mixdown magazine - december christmas wishlist special #248

PG. 40 / MIXDOWN NO. 248 / DECEMBER 2014

I N T R O D U C T I O N

P R I C E R A N G E C O L O U R C O D E

Ho, Ho, Ho! It’s that time of the year again where we look forward to gathering around the ol’ pine tree and listening to a rendition of jingle bells from your favourite metal band. With Christmas right around the corner, it’s time to start writing up your wish lists, and checking them twice! Whether you have been naughty or nice, the team here at Mixdown have got your lists covered with our huge Christmas special! To help you make those tough decisions, we have reviewed an

extensive selection of this season’s most desirable products. From stocking stuffers for your band mates, to presents that even the big man himself will struggle to lug over the Pacifi c. We have compiled everything from accessories through to studio gear and a range of instruments to consider. So what are you waiting for? No matter what you (or the person you’re shopping for) plays, we have you covered.

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RECOMMENDED FOR: Kids whose hands are too tiny for a guitar but would love something to strum, as well as beginning ukulele players, or just those who’d like a cute ukulele to learn on and have around the house. Cool stocking stuffer!

SOUND AND TONE: This is a very light, sweet-sounding ukulele with strong midrange frequencies that almost ring out like a bell. There’s an almost vocal-like quality to single notes, and when you let a note ring out, the sustain is surprisingly long for such a little ukulele.

PLAYABILITY: The tiny neck may be a bit cramped for those used to guitar, but tiny hands or those just starting out will appreciate how neatly everything falls under the fi ngers. It’s not too neck-heavy (which can be a problem even for a super-light instrument like a ukulele - it doesn’t take much to throw ‘em off balance) and it’s easy to tune.

CONSTRUCTION: The thick full-gloss fi nish on Sengon wood makes this one feel a little bit ‘plasticy’, but the frets are well fi nished and the tuners seem to be of very high quality, so it’ll stay in tune for a long time.

OVERALL: A great fi rst ukuele for those who want to see if they get along with the instrument, as well as a really fun ‘basher’ for kids to play around with.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Practicing, learning, getting a usable tone going for laying down a sudden song idea.

SOUND AND TONE: The four models in the range - AC30, Classic Rock, Metal and Bass - cover a wide range of sounds, surprisingly convincingly for such a simple unit. Very thoughtfully voiced effects too, and low noise. The mid-gain tones are especially nice, with convincing tube-like warmth for such a basic unit. the Metal version has an aggressive modern-metal crunch but is also capable of some nice hard-edged cleans as well.

USABILITY: These plug directly into your guitar’s output jack, and a redesign means these now fi t your guitar easier than ever. The clever layout makes plenty of use out of a small number of controls.

CONSTRUCTION: Although they feel pretty much like hollow plastic, these little tone monsters actually seem quite hardy. The design minimises and wear and stress that might come about from headphone-yanks and stuff like that. It’s powered by two AAA batteries and weighs only 40grams.

OVERALL: A great option for those who need tone on the go, with maybe a smattering of effects - but it’s really more about the amp sounds than the effects, so don’t expect a whole bunch of editable parameters. It fi ts right in your pocket and it can really make some noise.

PRODUCT TYPE: UKULELEDISTRIBUTOR: AUSTRALASIAN MUSIC SUPPLIES

PRODUCT TYPE: HEADPHONE AMPDISTRIBUTOR: VOX AUSTRALIA

MAHALO RAINBOW SERIES UKULELE VOX AMPLUG RRP: $29.95 RRP: $59.95

UNDER $100

$100 - $250

$250 - $500

$500 and over

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RECOMMENDED FOR: Those looking for an affordable ukulele with nice tone, woods and great playability. For everything from around-the-house strumming to a quick recording.

SOUND AND TONE: The tone of this Java J Series uke is percussive and punchy, while also being rich and complex. It doesn’t have terribly long sustain but it makes up for it in the complexity of the tone. Chords ring out with complex overtones and single notes have a vibrant punch which lets them take the lead.

PLAYABILITY: Nicely balanced, nice fretwork very comfortable neck, easy to tune.

CONSTRUCTION: A nicely balanced ukulele with well executed fretwork, a high standard of fi nishing, really nice tuners that hold their tuning very tightly and a well-cut nut and bridge. This is a surprisingly well-built ukulele for the price. It’s made with a Sonokelin (Indonesian Rosewood) fi ngerboard and bridge, Mahogany neck and exotic Nyato body and top for nice complex tones. It also includes geared machine heads, Aquila strings and a Mahalo carry bag.

OVERALL: It sounds great, it looks great, it’s made using carefully considered tone woods and it plays really well. This is one of the nicest affordable ukuleles out there right now and a great place to start if you plan to be a life-long ukulele player.

RECOMMENDED FOR: When you are looking for something different in a vocal microphone, and you don’t want to sound like you are using the same model as everyone else, this could be the microphone to consider.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: The MTP240 is specially voiced to work with vocals in a live stage application. You don’t need to concern yourself with getting the EQ right when you use this microphone as it sounds pretty much spot on when you set everything fl at. It has a cardioid directional pattern.

