit indeed – the world’s very first polyphonic tuner. Rather than spending an awkward amount of time tuning each string indi-vidually; all you have to do is strum the guitar once (hitting all the strings, of course) and the PolyTune will tell you which ones are out of tune. Genius, we know. Gone are the days of having to keep chatting to your audience while you tune your guitar, creating an awkward silence between the performer and the audience, more often than not because human beings tend to find multi-tasking incredibly difficult, especially if they’re male, apparently.

Ik multimedia iRig mic (£39)

You know when you’re sitting on the bus home, feeling somewhat inspired after going to see your favourite band, and there’s some absolute hero up at the back, blasting out Encore Une Fois from their phone? Or

when you’re drunker than a Fresher in September, singing along to The Final Countdown at the top of your lungs. These special little moments where you think of a brilliant melody or vocal idea – and you don’t know whether it’s because of your musical genius, or because it’s the theme tune from Jurassic Park. The iRig mic has been invented for this very moment. Just plug it into your iPhone, iPad or iPod, and you can produce quality audio or vocal recordings wherever, whenever.

REDDOG

SE Electronics Reflexion Filter Project Studio mic Shield (£89)

Based on its industry standard prede-cessor, the Reflexion Filter Pro, SE Electronics have come up with a much cheaper option – 3 years and a bunch of poor imitations later. The Project Studio Reflexion Filter allows you to record a dead signal in even the worst acoustically-treated room. Looks cool, ‘sounds’ awesome and perfect for bedroom studios.

Vocalzone Throat Pastilles (£3.99)

Vocalzones are a new kid on the block for Red Dog Music. Up until now, Vocal-zones have only been on sale in pharmacies – so, we thought we’d get some in for all you singers out there; par-ticularly the ones who are prone to getting smashed, smoking loads of fags, deliv-ering torrents of affectionate verbal abuse to their peers and passing out in a gutter the night before their gig... No? Just me? Cool. That’s cool. Basically, bosh one of these and relieve your irritat-ed throat – whether you’re a pro, an amateur or just some-body who likes to sing in the shower. Be warned, they’re strong – like in an ouch-stop-it-I-like-it sort of way. Importantly, though – they get the job done.



Vigier guitars presents “definitely has a Vigier

‘I don’t know what’ about it”

“the simplest and most efficient Vigier guitar”

excalibur special {Deep Blue}

ut of our range of Vigier Guitars, the Vigier Excalibur Special is

probably the most likely candidate for a cameo appearance in Wayne’s World (probably played by one of the long-haired dudes in Cassandra’s band, Crucial Taunt). It’s glitzy, plays like a dream come true and in electric blue, is certainly designed to catch your eye. Featuring an unusual marble-effect scratch plate, The Vigier Excalibur Special definitely has a Vigier ‘I don’t know what’ about it.

clap your eyes on our brand new range of French fancies...

excalibur indus {Text Black (Tremolo/Fixed Bridge)}

lick to the eye and even slicker to the touch, the

Excalibur Indus gives the impression

that you could bounce it off a hard-

ened surface and it would survive.

The unique textured finish means

that it marks very easily, and as such should be handled with care.

Still, it’s guaranteed to make you look pretty rock and roll with that

blue outlined scratch plate and, lo and behold, it even sounds rock

and roll. The question now is, tremolo or fixed bridge?


excalibur supra {urban Metal}

he Vigier Excalibur Supra is the simplest and most

efficient Vigier guitar. You will love its crunchy bridge

and warm neck pickups, which can be split in positions 2 &

4. Equipped with Vigier‘s non-locking tremolo mounted on

ball bearings and locking machine heads, it is free of tun-

ing hassles – making rocking out with your Excalibur Supra

out easier than ever. Urban metal heads, this guitar has

been designed with you in mind. Pay close attention.

“Slick to the

eye and even

slicker to

the touch”

presents

S

gV rock {Burgundy Fade}he Vigier GV Rock is part of the award-winning single-cut range from these French guitar luthiers.

Featuring hand-wound pickups made by Amber, the Vigier GV Rock sounds nice and loud, whilst remaining light enough to rock out with on stage. With its beautifully shiny Burgundy sheen, your fans will be swooning at your feet when you whip the GV Rock out – a classy guitar, to say the least.

T T

O

AUTUMN 2012 THE DOG 2524 THE DOG AUTUMN 2012

“maintains that classic

‘electric guitar’ look”

“combining classic looks with a lovely, warm tone”

expert retro 54 {Antique Violin}

f you’re not stuck in the past, the Expert is the

single-coil guitar that you’ve been looking forward to.

It combines tradition and moderism, and is available in

three pickup configurations. It’s noiseless with a single-coil

sound that has rarely been heard. Vigier‘s guarantee

against detuning is its non-locking tremolo mounted on ball

bearings combined with oversized Vigier locking tuners.

This is a three single coil guitar made for Expert ears – this

particular model comes in an unusual shade of faded red

but still maintains that classic ‘electric guitar’ look.

excalibur supra {natural Alder Matte }

nother guitar from the Vigier Excalibur Supra family, only this time in a

gorgeous wood finish (alder, to be precise). It still rocks as much as as the other members of Team Excalibur Supra, it just does it in a slightly more subtle fashion. Smooth to the touch, this particular Excalibur Supra is a beautiful addition to the Vigier range, combining classic looks with a lovely, warm tone. For those of you who like the natural look, this Excalibur Supra is the guitar for you.

A

I

presents

The days when a relatively unknown band could sign for a huge advance from global record labels are largely dead. The music industry has changed massively in the last ten years, with traditional major labels altering the deals they offer artists and generally reassessing the way they

do business from the ground up.

AUTUMN 2012 THE DOG 2726 THE DOG AUTUMN 2012

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Alongside changes at the majors, advances in tech-nology have made it easier than ever to go it alone. Bands can record, release and distribute

music, sell tickets and merchandise directly to fans and take control of their own careers in a way that was never possible before. Great numbers

of artists are choosing the DIY approach, and globally recognised acts like Amanda Palmer and Blood Red Shoes are proof that going DIY can be a shrewd business decision and not just necessity. Here are some useful tips for DIY artists, put together by the UK’s fastest growing gig booking service, BandWagon.

“GeT ToGeTher wITh oTher bands and promoTe your own nIGhTs.”

Live has always been the corner-stone of DIY. Almost every band and musician starts out on their own as a proto-DIY outfit, organising their own performances. Put your all into every performance. People will respond to your passion – and you never know who might be in the audience.

