The Dog - Winter 2010

8/6/2019 The Dog - Winter 2010

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WINTER 2010 THE DOG 3

DOGMUSICPRESENTS

THE

CONTENTS

CrEdiTSEDITOR

Roberta Pia0131 229 8211

[email protected]

DEPUTY EDITORAlex Marten0131 229 8211

[email protected]

CHIEF WRITERRoberta Pia

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERAndy McKay

(Purrrfect Photography)

CONTRIBUTORSKirsten Adamson, Will Baker, Garry Boyle,

Tony Flatt, Dave Gardner, Laura Hamilton,Dave Hook, Martyn Hopkins, Phil Hopwood,

Roger Jacobs, Nick Koumentakis,Michael Lambert, Chris Lyth, Alex Marten,

Andy McKay, Guy Perchard, Dan Prasad,Michael Sanden, Jamie Turnbull, Dave Tynan,

Graeme Urquhart, Rod Vaughan

SHOP PHOTOGRAPHSDN Anderson

www.dnanderson.co.uk

ADVERTISING

Roberta Pia0131 229 8211If you would like to advertise in The Dog,

please email [email protected]

FRONT COVER ILLUSTRATIONBudi Ibud

[email protected]

DESIGN & ART DIRECTIONThe 16K Design Works

0131 661 3737

[email protected]

CONTACTRed Dog Music

1 Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2HY

0131 229 [email protected]

www.reddogmusic.co.uk


3/23

AUTUMN 2010 THE DOG 5

LoUdoN WAINWRIghTIII & JoE hENRyYou CaNT Fail ME Now

ETTA JAMEsa SuNdaY KiNd oF lovE

FIELd MUsIclETS wRiTE a BooK

hARRy NILssoNME aNd MY aRRow

MAhALA RAI BANdAMahalagEaSCa (Bcn db)

sLAsh FEATURINgMILEs KENNEdySTaRlighT

ThE ALTERNATIvEiaMX

JAcKsoN 5wEvE goT a good

ThiNg goiNgName:Roberta Pia

About:

Roberta loves music,

the colour red and dogs.

She writes for and

fronts a band called The

Banana Sessions who

sing songs about tea and

Buckfast and once upon

a time she ate a huge

spoonful of margarine

thinking it was ice

cream. Dont judge her,

she was only wee.

PACK PROFILE#01

oll up; roll up...

for the very

first issue of

Red Dog Musics

brand spanking

new magazine.

Finally, our little puppy has arrived

and boy oh boy, what a plethora of

musical treats it has in store for you.

The Dog would like to take this

moment to solemnly declare, from

this day forward, to deliver all things

bright and musical to you through

the art of the old school fanzine.

The reason we started this

thing up is... well, there

are a couple of reasons

why we did. First and

foremost, we want to

spread the Red Dog

Music love far and wide -

that means we want

everyone and their dog to

know all about our super

cool and super friendly

music store. The other

reason is simple - we

wanted to create some-

thing tangible that you

can hold in your hands,

ogle with your eyes and

keep for the rest of your

life so youll treasure us

forever and tell all your

pals about us. Basically,

we just wanted to make

something cool and in our

humble opinion, our fan-

zines where its at.

So, The Dog has been born and bred

and you are one of the lucky ones

who happen to be reading it right

now. The articles in this first issue

have come from a number of sourc-

es, including both local and

established musicians as well as our

own Red Dog staff and customers. If

you keep up to date with our e-news-

letters or Facebook, youll have

noticed we gave a few shout outs forsome customer input in the form of

articles. We need your opinion! so

please send us gig reviews, product

reviews, musical Dos & Donts, tips

on how to play air guitar... whatever

you want really. Wed love to tickle

you behind the ears!

DOGMUSICPRESENTS

THE

EdiTOriAL TOp dOGSThE Top TUneS oN ThEshop sTEREo ThIs IssUE

MUSICS

R

So, The Dog haS beenborn anD breD.

Checkourblogat...

RedDogMusic.co.uk

THE DOG WINTER 2010


4/23

THE DOG AUTUMN 2010

We tik f

sil leeds,

Fitless e it

tee st te

best f te. Tts

w I ldt et

slee we Siste Bliss

eed t d tisiteiew f Te D...Interview by Roberta Pia

LESS

FaI h



5/23

Faithless

THE DOG WINTER 2010

*Which faithless record are you mostproud of?

Im proud of all of them in different ways but

single-wise, I think Mass Destruction wasa brave and exciting record. It broke the

tradition of Faithless releasing dance

anthems as our first singles off each new

album, and the lyrics were a politically

charged anti- war protest. We thought it

would get banned - especially in America,

but it actually got loads of radio play and

attention over there.

*How do you go about writing a new tune?Its different every time. Sometimes it starts

with a chord sequence, sometimes the beats

and a bass-line, sometimes song titles or

themes, or a chorus... and so on. .. Its a

very organic process, even though its

electronic music.


Oneofthemostlovedand

used

ynthesizersbyprofessiona

lsandhobbyistsalike!

Williamrbit,NormanCoo

k,Underworld,Leftfield,

TheProdigy,Vangelis,and

TheChemicalBrothers

haveusedthissynthexten

sively!

Itbelongsinyourstudio!

Roland V Synth GT

Yamaha Motif

Korg MS 2000

aithless

hich bit of gear would you recom-

mend to the musical masses?

I think a Mac is pretty essential

these days - especially if youve

no particular skill on an instrument.

You can still get an idea down or

make a tune using only a computer.

*What is your current musical set-up?It changes depending on the context. For

live shows I use 4 synths the Roland

JP8000, the Korg Ms 2000, the Yamaha

Motif and the Roland V Synth GT. In the

studio, the list is endless!

*What is yourfavourite synth?

Probably the Roland

Juno -106 - classic

analogue gear.

We used it on all

our early records-

but its a little bit

temperamental

to take on the

road with us.

Roland JP 8000

*What do you want your musicto achieve?

We just want as many people as possible to

hear it, (without having to make it cheesy or

commercial) and if they get somethingpositive and nourishing from it, then they can

come back to enjoy it over and over again.

Thats as much as anyone can ask.

*What tips would you give to anyonewanting to emulate the sound of faithless?