USABILITY: Designed to be used on loud stages, this microphone offers excellent side rejection and feedback suppression. You can run the gain up on the desk and not worry about the microphone taking off with nasty feedback straight away. Packaged with a microphone clip and soft pouch for ease of transport.

CONSTRUCTION: The unit itself is solidly constructed, weighing 335g, and is ready to take a beating in a live environment. I found the handle to be a little short for my hands though and the switch wasn’t as rigid as I would have liked.

OVERALL: For performers with small hands, this is a brilliant microphone, I just don’t know if it is going to be everyone’s cup of tea as far as ergonomics go. That is the feel, but the sound is another matter. When judging this in a blind test, it would have to rank highly every time.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone who wants a high-quality cable that doesn’t make any noise (even when they unplug it) and with a touch of classiness about it.

SOUND AND TONE: Extremely low in noise with the silent plugs, both from handling and from interference. Gibson has engineered the cable to preserve as much of your signal intact as possible.

USABILITY: The very clever silent jack (on one end, the one with the white barrel) lets you plug and unplug without any ‘pop’ sound, which is great for changing guitars onstage. And the barrels themselves are big and tactile, making them easy to grip when it’s time for a guitar change.

CONSTRUCTION: Made with a stranded oxygen-free copper conductor and military-spec 24-carat gold over nickel 1/4” plugs, with pure copper tips. An additional semi-conductive PVC shield between the inner and shielding cables virtually eliminates noise.

OVERALL: A very classy-looking, clear-sounding cable that does more than just get your signal from your guitar to your amp: it keeps it clearer that you could imagine and testing out the 18ft (RRP $109)and 25ft (RRP $139) versions, the silent plug/unplug trick is an ear-saver and superbly designed.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Practice or home recording primarily, but it has plenty of stage-friendly features too.

SOUND AND TONE: The best sounds on the G1Xon are in the cleans and medium gains. There are some really nice grunge, alternative and classic rock sounds in here which are great for practice or recording, and have enough of a midrange punch to cut through in a live environment too. The acoustic guitar simulator is exceptional for a unit of this kind. The delays are nice, especially in stereo, as are the reverbs. The ultra high gain sounds aren’t quite up to the same standard, lacking a little depth, detail and dimension.

USABILITY: There are 100 guitar effects including a variety of distortions, compressors, modulations, delays, reverbs and amp models, plus an additional fi ve effects controlled by an expression pedal to the right of the unit. There’s a built-in rhythm accompaniment section with up to 64 beats of cd quality audio to choose from, auxiliary jack, tuner and looper with up to 30 seconds of audio. There’s a lot to wade through so read the manual, but the learning curve isn’t too steep.

CONSTRUCTION: A relatively solid unit. There’s lot of plastic but it feels pretty roadworthy.

OVERALL: Not every sound is a runaway smash, but the ones that work really work, and it sounds great direct into a recording interface where its various presets will trigger all sorts of song writing ideas. Awesome value for money.

PRODUCT TYPE: UKULELEDISTRIBUTOR: AUSTRALASIAN MUSIC SUPPLIES

PRODUCT TYPE: DYNAMIC MICROPHONEDISTRIBUTOR: NATIONAL AUDIO SYSTEMS

PRODUCT TYPE: INSTRUMENT CABLEDISTRIBUTOR: AUSTRALIAN MUSICAL IMPORTS (AMI)

PRODUCT TYPE: MULTI-EFFECTS PEDALDISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC

MAHALO JAVA UKULELE

LEWITT MTP240 DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE MICROPHONE

GIBSON PURE INSTRUMENT CABLE 12”

ZOOM G1XON GUITAR MULTI-EFFECTS PROCESSOR

RRP: $69

RRP: $99.00

RRP: $84

RRP: $119

$250 - $500

$500 and over

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RECOMMENDED FOR: Um, it’s a tuner, so it’s recommended for anyone who values actually being in tune. Which should be pretty much everyone, yeah? Pefect Xmas present for your musician pals and loved ones.

SOUND AND TONE: It’s true bypass, so your tone fl ows through the pedal utterly unaffected when it’s bypassed, and the signal to the amp is silent when tuning is engaged, so there really isn’t any sound to speak of. In the case of a tuner, that’s a very good thing.

USABILITY: Literally does most of the work for you. Simply strum all six of your strings at once and it will show you a simultaneous readout for all six, telling you which are sharp or fl at. Also has a chromatic mode, strobe mode and the ability to handle Drop D and capo tunings and up to fi ve semitones fl at tunings as well. It’s extremely precise, which makes it great for intonation.

CONSTRUCTION: It’s tiny, it’s black and its bright lights are easy to see even in the dark. Truth be told, it kinda looks like Darth Vader, except a benevolent Darth Vader who wants to rid the galaxy of bad tuning instead of a Jedi.

OVERALL: A no-brainer of a tuner because it helps you tune incredibly accurately, but it doesn’t take up a bunch of space on your pedalboard. It doesn’t affect your sound in any way, and it’s able to adapt to a variety of different tuning requirements. At 160 grams and smaller than a business card, it will add more to your playing than the miniscule weight it takes up.