Sign up to collecting societies PRS and PPL as soon as possible to start making money through your copyrights.

First and foremost you are a musician, but you are also in business, so be prepared to behave like one. Lay out your strategy and goals. Portion out different organisational duties to bandmates or other people best suited to perform them.

Online isn’t enough. Every gig is an opportunity to win over more fans, so make sure you let them know how to sign up to email lists or stay up to date through social media.


“If you are profes-sIonal and lIkeable, people wIll wanT To work wITh you.”


BANDWAGON

BandWagon is an online platform for bands and artists to find and book gigs with promoters and venues across the UK. Bands can organise their bookings, search for new oppor-tunities, book tours, showcase their music and manage their own live careers. In addition, it offers promoters a simple way to complete gig line-ups, scout new acts, or create and curate entirely new events.

Get started for free at...bandwagongigs.com

AbouT

Can’t get booked for the sort of gigs you want to play? Get together with other bands and promote your own nights. Need money to organise a tour? Raise it through services Pledge, or by selling music and merch direct to fans at gigs, or online using services like BandCamp.

In the world of DIY, managers are no longer just middlemen, they are entre- preneurs and organisers. Consider a contracted trial period to make sure you can work together well. A strong band-manager relationship is essen-tial, but an open relationship where everyone knows what they are doing is even more important.

It is a small industry and people talk. If you are professional and likeable, people will want to work with you again. The opposite is equally true. Being friendly with bands that make it big can also help to boost your profile.

Don’t fall into the trap of playing lots of free entry gigs – you risk not being taken seriously by promoters and creating a fan base that resents pay-ing to see you play. Don’t be afraid to play for free early on – it can offer valuable experience and exposure – but make sure people will be pre-pared to pay when the time comes.

It may seem overkill but can help avoid disputes at all stages in your career. Even if it’s just an agreement about what split of the door you’re getting at a gig, it’s better to have it written down before you play.

For the first time ever, guitarists and other musi-cians could have pristine-sounding digital delay in a simple stomp-box. However, like all digital pedals, unless you had an endless supply of batteries, an AC adapter was a must.

DD-2 Digital Delay (1984)

Known by professional guitarists the world over as “that orange BOSS distortion,” the DS-1 launched a million guitar solos and can be heard on countless hit songs. More than 35 years later, this timeless pedal is still in the best sellers list!

DS-1 DiStortion (1978)“We must develop unique and innovative effects for the world’s guitarists.” – So declared BOSS’s founder 35 years ago, when the very first BOSS pedal, CE-1 was launched.

Years before programmable multi-effects were to ar-rive, BOSS let you take seven compact pedals and, with an audio switcher and computer control, store 32 memories of pedal on/off status and the order of the pedals in the chain!

Sound Control Centre SCC-700 (1982)

B

OSS has stuck by that man-tra for over 35 years. From introducing beginners to the world of guitar sound to expe-

rienced players that use them for their innovative way in changing sound, their reliability and quality.

Known around the world as the com-pany that put the “stomp” in “stomp-box,” BOSS is the division of Roland Corporation most easily recognised for

its legendary line of colourful guitar and bass effects pedals. Put simply, BOSS gives you the great-sounding tools you need to spend less time tweaking and more time playing.

Here we have showcased some of the pedals that have to come make BOSS a number one choice for guitarists, from beginners to stadium filling bands and some pedals that have truly changed the way in which we play today.

“the company that put the

‘stomp’ in ‘stompbox’.”

The hisTory ofPEDALS

30 THE DOG AUTUMN 2012 AUTUMN 2012 THE DOG 31

The first BOSS pedals ever made were the OD-1 Overdrive, PH-1 Phaser and SP-1 Spectrum. These classic stomp-boxes included a number of ‘world firsts’, like silent FET switching (to eliminate pops and clicks), non-skid rubber panels and a quick-ac-cess battery compartment. This classic BOSS stomp-box design hasn’t changed since 1977!

BOSS PedalS (1977)

This first-ever Boss effect, this big grey pedal is often regarded as the mother of all choruses, with its un-mistakable warm analog stereo chorus and vibrato sounds. Incredibly, the original CE-1 Chorus En-semble is still in demand today!

CE-1 ChorusEnsEmblE (1976)

DM-2 Delay (1981)

The first compact analog delay of BOSS. It’s charac-teristic warm and natural delay tone still grabs many ardent fans today.

The world’s first integrated, floor-based effects pro-cessor, the ME-5 let guitarists tap into a wide range of high-quality programmable BOSS multi-effects. The ME-5 launched a whole category that remains popular to this day.

ME-5 Guitar Multi-EffEcts (1988)

“the DS-1 launcheD a million

guitar SoloS.”


“To say ThaT The Re-20 was enoR-

mously successful would be an

undeRsTaTemenT.”

By 2006 Roland’s proprietary COSM technology had been used in a few BOSS multi-effects and twin pedals, but the AC-3 was the first time the technology was used in a compact (stomp-box) pedal.

AC-3 ACoustiC simulAtor (2006)


Although musicians have been on the retro band-wagon for some time, BOSS resisted the mere ‘reissue’ concept. The RE-20 twin pedal is designed to emulate the original 1973 Roland RE-201 tape echo, but also had additional functionality to give musicians new possibilities. To say that the RE-20 Space Echo was enormously successful would be an understatement.

RE-20 SpacE Echo (2007)

Although it was demonstrated at the January NAMM show, it took BOSS nearly a year to advance the prototype to a stage where it was officially ready for release. The wait was worth it, with the Vocal Performer being very popular with singers from all corners of the world.

VE-20 Vocal PErformEr (2009)

MT-2 MeTal Zone (1991)

If your first thought is ‘I own one of those’, you are not alone. The Metal Zone is one of BOSS’s most popular pedals ever. Still available today, the MT-2s popularity is a result of it producing some of the most over-the-top, insane distortion tones in the world.

It’s way too early to tell what will be the outstanding BOSS product from 2012, but the GT100 would surely have to be a contender. The newly developed amp models are incredibly responsive, thanks to the proprietary ESC2 chip.

GT-100 Amp EffEcTs procEssor (2012)


S0, with over 40 BOSS pedals from you to pick from in current production,

you wont have difficulty in finding the right one for you. BOSS has consistently pioneered and de-livered cutting edge performance and tools for you to inspire your sound for over 35 years and will continue to do so.

DrumsRecording

DrumsRecording

Y

a basic guide to...