Be true to yourself. Emulating

another bands sound may

be useful to help you find

your own sound in the short

term (the musical equivalent

of being in a covers band) but

ultimately, its way more fun

to discover a sound that is

uniquely your own, even if it

draws from many influences.

Also, I think Faithless is pretty

hard to emulate.

*Did you manage to getsome sleep yet?

Not this weekend.

* If god is a dj, who wouldbe playing at the after

party?

I think a classic set from

the late Larry Levan would

be pretty damn groovy

and celestial!

uLTImaTELy, ITS Way morEFun To DIScovEra SounD ThaT IS

unIquELy your oWn

ITS a vEry organIcprocESS, EvEn Though ITS

ELEcTronIc muSIc

FaIThLESS

Four Synthesisers vital

to the Faithless live

experience

TheRolandJuno-106

ON THE ROAD


6/23

THE DOG AUTUMN 2010

WHARF-

EDALE

I

Tanglewood TSM1Acoustic Guitar(Rrp: 1,226.04 / Red Dog Price: 1,199.00)

If I could recommend an

acoustic guitar it would

be the Tanglewood TSM1

designed by Michael

Sanden, the Swedish guitar

Luthier. His instruments start

around the 4000 mark and go

upwards from there. He has

teamed up with the Tanglewood

team to produce these beautiful

guitars. Michael admitted to me

when he was in the shop that

he wished that he could source

the same quality of woods

that Tanglewood have at this

price point.I have been using this

guitar for the past six

months with Hop-

wood and Black

both in the studio

and at gigs and

always have comp-

liments about

my overall

guitar tone.

Both unplugged with a nice cond-

enser mic in front of it for recording

or using the B-Band A1 pickup sys-

tem for live use, the guitar always

sings with rich overtones.

Its extremely comfortable and has

really great intonation which has alot to do with the zero fret accord-

ing to Michael, and of course it

looks great too with its two piece

ebony nick and Grover machine

head with matching ebony but-

tons... a real steal at the price!

THIS GUITARALWAYS SINGS WITHRICH OVERTONES

Alternative Recommendations

Farida R52E Electro Acoustic Guitar (549.99)

Martin OMC1E Electro Acoustic Guitar (1,099.00)

Martin OMC160GTE Electro Acoustic Guitar (1,699.00)

A few of the Red Dog Music stafftake time out to tell us whatthey think are the coolest bitsof gear in-store at the moment.Lets meet them and find outwhat they think rawks...PICKS!

PRoduCT

Name:

Phil

About:

This Liverpudlian

guitarist used to play

for 60s band The Four-

most, managed by The

Beatles manager, Brian

Epstein. He also is the

proud owner of the flat-

test feet this side of

Birkenhead.... he says

they are central to the

dancin. Phil currently

plays guitar with a duocalled Hopwood & Black

who will be perform-

ing at Hair of The

Dog Sundays on

30/01/11. If

youd like to

check out their

la la lovely music,

go to myspace.

com/hop-

woodandblack

and treat

your ears to

something

delicious.

PACK PROFILE#02

Buyonlineat:

RedDogMusic.co.uk

orvisitusatthesh

op

foraDemo!



7/23


Roland MicroCube Bass RX(Rrp: 209.00 / Red Dog Price: 179.00)

1.Its battery powered so no longerwill the acoustic bass be the

only option for jammin in the park.

2.It has an Auto Wah mode forthose essential Bootsy Collinsmoments.

3.A built in tuner for... tuning,funnily enough.

4.A Headphone out and line outso you can connect it tointerfaces, desks etc.

5.Built in compression so you cansmooth out your playing.

6.Line in so you can use abattery powered mixer to addextra inputs.

7.Its completely portable so youcan jump on a bus with it andhave a jam.

8.It includes a drum machine great for practising chops.

9.

As well as a tap tempo

for setting the speed of

the drum machine.

10.And last but not least, afootswitch for turning FXon and off with ease.

IT HAS ANAUTO WAH FORTHOSE BOOTSYCOLLINS MOMENTS.

Top 10 reasons why you should get your hands on this bit of kit...

Roland TD4KXElectronic Drum Kit(RRP: 1,299.00 / Red Dog P rice: 949.00)

AlternativesRecommendations

Impact DD502J Electronic Drum Kit(299.00)

Alesis DM10 Studio Electronic Drum Kit (699.99)

Roland TD9KX Electronic V-Drum Kit (1,569.00)

T he Roland TD-4KX is

one of the most

dynamic, playable and

responsive electronic

drum kits on the market at the

moment. It has been exceptionallypopular because it provides excep-

tional value for money by taking

technology straight out of Rolands

high end electronic kits like the

TD-20KX and puts it into a very

affordable and compact drumming

package. Whether you are a beginner

or a seasoned pro, the TD-4 KX is

great for learning, recording, jamming

and gigging, all for less than 1000!

Heres a rundown of some of the

key features and how they can ben-

efit you or the drummer in your life!

Mesh heads on all the drums to

accurately recreate the feel of

acoustic drum skins; you can even

use a drum key on them to set

adjust the tension to suit your play-

ing style.

25 Amazing preset drum kits and

125 drum sounds that are fully cus-tomisable to suit any style of music.

Rhythm coach mode to help

practice rudiments and timing.

Quick record mode to instantly

capture a recording of your drum-

ming genius!

Incredibly responsive and flexible

drum module that responds to your

style of playing no matter how fast,

slow, quiet, loud, metal, good, bad,

old, young etc. you are.

Solid frame thats portable and

tough enough for gigging!

Mix input that allows you to jam

along with your favourite tunes via

iPod or MP3 player. Unleash your

inner Bonham!

3 Year Manufacturers guarantee

along with unlimited tech support

from yours truly!

Above all else this kit is an absolute

joy to play and like all electronic kits,

you can practice it or jam with friends

without acquiring an ASBO. Quality!

UNLEASH YOURINNER BONHAM!


Orange Crush 35B Bass Combo (119.00)

Peavey Max 112 Bass Combo (175.00)

Line 6 LD150 1X12 Bass Combo (379.00) Buyonlineat:

RedDogMusic.co.uk

orvisitusattheshop

foraDemo!

