No. 45 JUNE 2007 www.iLiveToPlay.net Doin’ It the East Bay Way 40 Years of Funk with tower of power

Meet Idol Coach “Byrd”

The ABCs of Compression Monitoring Your Recordings BUYING Powered P.A. Speakers New in SAM.U • Tips From a Hit Songwriter

0 • Succeed As a Working Musician 5 8 0 6 % M 6 1 9 A . Y 8 5 /

J • Ask the Soundman B 9 U W 9 N R 7 E 3 P D 1 3 0 6

inside

Published by Features Dayspring Communication Group, LLC 14 Tower of Power PUBLISHER Still Doin’ It the East Bay Way Robert A. Lindquist 17 Paying Up and Getting Paid EDITOR IN CHIEF Two rulings simultaneously caress Bill Evans and smack down the Indie artist ASSISTANT EDITOR 20 Song Byrd Dan Walsh Tips and insights from the vocal OFFICE MANAGER coach for American/Canadian Idol Elizabeth Edwards ARTIST Liason Tech Stuff Jake Kelly Director of Sales & Marketing 12 Live Sound 101 Eddie Fluellen Puttin’ On the Squeeze Art Director, Production 23 24/7 Studio Linda Evans, Evans Design Monitoring Magic EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS 27 Buyers’ Guide Priscilla DiLallo • Erin Evans Self-Powered Speakers CIRCULATION 30 New Gear Barbara Lindquist 38 Gear Reviews Future Sonics m5 Earpieces, Peavey 32 FX Mixer

Columns 9 On the Road The Perfect Press Kit 10 In the Trenches Gig Etiquette 101 42 My Back Page You’re Fired!

Singer&Musician University HOW TO REACH 31 “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” by Jet SINGER&Musician 32 On Songwriting For subscriptions, change of address or back issues, contact us at: 33 Soundcheck Singer&Musician 34 Playing in the Real World P.O. Box 10 35 Ask the Coach Naples, NY 14512-0010 37 Ask Lis Web: www.ILivetoPlay.net

Departments Letters, comments,& 6 Set List editorial suggestions: 8 Contributors [email protected] 18 Now Playing on iRadio 40 Singer&Musician’s Mall Classifieds Proud Member of: 41 Advertiser’s Index • Folk Alliance • NAMM • IAJE

Singer&Musician (issn#1555-9831) is published six times per year. Subscription rates - US and possessions: $29.95 for one year, $39.95 for two years or $49.95 for three years. Canada: $29.95 for one year, $39.95 for two years or onthecover $49.95 for three years. All other countries: $60 Tower of Power are still doin it the East Bay Way per year. Subscriptions outside US must be paid in after nearly 40 years. See this issue’s cover story US currency. Copyright © 2007. All rights reserved. on page 14. Reproduction of copy, photography, or artwork prohibited without permission of the publisher. All advertising material subject to publisher’s approval. setlist Finding What You Weren’t Looking For The answer often comes when you stop looking By Bill Evans aybe it’s just me, on what she is supposed to be doing, my wife—who is much wiser than I—just gives me and the screwy way “that look” to remind me that the fruit does not fall far from the tree. my mind works, It’s a tough call. I know she needs to be M able to focus but I also know that most of the but I can’t count the number really good things in my life came when I was of times I have gone looking not looking for them. The thing that got me thinking about this for something that I REALLY was the Live Sound 101 piece in this issue. I needed and could not was looking for a graphic I had seen years ago showing how over-compression had made find, but found something a Celine Dion song louder than AC/DC. So I else totally unrelated and typed “Celine Dion vs AC/DC” into Google and came up with a very scary You Tube video lost track of what I was that you can find a link to on the iLiveToPlay site. doing and went in a totally I took over editorial at Singer&Musician as different direction. the result of a diatribe I wrote about the nature of magazines in the Internet Age. I got my day Sometimes this is a good thing. Other times gig as the result of a series of unrelated phone it drives people around me nuts. Every time I calls between people I hardly knew that took start to rag on my daughter about not focusing place minutes after the Brits who owned GIG canned me. I am currently playing in probably the best version of my band that I have ever had since I put it together in ‘84. The bass player I met through a friend and he was playing in a metal tribute band—not a place I would have naturally looked—but he is so good it’s scary. Our “beloved” editor and his posse at play at The I mentioned to the same Club at the Cannery Casino, Las Vegas. friend that I needed a bone player and he happened to remember that his friend Eddie—who has made his living as a keyboard player for years—was a bone player. And get this—A week before I first called him, Eddie had finished a five-year gig at a major Strip hotel and had made a resolution to play his horn more. My sax player came to me when I asked someone about a trumpet player because I thought I already HAD a new sax player. He gave me a card and said, “This guy is a sax player but he probably knows someone.” Our #2 vocalist is a woman who we met as one of the organizers of a parish festival we have been playing for years. A couple of years ago she asked if she could sing with the band and we said “Sure.” And she has been around ever since. I guess the point I am trying to make is that the answer often comes when you stop looking. Like this one, here at Singer&Musician we have been looking at ways to freshen up the SMU section of the magazine for a while. We added a couple of things and moved some people around but still felt it needed more. But other tasks beckoned and we stopped thinking about it for a while. So what happens? Two new columnists fall into our lap. For the next year, the father and son team of Greg and Ry Kihn will be expounding on the intricacies of songwriting and the ins and outs of being a working musician. So welcome the new guys and stop thinking so much. sm

 singer&musician June 2007 contributors

ots of new folks this month as Singer&Musician You will also find an expansion of our music biz coverage with a feature on two new rulings continues to grow and evolve. You will find info about out of Washington D.C. that will directly affect many indie musicians. Expect more of this kind two new high-profile columnists in SMU on their of important coverage in future issues. L Meanwhile, a column we have been respective pages. Hit songwriter and real-life rock star threatening to introduce for a while now finally Greg Khin will be taking Singer&Musician readers through makes its debut. It has been said that there are two rules for a good gig. #1 Don’t piss off the basics and intricacies of good songwriting while his son the sound guy. #2 See Rule #1. You can get Ry, a noted guitar-slinger who learned a lot from Dad’s lead the lowdown on working with (as opposed to against) this person who can make or break your guitarist—some nobody by the name of Joe Satriani—gives gig. In Soundcheck. Here’s the lowdown or our readers the 411 on being a working musician. resident audio guy.

Bob Gibson—soundcheck We’ll let Bob tell his own story. “I started out as a musician in the late 70’s, playing various rock and punk clubs around the San Francisco Bay area. I got into the sound business the usual way; hanging out at the clubs, meeting some sound guys and becoming interested in what they did for a living. Eventually I met a local sound company owner willing to hire me and teach me a few things. In 1984 he hooked me up with my first road gig, a van and trailer tour with a country band. I stayed on the road for the next 10 years, traveling the U.S., Canada, and Mexico with various bands and theatre shows. In 1994 I moved to Las Vegas. Since then I’ve worked for local sound companies and at the casinos; doing lounge, show room, and corporate gigs.” Bob’s current gig is with on of Sin City’s best regional soundcos, H.A.S. productions which does a large percentage of the one-off concert gigs around town including work with acts as diverse as the Beach Boys, Hootie and the Blowfish, Big and Rich, Sheena Easton and Quiet Riot. We met Bob when he was mixing a Loving Spoonful show at a casino in Laughlin. Welcome him aboard and take note of

Richard Gilewitz Known as one of the strangest men in acoustic music today, Richard We want to hear from you! Gilewitz fascinates his audiences with fingerstyle gymnastics while Drop us an e-mail at: [email protected] spinning yarns too unbelievable not to be true. His ability to make one guitar sound like an entire orchestra stems from 33 years of well-honed technique and 25 years of on the road touring, creating his own signature sound that has been captured on his six releases. But it is his live shows that bring out the best in this man who follows a distinct cadence that creates a glow that continually grows a little brighter with each tune. His contribu- tions to Singer & Musician include a series on making and releasing a live CD.

Jake Kelly Jake has taken on the role of Artist Liason/Head Evangelist for Singer&Musician and iLivetoPlay.net. Jake is uniquely qualified for this job having worked both sides of the music biz fence—working for a major label artist on big tours plus recording and releasing his own material at the same time. You’re sure to see him around at the trade show/music conference circuit. Talk to him—he only bites if you ask him to—and let him know what the iliveToPlay Network can do for you. Lis Lewis Lis Lewis is a vocal coach in Los Angeles whose clients include Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears, the All-American Rejects, the Pussycat Dolls, Jack Black, Jimmy Eat World and many others. She is the author of two books both with warm-up CD’s: The Singer’s First Aid Kit and The Pop Singer’s Warm-Up Kit. Her website, http://www.TheSing- ersWorkshop.com, is packed with information for singers who are serious about their careers. Working with such high profile artists has given Lis a healthy perspective on the daily struggles of singers which she passes on through her teaching and writing.

Phil Parlapiano Phil Parlapiano is a multi-instrumentalist composer who has worked with Grammy award winners John Prine, Rod Stewart, Tracy Chap- man, Lucinda Williams and many others. The idea of Deconstructing a Hit is not just to show you how to play someone else’s song. The hope is that, by “deconstructing” the work of other writers, you will find ways to advance and vary your own writing. For more info, visit Phil’s website: www.parlapiano.com.

 singer&musician June 2007 ontheroad Press Kit 101 By Mike Aiken n looking through your page to highlight what reviewers have said about you. Use quotes from radio, emails, I’ve noticed interviews, concert and CD reviews. If you don’t feel you have enough to fill a page, a theme – questions combine this with the fans sheet (above) I and make one page out of two! about the basic tools of • Promotion Photo: This is usually a staged promotion. A recurring shot with your name and any booking or management information you may have. question was on putting Use a head shot if you are a solo performer together a good press kit or and a band shot if you are a band. This photo is truly worth a thousand words sheet. If you have a recording of a live promotion package. and should portray your style, attitude etc. performance be sure to use it. If you are a thought-provoking, moody What is the purpose of a press kit? It is your singer/songwriter, that should come There are many ways you can choose to lay main marketing and sales tool. It will be what through. If you are a fun, party cover out your press kit. Give this some thought. Do introduces you or your band to promoters and band, that should come through. It may you have a color theme for your package? Again the media. It should be oozing with all the good pay to hire a good photographer and not this is the introduction to your act so consider facts about you, who you are as an artist and just hand the camera to someone who what is most important for someone to see first. why you are so special. isn’t doing anything else at the time. This For example, mine is a two pocket folder with Elements that every press kit should include: should be an 8 x 10. I use color but many a sticker on the front and a business card in the (Each should have a title and be no longer than folks use black and white. Again, what do slot provided. It opens with my promo photo to one page) you want to get across? the left and my bio and CD to the right. To the • Your Biography: Written in the third person, • Reviews, interviews and articles: Keep right ( from front to back) I have the CD, bio, this is your development as a performer. track of all of your press. Keep copies of accomplishments, presenters, fans, critics. To Be sure to include a description of your newspaper, magazine and internet press. the left (also front to back) I have my photo, CD music style or genre. Give a performance Take the best and most representative of one sheet, press release, interviews and reviews background of your act including such these and include them. Again limit each (in order of importance for the reader’s waning things as key performances, recordings, piece to 1 page and I would suggest not attention.) and quotes. Be sure to include what your more than 4 pages. Although your press Once you have your killer press kit assembled, niche is. Don’t be overly wordy. Make is the most interesting reading ever, most keep only a handful on hand. You will find that each paragraph count. Remember this is a folks are too busy to read every word. If you are updating the information regularly and bio, not an exaggerated sales pitch. you give entire articles, highlight the best want to present the most current package. • Accomplishments: Consider this as a one or two lines of each. That way you give Common pitfalls include giving too much timeline of special achievements. Include them what’s essential, they see someone information and not having clear contact things like dates of past recordings, special felt strongly enough to do an article about information. If you have a tremendous amount shows, endorsements, label signing, awards you and if they are so inclined they can to get across that’s great, but do it concisely. etc. Listing these events as bullet points in read it at a later date. If something doesn’t add to your portrait as an a timeline will work much better than as a • Press Release: If you have one it can be artist, leave it out. Probably the mistake I see most narrative. Update this page as soon as you helpful to include a good press release often is a lack of contact information. Don’t make have new material. Only the facts! about your latest recording, major a promoter dig for a way to contact you. They • Presenters Page: While I haven’t seen performance etc. Many times a promoter won’t. Make this easy to find and easy to read. this in many other press kits I have found will pull the promo/press material for the Good luck and have fun with your kit. it a useful addition to mine. I list excerpts event directly from what you give them. Make it the best that you can and it will do a lot from reviews by past promoters of the • CD: Include your latest CD and one of the selling for you. sm shows I’ve done. This should show you as professional and responsible to deal with from a promoter’s point of view and will also serve as a recommendation to future promoters. • What The Fans Are Saying: Keep this up to date with quotes from your growing fan base. Try to include a variety to cover your recordings as well as your live performances and if you can, choose a geographically diverse selection. Your press kit will mainly be used pursuing live opportunities so be sure you cover how the crowd likes your performance. Include the quote, the fan’s name and location. If it doesn’t add, don’t include it. • What The Critics Are Saying: Use this

www.iLiveToPlay.net  inthetrenches Booker’s Beefs: Some Gigging No-No’s to Keep in Mind