It’s one of the biggest and most daunting of recording tasks, but also one of the most important.

our tunes need a groove, otherwise no one’s gonna move! With so many ele-

ments to a drum kit, it’s difficult to know where to start. This article should give you the basic knowledge to begin your journey towards that epic drum sound.

A couple of pointers to begin with: it’s common sense but make sure the drum kit is in good condition and tuned well. Some useful accessories to have around are a drum key, some tape and extra padding. It’s best to start simple - follow some basic guidelines and you can get pretty impressive results with just a kick, snare and over-head mic.

by Alex Fenton (Studio Manager, Swanfield Studios)

DrumsRecording

DrumsRecording

mics, a pair will give you a nice ste-reo image. The overhead is probably the most difficult to position. In fact, I often catch myself walking round the kit several times to check spac-ing and distances before settling on a final posi-tion. Make sure you get a decent height with-out ending up with too much room sound - and if you’re using two mics, try to spread them roughly evenly across the kit and at the same height.

PUTTING IT ALLTOGETHER...

nce you’ve recorded your drums, you can experiment with blend-

ing different proportions of the sig-nals to see what effect it has on the sound. Depending on the style of

music, it should be pretty easy to find a blend you like. When it comes to processing; EQs, gates and com-

pressors are common on most drum signals. The kick

and toms can be tightened up with

gates and you can put some level of com-pression on every chan-nel. I usually find it helps to group the drum chan-

nels to a ste-reo bus, so the

final sculpting can be done to

the kit as a whole. If you need some inspira-

tion, listen carefully to the drums on your fav-ourite records and try to emulate what you hear.

REmEmBERTrust your ears and sonic glory will soon be yours!

“WHERE POSSIBLE; RECORD SEVERAL

SIGNALS.”


kICk IN THE FACE...here better to start than the kick or bass drum - it’s the

driving force behind your rhythm section and cements the beat to the floor of your track. In order to capture it properly, you’ll need a microphone designed for bass frequencies. Indus-try standard models include the AKG D112 and Shure Beta 52, but there are plenty of starter models available. Depending on the design of the kick, you can either use a short stand to position the mic, or simply place it inside the bass drum itself. A quick test re-cording is al-ways a good idea to check the tone, so you can ad-just things as necessary. If you’re finding the sound too thin, you can make it weightier by moving the mic further into the drum. If the front skin prohibits this, it’s usually worth taking it off. If you’re after a tighter sound, you can add some more padding to dampen things down a bit.

SNAPPY SNARE...he snare is the most musical part of the drum kit and, as such, can make the difference

between a lively and lifeless drum recording. The com-mon approach is to use a dynamic mic such as a Shure SM57, which will

easily handle the loudness and give you plenty of tone to work. If you want a chunkier sound - try a clip on mic like the Sennheiser E604. If you’re after a brighter, snappier tone - miking the underside of the snare as well will give you a good blend to work with. When it comes to EQ, there are a couple of guidelines to work to. For rock drums, you can add more chunk

by boosting around the 200Hz mark. Some snare drums

can have a bit of a ring. I find a lot of

drummers seem to like a bit of ring - but if it sounds too much, you’ll struggle to remove it later. Use your ears and if it needs tam-

ing, try a bit of tape on the skin,

or use a dampen-ing product such as

Moongel. If there’s still too much ringing going on, look

to cut in the region of 700Hz on an EQ to smooth the rest out. This should give you the best blank can-vas to work with.

OVER THE HEAD...he overhead mic does exactly what it says on the tin. It sits

over the top of the drums, capturing an overall sound of the kit with detail across all the different elements. A condenser mic is your best bet for this. You can get very respectable re-sults with one but if you have enough

W

T T

O

“MOSTSTUDIO SESSIONS DON’T INVOLVE

AN AMP WITH THE mASTER AT 11!”

www.swanfieldstudios.co.uk

lex is an experienced sound engineer and music pro-ducer who started out by setting up his own company,

Fentek Audio, after gaining an honours degree in Music Technology. Alex has helped many local bands enhance their status with the likes of White Heath and Birdhead gaining label deals off the back of his creative production style. He now runs Swanfield Studios, a custom built studio in Leith offering recording, mixing and mastering as well as training.

Who is Alex Fenton?

A


had the pleasure of opening for some of our favourite artists, which is a real treat. As for what we want it to achieve, I reckon being given these opportunities is a fine achieve-ment and we’ll happily carry on as we are.

Which bit of music gear could you not live Without and Why? I’m not all that precious about specific gear though I really like the instruments I use. It’s really boring but I guess a tuner of some sort. I’m the least punk person you’re likely to meet and it f**ks me off when stuff’s out of tune. The

tuner would need to have a mute thing on it too. I don’t want to hear the tun-ing. What a dickhead.

name your top three music festivals Glastonbury: No descrip-tion necessary. We’ve all

seen it on the telly. It’s even better in the flesh. SXSW (Austin,TX): It’s actually more an industry type of affair, so it’s not the most punter friendly. That said, Austin is an incredible place and will always have a special feeling for us with it being our first ever show in the states. Unbelievable food too. Insider Festival (Aviemore): Quite simply the greatest tiny festival I’ve ever been to. It’s the only festival I’ve stood in the rain consistently, for three years running, and never complained about.

What’s your favourite track off your neW album, tree bursts in snoW, and Why? I’d probably say ‘Oh, Oscar’. Like a lot of our songs, it started as a sketchy little number which I took to the band with no particular form in mind. It’s very simple with only a few short verses. The arrangement came together very quickly and naturally in the rehearsals

leading up to making the album; I believe we had only played it a handful of times

before we came to record it. Songs on the same album with more

complex arrangements

describe your music in three Words It’s Pop Music.

tell us about your songWriting process Generally I’ll take an idea in some form to the others; having perhaps home demo’d it before hand so I can remember how it goes. It won’t always be a full song, sometimes just a verse and chorus. We’ll then work it up into the full band set up, trying out different grooves and instruments. For the most part, it all comes together fairly quickly.

What do you Want your music to achieve? As long as people keep enjoying the records

we make, we’ll keep doing them. We’ve been very lucky to have played in some incredible venues both here in the UK and over in the US, which we’re very grateful to have done. We’ve also

hoW did you come up With your name? Just before releasing our first album we decided to change our name. We only had a short window to come up with something. Sarah fired us a bunch of suggestions via email and Admiral Fallow seemed the strongest contender. I’m a great believer of the idea that the music makes the name and not the other way around. After all, Radi-ohead is a pretty crappy name, but what a band.

cont...

