"Interesting newsletter again. The email from the touring band only reflects how many bands talk and treat audiences; seeing the locations they are playing, it's clear what market they are in. Their language reflects the language of the kids who go to see them, nothing more."

 

"Hi Dec,

 

The band swear a lot on stage anyway, hey they're a punk band - it's what they do but do it in a surprisingly funny way. They are absolutely hilarious (although not for the fainthearted) as well as probably the best pop/punk band in the country. In both instances in the e-mail the swearing was a continuation of regular on-stage jokes. As the e-mail went out to the mailing list - the people on it are people who have seen the band and expect this sort of stuff from us. We actually use "Mybe - pop/punk/wankers" for advertising stuff and demo packs etc and it works for us. Admittedly I can't see it working for many others. Anyway like I said they're a punk band, if you want sweetness and light then there's always Will and Gareth or even The Bachelors :-)"

"Finally, I took your advice and went for a Marshall amp at the weekend. You've been plugging Jim Marshall's heavy stuff as a great fan, and then people started saying how very good for the money his Acoustic Combo
amps for guitar and vocal solo could be. To cap it, Pierre Bensusan has become a Marshall endorsee and is touring using a 100W combo amp - now Pierre is the MOST particular player ever for demanding sound system control, and if he can be happy with a combo amp, they must be good.

For £228 retail, the little AS50-R is quite excellent. A trace of residual noise and hum is acknowledged in the handbook - it's not claimed to be hi-fi - but on top of this it produces a lovely warm sound which is very natural. The two 8" speakers and tweeter horn produce a full range; the guitar channel copes well with different pickups and preamps; the XLR mike channel never interferes with the guitar, so vocals and backing remain unchallenged by each other and really well defined.

 

The spring line reverb is commendably restrained, making hardly a sound if the amp is shifted when live, and impossible to overdo even on full setting. The variable chorus is great for assigning to the guitar channel (just a touch) and the 'pan' on the reverb between the two channels does a great job. The phase reversal and notch filter have not been put to the test properly but a quick blast of nylon string acoustic at high volume proved they can kill feedback pretty well with a couple of presses and a twist of one knob.

It's got some limitations, but with a DI and line output, external FX loop, detachable CIE mains cable and a great looking brown leatherette finish with a real leather handle it's the best I have found for the money. It is also very sturdy and quite comfortable to sit on - indeed, it can even double as a seat for very informal low volume stuff!

 

I would have liked to have seen an overall EQ (maybe five band) since the individual channels only have treble and bass; I would have liked a 'shaping' preset on the guitar channel for a mid-cut airy sound, which is not possible in the absence of a mid tone control. I would also have liked phantom power on the XLR. But you can't have everything and at a quarter of the price of many comparable acoustic combo amps, I am delighted that I was pointed to Marshall as a possible choice."

David

 

"I have always known at the  very first glance - or maybe, the first two or three seconds - who was a winner "

david kilpatrick

 

"Hi Travis... you ask about the technicalities of harmony singing...is there 'tablature' etc.

 

As one who has put his food on the table all his career mostly from vocal harmonies, let me give a little warm, friendly advice. Every one of my hits were harmony based.

 

Vocal harmonies, or more particularly 'vocal arrangement', as the 'today' version of this is called, has got to be written. There is no easy way. There is no tablature..unless you get someone to write it on manuscript and convert it to tonic solfa [do, re, me etc].

 

I once had a girl travel all the way from Liverpool in the North West of England down to my studio in Eastbourne [extreme south of England] just to ask me what 'vocal arrangement' is. The answer is that when you take away the drums, percussion and all the instruments from a track, what is left is the vocal arrangement, and today that is where the 'hit' is. Most 'today' hits will stand up as A Capella arrangements, purely by taking the back track away....check out Nsync, Shaggy.

 

Destiny's Child, SWV, Christine Aquilera and her pals have taken the art to astonishing heights.

Travis, the problem is that if you make an attempt at it, without perfect writing and rehearsing, then it will be a mess. Even simple harmonies, wrongly done, can detract rather than add to the occasion.

 

When I produce a vocal arrangement, I can give the singers the precise notes to sing without writing - because I can 'write in my brain' - I have been doing it for so long. And nowadays, with my normal vocals taking up 30/40 tracks, that is some feat. I wouldn't advise many guys to attempt it. However, I still write the complicated, close, lush, harmony stuff where there are sixths, ninths, flattened fifths etc. involved...mainly because if I am using a single back singer multi tracked [my favourite way] then it is hard to convince him/her that the notes are correct...unless she/he sees them written. It takes a lot of experience to visualise the final harmony product when you put down the first five or six tracks.

 

Travis, you understand a bit of music, then you should persevere and learn a lot of music (theory). If you are really interested, learn piano with good theory tuition thrown in..then you will enjoy writing the harmonies...and Travis, when you actually get them right, especially with today's recording and live effects techniques, the results can be orgasmic....trust me...I never cease to be amazed at the vocals that we can do these days...

 

A fact of life today is that 95% of hits have massive vocal arrangement...and it is not worth even getting into the argument that there are others without...Madonna for one....the 'Travis' tracks, as we know,  mainly have choir and not 'vocal arrangement'.  I've been there too many times...there is no argument. There are merely protestations from guys who just can't do 'em.

 

A further fact of life is that the most 'missing' hit factor, on 99% of demos, is the lack of any vocal arrangement. It is the most omitted content on all demos.

 

Regards"