Name:

Willy B

About:

Willy B is a serial jammer

of the finest degree,

originally from Gods

own country, he rips the

bass like it aint nobodys

business, his musical

interest lies mainly in

folk & blues stylings and

he is proud to have been

named after not one, but

TWO generals of the

American Civil War. Will

owns a Vespa. His

favourite food is chicken

kiev. His favourite col-

our is blue. And last butcertainly by no means

least; he is currently the

owner of a plethora of

pairs of socks.

PACK PROFILE#03Name:

Dave G

About:

Dave G works in the

Roland Planet in Red Dog

Music. This basically

means hes the residenttechie geek for all things

Roland & Boss and after

4 years, hes gotten to

know nearly ALL of their

products exceedingly

well. He loves going to

watch live music of any

kind whenever he can.

He also writes and plays

keys in a band. In his

spare time, he enjoys

long walks that have a

pub at the end of them.

He also likes going to

the cinema to see any-

thing that has

explosions,

aliens, mar-

tial arts, lots

of running

around and carchases in it.

Buyonlineat:

RedDogMusic.co.uk

orvisitusatthesh

op

foraDemo!

PACK PROFILE#04

PICKS!

PRoduCTPICKS!PRoduCT

THE DOG WINTER 2010 WINTER 2010 THE DOG 13


8/23


PICKS!PRoduCT

Moog MinimoogVoyager Performer Edition

(RRP: 2,859.84 / RED DOG PRICE: 2,429.00)

Roberta Why?

Andy Because its

freakin awesome

dude.

Into synths? Never heard of Moog?

You must be dead or have spent

your life in a bubble.

If you ARE into synths then this

update on the original classic Mini-

moog should float your electronica

boat. With a classic sound that will

make your annoying neighbours

knick knacks fall off the mantelpiece,

sonically disrupt any student party

at 100 paces and freak out cats and

dogs with its orgasmic oscillators

and frequency melting filters... this

keyboard is THE reason why the

word synthesizer exists.

(Buy one if you dare.

He isnt joking.)

THIS KEYBOARDIS THE REASONWHY THE WORDSYNTHESIzEREXISTS.


Korg Monotron Analogue Ribbon Synthesizer(50.00), Roland GAIA SH-01 Synthesiser (499.00),

Moog Little Phatty Stage II Analog Synth (865.00)

monster that features the same classic

analogue filter found in the legendary

Korg MS-10 & MS-20, as well as

having an inspiring, easy-to-play

ribbon keyboard and intuitive fun-

to-tweak controls. This is truly a

palm-sized synth, powered by a

supplied pair of AAA batteries and

with a miniscule built-in speaker.

The ace up Monotrons sleeve is its

ability to process external sounds via

auxiliary input.

MusicRadar.com.

REDDOG PRICE: 50

Blue MikeyWith this awesome bit of

kit, you can turn your iPod

or iPhone into a high quality

stereo recording device -

perfect for sneaky, cheeky

recordings of gigs, rehearsals,

interviews, whatever you like.

Blue Mikey has 3 sound

sensitivity levels for you to

choose from (careful not to

knock him as hes a sensitive

little dude and doesnt like

massively loud banging

noises) and all YOU have to

do is pick one, plug straight

into your iPhone, place the

microphone in your desiredposition and record away

through a simple application

such as Voice Memo.

Recording stuff has never

been any easier than this...

so get involved.

REDDOG PRICE: 59

This is by far one of the

coolest things weve

seen in a while. What

with the iPhone gener-

ation going strong,

obviously the guitar

industry wanted to jump on

board so theyve come up

with this nifty little guitar

audio interface that allows

you to rock out with com-

plete ease. Obviously this

must be used in conjunction

with your iPhone or iPod. It

works with all electric guitars,

basses etc and can be used

with any recording, process-ing or tuning

application and

will allow you to

be the most port-

able rock and

roller in the world.

Just plug your

guitar into your

iphone through

the Peavey Amp-

kit Link, plug in

your earphones/

amp and RAWK

OUT. Its a winner.

REDDOG PRICE: 29

TC ElectronicPolyTuneThis is the worlds FIRSTpolytuner - amazinglyenough. You can strum allsix strings at once and itlltell you immediately whichones are sharp, flat or intune by providing an instantoverview of the pitch of all

your strings in one sin-gle display. Prettycool, eh? This is

an excellent buyas it makes tun-

ing your guitarmuch quicker and

more efficient thannormal. MusicRadar

say: A significantstomp forward,destined for pedal-

boards everywhere!.We agree with them

wholeheartedly.

REDDOG PRICE: 69

PeaveyAmpkitLink

The beauty of this little amp, and I

speak from experience, is this: although its

only little, itll make you look super cool -

and its got a sweet wee sound to boot, for

its size anyway. It looks just like your regular

Marshall amp (maybe one thats been

shrunk in the washing machine though) but

its totally portable - itll fit in your bag, may-be even your

pocket if you

wear really, really

baggy jeans. All

you have to pro-

vide is your guitar,

your lead and

some batteries

and you can rock

out wherever,

whenever you

like. Perfect for all

you street buskers

out there.

REDDOG PRICE: 23

Marshall MS2 Micro Amp

Buyonlineat:

RedDogMusic.co.uk

orvisitusattheshop

foraDemo!

Name:

Andy

About:

Andy likes weird sounds.

Thats what hes all about...

and the stranger and

even more obscure the

sounds, the better. He

likes experimental syn-

thesis: which basically

means taking something,

anything, and making it

do something it wasnt

designed for. His main

hobbies include photo-

graphy (Purrrfect Photo-

graphy, all shapes and

sizes but if anyone needs

a band photographer give

him a shout) quantumphysics, cryptology,

computing and mountain

biking. He also enjoys

long walks on the beach

and dancing in the rain.

Andy is most famous for

his leopard print hair.

PACK PROFILE#05

StockingFillers

Korg MonotronThis dinky wee beast of an ana-

logue synth has been made famous

by Internet sensations, Brett Domino

& Steven Peavis (of the infa-

mous Brett Domino Trio who

appeared on Britains Got

Talent). Careful though,dont be fooled by its

size because in

reality its a little

PICKS!

PRoduCT

THE DOG WINTER 2010 WINTER 2010 THE DOG 15


9/23

ou came to Red Dog

Music on your UK

Masterdesign tour

last year, what was your impressionof the store?

MS:Red Dog Music was our first

stop to promote the new Tanglewood

Masterdesign series. These guitars

are my babies so naturally, I was nerv-

ous of how people would like them.