PRODUCT TYPE: TUNER PEDALDISTRIBUTOR: AMBER TECHNOLOGY

TC ELECTRONIC POLYTUNE NOIR RRP: $179

PRODUCT TYPE: STEREO CONDENSER MICROPHONEDISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC

ZOOM IQ6 XY STEREO MICROPHONE RRP: $179

RECOMMENDED FOR: Designed for use with newer model iPhones and iPads, this handy little tool turns your pocket iOS device into a very usable recording tool. Great for band rehearsals, song writing, capturing gigs and soundscapes.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Featuring an XY patterned stereo microphone pair similar to that found on the H5 and H6 handy recorders; you get an instant stereo spread with perfect placement from both microphones.

USABILITY: The two microphones can be easily rotated on their mount to adjust the position of the XY confi guration allowing either a 90 or 120 degree spread. The whole unit slips into the available Lightning connector easily and after that, it is just a matter of setting the gain and you are ready to record.

CONSTRUCTION: This is a very lightweight item, built this way so it doesn’t throw out the balance when attached to you iOS device. Because of this, it isn’t the toughest pair of microphones, and so requires a little care when mounting and dismounting the device.

OVERALL: Zoom seems to have cornered the market with their XY patterned microphones. Just like those found on their range of handy recorders, these microphones sound fantastic and really represent excellent value for what they offer.

RECOMMENDED FOR: This keyboard is ideal for the musician or producer who is always on the go and wants a small, portable device to integrate with their laptop setup.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: With 32 velocity sensitive keys, 8 assignable knobs and 8 assignable dynamic drum pads, you can do a lot with this little unit, especially with the inclusion of AIR’s Ignite Music Creation Software for quick and easy musical arrangement. This integrates seamlessly with M-Audio keyboards so you are ready to go right out of the box.

USABILITY: The plug and play nature of this device makes it quick to set up. You will be in control of your software within no time and can customize the controllers to suit your needs. It includes 5 navigation buttons and ten memory locations for saving your custom settings.

CONSTRUCTION: Being a portable, lightweight keyboard, M-Audio has had to cut down on the construction materials. The controllers do not have the ‘take anything’ feel to them, but still get the job done.

OVERALL: This is a new take on an existing idea, with a redesign of how the components work together in the surface. A great little unit for travelling or even in a home studio when space is really at a premium, this could even fi nd its way into DJ booths when a little extra control is needed. Including Ignite Music Creation Software will enhance workfl ow, capture ideas quickly and make for easy sharing and collaboration via Soundcloud - Awesome value.

PRODUCT TYPE: USB KEYBOARD CONTROLLERDISTRIBUTOR: PRO AUDIO GROUP AUSTRALIA

M-AUDIO AXIOM AIR MINI 32 RRP: $169.99

RECOMMENDED FOR: Modelled on a uke with sound and design, but in reality a 6 string intruder, the Guitalele is actually one awesome little cross-breed. Perfect for youngsters with small hands or as a travel option for guitar players who want an instrument to take on the road everywhere they go. This will also have guitar players jamming with uke players in no time.

SOUND AND TONE: To be strict, this is not really a ukulele, but a uke-sized guitar. However, it does have a hybrid uke makeup to its sound making it super innovative. Being tuned like a guitar and with a lower note range, it is a little more complex in tone than many ukuleles, making it really versatile. I’d love to get a pick-up on board and see where this little bad-boy could go!

PLAYABILITY: Straight out of the box, with a quick stretch of the strings and tune up, this instrument is really playable. It does struggle to feel familiar to a guitarist who is no doubt used to a much larger scale, but soon becomes very comfortable in the hands and has a nice and smooth hand action.

CONSTRUCTION: The satin fi nish is smooth to the touch and affords the GL-1 a great playability. It has a bit of weight to it, making it feel solid. This instrument could be taken on the road anywhere. Built to last and built to be played.

OVERALL: This GL-1 is an unusual beast. However, when you actually start applying all the different ways it can incorporated into your life and how this clever little instrument bridges the gap between ukuleles and guitars, you’ll be convinced that you need one.

DISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIAPRODUCT TYPE: GUITAR/UKE HYBRID

YAMAHA GL-1 GUITALELE RRP: $129


RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone who feels the Tube Screamer doesn’t quite get there in terms of output or rudeness, or anyone who needs a little more transparency to retain the voice of their guitar.

SOUND AND TONE: This pedal is based on the classic Ibanez Tube Screamer circuit, but Cusack has made some changes that make it totally its own thing. For starters, it has about twice the gain of a Tube Screamer, which means it reaches into full-on distortion territory instead of smooth overdrive. It also has less of the midrange bump that Tube Screamers and similar pedals are known for, so it maintains more of the guitar’s own character. It strikes the perfect balance between guiding your tone and letting it speak for itself.

USABILITY: A very clever Clip Selector switch gives you three modes: Standard, Crushed or Asymmetrical LED clipping. With these modes you can get anything from a smooth, lyrical drive to all-out war, and as a fun added bonus, the LED Clipping mode lets you see the signal getting clipped.