By John Sollenberger ’ll never forget the time I As we were setting up, the front man (a local perform with the band, too loud, crappy PA legend for, shall we say, starting the party early) when not provided by the venue, are some of the subbed for the drummer was already approaching three sheets to the wind. problems I have encountered over the years.” He set the suitcase carrying his accessories on The issue of leap-frogging the booker is of a notorious Southern the stage next to his mic stand and announced, one that Cogan says she still does see from time I “If I toss cookies, it’s going to be in there.” He to time. Acts sometimes try to make an end- California party band at a then proceeded to play the entire gig sitting on a run around the agent and cut their own future bar near San Diego. These bar stool onstage. deals with clients. Taking work away from the Those were the days. Fortunately for the agent can lead them to drop the band from their guys were famous for doing health of the singer and the good of the band, roster. stuff that would drive a they’ve toned down a bit, and they’re still “If an agent, entertainment director or working today. However, some players out there booking person books you at a venue, private booker nuts and gain the still haven’t quite gotten the message, leading to party, etc., you as an artist must respect their job ire of club owners. They complaints from clients and venue owners, and and make sure you do not step on the toes of the causing bookers to drop them from the first-call booking person,” she says. “If someone comes were only able to get away list. up to you at a private event you need to refer the I recently spoke to long-time L.A. area interested party back to the agent not hand out with it because they were booking agent Denise Cogan, asking her your cards or take the gig away from the agent. historically a big draw. about the kinds of no-no’s that can give bands “The booking person makes 10 percent of the unexpected weekends off. She emphasizes that, booking normally. That is NOT a lot of money since most of her gigs are high-end casuals, “I if the artist is making 90 percent of the gig. So really don’t have that many why take work away from the agent? If the agent complaints these days since my books you several times through a client and you club booking is now minimal, tell the client you will work for less and cut out and the bands I run are pros the agent, this is just wrong.” l NO-NO Checklist and they are on time and do While she says that this hasn’t happened their job.” very often, “I NEVER worked with that artist again Drunk and/or Sloppy However, in the past or the client involved. Hope they could live with ¸ she says that, besides the themselves.....and their dishonesty!” Not starting on time ¸ aforementioned drunken Cogan says that there are unscrupulous Showing up with the wrong instrument(s) sloppiness, the laundry list agents out there, but “I am totally honest with all ¸ of complaints included, “not of my bookings and even give the artists a chance No instrument(s) starting on time, showing up to review my contracts so they know I am taking ¸ with the wrong instrument, no care of them financially and making sure all of ¸Different band than what was originally booked instrument, completely different their needs are taken care of for every event.” Long and/or excessive breaks band that was originally Bottom line: respect your profession and ¸ booked, long and/or excessive respect your booker. You’re better off in the Showing up with improper attire breaks, showing up with long run. And save the fun and games for after ¸ improper attire, not showing at the gig! sm ¸Not showing at all all, letting audience members ¸Letting audience members perform with the band Some players still haven’t quite gotten ¸Too loud the message, leading to complaints Crappy PA when not provided by the venue ¸ from clients and venue owners, and Leap-frogging the booker ¸ causing bookers to drop them from the first-call list.

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Using the power of compression for good, not evil

By Bill Evans

n the last issue of Singer&Musician, I related the story of a live gig I did where I arrived to find a rack of compressors not even plugged in and how, because the sound Iguy copped to “not getting” compression, it was a good decision. Like reverb, a little compression can go a very long way and if you don’t understand it, you should not use it.

u s e d What It Is to get the dynamics When you hear a really great performer or 3 dB of a performance under control. Settings higher band that understands—Gasp!—dynamics, they of signal over the threshold, 1 dB of sound than 10:1 are called “limiting” and are most pull you into the song by going from soft to loud is allowed to pass. The higher the ratio, the often used as system protection to keep “loud and back to soft again? Well, a compressor does more compression is being applied. Larry” from blowing up your speakers. just the opposite. It squeezes or “compresses” • Attack refers to how fast the compression Sounds with hard transients like a snare the dynamic range of an audio signal. In simple kicks in and drum need a slower attack to avoid cutting terms, it does so by lowering the louder parts • Release how quickly it lets go. When you off the initial “crack” of the drum and making of a performance allowing you to bring up the apply compression, you will usually lower it sound unnatural. Fast attack and release— overall level and make the softer parts more the overall gain as you are bringing the combined with a ratio over about 4:1—can closely match the loud parts. Think of it as a peaks down so result in “breathing” or “pumping.” This is when kind of automatic volume knob. • Make-Up Gain allows you to get the level the loud sound is quickly compressed and then Most compressors have five controls— back to where you started. released and the subsequent sound passes under Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release and Output or the threshold and does not get compressed. You Make-Up Gain. In general, the lower the ratio—the more can really hear the compressor working which • Threshold determines at what level the natural the sound.Setting the ratio at less than is something you never want to happen. As a compression kicks in. Signal below the 3:1 is often used to add “punch” or to “tighten” a rep from a major high-end compressor maker threshold passes unaffected. performance or recorded track. (These are totally once told me, “If you can hear a compressor • Ratio determines how much squeezing a subjective terms and all but impossible to really working, it is set wrong or it’s broken.” signal gets. A ratio of 3:1 means that for every define. Your best bet is to play with a compressor some and hear it for yourself.) Higher ratios are

1 2 singer&musician June 2007 livesound101 Putting on the Squeeze

When to Use It something to the party in terms of tone. Typically I am one of those guys who believes, “as we are talking about tube compressors here and A little as possible” is always best, but it really they are not cheap. n o i s e depends on the act and the performance and A compressor can be used to bring up gate is what you are going for sound-wise. Really good a weak kick drum (but be aware that using a used to clean players who really listen and adjust their playing compressor to bring up a weak signal means up a “dirty” signal and keep the to the others onstage with them don’t usually you also bring up the noise floor) or to tame noise at bay during quiet moments or, more require compression. I recently asked the sound an out of control snare drum. It is almost commonly, to “turn off” a mic when it is not guy for Tower of Power, Ace Baker, what kind always used on the bass and many bass amps being used so it does not pick up signal from of compression he used on the horn section and have a compressor built in. (Be aware that other sources around it and muddy-up the he just wiggled his fingers. Those guys are so any tube amp will produce a bit of “natural” whole sound. Drums—especially toms—are dialed in that they “compress” themselves. compression—a big part of the tube sound.) often gated so the mic is only feeding signal Two common uses for a compressor in a live As a guitarist, I have used a compressor to add when the drum is actually hit. Again, be careful setting are to get a soft singer, or one with a very sustain to a solo and even to send the guitar into with the release settings to keep it from sounding unnatural. Also a gate on a lead vocal mic will help keep the drums out of that channel when the singer is not at the mic. There are a bunch of decent entry-level mixers—most notably from Yamaha—that have built-in “one-knob” compressors that allow you to dial in how much feedback if that is the effect I am you want to squeeze the signal and through the w i d e going for and I can’t crank the amp up enough magic of digital signal processing, it makes the dynamic range, up above a loud to do it the natural way. other adjustments for you. There are also some band. Another common use—one that sound very good compressors with presets for different guys will argue passionately about—is to put a Someone’s At the Gate kinds of inputs including the Presonus Blue good stereo compressor with a very light setting Compressors are part of a class of devices Max and the TC Electronic C300. Those are across the L-R outputs of the system to smooth known as “dynamics processors.” The other good places to start if you are just starting to things out a little bit. But this means you use most common devices in this class are limiters “get”compression. sm a good (read expensive) compressor that brings which we already touched on and noise gates.

Compression has been evilly overused in recording—especially at the mastering stage resulting in Celine Dion actually being louder than AC/DC. Really. Go to the I Live to Play Network for links to some very interesting articles on this problem.

LINKS www.ilivetoplay.net/celine www.ilivetoplay.net/everythinglouder

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Tower Of Power— Still Funkin’ After (Almost) 40 Years

By Bill Evans

Photos by Linda Evans

t has become the mantra of indie music for the past decade-plus—you don’t need radio Ior a major label to make a living making music. It is one thing for folky and fringe artists to embrace this idea, but they are far from alone. In fact there are some folks who have known that for years and years. Take Oakland funk legends Tower of Power. As this issue of Singer&Musician goes to press they will be finishing up their 39th year as a working band. In that time they have had a couple of big hits—“So Very Hard To Go” and “You’re Still a Young Man”—and they have a hardcore fan base that buys the albums but this is a band that makes their living on the road. With four original members (and one almost original) still hitting the groove, the band still does somewhere in the range of 120 gigs a year. And they are still teaching those of us who are a little (in this case only a little) younger how it is done. When TOP was in Vegas recently, I took my entire band to see the show. If you have never seen them, you need to know that a good Tower show is like witnessing some kind of force of nature—both beautiful and savage in the same breathe. And this was a very good Tower show. At the end of the show, my sax player—who has been a pro for a long time and played with blues legend Ruth Brown for the last years of her life—looked at me very seriously and told me, “Thank you. I was schooled.” I was very fortunate to be able to spend some time with founding members Emilio Castillo (tenor sax, vocals and leader of the pack), David Garibaldi (drums) and Francis “Rocco” Prestia (bass) plus almost founding guitarist Bruce Conte before the show. Take your seats, class. The lesson is about to begin.

IN THE BEGINNING So how did you guys first get together? EC: Me and Frank, we were in high school, we were actually in junior high together. And he started playing with our band when he was 15 years old. RP: I was 14, I was a freshman in high school. A friend of mine knew them and suggested to them that he knew a guitar player, which wasn’t the truth. EC: …I knew him and I liked him, and this guy Charlie Faulkner said, “He

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We basically jones for those times when we can get together and create music. that’s the stuff that really gets you off. —david Garibaldi plays guitar!” and I was like, “Oh, you’re including Greg (Adams, brass), you know, Dave EC: Sometimes. [laughter] I mean, kidding!” And I told the guys, I go, “This guy – Dave is probably more schooled than the rest sometimes, it really is. And other times, it’s just Frank plays guitar, and he’s pretty cool. He’s got of us. Some guys are schooled, but basically like… really cool hair.” And that’s what we based our everybody just kinda does what they do, and RP: It’s a gig. decision on. He’s a cool guy, and he’s got cool it works. DG: Yeah. You know, we’re flying in, we’re hair, and he came in and he played guitar, and hitting the tour, we’re gonna play…we have he was the worst guitar player in the history of DOIN’ IT THE EAST BAY WAY a pretty wide range of songs that we can do, man. I mean, he could barely form a chord. It RP: It is hard when you’re so spread out but still, it’s a certain amount of songs that we was like a week-long process for one chord. ‘cause you have to actually think about it, take know. To change that takes a lot of work, a lot RP: See, I’d never played with anybody, so the time to be together. It’s not like we’re all just of time. You have to plan it out logistically. We my interest in guitar…my mother would say, next door and you can just hang, anything like basically jones for those times when we can get “It’s more like, ‘Johnny, come practice!’” It was that. But we’re older, we’ve all got families. together and change the show, or get together a forced issue. and create music. That’s the stuff that really gets EC: And then my dad hired this guy to But you talked about coming up and doing you off. And then, gig to gig, some nights we come teach us once a week as a band. He was things the old-school way. Does the fact that walk off and it’s just like, “Man, I love doing a fabulous guitar player. His name was Terry you’re not all together now, does it make this. It’s a pleasure.” Everyone just feels like, Saunders, he’s still in the Bay Area. And he coming together a more precious thing? “Man, we were burning last night.” Other times, would come once a week and teach us kids, as a band, how to play a song. So every week he’d come, he’d say, “What do you want to learn this week?” We go, “We dig this song by the Animals!” He’d go, “Boom. Here you go.” He’d teach us, you know? But the first thing he did when he came to meet us, he looked at him, and he’s got his guitar, he’s trying to make a chord, and he looks at me, and goes, “You need to play the bass.” And we all go, “What’s a bass?” And he goes, “Never mind. You need one.” That’s all he told us: “Never mind. You need one.” And within two weeks, he was eight times better on the bass than he was on guitar. I mean, he was just a natural on the bass.

Rocco, you’ve influenced an awful lot of bass players! RP: That’s what they tell me. Well, that’s very flattering and all, you know. It was never nothing planned. Like he said, I mean, it fell together that naturally. Nothing was ever really thought about it, you know. I mean, the people we had in our band from him on down, including Mick (Gillette, founding brass player),