On entering the store, there was a

very professional feeling about it: the

staff looked after

us well and they

were eager to

learn about the

guitars. We had a

wonderfully atten-

tive crowd so we

were delighted

with the response

- I still have the

Red Dog Music

business card

on my pin-board to remind me of

what a good music store it is.

You are Scandinavias #1 luthier and

your handmade instruments com-

mand premium prices, what madeyou decide to work with Tangle-

wood on Masterdesign instruments?

MS:I was exhibiting my own Sandn

Guitars at a show and Tanglewood

approached me about making their

Masterdesign models because my

unique bridge design caught their inter-

est. I wanted to design a guitar that

was different, used all solid wood and

wasnt just another beefed up version

of a jumbo, covered in mother of pearl.

If you l ook closely, youll see that there

is not one single detail that is exact-

ly the same as on my own guitars.

Every element is a little different the

bridge design, the headstock design

they are only similar in my approach.

Why the zero fret ?

MS:Ive used a zero fret

on all 400-ish guitars that

Ive built, bar maybe 5.

When I started building gui-

tars, the teacher I had was also

very into this concept. At first, I

thought the zero fret was only for

cheap guitars because in the 50s,

a lot of cheap guitars had zero frets.

However, the zero fret is good for three

reasons: String Height (you can play

the same guitar for 25 years, change

the zero fret and you have exactly thesame string height as before), Balance

(on the zero fret, you always have met-

al hitting the strings meaning you get

a much better balance between open

chords and bar chords) andAction &

Intonation (because there is a round-

ed edge on the nut, the string needs

to have a sharp edge exit to get the

right intonation.)

Red Dog Music

proudly supplies

Masterdesign gui-

tars to some very

discerning players

on the local music

scene and beyond.

In your opinion,

will the guitars age

well, and improve

over the years?

MS:Like any top flight instru-

ment, Tanglewood Masterdesign is

designed with soundboards and mate-

rials of the very best quality, chosen for

their ability to age gracefully and withincreasing tonality. Building a residual

and evolving character to all our gui-

tars is a feature we are most proud

of and it definitely sets us apart from

other models. We

pride ourselves

on our classic,

contemporary,

understated cos-

metic. If you like

the look of the

Masterdesign,

we can assure

youll love the

sound and over

the years, it will

only improve.

Tony Flatt from Tanglewoodtalks to Michael Sanden about

his beautifully hand-crafted

Master Design series

guitars, the inner

workings of his gui-

tar-building mind and

what he thinks of Red

Dog Music.

MIChaeL

Sanden

ON...

Y

I waNTEDTO DESIGNa GuITaRTHaT waSDIffERENT

SPOTLIGHT

Michael Sanden &HomesickMac with oneofMichaelsguitarsattheFrankfurtshow.



10/23


he general consensus,

shared by musicians

and philosophers of

aesthetics alike, is that

music is a form of expression. To para-

phrase (by which I mean misquote)

someone whose name I have either

forgotten or (more likely) never knew,

talking about music is like dancing

about architecture. Its very essence is

that it is a form of expression in itself;

we strum, hit, scrape, blow and tickle

(occasionally) things in order to make

sounds, rhythms, melodies and harmo-

nies that will express those things that

are otherwise inexpressible, or at least

hard to express.

Exactly what we try to express

through music varies wildly from adoles-

cent angst to religious fervour to street-

wise swagger and all manner of emotions

in between, but what all forms of music

have in common is that they strive

to express something.

Expressing yourself is about

communicating your inner feelings

to others, and this is what I am

rather slowly driving at: without

others to express our music to,

the music very quickly loses its

purpose and, ultimately, its value.

This is why the creation of music

is inherently a social interaction;

it is about people coming together

to express things to each other

and to the rest of the world, it is

about communication.

And how is this relevant to

you, O world-weary reader?

T

This is possibly the most infuriatingly open-ended way

to start an article in a magazine that predominantly concerns

itself with the production of music but, hey, if TheDogs

articles arent written to infuriate musicians and producers,

what are theywritten for? ByAlexMarten(ManagingDi

rector,

RedDogMusic)



11/23


It is relevant to you because, slowly

but surely, musicians and producers like

you are being encouraged (no doubt for

insidious, shadowy purposes) to make

music alone.

As a musically inclined person, it is

now surprisingly easy to bypass all forms

of direct human interaction when creating

music. All the gear you need can be

ordered online and delivered to your door.

The gear in question can include virtual

session players who can replace your

friends or, if this isnt good enough, you

can virtually jam live online, via services

such as eJamming, with other musicians

around the world.

Its only a matter of time before Native

Instruments release a VST plugin called

Rekord Kontrakt that not only composes

a song, plays all the parts, mixes and

masters it, but also both submits the

resulting track to a record company and

generates a meticulously-modelled virtual

rejection letter from said company, thus

completing the process known only too

well to many of us real musicians.

Ultimately we lowly humans wont be

required to engage in the process what-

soever. Hooray! Er...

OK - this may be a little bit

far-fetched - but it is true to say

that every single part of the musicproduction process can now be

carried out in the box,

alone in your room.

But can it really?

Yes, the so-called

Communications

Revolution -

the rise of

the internet

and (almost)

instantane-

ous data

sharing - has

meant that

we can share

basic information that can be com-

municated digitally, but does this

really apply to live music?

I would argue that it doesnt,

that no super-high-bandwidth

information uber-highway, no cut-

ting-edge online collaboration

service, can match the imme-

diacy of the communication

involved when performing in a

room with other players. Any-

one who plays in a band will

know that, at a good gig or

practice, each band member

communicates with the others

via incredibly subtle signals - the

nodding of a head, tapping of a foot,

winking of an eye. So subtle are these

signals, in fact, that the band membersthemselves may not even know that they

are doing anything. Can we really expect

a computer to pick this up? There is an

almost magical instantaneity to this

process, an instant psychic connection -

no latency, not just low latency - and,

for this reason, there is a great joy to it

that cannot be replicated by computer

based interactions, let alone by virtual

accompanists, and the resulting music

has depth, expression and soul.

Many home producers will

know the feeling of emptiness

that can accompany a day or

evening of coming up with per-

fectly good musical ideas that

just dont seem to go anywhere.

This is because music is a con-

versation - making it completely

alone is like talking to yourself,

and we all know where that leads...