“ it f**ks me off when stuff’s out of tune”


WHOhad rightly taken up the majority of our time and energy during the recording process and so, with only an hour or so remaining on one session, we set up the room to try to get a sound for ‘Oh, Oscar’. I was feeling very tired and, having had a couple of wines with dinner, also more relaxed than I perhaps should’ve been. All five of us set up in the same room together, playing ‘as live’, and we ended up using the very first take. I like it because it’s not perfect. It has little flaws in sound and the vocal is slightly unsure of itself, the lyrics having only been finalised minutes before recording. For me personally, it was a lesson in what can be created when you’re not feeling any pressure and you’re relaxed. It was a nice way to work.

What Was the idea behind your music video for the paper trench? The idea for the ‘Treeman’ video was pitched to us by the director Greg Davenport (he also directed our wedding band video for follow up single ‘Guest of the Government’). We got a few different ideas through but his was the most interest-ing sounding. It all rested on the ‘Treeman’ costume looking as good as it could, so we were slightly worried about it in the run up to the shoot. We were so hap-py with the outcome. The reactions of the folks he meets as he makes his pilgrimage from Glasgow’s East End out to Loch Lomond were totally natural with no ‘actors’ being used. We got a lot of positive feedback from it.

Which album Would you recommend the track skipping generation listen to from start to finish? It’ll read like a politician’s answer but I’m a believer that every album should be listened to in its entirety. After all, it was made to be listened that way. Of course, if the listener thinks it’s not for them by track three, they’re probably best giving up.

Who Would Win in a fight a moustache or a beard? Beard. It’s bigger.

What does the future hold for af? We’re playing some shows through Europe and then over to North America, which we’re all pretty excited about. Then there’s a short UK tour in December with a headline show at The Barrowland Ballroom in Glas-gow - the only Scottish date – on the 8th December.

“I’m a believer that every album should be listened to in its entirety”

admiral fallow are, quite probably, a new-to-you band – albeit one landing in your in-tray or inbox today with a debut album already under their collective belt, 2010’s superbly acclaimed boots met my face. As such an achievement should suggest, this Glasgow-based ensemble has paid its dues several times over, sleeping on floors on tour and making the most of meagre resources to further a cause that’s earned them comparisons to the

likes of The Delgados and Midlake and attracted plaudits from such high-profile individuals as Elbow’s Guy Garvey, King Creosote and Guillemots’ Fyfe Dangerfield. Now, with the release of Tree Bursts in Snow – produced and mixed at Glasgow’s famous Chem 19 studios by Paul Savage (Franz Ferdinand, Mogwai, Teenage Fanclub), and mastered by Greg Calbi (Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, The National) at Sterling Sound in NYC – the five-piece (regularly swelled to a larger collective live) is ready to take the next step: from the recommended column of several critics’ reviews catalogue and into the hearts of the wider public.

ADMIRAL FALLOW

ARE?

admiralfallow.com

phil plays DW Drums & Zildjian Cymbals.louis and stu play Fender Electric Guitars (Tele, Jazzmaster & Strat) & Martin Acoustic Guitars.Joe plays a Fender Precision Bass.sarah plays an Altus Flute with an Arista headjoint. kevin plays a Buffet R13 Clarinet.We also use Roland & M-Audio Keyboards.

KITLIST

Whether it’s their ground break-ing Citroen suspension or their uncompromisingly tough politi-cal agendas, the people of France

have always been a nation of fiercely inde-pendent thinkers. The impressive new range of guitars from French guitar manufacturer, Vigier, would seem to consolidate this reputation.

Their flagship Excalibur model ably dem-onstrates a characteristically individual take on the universal Super-Strat theme. The body is a loose interpretation of the original, tried and tested three pick-up ergonomic master-piece. The slim, bolt-on neck sports a simple oiled finish, with 24 medium-jumbo stainless steel frets on a 12” radius for positive fretting and effortless string-bending.

Interestingly, Vigier have opted for a Zero-Fret instead of a conventional top-nut. This, they say, promotes a more even response across the neck from all strings, whether open or fretted. The strings themselves still have to run through a nut but it acts more simply as a lateral spacing guide and is made of Teflon, in order to provide a low friction path to a set of locking machine-heads.

The use of two guitar string ball-ends (complete with half an inch of string) to create a decent break-angle over the nut is quaint to the point of being eccentric - why not just use staggered height tuners and be done with it? I suppose, if nothing else, they provide a talking point on the merits of Gallic charm.

For years, players wanting high performance whammy action have had to settle for either a Floyd-Rose style, knife-edge pivot unit which, by its very nature, was prone to wear from the word go. The alternative Kahler system, where the moving parts ran on comparatively friction free roller bearings required the use of large castings, in which the bearings were housed, making any guitar both heavy and ugly. Vigier have cleverly managed too create a much lighter

unit using needle-roller bearings. This combines the superior attributes of the Kahler design with the much smaller footprint of the Floyd Rose-type tremolo - actually it’s even smaller and neater than that and looks the absolute business.

Other innovative features include a Car-bon fibre rod set into the neck - designed to do away with the need for the usual truss-rod, which requires a channel to be routed out from the neck’s core. Vigier argue, the traditional ar-rangement detracts from both the strength and tone of the neck, whereas the carbon rod en-hances it. Time will tell but full marks to them for having the courage of their convictions.

Vive la France.

Dr. Fretlove returns next time...

Vigier Guitars: The French Connection

W


“The people of frANce hAVe AlwAys beeN

A NATioN of fiercely iNdepeNdeNT ThiNkers”


A LOOK AT SOME OF THE BEST PRODUCTS IN THEIR CATEGORY, THIS ISSUE IT’S...

VOCal PrOCESSOrS

RoundUp

There have been effects pedals for guitars, bassists and instrumentalists in general for years..but nobody had thought to specialize in purely vocal effects until very recently. now, there are a whole range of vocal processors that have stomped their way onto the market from top brands such as Boss and Tc Helicon, and have certainly taken the vocal world by storm. For example, if you’ve written a piece of music that requires eight-part harmony, but you only have five mates, and they all sing like wounded manatees - you can simply add harmonies at the press of a button. This is just onE of the awesome features of vocal processors and there are LoADS. We’ve taken the liberty of rounding up the best of the bunch and showing off exactly what each of them can do...