www.iLiveToPlay.net 1 5 coverstory

Play with people. You can practice all day in the house, but if you play regularly with people, you will learn how to play music. —Emilio Castillo it’s like, “Eh, we did good last night. It was a learn them if we don’t go now.” I get him up to rush than to drag.” And what I say at every good gig.” there and he doesn’t know any parts at all, and clinic is, “Play with people. You can practice all DG: The cool thing is, everybody has the I say, “And this tune, you gotta do this step.” day in the house, but if you play regularly with same mentality coming and playing as good I start showing him dance steps. The guy had people, you will learn how to play music. As a as they can every night. So it’s not like half the never danced or done any kind of showmanship band, how to express yourself.” And also, “Play guys are phoning it in, half the guys are here. at all. before people,” because there is nothing like—I It’s a real unified effort in terms of bringing the So we had all these dance steps, and I’m mean, with these guys, we’ll learn something, music to people, so that part is really cool. teaching him these dance steps and he doesn’t say, “You guys want to do it tonight?” “Ahh, let’s EC: And also, we all want to be in the band. even know the charts yet, and he went from give it another day.” We’ll “another day” it for a It’s not like an artist who has people that they being that person to just being this incredible week. And then I say, “You know what? We’re hire. They might be thinking, “I can’t wait until showman. He’s really into stage theatrics and going to rehearse this thing at sound check today I get to that gig next month when I’m back all this stuff, and he got that here. I remember at and we’re hanging it out there tonight, fellas.” As with so-and-so. I really dig THAT gig.” I mean, the time, the horn section was also doing Huey soon as it gets out there in front of the crowd, it everybody really digs THIS gig. They really dig Lewis & the News, and the manager of Huey all falls together. this music; that’s how they got in here. Lewis & the News told us even though Mark RP: I’ve talked to a lot of guys coming up— DG: There’s Tower 101 when the new Russo is leaving the horn section, we want him either guitar, bass, drums, or whatever—and people come in. There really is. They have to do this gig. And we said, “We don’t think you they’ll talk about, “Man, my drummer this,” to learn our way. Just because you grew up understand. This is OUR horn section. This is or “Man, my bass player…” And I said, “First hearing the songs, it’s different than actually not YOUR horn section. And whoever I say is off, you’ve got the wrong attitude. Stop right sitting down and playing with us. going to be in the first tenor or alto chair, that’s there. That’s not the way to communicate.” EC: Richard Elliot did a long stay here with who’s gonna be in it.” And so the guy took a real Communication is a give and take, and you gotta Tower of Power. We had Mark Russo on alto, hardline stance. He says, “If Mark Russo’s not learn that young or you’re not going to be able to and he had left us to go to the Yellow Jackets, in the gig, then we don’t want the horns.” And grow if you don’t. and we needed a strong player, and when they to his surprise, we said, “Fine!’ And about three DG: I don’t think we’ve ever had discussions brought Richard’s first record –it was smooth days later, he come and his look – “OK! We’ll as a band where we were telling each other, “I jazz before smooth jazz was smooth jazz. So I see what this Richard guy is like, but if he’s not don’t dig the way you play.” listened to it, and I was going, “You know, I don’t as good…” Well, inside of two weeks, they were RP: Yeah, but I know guys that do. know,” because Mark Russo was ferocious and like, “Man, this guy Richard is AWESOME!” So, DG: People go there. I mean, I think that’s he had gotten even more ferocious during his people just grow here. They come into their part of the reason why we can play together time with us. So Gene Vanno was our manager, own, and they don’t get in unless they really dig because we don’t go there. and I said, “Tell the guy to come down” – we’re the music. RP: Yeah, we respect each other. playing the Palomino; these were the hard times, DG: We play the way we play. We play you know? – so we’re down there, and I said, TIPS FROM THE MASTERS together… “Just tell him to come down, and I’ll take care of Any words of advice? Besides “Don’t do it”? EC: Though we have said, many times, “I him. So he shows up, he’s all, “Hi, I’m Richard RP: Just off the top of my head, it’s like don’t dig the way I play.” [laughter] “I played Elliot.” “Hey man, nice to meet ya. You got your being in the sandbox; learn to play well with lousy tonight..” That’s gone on a lot! horn?” He goes, “Uhh, yeah. Am I going to sit others. You know, get your attitude right, just DG: But we don’t have that thing where in?” “No, we’re going on now.” And he goes, don’t give up, keep going. we’re saying, “Here is where the group is; you “What?” And I go, “We’re going on now! Get EC: I’ll tell you what Doc would say if he have to be...” We don’t do that. your horn out.” And he goes, “I don’t know any were here, what he says at every clinic. He says, HV: That “f*#% you” attitude. of the charts!” And I go, “You’re never going to “It’s better to be sharp than to be flat. It’s better DG: Just never do that. sm

16 singer&musician June 2007 featurestory Paying Up and Getting Paid

By Jake Kelly he kiss was nice, but hire one of these guys to make sure it happens. by the record label’s parent company to them And the issue is being addressed again but the during the holidays. It should be noted that the the slap that came massive consolidation of radio station ownership FCC does not have any jurisdiction over record that has taken place in the past two decades have labels, but radio on the other hand... right after was, well, made the stakes higher than ever. Unlike the days T of Mr. Freed, the lock that a record company has But officer… less nice. We are speaking on a slot on the radio is not just one station in one The light at the end of the tunnel was metaphorically of course and small town (or just one big city, for that matter). announced to the world on March 5 with Record companies and consultants don’t deal the word of a settlement of the government referring to a pair of rulings with radio stations, they deal with their corporate investigation into payola allegations. Without that came out of Washington parents—and radio stations have been bought up admitting wrongdoing (not unlike our by conglomerates at a staggering rate. willingness to pay speeding fines even though recently. One directly affects The following counts of stations owned “we weren’t doing anything wrong”), the big indie musicians positively by the four biggest media conglomerates is four radio chains agreed to pay a collective sum approximate but still fairly chilling: CBS Radio of $12.5 million in fines. and the other has the Inc., 180 stations, Entercom Communications But, more importantly to the independent Corp., 108; Citidel Broadcasting Corp., 225 artist, the big four also agreed to open up their potential to have a very large and Clear Channel Communications owns airwaves to “8,400 half-hour segments” over negative impact on those more than 1,100 stations. An approximation of the next three years, according to March 6th, the total of all stations is 1630, but the exact 2007 L.A. Times. who rely on non-mainstream number would be hard to pin down due the This is due in part to the efforts of an high number of stations be bought and sold by organization called the American Association broadcasters (read: Internet these chains on seemingly a daily basis. of Independent Music (A2IM) and one of radio) to get their stuff heard. Independent artists and small record its board members, Peter Gordon, who also labels had all but given up trying to break the heads an independent label called Thirsty Ear stranglehold major labels had on the major Recordings. Thirsty Ear released a Grammy Remember Alan Freed? radio stations. While payola used to mean a LP continued on page 22 When one talks of payola, visions of the iconic jacket filled with a few bills to grease the Alan Freed pop into mind. Freed, disc jockey, turntable, now labels concert promoter and the man that gave “rock could use their vast ‘n’ roll” it’s appropriate moniker, was accused resources to supply of taking money for airplay. He most certainly those who oversee was not the only one and the attempts to stamp the airwaves. out the practice of “pay for play” only made the After all, not many participants cover their tracks a little better. independent labels The practice has continued even with could afford to fly periodic attempts to rein it in. In the ‘70s, it was music programmers not uncommon for a new record to be given on junkets across the to a DJ with a little bag of Bolivian Marching country or provided Powder inside. In the ‘80s it was independent Christmas gifts of “consultants” who became the gateway to the mp3 players made airwaves. You want to get on the radio? Better Will This Kill SAM’s iRadio?

By the time you read this, it may be old news, but at press time it was still unclear as to what affect the new royalty rates for Webcasters would have on Singer&Musician’s popular iRadio station (www.iRadio.ws) and similar stations who support Independent Art. Although iRadio is a FREE service offered by Singer&Musician and the iLiveToPlay Network to help expose the music being created by our readers and site users, it is already quite expensive to operate. While we support anything that benefits Indie Artists, the fact is, we’ve been paying to BMI, ASCAP and SESAC since day one and we know of not one artist who has received their cut. We anticipate the same will be true under the new ruling as many Indie Artists aren’t even aware of the procedure they need to follow to receive their due dollars. In addition, by making the new rates retroactive, the CRB is throwing a huge, unexpected business expense that is sure to cause many smaller stations to pull the plug. To support stations of all size and further promote the web radio concept, Singer&Musician has joined with other Webcasters through www.SaveNetRadio.org to establish royalty rates that reward the artist without bankrupting the very stations that play the music. How can you help? Start by writing your elected officials in Washington, and look for further updates on the Indie News Blog at www.iLiveToPlay.net—ral www.iLiveToPlay.net 1 7 nowplayingoniradio iRadio – The Best of the Independent Artists 24/7 By R.A. Lindquist

e’ve been getting Girl.” It was at that point that we realized that is like a long walk on glorious spring day—it’s KC has one of the most sweet yet powerful rock something that you feel as much as hear. And, slammed with voices awaiting discovery. She sounds good no Todd Car’s, “Photograph” is a magical rhythmic matter what she sings, but when she cuts loose, mix of solo guitar with an excellent vocal track. new and recent she sounds great. Rated X for X-plosive! For more information on this sampler, visit www. W Shawn Hlookoff (say Ha-Loo-Koff)—This mpressrecords.com releases and have added 22-year-old Canadian has come out of the many new tracks. Here are gate with a mix of well-crafted, acoustic and Falcon Ridge Production electric pop tunes, and ballads that are,to say We picked up a copy of this Artist Sampler just a few of the artists now the least, addictive. His lyrics are often thought- at Folk Alliance in Memphis and were instantly in rotation: provoking, and delivered with a voice that is taken by the exceptional talent and diversity dynamic and very genuine. Very well done. under the Falcon Ridge banner. Here are two The Burns Sisters—This CD is a spectrum of The Red Button—Recording a CD of new examples: styles that runs from traditional folk to country, material with an authentic ‘60’s sound has the “Modern Man”—If you’re serious about with lots of sparkling colors in between. Our potential to be a disaster. Had these guys missed Folk music, you’re talkin’ to the wrong man. lead off pick for the iRadio playlist is “Nowhere the mark by even a nanopickle, this project This is the stuff that keeps that mighty wind To Fall,” a mellow folk-rock piece that would have been nothing more than a laughable blowin’ and reminds us that some of the genre’s emphasizes the three sisters’ excellent voices embarrassment. But (whew!), they didn’t. In most time-proven hits were on the sillier side. and harmonies. fact, if you shuffle this CD into the player with “Like A River” is prime example. Rachael Sage—Rachael is a well-established Herman Hermits, Peter & Gordon, The Beatles, Dust Poets—“I Married A Magician,” iRadio regular with several tracks in rotation. or Chad & Jeremy discs, I doubt anyone born features a whimsical storyline poetically told She consistently releases CDs that are fresh after 1970 would notice. Hum-able choruses, over a background that sounds like a melted and full of surprises. The Blistering Sun, is no reverse tape loops, Rhodes piano runs, a little down variation of Bluegrass. The vocals are exception—it’s a collection of well-written, “sha-la-la”… it’s got it all. There’s even go-go sweet as cotton candy and the story is fun. well-performed songs with tons of punch, top- boots on the cover. We went with the title cut These irreverent musicians from Canada have notch production and snappy horn parts. Tune “She’s About To Cross My Mind.” that “period piece” thing down pat. in and hear “Lonely Street,” a fine example of Mad Agnes—Mark, Margo and Adrienne That’s it for now. Remember, the iRadio Rachael’s artistry. (collectively, Mad Agnes) always give you playlist constantly evolves, if you keep listening, Patrice Pike—You saw Patrice last summer more than you expect and their new CD, we’ll keep doing our part to help Indie Artists on Rock Star SuperNova and then on the cover of Revenants, stays true to that tradition. Fourteen get the exposure they deserve. sm the Singer&Musician December ‘06 Issue. Now tracks in all with an excellent balance between you can hear her CD Unraveled, on iRadio. The instrumentation and lyric lines where both get CD features a strong dose of raw, vocal driven plenty of room to shine. It’s new millennium rock mixed with an excellent electric ballads folk at its very best: songs written and sung and R&B. iRadio adds “Rufus” and the title cut from the heart with great harmonies and tight “Are You Still “Unraveled” to the rotation. playing. In addition, the included color booklet Malea McGuiness—Malea has a gracious has all the lyrics, a short description of each There?” sound that fits a variety of musical styles. tune and some fun pix. It’s always nice to give As you’ve probably read in this issue, the Most of the songs on this CD are backed with back, but in a marketing sense, this is a far better Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) has issued minimal instrumentation, allowing Malea’s way for your audience to get to know you better the significantly higher new royalty rates vocals to really shine. We picked the song “I one-on-one. Oh, Track #1, “Chocolate,” was for Internet radio for the 2006-2010 period Never Cry” for its hooky vocals and an intro our pick for iRadio. (see the article by Jake kelly in this issue, that is reminiscent of “Lucy In The Sky With and to see how these new rulings will effect Diamonds,” and the track “Dreamer,” just Samplers and Compilations stations like iRadio and visit www.live365. because we really liked it. New Arrivals—This sampler from mpress com/choice/musicians.html). As the new Jake kelly—Yes, it is the same Jake Kelly records not only overflows with very mpressive rates are based on the number of listeners whose byline appears in Singer&Musician. And music, but 100% of the proceeds go to the per song, our streaming service (Live 365) no, he didn’t get a free pass. His new album Artists Against Hunger & Poverty charity. Most will send periodic “Are You Still There” is traditional country/rockabilly with a straight everything on this CD is strong, so to introduce prompts. If you’re not, and the prompt is forward, genuine approach, but with lyrics that it to the iRadio audience we selected the five ignored, your broadcast will stop and you’ll are slightly askew. Our pick, “It Must Be Love,” tracks. “Stronger” by Miela Paula stands out with need to relaunch when you return. It’s not is a ballad with a twist of Jimmy Buffett and a a passionate in-your-face vocal backed by a killer unlike your dad turning off the lights when splash of ‘50s flair. band. “Sail The Sea,” by Gregory Douglas, is a you’re not in your room, except sometimes KC Clifford—We almost took a pass on KC’s poppy, piano driven ditty that’s hard to get out of you’re still in the room and have to say “hey, “Teeth-Marks On My Tongue”—not because it your head. On “Dark Stranger,” Kristy Krueger’s I’m here!” isn’t good, but because it sounded like so many intensely interesting and not-so-innocent voice other acoustic female singer/songwriters. That draws you in and traps you like a web. Listening is, until we hit track seven, “Yellow Haired to The Divine MAGgees, “Little Black Crow,”

18 singer&musician June 2007 www.iLiveToPlay.net 1 9 Song Byrd

egardless of how you “Welcome to Star perceive American Idol, it Rhas become one of those television phenoms that gets far more attention than any TV School, Dawg!” show deserves. It has spawned

By R.A. Lindquist countless Web sites (good, bad and ugly) and been poked at by numerous comedians and talk show hosts (If you don’t like it—turn the channel!). While most fans of the show are quite content to restrict their attention to watching the show, and then chatting about it at the water cooler the next morning, others just can’t seem to get enough of it. While there’s a certain point where you have to draw the line and say “Hey, get a life”, the fact remains that the show’s formula works and works very well.