So what? So stop playing

with yourself (fnarr) and get outthere and play with others (oo-er),

meet like-minded (real, physical)

musicians, hang out in your local

music shop, go to jam sessions

and engage with others, commu-

nicate with them and, as N.W.A.

would say (or at least sample),

express yourself. You will learn

to communicate more effectively

though your music and your

music will thus undoubtedly

become richer, more expressive

and ultimately better.

(Originally featured in Sound on Soundmagazine.)

MUSIC IS ACONVERSATION,

MAKING IT ALONE IS LIKE

TALKING TO YOURSELF

Name:

Alex Marten

About:

Alex is the owner and

founder ofRed Dog

Music, as well as being

the keyboard player and

guitarist in afro space-

funk bandAsazi Space

Funk Explosion.

His greatest non-musical

achievement is having

eaten 14 Weetabix in a

single sitting.

PACK PROFILE#02

0 THE DOG WINTER 2010


12/23

Dos&DonTSThe of. ..

By Garry Boyle of CP Productions

aking sure your guitarsand basses are healthyM

before getting into the studio is the first step togetting a fantastic sound. Fresh strings and agood tuner get you a substantial amount of theway there; however, if the intonation on theinstrument is out it will never be in tune. Asimple and inexpensive guitar set up will getyour guitar back into shape, in tune and play-ing as well as the day you got it.

Is ThATgUITAR IN

TUNE?

At some point in your career,

you will need to recordyour music. Regardless

of whether youre a do-it-yourself

engineer or youve booked into apro studio, this guide should help

you avoid the common pitfallsthat bands fall into pretty regularly

when recording for the first time.



13/23


s with the guitars, a littlelove and care will get your

kit into shape before the studio.

A

Some fresh skins on the snare, toms and kickand proper tuning will go a long way to gettinga great drum sound. Listen to the engineer andhis advice as to where the drums should go inthe live room and take their advice regardingany little tuning tweaks or dampening theymay suggest.

etting a sound you like at

the very start is the quickestGway to a good sounding recording. There isonly so much an engineer can do after the re-cording to manipulate the sound to how youwant it, so communicate what you want BE-FORE you start so everyone understands whatyou expect. Do remember that your favouriteband sound the way they do because of howthe musicians interact with their instrumentsin whatever studio they were in at the timeand recreating the exact sound will be veryhard, if not impossible. Finding your ownsound or style will do much more for your ca-reer long term than to copy whatever is cur-rently in trend.

our studio session will runon a balance between

quality and quantity.

Y

As with anything, the more time and effort youput into it, the better the result will be. Book-ing two days of studio time and expecting torecord an album to a high standard is very un-likely. Take the time to record a few of yourbest tracks and get the best performance andsound you can. One well recorded track with abrilliant performance will stand out far morethan a whole bunch of average tracks withweak performances.

he human voice is the mostcomplex of instrumentsT

and can be affected by a number of factors in-cluding tiredness, nerves and general abuse(alcohol and smoking are common causeshere). As a singer you need to be comfortableand ready to deliver not only the vocal but aperformance that will draw the listener in. Besure to warm up before getting into the vocalbooth by going over some simple vocal exer-cises (which you can find online) or by singingalong to the track acoustically. Have your lyricslearned and a paper copy with you for thatmind blank on verse 2 syndrome. Be preparedto try out a few mics so the engineer can findthe one in their collection that complimentsYOUR voice.

WhAT ToExpEcT FRoM

yoURsEssIoN

gETTINgThE soUNd ATsoURcE

vocALs

dRUMs

MeetGarryBoyle...Garry is a well-known and very talented Edinburgh producer who has worked with an array of local bandsincluding Bombskare, The Banana Sessions, Rossco Galloway & The Chans and The Discordian Trio, toname only a few. As well as studio recording, hes also done a lot of live recording at venues in and aroundEdinburgh, his upcoming one being Live at The Jazz Bar which features the finest selection of bands re-corded live from the infamous Jazz Bar on Chambers Street. If you want to check out his work or get in

touch about getting some studio/live recording done for your band, visit www.c-p-productions.com

ast but by no means least,bring spares.L

Spare strings, spare batteries for pedals, sparedrum sticks and spare guitar leads. These littleinexpensive spares will keep the session runningand prevent you holding the session up whilstthe drummer nips out to get you a battery whenyours dies.

Make sure you are well rehearsed and all knowthe material the way you will be recording it(discuss this with the engineer). If you plan torecord to a click, practice with a metronome, ifyou plan on recording the vocal after the band,practice without the singer. Playing to a clickor without the guidance of a vocal for the firstcan really throw your performance and make apiece of music you know well seem alien, so get

this under control in the rehearsal room.

Remember that recording is a fun process butexpect to put in some hard graft and concen-tration to get the best out of yourself. Prepara-tion, communication and organization are thekey to the success of any project. Good luckand happy tracking.

pREpARATIoN

Dos&DonTSThe of.. .Dos&DonTST he of...

4 THE DOG WINTER 2010 WINTER 2010 THE DOG 25


14/23


Genelec Speakers have been usedin so many studios worldwide it

would take about 3 hours to read

through their user list. The reason

for this is the exceptional level of detail

they reveal in the music. Mixing music

on Genelecs is a real joy and its easy to

see why they are held in such high

esteem with professional engineers.

Deep, powerful bass, clear, transparent

mid range and a wonderfully detailed

top end are attributes that define the

Genelec range.

AdAM

gENELEc

ThEIR pREcIsE ANd cLEAR soUNdIs vERy EAsy oN ThE EAR

MIxINg MUsIcoN gENELEcs IsA REAL Joy ANdITs EAsy To sEEWhy ThEy AREhELd IN sUchhIgh EsTEEM

Adam Monitors have a

great reputation and

really do give you

more for your money.

With their Rohacell/carbon

fibre woofer and Accelerat-

ing Ribbon Technology

tweeter (ART), they allow

you to see right into the mix,

picking up on the smallest

of details. Their precise and

clear sound is also very

easy on the ear and not at

all fatiguing, even on

marathon mixing sessions.

Whether you are mixing

jazz, thrash metal or drum

and bass, your music will be

re-produced with stunning

precision and accuracy.

A LOOK AT SOME OF THE BEST PRODUCTS IN THEIR CATEGORY, THIS ISSUE ITS...