I

t’s small, lightweight and TONS OF FUN. What sets the VE5 apart from the rest of the Vocal Processors on the block is how user- friendly it is. Its functions are laid out really

clearly, so you don’t need to spend too much time figuring out what does what. If you want to loop your vocals, press ‘Loop’. If you want to add effects, press ‘Effects’. What do you think the Favourite Sound button does? Yep, that’s right. The VE5 is perfect for singers, rappers, beatboxers... whatever. Basically, if you’re a musician who uses their voice, the VE5 is for you. Let’s seal the deal – it clips onto your mic stand, it’s battery operated (so, perfect for street performers)

AND it doubles up as a tabletop processor, if you’re more of a stay-at-home type. It even has an internal microphone – just in case you get bored on the bus.

“The Ve5 is perfecT

for siNGers, rAppers,

beATboxers...”

Boss VE5 from £219

“hArd like cher, or sofT like bUblé, This bAby woN’T leT yoU dowN”

A LOOK AT SOME OF THE BEST PRODUCTS IN THEIR CATEGORY, THIS ISSUE IT’S...VOCal PrOCESSOrS

RoundUp

P L E A S E N O T E ! P R I c E S A R E L I A B L E T o G o u P A S W E L L A S D o W n . c H E c K o n L I n E A T R E D D O G m U S I C . C O . U k F o R A L L T H E L A T E S T P R I c E S .

A LOOK AT SOME OF THE BEST PRODUCTS IN THEIR CATEGORY, THIS ISSUE IT’S...

VOCal PrOCESSOrS

RoundUp


T he predecessor to the VE5, it includes all of the same high quality effects, the only difference being

that the VE20 has more of a ‘classic’ pedal design - in other words, you use your feet instead of your hands to control it. It sits comfortably at your toes and all you have to do is gently tap it to add Reverb, Delay, Harmony, Double-Tracking - or Special

FX such as Distortion, Radio or Strobe - to your voice. The added bonus of the VE20 is that it includes Phantom Power, so it can be used with a condenser mic. The downside of the VE20 is that it’s a bit clunky to carry around but if you’re more used to foot pedals, as opposed to hand-controlled, then the VE20 will be much more up your street.

“siTs coMforTAbly AT yoUr Toes”

T he VoiceLive Play series from TC pulls all the vocal-tone power from their huge professional

legacy of innovative, beauti-ful sounding effects into a small, beginner-friendly box. Jam-packed with compression, EQ, reverbs, delays, modulation effects, chorus and phasers, harmony and doubling effects, distortion and – the surprise addition – auto-tuning. Full to the gills with awesome presets or create your own. Any effect can also be set to trigger from the switch on the front panel so you can crank your big delay just for the chorus, or put a Lo-Fi filter on your middle-8. Genius!

T he white GTX version is basically the same beast, but with an advanced harmony engine. Plug your instrument in, then it analyses what key you’re playing in so it can get creative with the

harmonies on your vocal. It also has a good selection of instrument effects, or you can just bypass your guitar to your own gear with the dedicated instrument output. It’s when you’re by yourself, this thing comes alive! It has a practice mode that analyses your singing, has a built-in looper and microphones so you can work on your sounds while sitting in your bed with your headphones on.

TC HEliCon VoiCEliVE

Play from £195

TC HEliCon VoiCEliVE Play GTX from £270

“wheN yoU’re by yoUrself, This ThiNG coMes AliVe!”

D

elays are really what put TC Electronic on the map back in

the day, and having some of their classic vocal delays easily controllable in one pedal for a good price is incredible. You can set the parameters manually, or you can tap-tempo so you sync with your band. Aces!

TC HEliCon VoiCETonE E1

from £100TC HEliCon VoiCETonE C1

from £116

A

nifty little pitch-correction effect that you can activate with a click of your heels! It can listen to an incoming instrument signal to

determine what key you’re playing in, or you can manually select it with a dial.

Whether you want it hard like Cher, or soft like Bublé, this baby won’t

let you down.

W

hat’s the point of having a bazillion presets for every instrument you can imagine when all your

really want is a good vocal reverb? Well, this is good vocal reverb in a stomp-box. That’s it! Nothing fancy, just beautiful, lush, vocal-tuned reverbs that sound awesome live. Perfect!.

T

his little chap is basically like having another singer on stage

with you. A tiny singer. In a box. That you stomp on. They love it really, it’s okay. There are loads of settings like double, group, octave up & down and shout that will help flesh out your live vocal sound when-ever you need it.

TC HEliCon VoiCETonE D1

from £100

TC HEliCon VoiCETonE R1

from £100

Buy online at RedDogmusic.co.uk and use code ‘dog2’ at the checkout to get 5% OFF your purchase or come into the shop for a Demo!

“fUll To The Gills

wiTh AwesoMe preseTs”

“JUsT beAUTifUl,

lUsh, VocAl-TUNed

reVerbs”

Boss VE20 from £199


A Limitation or an opportunity for creativity?Written by Garry Boyle

O

ver the last few decades,

technology has grown at

a massive pace in the

recording world - giving

us unlimited options, massive channel

counts and an ability to change any-

thing at any time during the process

of producing a song. Have things got

to the point where we fear commitment

in the recording process? Has the ability

to keep every scrap of audio left us in

the position where we fear making a

decision? Have recall and plugins

pushed us to the point where we can

revisit every decision we make and

change it at a later date? Have we got

to the point where we fear committing

to anything?

I love limitations being imposed on

myself and my workflow. It comes

from a desire to push myself with a

new challenge. Recently, I have been

thinking about records and the limita-

tions they had imposed on them. The

Beatles’ Sgt Pepper was recorded to

only 4 tracks because 8 tracks weren’t

around at the time. They had to trans-

fer the songs from one tape machine

to another (at massive degradation of

the audio) simply to free up channels

for overdubs. Sgt Pepper is one of the

all-time greats! They had no going

back. Once the band mix was

ThE RambliNgS OF a RECORDiNg ENgiNEER

decided and transferred it was done.

They couldn’t tweak anything any

more. They were committed.

Aberfeldy’s first album (produced by

Jim Sutherland) was recorded on one

microphone, 100% live, in mono.

There was only one chance for the

mix - essentially how close everyone

was to the microphone - which would

be done by the end of the take. No

going back, no turning this up or that

down, and that record is sonically

magnificent. It was done as a result of

not wanting to use headphones. So, is

this a limitation or an opportunity to

be creative?