Reality Show or Singing Contest? How you perceive American Idol is a matter of which side of the camera you are on. To Simon, Randy and Paula, it is a singing contest, and they do a great job of selling it as such. To others, and I include myself in this group, it’s a reality show. Some argue that the selection process is flawed and that many of the best singers never even make it to the audition. In the real world, people—even high paid producers—don’t always get it right. Reality sometimes, well, sucks. Others accuse the show’s producers of exploiting the contestants by sealing them into airtight contracts and stealing their first years’ earnings. Again, a shot of reality—I doubt there’s a single struggling artist who reads this publication who wouldn’t gladly give up a good chunk of their early earnings to get the kind of long-term career boost that exposure on American Idol offers. (How do you feel about this? Would you give up half your earnings for up to five years to to perform on stage in front of millions of people in over 100 countries – simultaneously? – Vote now – go to Bill’s Blog at www.iLiveToPlay.net!) But this is not as much an article about American Idol as it is about what one of the key, behind the scenes, people has to do with it’s success.

Meet Byrd If it has anything to do with singing or performing, Debra Byrd (known as “Byrd”) has done it (her full bio is at www.debrabyrd.com) With a natural gift for vocal artistry, Byrd brings American Idol and Canadian Idol hopefuls a vast knowledge of musical expression and performing experience. Just as American Idol was entering its “Final 12” phase in the sixth season, I had a chance to chat with Byrd and get a better sense of the transformation process as these everyday, average “kids” become “American Idols.” RAL: Your credentials and accomplishments speak for themselves but in this business, there’s a lot of “right place-right time” opportunities and sometimes it’s just a matter of luck. How did you get the gig with American Idol?

2 0 singer&musician June 2007 Song Byrd

Byrd: The first season’s music director, Kevin RAL: Obviously, the contestants receive where your next blessing will come from. The Bassinson, phoned me while I was coming back substantial training on television etiquette, such world is watching. from doing a demo for Diane Schurr’s CD with as keeping the mic away from their faces and RAL: What are the most common vocal Barry Manilow and said “I’m working on a new playing to the camera. But what will happen problems you encounter when working the TV show and they need a vocal coach.” He kept when they get out on to a live concert stage contestants on Idol or your established clients? saying, “You won’t be performing, but coaching and have to deal with sound techs screaming BYRD: Overuse – dehydration – lack people on TV.” At the time I was working on for them to the exact opposite? of technique – they’ve learned how to sing a book called Vocal Help Now!, which came Byrd: I say to them, “Know where you incorrectly and I have to steer them toward about after the last Broadway show I did (Bring are when you perform.” Television has one “right singing.” We all have basically the same Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk), which had been sensibility—one of the things that threw vocal problems—none of us want to do any so vocally taxing that I said ‘I need to write all me as a performer of concerts was that the vocal damage so we seek out and people who this stuff down.’ So I thought, well, this gig will microphone was so far away and it really can help preserve our livelihoods. be good and I’ll get some new things to add to bothered me—it made me physically want to RAL: Do you deal with these problems on the book.’ So I said to him, “I don’t know what hunch my shoulders to lean over. When you’re the Vocal Help Now DVD? American Idol is, but count me in.” singing live, you can get closer to it and there’s Byrd: Yes, and I also deal with nerves and RAL: At the beginning of each season, the not that visual restriction. It’s all about being stress. I met this young lady who had been here focus is on the selection process—the judges aware of where you are when you perform. It’s in L.A. auditioning for about one month. I asked What people don’t understand is that little kids find their favorites and little kids vote forever and ever, but adults won’t do it. set up shop in major cities and audition the a lot to learn—I tell them ‘Welcome to ‘Star her to be on the DVD and present herself as if contestants for the competition, but there are School’ and part of Star School is learning how she was auditioning. She showed up to do this thousands of contestants and very few ever to perform in different venues. on camera and auditioned a song she knows even get into audition—what does it take to RAL: How do you teach them to deal with backwards and forwards. So she gets on front get to first base? Stage Fright? of the camera and can’t, for the life of her, Byrd: I look at it like Broadway show Byrd: These people don’t have stage remember the words—she kept saying “I’m so auditions—when you show up for a Broadway fright—there is a courage that comes with nervous, I’m so nervous.” I said, ‘Okay, let’s show, they sort of know what they are looking being critiqued in front of millions of people deal with your nerves and stress.’ It freaked her for. I’ve never been to an audition, but it’s my that is absolutely amazing. For someone to tell out because she knew the song, and we see this understanding that those hoards you see on you that you’re not good in front of millions of on American Idol all the time—You see it on television go through a screening process where people—that’s hard, it’s just hard. camera. I said to her, “Did you even prepare they sing in small groups for the producers, and RAL: When a contestant realizes that in the car? Did you sing before you got here? then are put through to Ken Warwick and Nigel they’ve made it about as far as they are going She said “No, because I know this song.” I deal Lythgoe, the executive producers, who have the to, how do you keep them up—keep them with how you prepare to present yourself to final say on who gets to go before Paula, Randy doing their best? people. How you prepare for the audition. I talk and Simon. Byrd: The phrase I use is “There is life after about what you do before the audition, what RAL: What are some of the initial things American Idol.” I want them to be mindful of you do at the audition and what you do after you work on with the contestants? how they present themselves to the planet— your audition. People don’t even think in terms Byrd: When you see them in groups of American Idol is shown all over the world —in of that. You don’t just show up, there are things three is when we (Byrd and Michael Orland) 100 countries, or so I’m told—offers come from you have to do before you get there. sm start working with them so they can continue all around the planet. You just never know the auditioning process, and we stay involved all the way through the finale. The contestants select what they want to sing from a “cleared” list. We then have to figure out what key they are going to sing it in and we have to cut it down to their length of a minute thirty. We cannot choose the song for them– they have to choose their own songs. People used to stop me on the street and say, “This show is fixed, so-and-so should not be moving forward,” and they’d be very passionate about it and I would say to the passionate person who stopped me, “Did you vote?” and they always would say “No.” How can you say it’s fixed, if you don’t vote? What people don’t understand is that little kids find their favorites and little kids vote forever and ever, but adults won’t Byrd with American Idol Executive Producers, do it. Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick.

www.iLiveToPlay.net 2 1 featurestory

At first glance, artists being paid for (when done legally, like the iLivetoPlay play (a reversal!) might seem like a boon to Network’s iRadio) pays fees to the songwriters Paying Up and the independent artists. Unfortunately, the and publishers and to the labels and artists. additional fees are likely to shut down some Commercial radio does not pay royalties to smaller outlets which are already running on a labels or artists. Commercial radio has been Getting Paid shoestring. According to the Radio And Internet exempt from paying these performance fees Newsletter (RAIN), the ruling also affects the claiming that airplay is free promotion for the continued from page 17 larger, more profitable broadcasters that stream record. This ruling addresses only Internet nominated album by the band Sex Mob, but content over the Internet as well. radio, and not commercial broadcast radio. was unable to get a sizable amount of airtime According to Jake Ward, a spokesperson on commercial radio. for the SaveNetRadio campaign (www. “The CRB’s ill informed The airtime that radio will now give SaveNetRadio.org), “The CRB’s ill informed independent labels and artists, pending decision to increase royalty fees to this decision to increase approval by FCC panel of commissioners, will unjustifiable level will quite simply bankrupt royalty fees to this be between the more listened to hours of 6 a.m. most webcasters and destroy Internet radio,— and midnight rather than the late night and Radio on the Internet is not a passing fad or for unjustifiable level will Sunday evening hours the stations had set aside a niche audience. It is an enormously popular quite simply bankrupt for independent music in the past. medium that offers unprecedented diversity for But the very next day a dark cloud its more than 70 million listeners and for artists. most Webcasters and moved over the briefly sunny landscape of the Particularly for independent artists, Internet destroy Internet radio” independent artist. radio has the ability to reach millions of fans The Copyright Royality Board made a across the country who would otherwise never What’s It All About? ruling, as petitioned by SoundExchange, to hear their music. Net radio has changed the Could it be that the labels, facing decreasing retroactively increase the rates paid to artist and way people listen to, buy, promote and market profits as CD sales continue to plummet and labels for streaming music on line back to 2006. music and we cannot afford to let it die.” down loading—both legal and not— is on the It also ends the discounted fee for small Internet But the difference lies in how much rise (Apple just announced they had sold 100 broadcasters. SoundExchange is a branch money the stations bring in. Giants like Clear million iPods and are closing in on two billion of the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Channel, which will also pay the higher fees, songs downloaded from its iTunes Music Store of America), whose members are the major which are based on the average number of and the New York Times recently reported that record labels. They, among other things, lobby listeners. Smaller Internet stations bring in a tiny music-buying habits have changed to the point Washington to protect their member’s interest, percentage of ad profits of what a streaming and that individual song purchases outnumber album their investor’s investments, and supposedly the conventional radio station might bring in. sales by 19-to-1), are looking at increasing the fee interest of the artists signed to their label. It should be noted that Internet radio on Internet radio as a way to open the door and start imposing these fees on broadcast radio? The Copyright board rejected ideas of a “metric” or a revenue-based flat rate (one of 5% was suggested at the hearing by Kurt Hanson of AccuRadio, LLC on behalf of small commercial Web-casters), but went with the RIAA recommendation of pays per spin (per listener). The comparison being electricity costs the same for all business regardless of how small or big they are. Quoting Jake Ward, “The CRB’s failure to reconsider its ill-informed and flawed March 2nd royalty rate increase for webcasters will devastate Internet radio. The panel’s ruling was certainly disappointing, though unfortunately not surprising. By casually dismissing the importance of better understanding the impact of their ruling, the CRB reaffirmed the need for immediate Congressional action. The SaveNetRadio campaign will now take the fight for the future of Internet radio and music diversity on the Internet to Capitol Hill and with the support of millions of listeners, hundreds of thousands of artists and tens of thousands of Webcasters, we believe our message will be heard and Net radio saved.” All this comes at a time when the idea of global wi-fi is a few short years away, and cellular coverage is already here. When Internet radio can be picked up in your car as you’re driving across the country with no signal loss, the line between conventional broadcast radio and Internet streaming becomes thin or disappears altogether. sm

2 2 singer&musician June 2007 24/7studio The Magic of Monitoring

by Bruce Bartlett very important system affects the settings of many controls on you listen to the speaker for a long time without your mixer, as well as your mic selection and your ears hurting. A good spec might be: Total part of your home placement. And all those settings affect the harmonic distortion under 3% from 70 Hz to 20 sound you’re recording. So, using inadequate kHz at 90 dB SPL. studio is the monitor monitors can result in poor-sounding mixes A coming out of your studio. NEARFIELD MONITORS system—speakers, power For example, if your monitors are weak in A nearfield monitor (Figure 1) is a small, amp and room acoustics. the bass, you will tend to boost the bass in the wide-range speaker typically using an 8” or 6” mix until it sounds right over those monitors. woofer and a dome tweeter. You place a pair This system tells you what But when that mix is played over speakers of them about 3 or 4 feet apart, on stands just your end listener will hear. that have adequate bass, the mix will sound behind the mixer, about 3 or 4 feet from you. too bassy because you boosted the bass on Because the speakers are close to your ears, Ideally, it lets you accurately your mixer. So, using monitors with weak bass you hear more of the speakers’ sound and less of hear what you’re doing to results in bassy recordings; using monitors with the room acoustics. Plus, nearfield monitors sound exaggerated treble results in dull recordings, and very clear and provide sharp stereo imaging. the recorded sound. so on. In general, colorations in the monitors Most nearfield monitors have enough will be inverted in your recorded mixes. bass to sound full when placed far from walls. The power amp strengthens your mixer That’s why it’s so important to use an Although most nearfields lack deep bass, they signal to drive the monitor speakers, and the accurate monitor system -- one with a wide, can be supplemented with a subwoofer. Or speakers convert the power amp’s electrical smooth frequency response. Such a system lets you can check the mix occasionally with signal into sound. Your room acoustics affect you hear exactly what you recorded. Look for headphones that have deep bass, such as the the sound from the speakers. a frequency response of at least 70 Hz to 15 Sony MDR-7506. A quality monitor system is a must if you kHz +/- 3 dB. A response lower than 70 Hz and Some nearfields are in a satellite-subwoofer want your mixes to sound good. According to higher than 15 kHz is even better, and a response format. The two satellite speakers are small what you hear, you adjust the mix and judge deviation less than +/- 3 dB is also better. units, typically including a 4-inch woofer your mic techniques. Clearly, the monitor Low distortion is necessary because it lets and 3/4-inch dome tweeter. The satellites are too small to produce deep Figure 1: A nearfield monitor speaker. bass, but that is handled by the subwoofer. It is a single cabinet with one or two large woofer cones. Typically, the subwoofer (sub) produces frequencies from 100 Hz down to 40 Hz or below. Since we do not localize sounds below about 100 Hz, all the sound seems to come from the satellite speakers. The sub-satellite system is more complicated to set up than two larger speakers, but offers deeper bass.

POWERED (ACTIVE) MONITORS Many nearfield monitors have a power amplifier built in. You feed them a line- level signal (labeled Monitor Out) from your mixer. Most powered monitors are bi- amplified: they have one amplifier for the woofer and another for the tweeter. Compared to passive monitors with a separate power amp, active monitors tend to sound louder and clearer, and have a flatter frequency response.