MONITORS

RoundUp



15/23


Your Excellency, with

these distinctive

white cones you are

really spoiling us.

Yamaha Monitors are

without doubt the most

recognisable speakers in the

world. The legendary NS10s

have been a staple in

professional studios for 25

years, and the love affair

seems set to continue with

Yamahas updated

models, the HS

series. Its clear that they

have been tweaked slightly

for the modern era and, to

our ears, they sound much

better for it. The mid range

is still incredibly detailed, but

the bass is now much more

evident. If you do find that

you need yet more bass

then simply hook up the

sub, which will give you a

full range set up.

WIThoUT doUBT ThEMosT REcogNIsABLE

spEAKERs IN ThE WoRLd

hIgh qUALITypRoFEssIoNAL

MoNIToRsThAT ARE WELL

WoRTh ThE FEWExTRA pENNIEs

Dynaudio make high

quality professional

monitors that are well

worth the few extra

pennies. Superbly balanced and with a

non-fatiguing sound that delivers punchy,

controlled bass and a mid range that is perfect

for analytically examining recordings. The

separation is also excellent with everything

coming through clean and clear without

a trace of muddiness.

Mackie Monitors have been

incredibly popular for many years

and its not hard to see why. A big

full sound is what you get with

Mackie and if you are mixing music that

delivers a visceral punch like Rock, Dance

or Reggae, Mackie really steps up to the

mark. The low-end is where they have won

many admirers and the mid and high detail

on offer is not too shabby either. With a

great price versus performance ratio and a

build quality that would withstand a Martian

invasion, they are well worth a look.

ThE LoW-ENdIs WhERE ThEyhAvE WoNMANyAdMIRERs

ThEsE MoNIToRs,ARE sTARTINg ToFINd ThEIR WAyINTo MANypRo sTUdIos

dyNAUdIo

MAcKIE

ThEsE MoNIToRs ARE vERy EAsyTo MIx oN ANd oFFER A

REvEALINg soUNd ALEsIs

Again and again,

Alesis have managed

to turn out very

affordable sets of

monitors that are capable

of giving great results.These monitors are very

easy to mix on and offer a

revealing sound that

will soon alert

you to any problems. I

know a producer who could

pretty much have his pick of

any monitors, but he has

stuck with his Alesis as he

knows their sound andcontinually turns out

amazing sounding

professional mixes.

KRK

If price and performance are close

to your heart and your wallet, you

could do a lot worse than check

out what KRK have to offer.

These monitors, like the established

Genelecs, are starting to find their way

into many pro studios and that is not

surprising as there is a lot to like about

them. Great detail, dynamics, and

image width and depth are all to be

found here. With their 8 inch driver,

they deliver deep accurate bass that is

tight and never overbearing, so youll

have no trouble hearing whats

happening in those bottom octaves.

Attheendoftheday,

nothingcomparestositting

downinfrontofapair(ormore)

inawell-treatedenvironment

andlisteningtofamiliarmusic

throughthem.Youllveryquicklyworkoutwhatfeaturesmattermosttoyou.

INCONCLUSION...

If you want your mixes towork on a variety of

different speakers, you needtoinvest in quality monitors.

Dont skimp! Howevergood the rest of your gear

is, you wont be able to tellwithout a good pair of monitors.

If you go to a shop tocheck out different

monitoring options, make sureto bring some music that you arefamiliar with.

Place your monitors a fixeddistance apart, and sit at

the point of an equilateral

triangle between them.

Invest in a pair of monitorstands to ensure the

tweeters are fixed in position atear height.

1

2

3

45

ALOOKATSOMEOFTHEBESTPRODUCTSINTHEIRCATEGORY, THISISSUEITS...MONITORS

RoundUpA LOOK AT SOME OF TH

EBEST PRODUCTS INTHEIR CATEGORY,THISIS

SUE ITS...

MONITORS

RoundUp

yAMAhA

5TOP

TipSMONITOR



16/23

0 THE DOG AUTUMN 2010

Describe your musical stylein three worDs.Hip Hop, ken?

your best anD worst gigs?Best, so far, would have to be Edinburghs

Hogmanay 2010 - just for the sheer number

of people and what an amazing crowd it

was. 20,000 maddies jumping around like

lunatics. Also, this summers T in the Park

was superb, as were some of the more

alternative festivals like Kelburn Garden Party

and as a slight detour for us, we loved doing

Acoustic Edinburgh for its intimacy and the

fact that people seriously listened to you -

quite intimidating actually!

PeoPle alwaysseem to feel

the neeDto heckle at a

hiP hoP gigRed Dog Music would like to introduce the crmede la crme of Edinburghs live hip hop acts

I reckon everYone hAsA bIt of the stAnleY oDD

About theMStanley Odd have been giving it big

licks in the Scottish music scene

throughout the last year, appearing

first with a WHAM BAM perform-

ance at Edinburghs legendary

Hogmanay Street Party and then

going on to be one of only THREE

Scottish acts that were hand-

selected to perform on the T Break

stage at T in the Park 2010. In our eyes,

what makes Stanley Odd cool is their

unique blend of geek rap, hip hop, funk,

electronica and anything else that takestheir fancy, but what makes them tick? The

bands enigmatic, charismatic front man,

Solareye (aka Dave Hook), took some

valuable time out of his day to allow us to

delve into the inner workings of Stanley

Odds mind

how DiD you come uP with your name?Stanley Odd was an alternative AKA I used

to use sometimes and Veronika Electronika

suggested we take it as the bands name.

Its quite fitting, I reckon everyone has a bit

of the Stanley Odd about them that

awkward, discomfort of feeling totally out

yir depth in social situations. Pure anti-

hero material.

Questions by Roberta Pia



17/23

Worst, by a country mile - was a local festival

that will remain nameless. 45 minutes of

squealing feedback while shouting yirsel

hoarse without actually hearing a word

youve said is pretty soul destroying.

tell us a funny stanley oDD story.People always seem to feel the need to

heckle at a hip hop gig, so there tends to be

a fair bit of banter. One personal favourite is

on hearing a rather portly gentlemen scream-

ing at me Your Round in between songs

getting to reply Naw mate youre round.