CONSTRUCTION: Military-grade construction. This one falls into the ‘you could hammer a nail into a plank with it if you had to’ category.

OVERALL: A great alternative for those who feel that other overdrives are almost there, but not quite.

PRODUCT TYPE: ELECTRIC GUITAR EFFECT PEDALDISTRIBUTOR: GLADESVILLE GUITAR FACTORY

CUSACK SCREAMER V2 EFFECT PEDAL RRP: $199

RECOMMENDED FOR: As both a live performance keyboard and as a studio production tool, the Oxygen 25 offers a wide range of features to ensure you get whatever task you have at hand completed.

SOUND AND TONE: Bundled with Sonivox TWIST synthesizer software and Ableton Live Lite, you get a great range of sounds from the Oxygen without even needing anything on your computer beforehand. The Sonivox VST is a really wild sounding soft-synth that sounds quite unlike anything else.

PLAYABILITY: The layout of all the controllers here is a pretty standard affair. Let’s face it, there is a formula for how most electronic musicians like to work with their controller keyboards and M-Audio have delivered just that so it’s easy to work around. Included are 8 velocity sensitive trigger pads for beat production and clip launching.

CONSTRUCTION: Although housed in a plastic chassis, there seems nothing wrong with the way this keyboard has been put together. The rotary encoders are tough and smooth in action, the fader doesn’t stick at all and the keyboard itself, with 25 synth action velocity sensitive keys, feels nice enough with a slight springy action.

OVERALL: All things considered, this is a hell of a lot of controller for the price point. M-Audio has done well to produce this unit and keep it valued where it is. You could say the Sonivox and AIR Music Tech Xpand 2 inclusion more than covers the cost with what you get out of that even before you take into consideration the keyboard itself, pads, controller, LCD screen, connectivity and inclusion of Ableton Live Lite to boot! Wow!

PRODUCT TYPE: USB KEYBOARD CONTROLLERDISTRIBUTOR: PRO AUDIO GROUP AUSTRALIA

M-AUDIO OXYGEN25 MIDI CONTROLLER KEYBOARD RRP: $179.99

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is perfect for the solo guitarist or vocalist who wants an easy solution to quality recording without all the bells and whistles of a larger, multi-channel interface.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: With Pro Tools Express software included, you have a vast array of plugins available to allow you to bring the best out in your performance. Whether you are recording a microphone, guitar or another sound source, the result can be professional quality.

USABILITY: As a solo performer, this interface is perfectly workable and offers the versatility you will need, only with the limitation of being able to record one sound source at a time.

CONSTRUCTION: These are a sturdy little unit. They are compact and designed for portability, so you can take it with you no matter where you want to record. The connections are all well appointed and the housing is pretty tough too. It’s fi tted with one XLR microphone input, one quarter inch TS instrument input and has two RCA line outputs.

OVERALL: If you aren’t in need of multiple inputs, and are really more concerned with a quality software and hardware combination for your personal recording, the Fast Track Solo is going to tick most of the boxes for you… and get you into the early stages of the Pro Tools realm for a great price.

PRODUCT TYPE: AUDIO INTERFACEDISTRIBUTOR: AVID AUSTRALIA

AVID FAST TRACK SOLO USB INTERFACE WITH PRO TOOLS EXPRESS

RRP: $189

PRODUCT TYPE: CAJONDISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC

TYCOON PERCUSSION STK-29 CAJON RRP: $189

RECOMMENDED FOR: There is a little bit of rhythm in all of us and for those wanting to harness this without going as far as purchasing a drum kit, the Cajon is an ideal solution. Especially for use with acoustic guitarist when volume needs to be controlled, but a beat is still required.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: With a tuneable snare wire, you can get just the right amount of sizzle from the front plate. There is plenty of bottom end in the STK-29 and a very sharp slap tone from the side panels.

USABILITY: Built to a standard size and with rubber feet to prevent slipping, anyone and everyone can play this instrument. Just sit down and feel the rhythm.

CONSTRUCTION: A hardwood body and front plate on this Cajon are ready to be belted around as you fi nd the beat. Sturdy enough to be sat on, knocked over, hit, kicked and generally abused, this little boom box will take anything you give it and reply with a beat.

OVERALL: For beginner and intermediate Cajon players, this is a very good unit. It comes with a carry bag as an additional option and has an Allen key for adjusting the snare springs found within the housing. A simple design like this doesn’t need to be complicated, just well executed as is the case here.

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RECOMMENDED FOR: Rock, pop, funk and anything else you want to try and model. Players after a big range of tones that are super tweakable in the one package.

SOUND ANDTONE: All your classics are onboard with sparkly clean, chimey on the edge of breakup, right through to full gain shred machine. Between the models, effects and natural amp tone, you can pull a massive array of sounds that will satisfy a lot of players right off the bat.

USABILITY: Some amps that incorporate this many models and effects end up taking 3 months to get your head around. The VT20+ isn’t one of those thankfully! You can operate the VT20+ along the lines of a normal amp by selecting an amp type and then tweaking Gain, Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass and Master, or delve into deeper programming from there if you wish.