THE POWER AMPLIFIER If your monitor speakers are not powered, you need a

www.iLiveToPlay.net 2 3 24/7studio

Figure 2: A power amplifier. power amplifier (Figure 2). It boosts your mixer’s acousticalsolutions.com, primacoustic.com, a good tonal balance sounds like. Listen to the line-level signal to a higher power in order to auralex.com, acousticsfirst.com, wallmate. amount of bass, midrange, and treble, and try to drive the speakers. net, illbruck-sonex.com, rpginc.com, and match those in your mixes. Use CDs with the same A power amp of 50 watts per channel fstechnologies.com. Also check out www. musical genre and instrumentation as your mix. continuous is about the minimum for nearfield ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html. You’ll mix the tracks to sound good on monitors; 150 watts is better. Too much power is In most home or project studios, the control your accurate monitors. But also check the mix better than too little because an underpowered room is the same room as the studio. You can on small inexpensive speakers to see whether system is likely to clip or distort. This creates monitor with headphones while recording, and anything is missing or whether the mix changes high frequencies that can damage tweeters. monitor with speakers during playback and drastically. Make sure that bass instruments are A good monitor power amp has distortion mixdown. recorded with enough edge or midrange to be under 0.05% at full rated power. It should have a audible on the smaller speakers. It’s a good idea high damping factor -- at least 100 -- to keep the SPEAKER PLACEMENT to make a cassette or CD copy of the mix for bass tight. The amp should be reliable. Look for Mount your speakers on stands at ear listening in a car, boom box, or compact stereo. separate level controls for left and right channels. height so the mixer doesn’t block The amplifier should have a clip or peak light their sound. For best stereo that flashes when the amp is distorting. imaging, align the speaker drivers vertically and mount SPEAKER CABLES AND POLARITY the speakers symmetrically with When you connect the power amp to the respect to the side walls. Place speakers, use short, thick speaker cable or lamp the two speakers as far apart as cord—at least 16 gauge. The low resistance of you’re sitting from them; aim these cables helps the power amplifier to control them toward you, and sit exactly the speaker motion and tighten the bass. between them (Figure 3). If you wire the two speakers in opposite To get the smoothest low- polarity, one speaker’s cone moves out while the frequency response, put the other speaker’s cone moves in. This causes vague speakers along the shorter wall, stereo imaging, weak bass, and a strange sense of at least 2 feet from the wall, and pressure on your ears. Be sure to wire the speakers sit forward of the halfway point in the same polarity as follows: In both channels, in the room. The closer to the connect the amplifier positive (+ or red) terminal wall the monitors are, the more Figure 3: to the speaker positive (+ or red) terminal. bass you hear. In small rooms Recommended you might have to place the monitor placement ROOM ACOUSTICS monitors against the wall, which for best stereo The acoustics of the control room affect the will exaggerate the bass. Some imaging. sound of the speakers. If your room has bare, monitors have switches that hard walls, sound waves from the speakers vary the amount of lows (bass) reflect off those surfaces. That can muddy the and highs (treble). That’s a good feature because CONCLUSION sound and smear the stereo imaging. it partly compensates for speaker placement and Ultimately, what you hear from the monitors Get a 4 ft. x 4 ft. piece of convoluted room acoustics. influences your recording techniques and affects (bumpy) acoustic foam, and attach it to the wall the quality of your recordings. So work on your behind the speakers to absorb sound. Spread USING THE MONITORS control-room acoustics, choose and place the some more 4x8 pieces around the walls, starting When you do a mixdown, try to listen at speakers carefully, monitor at proper levels and with a pair on the side walls, halfway between a moderate level around 85 dB SPL. You can listen on several systems. You’ll be rewarded with the speakers and your listening position. The measure SPL (Sound Pressure Level) with a Radio a monitor system you can trust. sm foam absorbs mid-to-high frequencies. You Shack SPL meter. If you mix a program while also need some “bass traps” to absorb the low monitoring loudly, say, 100 dB SPL, the same frequencies. For a cheap bass trap, get some program will sound weak in the bass and treble Bruce Bartlett is an audio journalist and rolls of fiberglass insulation (factory-covered in when heard at a lower listening level -- which is recording engineer. His latest books are plastic) and stack them from floor to ceiling in likely in the home. Another reason to avoid loud Recording Music On Location and Practical each corner of the room. monitoring is to protect your hearing. Recording Techniques 4th Edition published by Some suppliers of studio acoustic Before doing a mix, play some commercial Focal Press. absorbers are tubetrap.com, realtraps.com, CDs over your monitors to remind yourself what

2 4 singer&musician June 2007 24/7studio

www.iLiveToPlay.net 2 5 26 singer&musician June 2007 buyer’sguide

Powered Speakers By Bill Evans

Changing amps can make a very audible owered speakers have difference. In a multi-way system, where you set the crossover is crucial. By putting all of that been around since at into one box and purpose-building it to work least the early ‘70s together you eliminate variables. When you P put everything together you get a powered or but really started to come “active” enclosure. Speaker makers who are fanatical about into vogue about a decade sound quality and—especially consistency ago. What do we mean of sound from one cabinet to another—have been doing powered enclosures for a long by powered speakers? We time. Highest on this list is probably Meyer mean speaker cabinets that Sound followed directly by Spain’s D.A.S. In the past decade pretty much everyone has have the amp or amps built come out with some kind of powered speaker but they have been at it all along. Having said into the same enclosure as that, the company that made powered speakers the drivers. You do not hook the norm among many working musicians and small soundcos was Mackie with the SRM 450. them up to the output of an You have seen these ubiquitous gray boxes and everything is up in the air and one amp in amp, they connect directly everywhere and I don’t know of a sound guy one cabinet fails, you are looking at a nightmare anywhere who has not owned at least one pair of lowering everything, troubleshooting it and to the output of a mixer. at some point in time. And once their popularity then getting it back in the air as opposed to just was set, JBL made the EON which grew into M- switching out an amp on the ground. But the Pro and most recently the VP series. E-V made truth here is that if you are flying speakers then But, Why? powered Eliminator models. FBT moved in from you are probably reading the magazine I edit Anytime you introduce or change a variable Italy and ISP came out of Michigan with some as my day gig, not Singer&Musician. Putting in the signal chain, you create a potential for new amp technology that made boatloads of hundreds of pounds of electronics above the changing the sound quality. The sound of a difference in sound quality. Indeed, it is tough heads of an audience is an activity best left to speaker can change subtly depending on the today to think of a company that makes speakers real pros. kind of cable you use to hook it up as can the for the MI market that does not do powered at length of said cable (the longer the cable the least as an option. What To Look For more energy is lost before it reaches the driver). First there is a move afoot to add digital So, Why Not? processing and networking to powered Some sound guys will point to a loss of speakers. This charge is currently being led flexibility. These pros know how one speaker by Renkus-Heinz who has announced that sounds with a certain amp and mix and match all future models of their enclosures will to get the sound they are looking for. Having include their DSP/networking package dubbed crossover and delay (not delay as in echo, this RHAON. Remember, the audio world is getting is about getting the sound from different drivers increasingly digital—even at the musician in a multi-way system to reach the listener at level. So this is something to consider if you the same time) set inside the cabinet takes away are hoping your new powered speakers will the ability to tweak what the manufacturer maintain their value over a reasonable period recommends and I know people who make a of time. good living traveling around to soundcos and The next big thing to look for is accuracy of venues and measuring various aspects of their the sound. Just like a Shure SM58 mic has that sound then tweaking the crossover and delay well-known “presence bump” in the midrange, setting to optimize the audio quality. The many active speakers are “tuned” (or use some setting used after the critical measurement are form of processing or EQ) so that they sound often quite different from those suggested by the good in the music store. Always audition any manufacturer. speakers using your own input—be that a CD Next con is weight. A cabinet with speakers or an iPod or whatever. Listen to something you and an amp inside is going to weigh significantly are very familiar with and see if it sounds like more than a passive speaker cabinet, there is you expect it to. If it doesn’t then your show really no way around it. Lugging powered won’t sound like you think it should either. At speakers can be a chore. The other thing some least not until you take the processing magic opponents to the active approach point to is into account. the ability to access a problem amp in a flown Turn the page to see a rundown of some of system. When you are using an active cabinet the units available on the market today.

www.iLiveToPlay.net 2 7 buyer’sguide

COMPANY WEB MODEL DRIVERS POWER I/O CABINET CONSTRUCTION WEIGHT PRICE (MSRP) 2 x 10 mids,1 Titanium HF driver on Elliptical Wave Guide 1 x 15” 700W subwoofer B-52 Professional www.B-52Pro.com Matrix-1000V2 N/R 13-ply Baltic birch 180 lbs - total $1,699.98 subwoofer 400W Satellite 1000W subwoofer; B-52 Professional www.B-52Pro.com Matrix-2000 18” Sub, 12”Satellite mids, Titanium HF Driver N/R 3-ply Baltic birch 244 lbs - total $2,999.98 500W Satellite EUROLIVE BEHRINGER www.behringer.com 15” woofer and a 1.75” titanium driver 600W XLR and 1/4 TRS High impact resin TBA $739.99 B415DSP Neodymium magnet 15” low frequency speaker with a 3” voice coil. Neodymium 1” exit compression driver with 1.75” titanium diaphragm, Mineral-loaded polypropylene cabinet of a D.A.S. Audio s.a. www.dasaudio.com DS-115A LF 300W - HF 100W XLR 49 lbs $999.00 coupled to a constant directivity horn that is integral to the enclosure very high density with minimum vibration. baffle All the transducers in the system feature Neodymium magnets for low weight. LF: 15” low frequency speaker with 4” voice coil. MF: 10” Birch plywood finished with catalyzed poly- D.A.S. Audio s.a. www.dasaudio.com COMPACT-2 horn-loaded cone loudspeaker, HF: 1.5” exit compression driver with LF 500W - MF/HF 500W XLR 153 lbs $4,612.00 urethane paint. 4” titanium diaphragm, coupled to a constant directivity horn which is mounted coaxially to the woofer. 12” LF with a 3” voice coil. Neodymium compression driver with1.5” Birch plywood finished witha durable black D.A.S. Audio s.a. www.dasaudio.com SM-12A LF 500W - HF 100W XLR 64 lbs $2147.00 exit and 3” titanium diaphragm coupled to a narrow dispersion horn. paint. LF: 15” speaker with a 3” voice coil and neodymium magnet structure. Birch plywood finished with a durable black D.A.S. Audio s.a. www.dasaudio.com SML-15A HF:Neodymium compression driver with 1.5” exit and 3” titanium LF 500W - HF 100W XLR 63 lbs $2,503.00 paint. diaphragm coupled to a 60º x 40º rotateable horn. Danley Sound Labs www.danleysoundlabs.com SH-100 Full Range Loudspeaker Drivers: Single 8” coaxial DSP- 1000 AMP 2- NL4MP Baltic Birch 45 lbs $2,270.00 Seperate Mic, Line, Stereo Aux, and speaker output for Dynacord www.dynacord.com AM 12 12” LF 1” HF 300W LF, 60W HF 1.18” Mediapan wood composite 46 lbs $1,500.00 connection to M 12 passive mate Two mic/line inputs with mix Enclosure is built of 18 mm plywood and 350W LF, 80W HF. LF and capability.Line output for Electro-Voice www.electrovoice.com SxA 250 15-inch two-way powered system. finished in Futura, a sprayed-on polyurethane 48.94 lbs $935.00 HF shelving equalization. cascading signal to additional finish speakers. 15” B&C Neodymium Magnet woofer, w/ 3” VC. 2.5” B&C HF driver 700W woofer, Neutrik Balanced XLR/ combo FBT www.fbt.it FBT Maxx 6a Gas Injection molded Polypropylene cabinet 64 lbs $1,729.00 coupled to a 90 x 60 Horn w/ 2” exit 200W HF driver jacks 3 Way cabinet: Lows-two 10” neo woofers Mids-two 2” compression Void free baltic birch with a rubberized poly- ISP Technologies LLC www.isptechnologies.com HDM 210 900W N/R 73 lbs $2,270.00 drivers Highs-one 1.75” neo compression driver urethane covering; custom paint available 3-Way Cabinet Lows-1 12” Neo woofer Mids-2 2” Compression drivers Void free Baltic birch with a rubberized poly- ISP Technologies LLC www.isptechnologies.com HDM 112 500W N/R 68 lbs $1,650.00 Highs-1 1.75” Neo Compression driver urethane covering 3 inputs (1 x female XLR, 2 x Rugged light weight co-polymer rear enclo- 15” LF driver with neodymium magent. 1.75” Titanium diaphragm high- JBL Profesional www.jblpro.com EON15 G2 300 watts LF/100 watts HF 1/4” phone (balanced). 1 x XLR sure, single cast-aluminium baffle integrating 46 lbs $899.00 frequency compression driver male output woofer frame. 500W Continuous/ JBL Professional www.jblpro.com PRX512M 12-inch 2-way XLR line and 1/4” Plywood coated in DuraFlex finish. 40 lbs $899.00 1000W Peak Mackie www.mackie.com SRM450 12” 2-way LF 450W. HF 100 W XLR Input, XLR “thru” Polypropylene 51 lbs $899.99 Mic/Line input (Combo), XLR Mackie www.mackie.com SRM350 10” 2-way LF 165W, HF 35 W Polypropylene 32 lbs $699.99 “thru” output 1.4” diaphragm neodymium compression driver; HF 12” neodymium 100W Class AB+B HF; XLR Balanced Line Level in Multi-ply Birch cabinet with indutrial black QSC Audio www.qscaudio.com HPR122i 60 lbs $1,199.00 woofer with 3” voice coil; LF 400W Class H LF with Loop Through paint finish Renkus-Heinz http://www.renkus-heinz.com CFM121 1 x 12-inch woofer, 1 x 2-inch titanium compression driver 200W RMS, 300W peak Looping XLR 13-ply hardwood 50.6 lbs $1,150.00 Samson Technologies www.samsontech.com dB300a 12 inch woofer and 1.75 inch titanium compression driver. 300W Balanced mic and line inputs. Polypropylene 54 lbs $599.99 XLR Mic/Line input and pass Tapco www.tapcoworld.com TH-15s (THUMP) 1” compression driver (HF) 15” high-precision LF driver LF) 180 w / (HF) 60 w Polypropylene 36 Ibs $349.99 thru Yamaha www.yamaha.com MSR100 8” woofer and 1” titanum compression driver 100W 3 inputs(1XLR, 2 1/4”), 1 output Polypropylene 23 lbs $479.00 Yamaha www.yamaha.com MSR400 12” woofer 1.75” titanium compression driver LF- 300W, HF- 100W XLR and 1/4” input; XLR output Propylene 48 lbs $699.00