Some of the best sessions I have ever

done were for a project that I run

called The Mashup Session where we

would record, mix, and master and,

finally, release a studio collaboration

between two artists in 24 hours. This

never felt limiting to me at any time

and, in fact, the energy, pace and

excitement of those 24 hours totally

shines through those tracks! No

opportunity to revisit the track or take

time to live with it. It was done and

out in the public domain in 24 hours.

This got me thinking about my own

workflow and what sort of other limi-

tations I could impose on myself that

would result in having to be more cre-

ative in how I record, mix and produce.

But where could I start? Restricting

the number of microphones I use is a

good start. Ok, so I now have 3

microphones for the drum kit where I

would ordinarily use between 7 and

“Have we got to

tHe point wHere

we fear committing

to anytHing?”

“i love limitations

being imposed on

myself and my

workflow.”


The iNNoVATioN of liMiTATioN


16. What about the microphones? I

can only use dynamic or ribbon micro-

phones, no condensers. Alright, now

that’s going to affect the sonic quality

of the album - cool. The backing

vocals on the record need to be

recorded onto inbuilt laptop micro-

phones, rather than in a studio. Now

we’re talking! All effects used during

this mix must come from guitar pedals.

The possibilities here are endless!

Can you imagine how these little

tweaks to work flow will change the

sound of the record and enhance the

character of the songs? Do any of

these sound like limitations now, or a

chance to be hugely creative?

Limiting the microphone count on a

drum kit to three would make the

placement so much more important

and you would be committed to that

drum sound forever more. Using

strange microphones or unorthodox

techniques (such as the inbuilt mon-

sters in every laptop) would result in

you recording the voice and the ambi-

ence of the room at the same time

- no going back. There are millions

of guitar effects, so a million sounds

and combinations available to you to

experiment with. Again, how do you

think this would

affect the character

and work flow of the

record?

I regularly question

why I do things and

always look for new

ways of achieving a

result in order to

make every record I

do sound in some

way unique. Try any

one of these ideas

during your next

recording or produc-

tion and really see

just how limiting it is.

I guarantee this limi-

tation becomes the

greatest opportunity

for creativity you

have had in years.

Garry Boyle is a freelance recording engineer and producer from Edinburgh cur-rently working out of his own studio at The Depot and Castlesound Studios. He works with a large cross section of the Scottish music scene including Broken Records, The Horndog Brass Band, Home-work and The Banana Sessions.

www.garryboyle.com

“limitation becomes

tHe greatest

opportunity for

creativity.”

Who is. .?

by Toni Martone (Wasted State Records)

on a label release is that there is a knack to getting cellophane off CDs. At 14, I didn’t know my arse from my elbow, so I no doubt made a dog’s dinner of it. Regardless, the CD was

freed from its plastic prison and went into the CD player. As the first track started, I thumbed through the cover booklet looking at the photos and wandering (in my naive state) why a band would need an engineer. As the first track kicked in I was looking at a photo of the singer/guitarist (doing what I now understand as) laying down his vocal track. The look of energy and emotion in that photo, combined with the intense power and sonic brilliance in the song playing a

One stand out memory was in 1998 (I was 14, you work it out). I worked weekend nights in my old man’s

restaurant, and as a result, have a fair whack of expendable cash compared to my peers. There was a music

magazine; I think it used to be weekly (it’s now s**t), that

started doing a series of cover-mount CDs. I got totally hooked on a band’s track, so the following week I went out and bought one of their albums at random alongside the latest issue of said magazine, and no doubt some tooth rotting sweets.

During a house move at some point in the 90s my parents made the mistake of giving me their old hi-fi. It was as old as I was, but it was great. I got off the bus, wandered home with no real sense of purpose, went to my room and parked myself in front of the hi-fi with my sugary treats, mag-azine and CD.

One thing I never thought about again until I was punching barcodes

“THE CD WAS FREED FROm ITS PLASTIC PRISON AND WENT INTO THE PLAYER”


There’s School like SCHOOl.

foot away from me changed the way I listened to music. I didn’t know it then, but I sure as s**t know it now.

This is one of the things that I look back on and lament that the advance of technology and its social implica-tions mean that future generations will never get the tactile experience that we got with CDs, or - for you old-er readers - vinyl. The Internet and music TV have cheapened music, along with other arts. “Back when I was a lad” was a quote I would often hear from my grandfather when I was

young, and I don’t think I ever appre-ciated it, I just thought he was a lot older than me and could remember the war. But when I was a lad, we didn’t have instant access to songs, albums, biographies and countless information. It was coming, soon, and quick, but in the meantime, we had the excitement of the bus ride home with a bag of CDs or vinyl and the anticipation of getting back to our smelly teenage rooms to sample our wares.

Sometimes, we’d have to wait weeks to get an album, shops wouldn’t have it in stock, our pocket money had been spent on other teenage bulls**t, or we were at (or pretending to be at) school. This all added to the excite-ment of buying music. It meant something. Now, all people have to do to get and listen to an album is turn the computer on, type in a name, and

four and a half minutes later you have a low quality album on your computer, or phone. Now, you can stream music from the Internet to your f**king TV!

Music, as I - if somewhat briefly - knew it, has been cheapened by the fast-food-I-want-it-now-and-if-I-can’t-get-it-now-I’ll-do-something-else culture - brought on by the proliferation of the Internet. I have bought one album through iTunes. It cost me £7 odd, took the best part of 5 minutes to download and felt like I’d been robbed. £7, for a compressed recording, no artwork, no sleeve notes, nothing to put in the CD rack, and I’ve got to listen to it on the fucking computer.

Now, don’t get me wrong - the Internet has its merits. Countless merits, and digital music is happening, so there’s no point in pissing and moaning about it. It’s such a big thing now, if you don’t embrace it, you will get left behind. The last 10 to 15 odd years has seen record labels of all sizes vanish into the ether or be amalgamated into one of the majors, because they pan-icked about how the technology was changing, what has historically been a very lucrative business, or ignored it as a technological fad.

It’s funny how things come full circle - vinyl record sales are on the increase, and labels, both major and independent, are taking advantage of this. The one recurring pattern being that the majors are slow off the mark. And who cares? The major players in the recorded music industry floundering at the starting post is giving the independent labels and shops more room to move.

long may it continue.

Name: Toni Martone

About:Toni has been a musi-cian for 20 odd years, although you’d never be able to tell. When not playing bass with Edinburgh stoner rock cretins Gareeda, he runs Wasted State Records and nurtures a fast evolving record col-lection that receives more love and attention than most middle class children. In the process of writing his first book, there will be more meandering words from Toni in the near future.wastedstate.com

Who is..?