CONSTRUCTION: Vox-ish with a modern edge. The VT20+ has the Vox badge on the front, feint diamond grille cloth and white chickenhead knobs. It features an underlying black theme that looks slick and clean.

OVERALL: Pushing the boundaries of the Vox tone, the VT line adds some extra features for those that want a little more. A fantastic amp for the budding guitarist or practise amp for the seasoned player.

PRODUCT TYPE: ELECTRIC GUITAR COMBO AMPLIFIERDISTRIBUTOR: VOX AUSRTRALIA

VOX VALVETRONIX VT20+ COMBO RRP: $229

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is a great starting place for anyone wanting to record music onto a computer. It also offers experienced users the ability to get a compact high quality interface for a very reasonable price.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: The two microphone preamps sound great, and the ability to run a guitar direct in to one of the inputs is a bonus. The real key is the fact that this offers 192 kHz sampling rate when recording. It isn’t easy to fi nd an interface in this price range that offers this sort of quality.

USABILITY: Possibly the simplest and easiest device ever released by Steinberg. It integrates perfectly with the included Cubase AI software and takes very little effort to get it installed and ready to record. It will work with a range of instruments including keyboards and guitars, and works with just about any microphone given that it supplies phantom power.

CONSTRUCTION: The tough casing that protects the inner workings of the UR22 has been well thought out. You are not going to have any issues with the unit getting damaged in regular use. It’s fi tted with 2 XLR/TRS inputs combo inputs and 2 TRS outputs.

OVERALL: With two microphone preamps, MIDI in and out as well as headphone monitoring, there is pretty much everything you need for home recording on the unit and everything you need to mix and master you music within the software.

PRODUCT TYPE: AUDIO INTERFACEDISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA

STEINBERG UR22 AUDIO INTERFACE RRP: $219.99

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RECOMMENDED FOR: When today’s modern musician becomes the recording engineer as well, it is hard to keep them confi ned to a closed studio space. Therefore, this interface is ideal in that it allows you to work with a laptop or an iPad and record anywhere, on the go.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: You get a quality Presonus Class A microphone preamp in the Audiobox iOne. Just because it’s a compact unit that has been kept fairly trim on features, Presonus realise it should still sound as good as their larger interfaces do.

USABILITY: The new Audiobox iOne interface takes its design and idea from the original Audiobox with a few slight variations. Now it is compatible with an iPad, you have more freedom to explore you creativity just about anywhere.

CONSTRUCTION: Like any Presonus interface, this unit is housed in a rugged steel case. The Audiobox is solid enough, so long as you a careful to protect the controls on the front panel. The headphones are a little more delicate though.

OVERALL: This is a brilliant little device for use with either a computer or an iPad. Just because a product is designed for use with iOS products doesn’t mean it needs to suffer in quality.

PRODUCT TYPE: AUDIO INTERFACEDISTRIBUTOR: NATIONAL AUDIO SYSTEMS

PRESONUS AUDIOBOX iONE RRP: $199

RECOMMENDED FOR: Rock, classic metal, shredders or those just wanting hi-gain sounds in a pedal. Also players wanting actual valve tone thanks to the onboard 12AX7 preamp tube.

SOUND AND TONE: With the ability to clean up quite well, the V8 is defi nitely built for higher gain rock tones. With plenty of snarl and bite the Gain control runs you from thick and chunky to more saturated distortion. I’d see it being a go to ‘solo’ pedal for big gain tones and squeally harmonics, but also burning rhythm sounds where plenty of distortion is needed.

USABILITY: Easy to set the V8 Volume, Bass and Tone controls (with a mid shift on/off toggle switch) and a Gain knob for pushing the output or backing off a little. Simple input and output line jack for ease of use.

CONSTRUCTION :I like the black theme (very rock) with the 12AX7 proudly on display in the centre of the pedal. Slighter bigger in stature but nothing to scare you off the V8 looks the part and feels like it should handle plenty of gigs.

OVERALL: Nice to see and hear some tube offerings from Vox in the pedal department. Seemingly angled towards vintage tones the V8 does on the edge breakup right through to sweet singing sustain with a usable mid shift for bumping (or dropping) the mid range focus.

PRODUCT TYPE: GUITAR PEDALDISTRIBUTOR: VOX AUSTRALIA

VOX TONE GARAGE V8 DISTORTION PEDAL RRP: $199.99


RECOMMENDED FOR: The price would lead you to believe this is aimed at beginners and intermediate players, which it is. That said, it’s such a stylised, well-made instrument that it’s suitable for anyone looking for a no-nonsense guitar with a clear voice and great playability.

SOUND AND TONE: The tone of this one is a little crispier and zippier than you might expect. It doesn’t have too much in the way of booming bass, but there’s a rich upper midrange and a clear, bright treble edge that really accentuates this guitar’s percussive capabilities.

PLAYABILITY: The light strings and fi nger-friendly action make this guitar a pleasure to play. The neck is a little fatter than some players might be used to, but it fi ts the hand nicely and gives you plenty to grip onto when you’re executing wide stretches or fast fl at picked lines.