28 singer&musician June 2007 buyer’sguide

COMPANY WEB MODEL DRIVERS POWER I/O CABINET CONSTRUCTION WEIGHT PRICE (MSRP) 2 x 10 mids,1 Titanium HF driver on Elliptical Wave Guide 1 x 15” 700W subwoofer B-52 Professional www.B-52Pro.com Matrix-1000V2 N/R 13-ply Baltic birch 180 lbs - total $1,699.98 subwoofer 400W Satellite 1000W subwoofer; B-52 Professional www.B-52Pro.com Matrix-2000 18” Sub, 12”Satellite mids, Titanium HF Driver N/R 3-ply Baltic birch 244 lbs - total $2,999.98 500W Satellite EUROLIVE BEHRINGER www.behringer.com 15” woofer and a 1.75” titanium driver 600W XLR and 1/4 TRS High impact resin TBA $739.99 B415DSP Neodymium magnet 15” low frequency speaker with a 3” voice coil. Neodymium 1” exit compression driver with 1.75” titanium diaphragm, Mineral-loaded polypropylene cabinet of a D.A.S. Audio s.a. www.dasaudio.com DS-115A LF 300W - HF 100W XLR 49 lbs $999.00 coupled to a constant directivity horn that is integral to the enclosure very high density with minimum vibration. baffle All the transducers in the system feature Neodymium magnets for low weight. LF: 15” low frequency speaker with 4” voice coil. MF: 10” Birch plywood finished with catalyzed poly- D.A.S. Audio s.a. www.dasaudio.com COMPACT-2 horn-loaded cone loudspeaker, HF: 1.5” exit compression driver with LF 500W - MF/HF 500W XLR 153 lbs $4,612.00 urethane paint. 4” titanium diaphragm, coupled to a constant directivity horn which is mounted coaxially to the woofer. 12” LF with a 3” voice coil. Neodymium compression driver with1.5” Birch plywood finished witha durable black D.A.S. Audio s.a. www.dasaudio.com SM-12A LF 500W - HF 100W XLR 64 lbs $2147.00 exit and 3” titanium diaphragm coupled to a narrow dispersion horn. paint. LF: 15” speaker with a 3” voice coil and neodymium magnet structure. Birch plywood finished with a durable black D.A.S. Audio s.a. www.dasaudio.com SML-15A HF:Neodymium compression driver with 1.5” exit and 3” titanium LF 500W - HF 100W XLR 63 lbs $2,503.00 paint. diaphragm coupled to a 60º x 40º rotateable horn. Danley Sound Labs www.danleysoundlabs.com SH-100 Full Range Loudspeaker Drivers: Single 8” coaxial DSP- 1000 AMP 2- NL4MP Baltic Birch 45 lbs $2,270.00 Seperate Mic, Line, Stereo Aux, and speaker output for Dynacord www.dynacord.com AM 12 12” LF 1” HF 300W LF, 60W HF 1.18” Mediapan wood composite 46 lbs $1,500.00 connection to M 12 passive mate Two mic/line inputs with mix Enclosure is built of 18 mm plywood and 350W LF, 80W HF. LF and capability.Line output for Electro-Voice www.electrovoice.com SxA 250 15-inch two-way powered system. finished in Futura, a sprayed-on polyurethane 48.94 lbs $935.00 HF shelving equalization. cascading signal to additional finish speakers. 15” B&C Neodymium Magnet woofer, w/ 3” VC. 2.5” B&C HF driver 700W woofer, Neutrik Balanced XLR/ combo FBT www.fbt.it FBT Maxx 6a Gas Injection molded Polypropylene cabinet 64 lbs $1,729.00 coupled to a 90 x 60 Horn w/ 2” exit 200W HF driver jacks 3 Way cabinet: Lows-two 10” neo woofers Mids-two 2” compression Void free baltic birch with a rubberized poly- ISP Technologies LLC www.isptechnologies.com HDM 210 900W N/R 73 lbs $2,270.00 drivers Highs-one 1.75” neo compression driver urethane covering; custom paint available 3-Way Cabinet Lows-1 12” Neo woofer Mids-2 2” Compression drivers Void free Baltic birch with a rubberized poly- ISP Technologies LLC www.isptechnologies.com HDM 112 500W N/R 68 lbs $1,650.00 Highs-1 1.75” Neo Compression driver urethane covering 3 inputs (1 x female XLR, 2 x Rugged light weight co-polymer rear enclo- 15” LF driver with neodymium magent. 1.75” Titanium diaphragm high- JBL Profesional www.jblpro.com EON15 G2 300 watts LF/100 watts HF 1/4” phone (balanced). 1 x XLR sure, single cast-aluminium baffle integrating 46 lbs $899.00 frequency compression driver male output woofer frame. 500W Continuous/ JBL Professional www.jblpro.com PRX512M 12-inch 2-way XLR line and 1/4” Plywood coated in DuraFlex finish. 40 lbs $899.00 1000W Peak Mackie www.mackie.com SRM450 12” 2-way LF 450W. HF 100 W XLR Input, XLR “thru” Polypropylene 51 lbs $899.99 Mic/Line input (Combo), XLR Mackie www.mackie.com SRM350 10” 2-way LF 165W, HF 35 W Polypropylene 32 lbs $699.99 “thru” output 1.4” diaphragm neodymium compression driver; HF 12” neodymium 100W Class AB+B HF; XLR Balanced Line Level in Multi-ply Birch cabinet with indutrial black QSC Audio www.qscaudio.com HPR122i 60 lbs $1,199.00 woofer with 3” voice coil; LF 400W Class H LF with Loop Through paint finish Renkus-Heinz http://www.renkus-heinz.com CFM121 1 x 12-inch woofer, 1 x 2-inch titanium compression driver 200W RMS, 300W peak Looping XLR 13-ply hardwood 50.6 lbs $1,150.00 Samson Technologies www.samsontech.com dB300a 12 inch woofer and 1.75 inch titanium compression driver. 300W Balanced mic and line inputs. Polypropylene 54 lbs $599.99 XLR Mic/Line input and pass Tapco www.tapcoworld.com TH-15s (THUMP) 1” compression driver (HF) 15” high-precision LF driver LF) 180 w / (HF) 60 w Polypropylene 36 Ibs $349.99 thru Yamaha www.yamaha.com MSR100 8” woofer and 1” titanum compression driver 100W 3 inputs(1XLR, 2 1/4”), 1 output Polypropylene 23 lbs $479.00 Yamaha www.yamaha.com MSR400 12” woofer 1.75” titanium compression driver LF- 300W, HF- 100W XLR and 1/4” input; XLR output Propylene 48 lbs $699.00

www.iLiveToPlay.net 2 9 tools— thegoodies&thegadgets

Little But Simplified Loaded Harmonies Mackie’s new SRM150 DigiTech introduces the world’s Compact Active PA first processors that automatically System is a versatile and generate live multi-part vocal harmony expandable solution by analyzing guitar chord progressions. for a variety of sound The Vocalist Live 2 and Vocalist Live reinforcement needs. 4 use musIQ™ technology to directly With 150 watts and the analyze the output of any electric or 5.25” EAW-designed, pre-amplified acoustic guitar (no special full-range neodymium driver, the MIDI guitars or hex-outputs needed). SRM150 delivers higher sound pressure levels (SPL) than any They then generate the correct vocal competitive product. The built-in 3-channel mixer features two combo harmony. For example, if you’re singing an A over the chords that are XLR/Line inputs (with 48V phantom power and a hi-Z instrument input), a generally found in the key of G, Vocalist will harmonize with a C. But, if stereo channel for CD/MP3 players, and Mackie’s musical 3-band active you then play an A major, Vocalist will shift to the C#...because like any EQ. The SRM150 can even be mounted on a mic stand, making it the ideal good harmony singer, it listens to the guitar! With musIQ, you can forget personal monitor. MSRP $389.99 www.Mackie.com about the technology – just sing and play! See the demo at www.digitech.com Virtual Vocalists The Beat Is Right With TC-Helicon’s Harmony4 plug-in for Pro On, Man Tools|HD, producers, Beatnik Rhythmic Analyzers from engineers and songwriters are OnBoard research will help you improve your free to explore all creative rhythmic accuracy by providing the immediate possibilities. Harmony4 can timing feedback needed to learn complex figures. be used to generate new 1- After you set the desired rhythm on the built-in to 4-part harmonies, fatten metronome, simply start the playback and hammer out a existing harmony tracks and groove on the touch sensitive parcatice pad. The unit’s even create memorable display shows a visual representation of each stroke in real time, showing vocal special effects after the singer has with accuracy to the nearest 512th note where your strokes occured in left the studio. Up to four virtual singers with individual relation to the actual beat. MSRP: $189.95. www.tuners.com gender, vibrato, levels and various humanization controls can be created from a single vocal track. The interface of the Harmony4 plug-in offers several schemes to simplify the choice of harmony—from automatic getting scale-based harmony that intelligently follows melismatic singing, to MIDI better all note control allowing any possible melody to compliment the lead vocal. MSRP:$995 www.tc-helicon.com the time Soloists, duets and small bands can avoid audio Built For the Road overkill with the new Community’s new SONUS line of portable loudspeaker systems is small format analog MG designed specifically with you in mind. The line includes four full-range Mixers from Yamaha. The models and two subwoofers with low distortion, high-impact sonic four redesigned models capability, ease of transport, and durable construction to withstand the are engineered and built rigors of the road. SONUS full-range models start with the SONUS-1296, to fill the most demanding a two-way system comprising a 12” cone driver and a 1” horn-loaded requirements for production high frequency driver, housed in a multi-angle enclosure for use as a and sound reinforcement applications. New features include FOH system or a floor monitor. The trapezoidal SONUS-1596 is a 15”/1” single-knob compression on two inputs, switch-able monitor mix two-way system with a well defined 90º x 60º polar pattern. The larger routing, upgraded components and enhanced cosmetics. “The MG line SONUS-3294 makes the leap to a full three-way system employing a 12” of analog mixers has been successful beyond our most optimistic LF cone driver, a 6.5” horn-loaded MF cone driver, and a 1” horn loaded expectations,” said Wayne Hrabak, marketing manager, Live HF compression driver. The SONUS-3594, comprises a 15” cone driver Sound, Yamaha Pro Audio & Combo Division. “This new generation with the same Mid/Hi section as the SONUS-3294. All models can be of models is designed to build on this already switched between active bi-amped and passive single-amped operation, strong level of acceptance.” The line includes to readily accommodate the needs of the user. A music/voice Presence the MG124CX (MSRP: $379), MG124C Switch is provided as a quick means of altering the upper mid-range to (MSRP: $299), MG82CX (MSRP: $219) and suit the acoustical conditions of the venue. www. MG102C (MSRP: $149) www.yamaha.com/ Loudspeakers.net proaudio.

Cool Stool The “Cool Stool” from SHS International which combines a players stool and a guitar stand into one unit. The stool’s guitar cradle folds down completely out of sight under the seat when not in use. www.shsaudio.com/coolstool.htm

3 0 singer&musician June 2007 singer& musician university Providing the knowledge you need to reach your goal of vocal & musical success…

SONG: Are You Going To Be My Girl ARTIST: JET he Australian garage jumps up into the stratosphere as his sees the with the guitar solo/riffing continuing. The ubür-chick of his dreams leave with some other chorus extends for a few more bars, then ending rock band Jet, hailing dolt. This repeats twice, then up to the E and G, on the D chord, with a ‘yea’ from the singer and where the band pauses in a pregnant fashion as the band clapping for itself. How fun. from Melbourne with our hero asks the all-important question: “Are The lyrics outline a classic rock and roll T you going to be my girl?” love story: boy sees hot girl, boy wants hot dreams of making it big, did The band continues with the original girl, boy sees girl leave with other guy, boy, in just that in a very short time. groove, playing the guitar riff on the 7th and 8th a last ditch effort, asks girl to go home with him bars. Then it is back into the 2nd verse which while she is walking out the door, the boy is After a deal with Elektra in 2003 and an opening slot for the Rolling Stones, “Are You Gonna Be My Girl?” became a radio favorite Why It Works worldwide, pushing sales for their debut release near the four million mark. This single harkens • Simple blues/rock form harkens back to the classic rock days: the seventies. back to the heyday of classic rock, the 1970s. “Are you gonna be my girl” starts with • Vocal lines explode with energy. a very simple but powerful tambourine 8th note pattern, joined by a bass riff in A, very • Simple boy reminiscent of Iggy Pop’s, ‘Lust for Life’. The sees girl, drums enter with a very ‘Lust for Life’ groove. boy almost The band breaks as the guitar enters with a pentatonic fill. The lead vocalist shrieks and loses, but the song explodes into full swing. The guitars gets girl do the same fill again before the band breaks lyric line. for the vocalist, utilizing his greatest rock and roll classic lead singer vibe explaining how he wants to make the girl he sees come with him because she looks so fine. The breaking for the vocal line sounds a little like The Who’s ‘My is-surprise-same as Generation’, but is indeed a common move in the first. Yes, this the blues idiom. I really love the hum of the song only has one guitar amps under the vocalist adding to the verse of lyrics. natural, live, but explosive effectiveness of this After the second track. The band continues to break for all the chorus, the band lyrics in the verse. The before mentioned guitar breaks, while the riff comes back setting up the B section. Starting guitar continues with on the D chord, the band plays the punches claps on 2 and 4. with the vocal line as his describes his love This continues for 4 interest. This occurs four times. At the chorus, bars, the whole band comes in, drums riding on triumphant, we assume. With it’s incredibly the rhythm section plays the same feel as the the toms. A guitar solo ensues, over the chorus simple and catchy framework, classic rock harmonies climb for the A chord going up the chords. The vocalist sings ‘oh yea’ in a very singing and performance, this song may become minor 3rd to the C, then the D and back to the A. Mick Jagger fashion. The next chorus begins a hard rock standard. Hand claps on 2 and 4 are added. The vocalist

www.iLiveToPlay.net 3 1 singer&musicianuniversity

Greg Kihn on Song Writing Do Your Songs Have Soul? ...are they “real”?

things to you. Watch out for slick operators and jive artists who just want your money. If you are pure of heart, and you treat people with respect, you won’t make any enemies. Remember, the people that you meet on the way up, are also there waiting for you on the way down. Any bad mojo that you cause will come back to haunt you. I know this for a fact.