“NOW, YOU CAN STREAm mUSIC FROm THE INTERNET

TO YOUR F**kING TV!”



DOGTHE

PRESENTSREDDOGMUSIC

I

nstruments like the Roland Fantom G8 or Korg Kronos are a combination of a really powerful

synth, a piano, a vast library of instrumental sounds, a sequencer and multitrack audio recorder, a sampler and a live instrument with options to split and layer sounds any way you like. The great thing about it is that all of these

functions are incredibly high quality and relatively easy to use once you’re familiar with the interface.

Why would you bother with a workstation though, if you already have a high spec computer running DAW software that’s already loaded with sounds, samples and loops? The answer lies in how you want to produce music. Workstation keyboards can

a well defined, identifiable “sound” that is unique to each specific model.

Ultimately, the equipment you use should reflect your need as a musician. If you love to perform live, to sit and while away hours creating unique sounds and drawing inspiration from them, a hardware synth would be your new best

friend. If the idea of having a musical base of operations, where you can take musical ideas from embryonic idea to finished product all in the one place using an almost limitless array of sounds, the workstation keyboard will likely make your dreams come true!

give you great hands-on control of your software and also provide a totally different way of composing. For example, if you have been staring at a computer screen in work all day, sometimes it can be nice to leave that behind for a while and produce an idea using the worksta-tions own sequencer. Another benefit is that producing bits of tracks within a hardware sequencer can free up memory or processor power on your computer leaving it free to run other things more efficiently. Larger workstations are often equipped with 88 weighted, piano action keys which allow for incredibly expressive, enjoyable performance.

On the other hand, we have hardware synthesiser like the Nord Stage 2 and the Roland Jupiter 80. Hardware synths distinguish themselves as being dedicated to creating, combining and playing sounds. What they lack on the music-production front, they more than make up for as performance instruments. Hardware synths are usually entirely dependant on the sounds they can create internally, and whilst these options can be vast, their “limitations” often give

“liMiTATioNs ofTeN GiVe A well

defiNed, ideNTifiAble soUNd”

Oh, the dilemma between workstations

and synths! The main difference really is

that a workstation keyboard is designed to do pretty much a

bit of everything...

Nord Stage 2

Korg Kronos

synths

worksTATioNs

DOGTHE

PRESENTSREDDOGMUSIC

Taken from the

world-famous Dog Blog.

check out

blog.reddogmusic .co.uk

for more articles...

ThETop10...DOGTHE

PRESENTSREDDOGMUSIC

DOGTHE

PRESENTSREDDOGMUSIC


ThETop10...would be hard for an Edinburger to relate to, but that’s not the case. For all the cringe that can go with stadium rock, great songs always shine through. Plus, if attractive ladies are still clambering to grab your “junk” at 62 years old, then hats off all round.

Elliott Smith Music isn’t music without the tragic stories, and they’re only tragic in many cases because you wish certain people were

still around making music. Elliott Smith is one of those people. You’d be hard pressed to find any better example of honest songwriting.

Evan Dando Surviving heroin addiction AND being mates with the Gallagher brothers in the 90s? Good work i’d say. For me, The Lemonheads are one of the most underrated bands.

Great pop melodies combined with heartfelt lyrics are always likely to get my attention.

Jeff Buckley So we all know about the swoon-inducing

version of ‘Hallelujah’, but there’s much more to Jeff Buckley than the

one cover version. He made every song he played his and it

never mattered who wrote it originally. That’s something that virtually every musician tries to do at

some point.

Scott Walker You’re in a manufactured boy band with heartthrob status and all the perks that go with that. What do you do? Do you jack it all in and start making Jacques Brel inspired experimental baroque pop music? That’s what Scott did. That’s a pretty bold move I’d say. I’d like to see Harry Styles make an album with the slowed down sound of an apple falling off a table and using a cow carcass as percussion.

Stevie Wonder Stevie had Ray Parker Jr play on ‘Talking Book’. He clearly has a sixth sense when it comes to seeking out serious talent. That shows the level of genius we’re dealing with here.

Tom Waits Says he can breathe better underwater. I believe him. A brilliant storyteller in so much of his music that goes alongside some really experimental avant garde stuff too. Never anything less than brilliant.

constantly suffering the indignity of having to explain the concept of a musician performing under their own name whilst playing with a full band, here are Steve Heron’s Top Ten bands who perform under a person’s name. (on a similar note, Jesus and Mary chain are noT a couple).

Ryan Adams He’s not quite folk, country, rock, indie, or anything - but for me, he is all kinds of excellent. Also, he shops at Red Dog Music when he’s in Edinburgh. I saw him with my own eyes. I’ve also seen him inspire adoring silence amongst almost 2000 people by himself and reduce a grown man (not me) to tears of joy with The Cardinals backing him up. That says to me that Ryan Adams knows what he’s doing.

morrissey To me, he’s one of the best British lyricists ever and although he’s as popular as a fart in church with a lot of people, British music could do with a few more

people like him. Any writer worth their salt should always say

what they think and, love him or hate

him, he definitely does that!

James Brown Saw him live in his twilight years, but even at retirement age, you could see he marshalled his band like no other. Watch some of the live footage from the Soul Train shows in the 70s and look at the terror in the eyes of anyone who makes the slightest misstep.

Bruce Springsteen Despite being born more than 3000 miles apart and with more band members than Earth, Wind & Fire and The Polyphonic Spree combined, you would think that The Boss singing about muscle cars and all things Americana

“if ATTrAcTiVe lAdies Are sTill clAMberiNG To GrAb

yoUr “JUNk” AT 62 yeArs old, TheN hATs off All roUNd.”

Steve on BRUCE SPRINGTEEN

Name: Steve Heron

About:They sum up their sound as Melodramatic Popular Song. They’ve been likened to The Smiths and Talking Heads. Since their debut release in November 2010, they’ve supported the likes of Razorlight. In summer 2011, they released an EP pre-viewing a selection of songs that will feature on their debut album.

facebook.com/ steveheronmusic

10

9

8

7

“A brilliANT sToryTeller.”

Steve on TOm WAITS

6

2

1

5

7

6

18

10

3

9 4

5

4

3Who is..?