CONSTRUCTION: There are higher-priced LAG guitars with nicer construction, but this punches well above its weight. The frets are fi nished nicer than they need to be, and the fi nish is well applied. Even the internal glue work seems to be neat and free of run-off. Includes a Spruce top, African Sapele back and sides with a Mahogony neck and Rosewood fi ngerboard and bridge. I dig the black rosette with Occitan cross too. OVERALL: A great affordable acoustic for anyone, regardless of price. It’s not the most complex of tones, or the most fl ashy of looks, but it does everything it needs to, better than it needs to. The pack also includes uPlay Login and guitar maintenance handbook, LAG gigbag, strap and picks.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Beginning guitarists looking for the best possible start in this wonderful world of rock.

SOUND AND TONE: This Strat-styled guitar sounds the part, with zippy, twangy, chewy-sounding pickups that give you everything from bluesy grit to country twang to a classic rock snarl. It’s probably not going to satisfy the tonal cravings of budding metal guitarists (a guitar with a humbucker pickup in the bridge position would do that job nicely) but for the majority of beginners, there’s everything you need here.

PLAYABILITY: The playability is good out of the box, but this type of design is so elegant and user-adjustable that you can dial it in to the most comfortable setting pretty easily. The included amp gives you a nice broad range of tones to get started with.

CONSTRUCTION: This is never going to compete with US-made custom shop instruments, but guitars like this are far better than the ones folks were learning on 15 or 20 years ago. There are little fi nishing fl aws here and there, but nothing worth getting in a tizzy over.

OVERALL: A great starter pack for any young rocker, or for those who wish they started when they were a young rocker but are ready to play catch-up. Also includes gig bag, clip-on tuner, strap, cable and picks. What a bargain!

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is the interface you would look at when you require the versatility of a compact package, but still require high quality recording software.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: The preamps in these devices are fairly smooth sounding, whether you are recording with a microphone, a direct instrument input or a line level from a keyboard. With Pro Tools Express software, everything you need to record, produce and create is here.

USABILITY: This reminds me of some of the Digidesign interfaces of previous years. Well designed to allow good workfl ow and easy to setup with a software package that works well with the user and the interface combined.

CONSTRUCTION: Housed in a tough metal casing, with input and output connections that feel fi rm when engaged, you can be fairly confi dent that you will get many years of heavy use out of this interface.

OVERALL: For a compact 2x2 USB audio interface, I really like this little unit. It does remind me of hardware I have used before, so that familiarity with a modern edge coupled with the software make it an all-round appealing device. Pricepoint is killer.

PRODUCT TYPE: ACOUSTIC GUITAR PACKDISTRIBUTOR: AUSTRALASIAN MUSIC SUPPLIES

PRODUCT TYPE: ELECTRIC GUITAR PACKDISTRIBUTOR: AUSTRALASIAN MUSIC SUPPLIES PRODUCT TYPE: AUDIO INTERFACE

DISTRIBUTOR: AVID AUSTRALIA

LAG T44A MINI ACOUSTIC GUITAR PACK

SX ELECTRIC GUITAR PACK AVID FAST TRACK DUO USB INTERFACEwith PRO TOOLS EXPRESS

RRP: $299

RRP: $299 RRP: $299

PRODUCT TYPE: USB KEYBOARD CONTROLLERDISTRIBUTOR: ELECTIC FACTORY

ALESIS VI25 CONTROLLER KEYBOARD RRP: $279

RECOMMENDED FOR: For lovers of gadgets and controllers, this has got to be the next keyboard for you. A compact unit with just 25 keys, it presents itself as far more than just a keyboard, with a massive array of controllers to go to work with live or in the studio.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Bundled with Ableton Live Lite and Xpand2 software, you get a huge array of sounds to work with as soon as the VI25 is plugged in and ready to go.

USABILITY: Software control is what this keyboard is all about. You get 36 buttons, 8 rotary encoders and 16 drum pads along with the pitch and mod wheel and the 25 note keyboard. That is a huge array of controls crammed onto the top panel of a compact unit.

CONSTRUCTION: Although made from plastic, the build quality is still pretty good. The buttons all respond nicely, the rotary encoders are smooth and the drum pads all feel like they could take a beating and ask for more.

OVERALL: I am just astounded by how much Alesis have squeezed onto the top panel of this compact keyboard. The ability to take control of your DAW with just one device like this is brilliant. Just spend a little time mapping it all out to your liking and you are good to go.


RECOMMENDED FOR: People that are looking to maintain the natural tone of their guitar and amp while adding a little edge or a little growl.

SOUND AND TONE: It’s designed from the ground up, rather than being based on a particular historic design. It has a lot of clarity even when you’re pushing the gain. It’s very responsive to changes in pickup setting or playing articulation, whether you’ve set the gain really low for a tonal tweak or cranked it for overdrive heaven.

USABILITY: You can use it like a simple clean boost for lower gain settings, and the treble control really lets you dial in how much smoothness or edge you want to rock. This is a great pedal for if you have a guitar with slightly underpowered pickups that you want to add some hair to, or if you have an amp that’s almost there but not quite.