Get it? Haha.

best anD worst DescriPtion of yourbanD so far?Worst: A Scottish Fresh Prince of Bel Air

(haha)

Best: Cerebral Geek-Rap

who are your favouritelocal banDs?The Being Emcees

North Atlantic Oscillation

Kitty the Lion

The Banana Sessions

Black Lantern Music

what are your favouritebits of gear?Roland SPD-S

Korg microKORG

Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9

(1970s version)

Pro Tools Transfuser is

insane

A beat-up old SM58

what tiPs woulD yougive to anyone wantingto emulate the stanleyoDD sounD?Stay Odd.

whats next for stanleyoDD?Our new single Sun

Dance is out 25th

October 2010, with a UK

tour to follow.

I reckon everYone hAsA bIt of the stAnleY oDD

About theM

2010 could well be the year

to catapult Stanley Odd to the

forefront of Scotlands music

scene

The Scotsman

...they were brilliant, great

band, totally engaged with the

audience, never seen Waver-

ley as up for it

Stuart Nisbet, Edinburgh

Hogmannay festival

programmer

huge fan of this outfit and

their wordly approach to hip

hop managing to be jazzy

and leftfield whilst also pinch-

ing your pop earlobe

Gill Mills, Best of Myspace

Scottish MCing par excel-

lence... witty lyricism and

tight delivery ...a sweet female

vocal hook that sticks to the

musical pallet like peanut but-

ter... expect to see more of

them in the coming months

The glasswerk.co.uk

one of the most thoughtful

and entertaining acts of the

Scottish hip hop scene

The List

confident and cheeky

rhymes... Veronika Electroni-

kas lovely singing and its top

stuff. With the chance of mass

appeal Stanley Odd should

keep the good work up.

certifiedbanger.blogspot.com

social observations with

gentle grooves and excel-

lent live musicianship,

creating a mix which

should be on every-

ones iPod

Olaf Furniss,

The Scotsman

tanley Odd

OddStanleYWhAT OThErS hAvE TO SAy AbOuT

ForStanleyOddsmusic

andmoreinfo,checkout...

stanleyodd.com

2 THE DOG WINTER 2010


18/23

If youre primarily a rhythm player or old-school jazzer, you possibly dont indulge instring-bending and can probably get away

with quite low frets - Andy Summers had anentirely fretless guitar made for him by Hamer,

back in the 80s. However, most players prefersufficient height to enable their digits to getalongside the strings, in order to push themup a couple of semi-tones.

The first job is to get the old frets out cleanlyand then prepare the fingerboard for the newfrets. Most necks will need truing-up. Creatinga level playing field, prior to installing newfrets, is absolutely essential, otherwise anyinconsistency in height levels will have to beironed out, post re-fret, at the expense of thefrets themselves. Likewise, long fingernails

will have caused gouge marks in the finger-boards surface so, whenever possible, this alsoshould be sorted and an umblemished finger-

board surface restored.

These days theres a wide choice of different

fret profiles available, to suit many differenttastes. Apart from vintage restorations, I usuallyselect a working wire - one that is tall enoughto allow several level/re-profile jobs in its life-time. Its a bit like fitting tyres to a car; their

wear is dependent on the amount of use theyreceive. The installation of special frets is some-times used as a means of correcting problemnecks. The technique of compression frettingmakes use of extra wide fret tangs, which actas a sort of wedge to straighten and stabilise a

bowed neck.

Some Fender instruments, with non-fingerboard maple necks, must have their lacquerremoved, prior to new frets being f itted. Failureto do this results in frets that arent properlyseated but merely resting on top of the originallayer of lacquer. The frets must be part of theneck and not one step removed from it.

Whatever the re-fret you choose, the jobshould also include a thorough set-up be-cause, with the change of frets, the relevantplaying parameters will all have changed.

Dr.Fretlove returnsnext time...

ANdy sUMMERs hAd AN ENTIRELyFRETLEss gUITAR MAdE FoR hIM By

hAMER, BAcK IN ThE 80sITs LIKE FITTINg TyREs To A cAR;ThEIR WEAR Is dEpENdENT oN ThEAMoUNT oF UsE ThEy REcEIvE

ky, s ye yr fretseee n re-prfe

cpe f tmes n n teyre rnn. its tme fr re-fret.

O



19/23

Up for it?SoUnd aS a poUnd

All recordings go to the Red Dog Music Soundcloud DropBox

www.soundcloud.com/red-dog-unleashed

WIN!

do YoU Want 100to SpEnd in rEd doG MUSiC? }}

Were looking for aRed Dog Music Jingle

to use for our very first Spotify ad.

All you have to do is send in a WAV or MP3

file (standard CD quality 16 bit 44.1kHz, at

least 192Kpbs) that is no longer than

30 seconds. Well have a listen through

them and whichever one we like

best will be aired all over Spotify

and youll win 100 o Red

Dog Music vouchers.



20/23

DRuMMING:GettinGstartedIf youve always fancied drumming but have never been able to wangle an acoustic

kit due to the noise, Roland V-Drums are the ones to go for. We look at the two

entry-level models in the range: the HD-1 V-Drums Lite and the TD-4KX.

HD-1 V-Drums LiteProbably the most compact e-kit available, theHD-1 is small (taking up around a metre

square) and combines a distinctive design with

no-nonsense operation. You have ten great

sounding kits and a metronome for keeping

time, while the toms are very quiet in use,

being made of cushioned rubber. A dual-ply

mesh-snare feels more realistic to play thanks

to its authentic bounce and recoil. However,

what makes the HD-1 perfect for beginners is

the optional DT-HD1 drum tutor software,

which allows you to connect a computer to the

kit. You can play along with the drum notation

or better ad style. Basically, the HD-1 and

software is a complete system for learning

drums: its small, quiet, sounds great and will

help improve your game.

www.roland.co.uk/hd1

TD-4X V-DrumsThe TD-4KX is the first standard kit in the

V-Drums range, with the mesh pads and

brain mounting directly onto the stand. This

gives more placement options than the HD-1

but it does mean the kit is bigger and more

stable, which is good news if you hit like

Keith Moon. The TD-4KX is an ideal practisekit, with tools to help you become a better

drummer. You can work on your timing,

speed or endurance and after each exercise

youre given a rating to motivate you. The

kits themselves sound great and with 25 pre-

sets covering most genres youll find it easy

to get inspired: you can even edit the way the

kits sound if theyre not initially to your taste.