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PRESENTSREDDOGMUSIC

ThETop10...2

LIONS

DOGTHE

PRESENTSREDDOGMUSIC

GUest IntERVIEW

of Skulls, before they became big, in Sneaky Pete’s around the time when they released their first album. I bought a guy one drink after the gig and then they took us out and we got really really drunk. Owen: We picked their brains to find out what they’re like. They told us to get a tube amp, which was the best idea. Rupert: It really was! It changes the guitar sound so much. Analogue distortion is awesome and it sounds great! If you push it too far it still sounds great, while digital distortion just won’t work.

How do you prefer to record – dubbing or live? Owen: Doing it live is definitely better because you can never really know what’s going to happen. Rupert: And it’s not just about the sound. Two or three songs that we recorded for the album turned out completely differently from how they were originally written, but they work. Owen: Some of the old songs were recorded in my bedroom. Rupert: Yeah, but it sounds like a really good recording. Sometimes people are like ‘Man, how did you get that awesome four track sound?’ Basically, because we recorded it with one microphone.

What is your kit list? Owen: I use a Gretsch Electromatic Walnut guitar with a Marshall amp and a Blackstar HT-Drive Valve Overdrive pedal. Rupert: 3 piece Pearl Masters

Custom Kit with an undrilled bass, Vintage Premier 2000 snare drum, Tama Iron Cobra Single pedal, cymbals by Zildjian and I play with Vater Manhatten 7a sticks.

What’s your most memorable gig? Rupert: I did a gig with only one arm once - that was pretty awesome. I dislocated my shoulder a week before the gig so I had an arm in a sleeve. I think it went pretty well, actually. I was pretty impressed myself.

What’s the worst gig you’ve done? Owen: When nobody turns up. I think every band has to deal with that at some point. Rupert: Before a gig in Glasgow, we were told that someone from some magazine was coming to see us and the soundman was out-of-his-mind drunk. So, halfway through a song, he turned Owen’s guitar off. It was awful.

What would you put on your rider? Rupert: Whisky, a couple of beers and a clean t-shirt for me - I sweat a lot when I’m playing. Owen: Probably beer and, yes, clean underwear.

Just get your mums to come on tour with you. Where do you want to be in five years time? Owen: Sounds a bit cheesy but not even earning loads of money, as long as we can survive on this, I’m happy. Rupert: Yeah, to be able to live on this would be it! Even though a diamond encrusted pool would be pretty amazing. Probably danger-ous, though. It’s crazy – the amount of people that come up to us after the gig and say ‘Are you gonna be neuroscientist or go and do engineering? What’s it gonna be – the band or that?’ Obviously, the band! It’s so much better; it’s the best f**king job on the world - if you can call it a job!

Name: The Gold lions

About:The first time they picked up their instruments, it wasn’t because of the fame, the fortune and the group-ies – instead, it was down to the encouragement of their parents (super cool parents, then). Owen Robertson and Rupert lee have been playing instru-ments since childhood but it wasn’t until university that they met and decided to get together to create music and a good time for the crowd as The Gold lions. After having gradu-ated in Neuroscience and Mechanical Engineering, they’ve continued playing their fine brand of indie rock, with some dirty blues thrown in for good meas-ure. Their album - Elsie’s House - is about to be released. Watch this space.

facebook.com/thegoldlions

How do you write music? Rupert: Owen will start with an idea, then we’ll jam it out and sort out the arrangement together. He’ll make up lyrics and I’ll tell him they’re sh*t, he’ll make up some more lyrics and I’ll tell him they’re sh*t, then he’ll write some more lyrics which are good.

Does it make it easier or harder having just two members in the band? Owen: Way easier! We’ll never play a song the same way twice; there will be something different each time. That’s partly because we’re not prac-tising enough, and partly because, between the two of us, it makes it easier to change things up

depending on what the crowd want. Rupert: You can change the song really easily – Owen can nod at me and we’ll speed up or slow down, put a break or an extra solo in. The best thing about being a two-piece is when one of us messes up it’s so easy to cover it up. It’s brilliant!

Do you ever get fed up of each other? Owen: It’s like being in a fifty-year-long marriage. Rupert: We have quarrels. Owen doesn’t clean up. But it’s not that bad, actually.

What’s the best piece of musical advice you’ve been given? Rupert: We went to see Band

Who are?

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PRESENTSREDDOGMUSIC

GUest IntERVIEW


“i did A GiG wiTh oNly

oNe ArM oNce - ThAT wAs

preTTy AwesoMe.”

“As loNG As we cAN sUrViVe oN This,

i’M hAppy.”

GOLDTHE

A two-piece indie rock band with an aftertaste of the blues that won’t fade...... even long after the gig, once the lights have been switched back on and the room is left with only the sound guy tucking away the equipment. The energy that these Edinburgh based fellas – owen and Rupert – radiate on stage is unbelievable, so having them in front of me for an interview, in a much calmer state, makes me wonder whether there’s perhaps a need to worry about a serious case of bipolar disorder. Interview by Signe Akmenkalne

NeWs&eVeNtsDOGPRESENTS

THEREDDOGMUSIC

W

e’re rather excited to announce that, after

several logistical night-mares, we have taken delivery of what we believe to be Scotland’s Largest Guitar! The instrument is a 13ft tall, 192kg resonator, reminiscent of the instrument from the cover of Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms album.

The guitar has murky

origins, though it is thought to have originally been built for a restaurant in London prior to appearing on eBay and being snapped up by Red Dog Music.

An extremely accurate scale model, the strings and tuning pegs actually work, though we intend to get our luthier, Rod Vaughan, to take a look at the action.

Come in and check it out!

red dog news


FEATURED• • EVERY 2ND TUESDAY (8.30PM-LATE) • •

UKE BoogiE with Pockets

@ THE BANSHEE LABYRINTH, EDINBURGH

IN-STORE• • • • • SAT 27TH OCT (11AM-4PM) • • • • •

EpIpHONE DaYWIn a Les PauL! Dress like a famous Les Paul player and Win the instrument of your dreams! costumes will be judged at 3pm The winner will get an EPIPHONE LES PAUL.

other prizes and goodies for runners-up.@ RED DOG mUSIC

• • • • • SAT 27TH NOV (11AM-4PM) • • • • •

ROLAND PIANOS WIth James tayLorRoland’s very own piano man will be in store demonstrating our beautiful range of Roland keys.

@ RED DOG mUSIC

REDDOGMUSIC

EVENTSU P C O M I N G

Red Dog music takes delivery of Scotland’s Largest Guitar!

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THE DOG - AUTUMN 2012