CONSTRUCTION: Since the circuit is designed from the ground up, it possesses a unique sonic quality. The construction quality itself is top-notch, boutique-quality, matching the A-grade nature of the tones.

OVERALL: A great choice for blues players, country players and classic rockers who want some clarity, jangle, growl and crunch without losing their guitar’s personality.

RECOMMENDED FOR: As any compact home studio usually suffers from a lack of space, these monitor speakers are ideal given that they are not only compact, but have been designed specifi cally to work within confi ned spaces. They also work as a great multimedia speaker around the house too.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: For such a small speaker cabinet, the Ceres 3.5BT actually sound a lot bigger than they are. A very focused sound and a full frequency response from an extremely compact unit.

USABILITY: The real beauty of these speakers is in the Bluetooth connectivity. You can set them up anywhere around the house and transmit your audio stream direct to them without the need to plug in your Bluetooth device. Stream audio direct from your phone onto studio quality speakers and hear the difference. CONSTRUCTION: These speakers are built pretty sturdily. All the inputs (RCA and quarter inch TRS) and outputs are found on the rear of one of the speakers, with the amplifi er housed within that unit. Then a speaker cable is used to send the audio to the other speaker. They feature a 5.5 inch kevlar woofer and a 22mm silk dome tweeter.

OVERALL: This is a really cool idea. Presonus have bridged the gap between a home or offi ce audio device and a pair of studio monitors. What the Ceres speakers bring to the table is a sound that puts you; the listener, into the studio, no matter what room you choose to listen to them in.

RECOMMENDED FOR: These are ideal for any home studio that wants quality audio reproduction without a high price tag especially when space is really at a premium. With that classic Yamaha ‘white cone’ look, these will make any studio look and sound professional.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: These would have to be one of my favourite sounding 5 inch studio monitors below $1000. Like their predecessor, they offer a very fl at response and precise transient attack without creating a fall low frequency delivery. They are a 2-way bi-amp powered studio monitor with a frequency range from 54Hz - 30KHz.

USABILITY: These will fi t in any studio. Even if you already have monitors set up, they will fi t alongside them and connect with just about anything. Easy room shaping EQ allows you to get them sounding just right, no matter what environment you set them up in.

CONSTRUCTION: Built into a solid housing that offers no resonant characteristics when playing, they are set to go the distance. Long periods of use do not fatigue these monitors; they just continue to deliver over and over.

OVERALL:In my opinion, these are the best small studio monitors in their price range at the moment. These look the part, they are very well built, and they certainly offer a frequency response that is leagues ahead of their price tag. This is why I own a pair myself and regularly use them.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Beginning banjo players, guitarists wanting to switch to banjo, or anyone needing a cost-effective but well-built banjo with cool extras like a bag, strap, tuner and picks thrown in for good measure.

SOUND AND TONE: A very rich, vibrant sounding banjo with a nice three-dimensional sound, plenty of attack and really great projection. This thing is hella loud and will more than hold its own in a full bluegrass band or in an acoustic folk-rock context.

PLAYABILITY: The neck is very comfortable. A deep ‘D’ shape that fi lls the hand nicely but also doesn’t prevent you from reaching complex chord shapes. The fretwork is exceptional, which means you can play some pretty dang speedy stuff without grating your fi ngers on the edges of the frets. That’s a good thing.

CONSTRUCTION: Good construction quality, especially in the fretting. The woods chosen look really nice. The only real let-down is the bridge, which feels just a little bit fragile and soft, at least on fi rst impression. This part is easily upgradeable down the track though if you feel it’s not quite hitting if for you.

OVERALL: A great introduction to banjo with everything you need to get started, including the very highly-regarded Snark tuner, which clips onto the headstock and helps to keep you in tune at all times with an easy read-out and fast response.

PRODUCT TYPE: ELECTRIC GUITAR EFFECTS PEDALDISTRIBUTOR: GLADESVILLE GUITARS

PRODUCT TYPE: STUDIO MONITORSDISTRIBUTOR: NATIONAL AUDIO SYSTEMS

PRODUCT TYPE: STUDIO MONITORSDISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA

PRODUCT TYPE: BANJO PACKDISTRIBUTOR: AUSTRALASIAN MUSIC SUPPLIES

TELETRONIX MULHOLAND DRIVE

PRESONUS CERES 3.5BT ACTIVE BLUETOOTH STUDIO MONITORS

YAMAHA HS5 STUDIO MONITORS

BRYDEN BANJO PACK

RRP: $299.00

RRP: $349.00

RRP: $299.00

RRP: $399.00


RECOMMENDED FOR: Beginning bassists who are into rock, blues, jazz, funk, country or metal styles. It’s basically a great straight foward bass kit for beginners to take their fi rst steps.

SOUND AND TONE: This type of design is known for its straightforward but adaptable tone. Don’t expect to get a music stores’ worth of sounds out of it, but what’s there is very adaptable. The included amplifi er gives you a nice range of tone-sculpting options too.