Sure, there are jerks in the music business... but not at the beginner stage.

3. Guard your intellectual property. It’s maddening to let slip some great riff or lyric idea and see it pop up in somebody else’s song. It happens all the time. I never listen to other people’s demos because I might subconsciously rip it off later. You’ve got to be intellectually honest. 4. Stay true to yourself. All the great songwriters put a little piece of themselves in every composition. In fiction and in song Who is Greg Kihn? While his credits are too numerous to writing, they tell you to write what you know. In the coming issues I will talk about the nuts mention, here are few highlights: Greg was a rock star in the ‘80s and bolts of song writing, but the underlying who had a #1 worldwide hit with “Jeopardy” and a slew of other issue will always be soul. Do your songs have soul? Are they honest? Are they real? hits including “The Breakup Song (They Don’t Write ‘em Like That 5. keep writing, no matter what, even if Anymore)”, “Lucky,” “Reunited,” and “Remember;” He made it sucks. Through periods of writer’s block, it’s important that you continue to write. You’ve got 15 albums; appeared on Saturday Night Live and opened for the to keep the pilot light lit. Otherwise you won’t Stones; He was a staple on early MTV and VH1; plus he’s written be ready when the next “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” comes floating through the ether. In my and published five novels and many short stories. For the past 11 career it’s been the songs that wrote themselves years he’s been doing the morning show on 98.5 KFOX radio in that became my biggest hits. “Jeopardy” was written in fifteen minutes. “The Breakup Song” San Jose, Ca. But, what’s all this got to do with you? After all, this was written in ten minutes. Dylan once said is all about you and your song writing, right? that when he’s writing a song, he feels like he’s literarily snatching it out of the air. That’s the fter a lifetime of rock and roll, I’ve discovered some basic truisms that might be valuable to way it should feel. the erstwhile singer-songwriter. I should point out that most of the lessons I have learned In the coming issues I’ll tell you how to go Awere gleaned from mistakes. In other words, I screwed it up once and fixed it before it about the actual writing of the songs, step by step. happened again. If you don’t learn from your mistakes, you’ll be doomed to repeat them again and I’ll tell you everything I’ve learned over the last again. 30 years about the creative process. It’s gonna I might as well start by painting, with some very wide brush strokes, some extremely basic rules be a lot of fun, so plan on checking in with me that to even a begin a career in music, you must master. Forgive me for being so blunt. periodically, OK? I guarantee that your song 1. Don’t be a jerk. This is a people business. You’ll have to network, you’ll need friends, writing will improve dramatically. sometimes you’ll have to count on other people’s help, and you’ll have to learn as you go. Sure, See ya next time! there are jerks in the music business, but not at the beginner stage. If you want people to take your calls, you’re going to have to learn to be pleasant, even if it kills you. For more info about Greg Kihn, check out his 2. Don’t lie, cheat, or steal. You’d think this one would be an automatic, but people still try site at www.gregkihn.com pull the wool over somebody’s eyes everyday. The converse is also true: don’t let them do those

3 2 singer&musician June 2007 singer&musicianuniversity

Sound Check B y B o b G i b s o n

My band is pretty new, and we think we’re ready to start playing around Q town. We have a little bit of sound equipment that we use to practice with, but nothing like real concert stuff. What can we do to help make us ready to play in bars and clubs? We’ve heard some real horror stories about some of the soundmen around here.

Good question. Most young bands are more excited about the chance to get out A and play, and never seem to have the foresight to ask this type of question. I guess the first place I would start is, once you land a gig, try to check out the venue before the actual night you are to play. Watch how things seem to work on that particular stage. The house may have a sound system and a house engineer, or they may not. You’ll need to find that out in advance (some of the smaller bars and clubs expect the band to bring their own sound gear and to run it themselves). Assuming that the venue does have a house system and engineer, it never hurts to go and introduce yourselves (providing they are not busy), and just sort of get the lay of the land. If you should get a sound check, be ready for it. The majority of young acts have very basic Have all your tones and patches worked out in and simple sound needs (drums, bass, keys, a couple guitars, tracks, vocals, etc.), and most rehearsal. Listen to the soundman; he’ll have his venues can cover these needs. own style and order on how to run the sound check. On show night, have your act together BEFORE you show up at the venue. Every house Know what you want to play before you start. has their own way of doing things, and it will pay Select songs that will include every instrument you’ll huge dividends if you show up with a very fluid frame of mind. For instance: never get married be using, as well as all the different vocalists and to the idea of a sound check. Many times, it will harmonies your set will include that night. only be the “Headliner” who gets the luxury of a sound check. Should you find yourselves in the used to fact that no stage is going to sound like at least a half hour just to set up their drums. I situation where you are sandwiched between your rehearsal space. told them that regardless of how long they took acts, you’ll be expected to get your equipment Watch your stage volume. If the soundman to set up, their set would still be over at 10:45. on the stage very quickly, play your set, then asks you to bring it down, do it. Excessive stage Of course, they went ballistic, and after some strike your gear just a quickly. volume can ruin a mix in the house and wash back and forth discussion between myself, If you should get a sound check, be ready out the stage, so let the monitor and PA systems the entire band, and angry club management, for it. Have all your tones and patches worked do their jobs the band walked. I’m sure they thought that I out in rehearsal. Listen to the soundman; he’ll Finally, show up on time! I once had a band was being the jerk: one of those “horror story” have his own style and order on how to run show up 15 minutes before their scheduled 10 soundmen. But it was their bad attitude and the sound check. Know what you want to play o’clock set. They were a local band and had lack of professionalism that fueled the situation. before you start. Select songs that will include no real excuse for showing up so close to The result? They didn’t play, didn’t get paid, every instrument you’ll be using, as well as all showtime. They were also the first of three acts and were never booked by the club again. the different vocalists and harmonies your set that night, and I had a 1 A.M. cut off time which So, good luck with the band. If you show will include that night. was strictly enforced by the club management. up to every gig with an open, positive, and Learn to be flexible; every venue is different. When I told the band to hurry and set up (the professional attitude, you’ll have fewer “horror Monitor systems will vary between dedicated club also strictly enforced the 10 o’clock start stories”, and more time to devote to your music. mixes for each player to no monitors at all. Get time), their response was that it would take them

www.iLiveToPlay.net 3 3 singer&musicianuniversity

Playing in the Real World Dealing with Band Members and Mercenaries B y R y K i h n hile stardom and fame can be considered a fantastical pursuit, which I won’t ever try to Wdissuade you from pursuing, earning a good living as a career musician is not a bad fallback position should your aspirations for superstardom not pan out. A career in music is not an unobtainable goal. With hard work, perseverance, education, and – most of all – common sense, you stand a far better chance in a lifetime music career, instead of entirely throwing in the towel – as most musicians do - if your dreams of superstardom don’t come to fruition. The goal of my advice is to make you a better working musician so you remain successfully and consistently employed and employable.

For many years, I have earned a living doing everything from Heavy Metal to Bebop to a fact, therefore; it’s up to you to find out in order what I love the most—playing guitar. Growing Blues and Jazz. Learn the lingo of each musical to communicate effectively in a language they’re up with a driven and inspiring Rock and Roll genre in order to best communicate in every used to. father as a role model, combined with taking situation. Other musicians and, especially Be clear, yet diplomatic—Just don’t blurt out lessons from Dad’s lead guitarist, Joe Satriani, musical directors, will take you seriously, even “THAT SUCKS/DO THIS” instructions that could ingrained a passion for music in my soul very considering you professional, if you’re literate in be misconstrued as dictatorial demands from a early on. Always wanting to learn more, I went the language of music. music degree-holding snob. First, compliment to the Berklee College of Music and then the Learn Everything about the music business the musician for what you like, build on that, California Institute of the Arts, from where I —It’s called ‘Music Business’ for a reason, and then offer your suggestion in a collaborative graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree so learn about marketing, promotion, digital tone, such as ‘let’s leave that part for now and try in Jazz Guitar. Currently, I sing lead, play downloading, copyrights, licensing and, well, something else.’ Another great way to institute the lead guitar, and write all the music for my all- everything. There are more books about the development of a musical passage is, after setting original Ry Kihn Band. My cover band, Big Fun, music business available today then at any your ego aside, to make enough hints that as the performs at everything from corporate gigs to point in history, from Berklee Press to Backbeat change comes into being, the musician you’re casinos. I also play lead guitar for Luna Angel, Books. working with considers the change his idea. a young, up and coming female singer and I People like those who are like themselves Nothing builds moral better than a bandleader play in a jazz instrumental trio… that keeps me —In a new musical situation, try to quickly that allows others to take credit for something. sane. I also play lead guitar in the Greg Kihn learn as much about the musical backgrounds I also like using subtle terms like, ‘that’s not Band, performing eight to ten arena and festival of your fellow musicians as quickly as possible. setting me on fire’ or ‘I’m not feeling any goose gigs annually. I love doing session work, and I In case you haven’t noticed, many musicians bumps,’ as opposed to ‘blunt force’ comments, recently recorded some demos with ORGY lead love to talk about themselves. If you want like, ‘I don’t like what you’re playing.’ vocalist, Jay Gordon. Oh, yeah, and I teach 50 to know something, just ask. The flip side to Never be condescending to a reliable guitar students per week. the aforementioned piece of advice is don’t mercenary musician. If he’s punctual and plays When working with such a diverse range of always feel the need to get hung up on musical what you want, be respectful. Mercenaries musicians, from all different musical genres, you terminology if you’re working with musicians usually know and play with a lot other musicians. really have to be a chameleon in the personality that may be at your skill level, but are not as If you’re a tyrant, your bad reputation travels department. You have to get in tune with versed as you in verbalizing music theory. Some faster and farther on the wings of a mercenary everyone’s personalities quickly in order to be of the best musicians in the world—incredible then by any other method. sure every working situation will run smoothly. self-taught players—are functionally illiterate Always remember: a reputation is a terrible Play Everything. During and for five years when it comes reading and writing music and thing to waste. after college, I was an LA session player, playing music theory. They might not always admit such

3 4 singer&musician June 2007 askthecoach

By Breck Allan

How to Warm Up and performances and rehearsals. This will help cool down the throat and disperse blood in that Care for Your Over- area so that it doesn’t cause any muscle stiffness Used Voice that will affect you the next day in singing. To warm down your voice go back to the early I sing in a local band in Kansas City. very gentle warm-ups that you normally use at I really push my range vocally, and the beginning of your warm-up and do those for Q am afraid sometimes that I might a few minutes. Using your hands to massage really be doing damage singing too hard and your face and throat area is very helpful here too high for too long. I have been doing some just as it is during the warm-up. vocal exercises to warm up before shows and Pace your shows. Stagger your material in am wondering how high and how low I should terms of difficulty level. Don’t put one voice take the exercises? exhausting song after the next. This approach is also good from a listener’s perspective. Pound —Mike, Kansas City, Kansas them over the head, draw them in, pound them It seems like such a over the head some more, simple concept “the Pace your draw them in some more etc. vocal warm-up,” but Push/pull, tension/release, that A whole thing. that’s not always the case. shows. The first principle in warming Other than that, follow up is “warm up to the level at Stagger your the basic principles that, as which you wish to sing.” So in a singer, your body is your your case, you need to make material instrument and try to take care sure you let your warm up of it. Get lots of sleep, drink really get you warm enough in terms of lots of water, eat decent food, to handle the difficult singing etc. All these things will of you do. Start softly and gently difficulty level. course affect your consistency and try to get your body and Don’t put and vocal health. voice as relaxed as possible while you’re gently singing. It one voice- makes a lot of difference that you work on relaxation during exhausting Singing with singing and not just for a few a Pierced seconds before you begin. song after You asked “how high and how Tongue low in your range to do your the next. I was wondering if exercises? Ultimately try to This approach you could tell me touch the very top and the very Q how singing with bottom of your singing range is also good my tongue pierced affects during the warm up session. my range, tone, and general But be careful to keep nudging from a listener’s singing abilities? I know you your voice a little higher bit have not heard me sing but I by bit. When you start feeling perspective. want to pursue this seriously your voice have difficulty and I want to know if I should or getting strained, turn the ditch the tongue bar? exercises back downward and warm up a bit —Holly H., Sunnyvale, CA - more in the middle of your range. Then when you start heading back up into your upper range you should notice it gets easier with each pass. If it affects anything, it will mostly be As far as singing hard and loud, you should in the area of articulation. That might gently build your warm-ups until they take you A in turn create some tension that could to the vocal territory that you cover in your transfer into your throat and tighten things up performance material. This will help you avoid a bit. Usually like with all tension if you can any big trauma and shock to your voice during identify it, you can learn to release it. So I’m a performance. sure it’s probably a workable piece of hardware Another thing that can be of great service if you have the patience to find the right touch to singers who sing exceptionally hard material for it. If after awhile it still seems to be in your is to warm down your voice after high-energy way then yes, ditch the tongue bar.