The sounds, as youd expect from the e-

drum daddies, are amazing: playable, au-

thentic and expressive especially when play-

ing the mesh pads. Overall, the TD-4KX is a

great all-rounder with the inclusion of prac-

tise tools and great sound quality giving it the

edge over the competition.

www.roland.co.uk



21/23

AUTUMN 2010 THE DOG 410 THE DOG WINTER 2010

QUiCkrEfErEnCE* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Cube15XL15W, 3 Bossdistortions,3-bandeq, tuner

Cube20XL20W, 9effects, JC-120mode,solo mode,3-bandeq, tuner

Cube40XL40W,10COSMampmodels,8 effects, 80-second PhraseLooper, JC-120mode,solofunction, 3-band eq, tuner

Cube

80XLas Cube40XLbutwith80Wspeakerand 11COSMampmodels

* * * * *

10 REaSONSwHYyour nextpractise amp shouldbe aroland cubeBuying a new practise amp?Do your homework, make

sure its up to the job and you wont be left with a dud. Here

are ten must-haves, courtesy of the new Cube XL

range from Roland:

www.l.c.uk

Boss Effects inside Cubes

amps are powered by guitar

effects technology from Boss,

so they contain some of the most pop-

ular and essential guitar effects from

the past three decades.

COSM Cubes contain

Rolands powerful COSM

technology, which recreates

an array of world-class amps and

effects to bring you versatile,

playable, authentic tones.

JC-120 legacy Guitarists

love the sound of the classic

JC-120 Jazz Chorus for its

smooth, warm tone. So a JC-120

mode is included from the

Cube-20XL up.

Safer and better sounding:

back board vs open back

Cube amps are sealed,keeping the inside safe from harm.

Having a solid back board also

enhances the low frequency.

No Slipping: Rubber feet

vs plastic corners Four

rubber feet lift the amp

slightly off the floor,

reducing vibration and

slippage as well as

protecting wooden

floors.

Metal vs cloth grille

protection An aerated metal

grille protects the speaker

against misplaced size nines,

reduces vibration, and helps project

the sound.

Superior Knob design The

knobs are on the top of the

amp so you dont have to

bend down to adjust them or read

them. Also metal shafts and housings

are used for the knobs, so your knob

wont snap during rehearsals!

Armour platedCube amps

have edge protectors that

go along the entire depth of

the case, protecting these

vulnerable areas just as effectively

as the corners.

Tough love for a tough

world Amps need to betough, so Cubes are

subjected to all manner of abusive

practises including tests for extreme

temperatures, excessive vibration,

dropping, strength of carrying

handle and even the amount of

button presses.

0.5% return rate The result

of all this is a return rate of

just 0.5%. Or put another

way, they hardly ever break down.

1

2

3

4

5

7

8

9

10

6


22/23

DOGMUSIC PRESENTS

THE

LivE

Because we love music THAT much,we thought wed do something a littlebit different from all the other musicshops and start up our own night...or afternoon in this case.

hairofteDog

S U N 7 T H N O V BOSS preSentS

rOBert

Castellani S A T 1 3 T H N O V

Boss FX MADNEss WoRKsHoP S U N 1 4 T H N O V

stANlEy oDD@ HAiR oF tHE Dog suNDAys FRI 9TH & SAT 20TH NOV

Roland Piano CliniC S U N 2 1 S T N O V

Small Feet little toeS@ HAiR oF tHE Dog suNDAys T H U 2 5 T H N O V

ableton live CliniC S U N 5 T H D E C

OpEn COuCH SESSIOn@ HAiR oF tHE Dog suNDAys T U E 7 T H D E C

Roland dRum CliniC T H U 9 T H D E C

boSS GuitaR CliniC S A T 1 1 T H D E C

RED DOG MuSICCHRistMAs sHoPPiNgBOnanza! S U N 1 9 T H D E C

THE BananaSeSSiOnSXMaS Special

@ HAiR oF tHE Dog suNDAys S U N 2 N D J A N

HogmanayHanGOvER SHOw@ HAiR oF tHE Dog suNDAys S U N 1 6 T H J A N

OpEn COuCH SESSIOn@ HAiR oF tHE Dog suNDAys S U N 3 0 T H J A N

HOPwOOD& BlaCK@ HAiR oF tHE Dog suNDAys

S U N 1 3 T H F E B OpEn COuCH

SESSIOn@ HAiR oF tHE Dog suNDAys

S U N 2 7 T H F E B

gILLyFLoWErS@ HAiR oF tHE Dog suNDAys


ed Dog Music

proudly presents

Hair of the Dog

Sundays.

This means that on selected

Sunday afternoons at 3pm,

well feature some fuggin

awesome live music of some

sort: whether thats a hand-

picked selection of our own

or an Open Couch Session

(kind of like an open stage,

but with a couch instead).

The next act we have in-store will be Edinburghs hip

hop and happenin Stanley

Odd(see page 31 for an

exclusive interview with their

cheeky front chappy, Solar-

eye) and our very first Open

Couch Session will take

place on the 5th December.

Come on down to the shop

and have a listen to some

sweet, sweet Sunday music

for FREE and if the couch is

available, wed love you to

get involved. Live music, we

salute you!

R

SunDayS

Did you know that we send

out a weekly e-newsletter

to everybody on our Dog

mailing list?

And in this newsletter, we

feature a Tune of the Week?

Wed like you to send in

your music to our Red Dog

Music DropBox at www.

soundcloud.com/red-dog-

unleashed. If it tickles us,

well feature it and folk all

over the UK could be lis-

tening to your music. Sign

up to our mailing list at

www.reddogmusic.co.uk

TheWeek

Tuneof


23/23

Red Dog Music1 Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2HY

0131 229 8211 | [email protected]

noiseusup...

RedDogMusicThe Friendliest Music Store In The Universe

Ofcially The BestIndependent MusicRetailer In The UK

As chosen by the Music

Industries Association 2009

5,000 SquareFeet O Musical

EquipmentGuitars, amplifcation, keyboards,

recording gear and more...

Friendly,Knowledgeable

StaTop notch service and advice

The BestPrices

Well match or beatour competitors

Free DeliveryFast next day service tomainland UK addresses

Shop Online 24/7Dynamic, state o the art website

The Dog - Winter 2010

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