Issue 74 / February 2017

38
Bido Lito! February 2017 Reviews
SOUND MATTERS
In this monthly column, our friends at DAWSONS give expert tips and advice on how to
achieve a great sound in the studio or in the live environment. Armed with the knowledge to
solve any musical problem, the techy aficionados provide Bido Lito! readers with the benefit of
their experience so you can get the sound you want. Inspired by the prolific home recordings
of issue 74 cover star Laurie Shaw, we asked Dawsons’ Terry Cooper about the best way to
harness your creativity with home recording equipment.
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO GO
AT IT ON THEIR OWN, WHAT
TIPS CAN YOU GIVE WITH
REGARDS TO RECORDING YOUR
OWN MUSIC AND USING
MULTITRACK RECORDING
AND PORTASTUDIOS?
A more suitable option than a multitrack
recorder for many is the audio interface and the
bundles which are available. An audio interface
is a little box that you plug everything into –
guitar, microphone, etc. It turns that sound into
a digital signal which goes into your computer
and also converts it to an analogue signal for
your speakers or headphones for monitoring.
There are different models which have varying
numbers of inputs and different types such as
jack and phono. The quality is determined by the
preamps in the front end of it, and the chip which
converts it from analogue to digital inside it. Even
if you are producing electronic music, interfaces
are necessary to get the best quality and speed
of your plugins.
The Focusrite products tend to be very popular
in the shop, especially the bundle packs which
consist of the audio interface, software to record
with, a set of headphones and a good quality
condenser mic. It’s a fantastic package for artists
who are starting out and want to record their stuff
at home. As well as the Focusrite Scarlet bundle,
M-Audio do a similar one for £149 which also
works on iPad.
The bundles are perfect for artists who use
electronic drums which they can programme in
rather than a live kit – with such a set-up they can
do the whole thing themselves. If there is a full
drum kit involved, it is possible to use one of the
inputs to put a single mic in front of the drum,
but you’re limited to how many inputs you have if
there are other instruments involved, and also in
the extent to which you can mix the drums. With
a full drum kit, to give you the capacity to mix the
different elements, it is better to spend a bit more
and go for an interface with more inputs, perhaps
eight sockets. The Focusrite Scarlet 18i20 is great
for this job. Going up the range, there are also
the Claret products from Focusrite which have
Thunderbolt connection, providing great quality
and speedy connection to Apple products.
In terms of multitrack recorders, they often
double up as an audio interface as well, giving
you options on how you record. There are
the Zoom R8, R16 and R24, which give you an
increasing number of channels for recording a
multitude of set-ups. Multitracks are great if an
artist wants to keep it simple and straightforward
– whereas using an interface with a computer can
open up all kinds of possibilities in terms of postproduction.
If I’m asked to advise on which home
production package to go for, it comes down to
a couple of things: whether they want to keep
it simple and if they want to record live drums.
Multitracks are great for putting down live tracks,
but if a live drum is involved you will need at least
eight channels and that goes for a multitrack or
an audio interface.
I’ve mentioned the Focusrite and Zoom ranges,
and Audient also make excellent interfaces which
are really high quality but aren’t as well known
as some of the other brands. The Audient range
can also be used as monitor controllers, with the
volume configuration featuring on the top of the
unit.
To get demos down, interfaces and multitracks
are a fantastic way to play with ideas and also
share your sounds. Obviously, working with an
engineer has a lot of advantages but this is a
very cost effective way of getting a high quality
recording. A rule of thumb is that a decent
interface, as well as good mics, leads and good
monitoring headphones, will set you on course
and allow you to mix your sounds to a high level
in post, whether that’s yourself or a third party.
You can find Dawsons at their new home at
14-16 Williamson Square. dawsons.co.uk
figure, sitting, glasses perched on his forehead
as though browsing the Sunday papers, while
his fingers do the talking. Kofi’s playing is
lyrical, the melodies strong and sweet. Nancy
With The Laughing Face (Van Heusen/Silvers
– yep, that’s Sgt. Bilko to you and me!) sees a
floating Selwyn solo underscored by guttural
Hammond growls courtesy of John Paul Gard
and Kofi again coaxing rich, flowing passages
from his alto. It’s becoming apparent that this
is a night to sit back and revel in a choice set
list delivered with absolute quality.
Bernie’s Tune (Bernie Miller) lifts the tempo,
Kofi blasting off some fiery riffs and Selwyn’s
fingers a blur on the fretboard. Beneath it
all, drummer Coach York anchors the rhythm
with a delicate intensity before flying off
into passages of polyrhythmic propulsion as
he duets with Gard. The piece ends with an
Eastern flourish before Selwyn opens John
Coltrane’s blues Mr P.C., demonstrating his
famed technical ability, wringing clean, sharp
notes from his customised Hagstrom.
It is to the great credit of Selwyn and his band
that they play throughout as though there were
800 people in the room. Towards the end of the
set Selwyn surveys the audience, leans into the
mic and says: “John Coltrane said that if one
member of the audience is listening it’s like
having another band member on stage, thanks
Esmond Selwyn (Glyn Akroyd / @GlynAkroyd)
for being part of the band tonight”. That’s not
just professional, that’s downright cool.
On Van Heusen’s Polkadots And Moonbeams,
Selwyn is flying and York delivers a knockout
solo before being joined by Gard’s gnarly,
swirling Hammond. Kofi bobs and weaves like
a middleweight, light on his feet, as he plays
out the melodic hook of Thelonious Monk’s
Blue Monk quite delightfully. The applause is
sustained.
It is to be hoped that the organisers of the
festival are as resilient as tonight’s performers
and that they continue to drop this kind of
quality musicianship onto our doorsteps. Come
on people, get off your arses!
Glyn Akroyd / @GlynAkroyd
TOY
Prince Vaseline – Indigo Moon
Harvest Sun @ The Magnet
I arrive at The Magnet just in time to catch
the gloriously overdriven tail end of INDIGO
MOON’s set, and I’m pleased to see them
going down so well with TOY’s crowd. On a
bill of three bands, it’s always encouraging
to see those playing at the beginning of the