www.iLiveToPlay.net 3 5 36 singer&musician June 2007 singer&musicianuniversity

Pitch Correction Strength Training Dear Lis, Dear Lis, I’m having a problem with pitch. People How much am I supposed to practice? Is tell me I’m off but I don’t hear it. How can I fix there such a thing as too much? —Edward it if I don’t know I’m doing it? Dear Edward, —Carl There’s definitely such a thing as too much. Dear Carl, The only way to gauge it is to notice how your Right, that’s impossible. You need to get some voice feels while you’re singing. If you start to input so you start to hear the difference between feel tight or like you have a ‘knot’ in your throat, right and wrong. The easiest way is to ask a band stop and rest. Your voice, like any set of muscles, mate or a musician friend to work with you. They needs to be strengthened gradually. Start with can play a note on the piano and then you sing 15 or 20 minutes of exercises followed by the it; they can then tell you to move up or down same amount of singing songs. Gradually build to come into tune with it. Another option if you up to 45 minutes to an hour of exercises and have a Mac computer is an inexpensive software several hours of singing. That, of course, would program called Vocal Lab, www.rustykat.com. It happen over many months or even years. If plays a pitch that you can see on a chart; then you are going to have to sing in the studio for you sing into the mic on your computer and try four or five hours, you want to have built your to match it. I haven’t found a good, inexpensive endurance gradually. program like this for the PC unfortunately. Finally you can buy a guitar tuner with a built-in mic. Play a note on the guitar or keyboard and then Split Personality Dear Lis, sing the note into the tuner. This is difficult to Everyone loves my singing but they don’t accomplish because the tuner’s needle jumps like my talking between songs. They say I’m too around a lot. It expects to hear a note played by ‘Valley Girl”. What can I do? —Kimberlie an instrument that can produce a steady pitch. Dear Kimberlie, The human voice tends to move more than a I’ve seen your show and I know what guitar string. Still it can help. they mean. When you sing you are complex and intense. Your lyrics are dark and moody. Crowd Control But when you talk you are giggly and girlish. Dear Lis, Of course that’s part of your personality but it What do you do when there’s hardly anyone doesn’t make sense in the context of the show. in the audience? I feed off the audience and The audience should see a consistent persona. can’t get any energy unless there’s a crowd. Look at your lyrics and think about what type of ­—Roger person is singing those songs. The same person Dear Roger, should be speaking as well. It isn’t the audience’s job to feed your energy. It’s your job to give them a great show. Lis Lewis is a vocal coach in Los Angeles. Her That makes them want to give you energy back website http://www.TheSingersWorkshop.com has in return. It doesn’t matter how many people are all the information a pop singer needs to further there. They came out to hear you and deserve all their career. Her clients include the Pussycat Dolls, Rock Solid you’ve got even if there’s only one person in the Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Jack Black, Jimmy Dear Lis, room. Once you step on stage you’re saying ‘I’m Eat World, the All-American Rejects and all of the I’ve been trained in musical theater and worthy of your attention’. So you’d better be. rockers on “Rock Star: Supernova”. now I want to sing rock music. Is there a difference in the technique? —Sarah Dear Sarah, Imagine an opera singer singing a rock song and you’ll get an idea of why there is a difference in technique. The basic principles for singing all styles of music are the same: you should have accurate pitch, breath control, excellent timing, and good tone with lots of variety and as little tension as possible. But the sound you make for every style is different even within pop styles. An R&B singer sounds nothing like a rock singer. Partly it’s the tone of the voice and partly it’s conventions of the style like how much vibrato you use or when would you slide or do runs. There are sounds you would make singing a rock song that you would never make in musical theater. Too often a singer who is trained in musical theater will throw their technique out altogether in order to sound like a rock singer. Find a good teacher who understands rock technique and will help you understand the conventions of the style.

www.iLiveToPlay.net 3 7 gearreview Future Sonics Atrio Series model m5 Professional Earphones

By Bill Evans y first experience Future Sonics and I was totally blown away. I in a cool little leather case with a cleaning tool, have both FS and Westone custom fit pieces and four sets of ComfortFit foam sleeves and three with personal these Atrio Series universals sounded as good as sets of the silicon EarFill sleeves. either of those much more expensive models. monitors came Future Sonics ended up first doing a How It Works M consumer version with the new driver and I took them to a rehearsal with my band and about six years ago as a aiming it at the iPod market. I use mine all the planned on passing them around. Something performer when me and my time when running or working out. I have used like an earpiece is incredibly subjective when it them on-stage as well but there are a couple of comes to sound quality so I always have several pack were the house band things that I don’t like about them for pro use people try them and tell me what they think at the Industry Jam at Pro including the lightweight and too-short cable. before I write them up. In this case they were One thing the FS-1 did get right was a newly used by a singing drummer and a bass player Production in San Diego. designed silicon sleeve that really fit and really (two of the hardest folks to get into PMs) as well And, unlike some, I had no sealed. I used them when I ran the 1/2 marathon as two female singers. in Vegas and they stayed in my ears, sealed and Only the bass player had any issues and problem adjusting to them. sounding great for the entire 13 miles. his was only isolation (as this was a rehearsal, we did not use any room mics). He ended up In fact, I loved the fact What It Is playing with only one side in but still said he The Atrio Series are pro version universal liked how they sounded. Note that this was his that—perhaps for the first fit products that use an updated version of the very first experience with PMs and I know I will time since I started playing Future Sonics proprietary dynamic driver in the not have to talk him into using them again and FS1. There are two versions available the m5 and that eventually he will use both sides. out in ’76—I could actually the m8 the only difference being the color (5 is The two girls fought over who got to hear the entire band. black with a cobalt blue ring and 8 is all cobalt use them and the drummer who is a “golden blue with a black ring). They incorporate some ear” studio guy raved about the accuracy of Since that time I have gotten most of my features that make them much more suitable for the sound. That is one of the big differences band to migrate to PMs but it has not been a pro use including a longer and much beefier between these new MG5 dynamic drivers and totally smooth process. The complaints I get are cable that terminates in a gold-plated mini-plug. pretty much every other unit I have tried. They always the same two things. First is the sense Most pro PMs incorporate a plastic sleeve of some sound—for lack of a better term—“real.” (In of isolation inherent in most PMs (Although kind where the cord joins the actual earpiece that fact on the consumer version in the manual it there are some ambient products out there and you can bend into shape when you run the cable says to use them with any EQ on your player more on the way—anyway that problem can be over your ears but the sleeve on the Atrio has a switched off. And they sound best when run pretty-well solved with a couple piece of bendable metal inside so once flat.) The m5 model required almost of well-placed audience mics). you get them in the right position, no EQ and still had enough low- The second is that some users they will stay there. A little thing end to keep a bass player and say that PMs sound thin and but very nice. drummer happy and were lack bass which is harder As far as specs go, Future clear and present enough in to combat because A) some Sonics claims a full 20 Hz to the midrange for a couple of models do lack bass and B) 20 kHz response which singers who suffer from major when it comes to PMs, fit we didn’t test “more me” syndrome. is everything and some folks but it sounds The best news is that the just can’t get the hang of the about right. Atrios Series products are very foam sleeves. And a bad fit/seal Impedance is affordable. Less than two bills will guarantee a perceived lack 32 ohms and and you can get custom sleeves of low-end. It’s hard to tell a they ship for another $135 which means struggling musician that the PMs that custom-fit ears just dropped in will sound a lot better if he spends price by a good third. If you prefer $600+ on a pair of real, pro, custom-fit a real custom job, Future Sonics Atrio Series PMs when he is unimpressed with the models, with or without SofterWear universal fit unit he is trying to work custom sleeves are now available. And with. at $199, real, pro PMs have just dropped It was about 2 1/2 years ago that in price by two-thirds. That’s wicked I first heard a prototype of a new cool. www.futuresonics.com sm driver developed by

38 singer&musician June 2007 gearreview

but suffice to say that it includes digital output processing, dual 1/3rd octave graphic EQs or 5 band parametrics with Feedback Ferret. There’s Peavey 32FX also a delay line so you can align your backline amps to your FOH speakers, an output limiter R o d d y P a h l so you don’t clip your amps and an electronic crossover for subwoofer output.

reetings! I’m Roddy Pahl, sound engineer of How It Works Fremont Street is an outside venue where 20 years. I have done everything from duos to we provide live entertainment five nights a orchestras, rock to country, punk to jazz, full- week during the season, along with many G different special events. I was able to use the on production shows to my daughter’s 2nd grade school Peavey 32FX for the 2006 Las Vegas Marathon. production and 10 years of touring. I am currently the lead I had a four-piece jazz band during the event, coupled with emcees and press. audio engineer for the Fremont Street Experience and 3rd The 32FX worked very well for everyone. I used auxes one through three for band mixes, Street Stage, and I am an audio tech for the New York New aux four into a multi box for a press feed and York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Since this is the first auxes five and six for FX sends. Being an engineer who loves to play with FX, this console time I have written for Singer&Musician, I thought I oughta had it all built in with no additional outboard FX needed for the gig. clue you in and let you know who I am. I did patch in some outboard comps and gates for vocals and drums, though. I found a nice and warm ‘verb and a delay that, with a little tweaking, sounded really good. The parameters available on each program were great and stored into the user section easily, where you can actually put a password on your program to keep all your tweaking safe from being altered by others. The metering on inputs, groups and returns are good and bite for What It Is easy viewing. I liked Peavey’s FX mixer series the USB feature in is available in 16-, 24- and 32- the rear of the channel formats. The 32FX console with features a three-band EQ the RCA section with one mid sweep on inputs. (If each of the mono inputs, along you’re with a 75Hz HPF. The two in a independent DSP engines built into the console have a lot of different effects, along with some signal processing such as comps, gates and limiters. There are a ton of parameters on each effect that you can choose for fine-tuning to pinch for your specific needs. The large LCD adaptors, to go 1⁄4-inch display also has some parameters you in from a CD player, etc. You can also can adjust for easy viewing. There are a USB plug your iPod directly into the USB B port for total of six aux sends. Auxes one through device can digital playback for break/background music). four could be set up for monitor mixes and mean a $10 USB stick The EQ section is nice; you can actually are set at pre-fader and post-EQ (an internal from Walmart. Phantom power on all hear a 2-3 dB cut at a given frequency where in jumper switch allows you to change them to mono inputs, as well as mutes for channels, other similar consoles it may take a 3-5 dB cut pre-EQ) while five and six can be either FX groups and returns, along with the two BNC to hear. One more mid sweep in the EQ section sends or more mix sends. There is a four-bus lamp jacks, top off this console. would have been great, though. The pre-amps assignment section, along with straight-to-L&R The rear of the console has 1⁄4-inch and are warm and quiet, until around the 1:00 assignment, for easy grouping of inputs in the XLR balanced L&R outputs, of which all four position where they start getting a little noisy, master section. Signal can be monitored at the can be used at the same time for the PA and a but in a live show situation, you would never input stage, the group stage or at the main output possible house mix for stage, or an additional notice it. with a bright LED in the master section activated recording or press feed. Mic and line mono I have to say that at $1499 for a 32 channel by the PFL/AFL buttons along the signal path. inputs also have inserts along with groups one board with these features, I think Peavey did a The console also features dual USB ports for through four. The groups and aux sends all great job on this console and will give all their connecting with a laptop or other USB device have balanced 1⁄4-inch outputs. There is more competitors a run for your buck. Web site: for direct recording or playback. And, yes “other that there is just not enough space to get into www.peavey.com sm

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4 0 singer&musician April 2007 www.iLiveToPlay.net 4 1

S&M44working.indd 40 2/26/07 9:45:54 PM MYbackpage

Married to the Band By Jake Kelly eing in a band is like So you rehearse a few times. Perhaps they that for the challenge that it is. What’s the worst ask you if you’d like to go out for a drink. Finally thing that could happen? being married to four one utters the words that you have been longing Show up late. This works well, too. Always to hear for so long. include the word “man” in your apology, it or five people at the “Will you go on the road with us!” makes it sound more mockingly sincere. Then B “Yes! Yes! Yes!” you can add, “Dude, since we’re (make sure you same time. At first, when you And it is great. For the first little bit anyway. say “we’re) running so late, could you carry in meet, you (and they) are on Then you realize you might have made the my amp?” biggest mistake of your life. What could you Date an ex-girlfriend (or boyfriend) of your best behavior. They’re have been thinking? They chew with their another band member. Remember, you only pleasant. They get the door mouths open. Noodle between songs. They need to do this for as long as you have the gig. don’t pick up their clothes. They leave their Shouldn’t be long. for you. They shower. They hair in the shower along with some funk and Drink/do drugs. I know, I know...it’s rock tell you how good you look. you don’t even want to know what that is. You ‘n’ roll, and there’s an image that must be kept thought you were on the same page, but you up. But heavy drinking and drug use also has They tell you how good you don’t even share the same influences. They a time-honored tradition of getting people fired never even heard of Freedy Johnson! even in the heaviest of rock bands. Of course, sound. They tell you they Fear not. I can help you get out of this heavy drinking and drug use can also kill you; are so glad they met you. but hey...you wanted out of the band. Don’t prepare; not for a rehearsal, not for a gig. You know that your raw talent will get you through the ordeal better than they could with all the rehearsal in the world. But then, the objective is to get fired, so you are going to have to “act” like you’re not prepared. Saying thing such as “I forgot my charts,” “I didn’t know we were going to do that song” and “Can we listen to the disc” will help. Talk. Talk much, talk often. Don’t feel like you need to hold back. Say the things your band mates told you in confidence. Tell the club owner the bass player is a substitute. Tell the substitute what the other band members are getting paid for the gig . The more graphic band without you are, the better. having to work General not caring. It’s general, it’s vague, up the courage so you’re going to have to do it a lot. Don’t to say “I quit.” dress for the gig. Don’t help with the gear (try Play loud. “Do I look like a roadie?”), don’t pay your tab Play so loud that (personal fav.), Don’t participate in anything. you can’t even This malaise needs to build up over time before hear them when it’ll take effect, but when it does, you’ll be out of they ask you to the band as quick a cork on a bottle of Andres’ turn down. If the on New Year’s Eve. band turns up I’m sure that there is more that I missed, but to match your if any one of these things don’t work, you can volume recognize always try to mix and match. Good luck, and I hope I’m never in a band with you. sm 4 2 singer&musician June 2007

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