PLAYABILITY: This one comes right out of the box with the perfect string height, so little hands will adapt quite easily, despite the bigger strings you fi nd on basses. The controls are easy to reach and the fret work is neat enough that you don’t have to worry about slicing your hand up, which is always a plus in this price range.

CONSTRUCTION: Solid construction for this pricepoint. Not on par with mid to high-priced instruments, but certainly among the nicer budget/beginner level basses we’ve seen. Comes with amp, strap, gig bag, lead, tuner and picks.

OVERALL: A great starter bass that will grow with your playing skills. It comes with everything you need to get rocking, and it’s built to last, so even when you graduate to costlier basses in the future, it’ll serve as a nice backup when needed.

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is the ideal package for someone wanting to start out in home recording. It has an M-Audio M-Track interface, an M-Audio large diaphram vocal microphone, M-Audio studio headphones, Avid Pro-Tools Express software with the Ignite by AIR iLok USB key and USB and XLR cables so you are ready to go right out of the box.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: For anyone wanting to get away from plugging a microphone into the 3.5mm jack on the side of their computer, this is going to take you audio recording ahead in capability and in sound quality.

USABILITY: After initial installation, all this gear works seamlessly together. The M-Track interface allows for another microphone to be added, or a guitar or any other similar instrument with 2 mic pre’s and line ins. The only harrier is your imagination.

CONSTRUCTION: Let’s face it; you are getting a lot of product for a great price in this bundle. So, while it works seamlessly together, the build quality isn’t the toughest and you will probably see yourself upgrading a little down the track. You will however get alot of use out of it if you treat each piece with care.

OVERALL: This is a great place to start. You are getting professional software with Avid’s Pro Tools Express, so even when you do look to upgrade components, you can bring your existing projects along and help them grow. An upgrade to the full version of Pro Tools will also ensure this gets you further on your recording quest.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Perfect for medium to large sized rooms where they can be run a little harder than smaller monitors. These monitors give the user that extra grunt they may have been looking for in other speakers.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: There is something about the 7 inch driver that Yamaha have gotten spot on. These monitors remove the need for a sub to get a balanced sound, but they still sound full without having an excessive low end frequency response.

USABILITY: This is really the studio monitor that fi lls the gap between the compact HS5 and the robust HS8. It doesn’t take up anywhere near as much desk space as the HS8, but still delivers plenty of volume, and can be used much closer to walls without an unwanted build-up of low frequency artifacts.

CONSTRUCTION: I currently own the HS5 monitors from this same series and haven’t had an issue in the last couple of years. They get worked hard and never fault or sound distressed even after long listening sessions.

OVERALL: these are the newest addition to the HS range and it is easy to see why these speakers are in such high demand. They would work well as a main set of studio monitors, or as an additional pair in an existing setup. The HS7 offer a different sound space to many other home studio monitors of different sizes.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Fingerpickers and strummers alike who need a vibrant, clear-sounding guitar for whenever the mood strikes.

SOUND AND TONE: A very bright-toned instrument with a unique sustain profi le. Notes seem to start with a pleasing ‘crack,’ bloom up to full volume quickly and then taper off gradually in a nicely linear kind of way, which makes this one great for strumming or for fi ngerpicking when you require a lot of dynamic and notes of different durations playing over each other. It all adds up to an instrument that sounds more complex than you’d expect in this price range.

PLAYABILITY: The setup straight out of the box is very playable indeed in terms of string height and tension. The strings themselves sound really great. They’ll last a long time too.

CONSTRUCTION: A solid Spruce top guitar in this price range is not all that common, and this type of top gradually ‘breaks in’ over time, so a guitar that sounds nice today will sound really great in a few years’ time. There are some rough spots here and there. The frets could use a good crowning, although it’ll hold just fi ne. The Fishman Presys with tuner is a nice touch.

OVERALL: This is a really nice acoustic for beginners or those just getting back into playing. Although it’s not one of the ‘big name’ brands, Recording King has been around since 1930 so there’s some cool history to this brand too.

PRODUCT TYPE: BASS GUITAR PACKDISTRIBUTOR: AUSTRALASIAN MUSIC SUPPLIES

PRODUCT TYPE: AUDIO INTERFACEDISTRIBUTOR: PRO AUDIO GROUP AUSTRALIA

PRODUCT TYPE: STUDIO MONITORSDISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA

PRODUCT TYPE: ACOUSTIC GUITARDISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC

SX ELECTRIC BASS GUITAR PACK

M-AUDIO VOCAL STUDIO PRO PACK

YAMAHA HS7 STUDIO MONITORS

RECORDING KING RD-04 ACOUSTIC GUITAR

RRP: $399.00

RRP: $429.00

RRP: $399.99

RRP: $449.00


RECOMMENDED FOR: This is a real lifestyle device that will meet the needs of just about anyone wanting to capture that special moment forever and share it with the world.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Like many of Zoom’s other audio recorders, the Q4 benefi ts from a stereo pair of X/Y mounted condenser microphones that accurately capture the sound of the room as it should be heard. When used outdoors, a handy windshield is also included to keep environmental noise to a minimum.

USABILITY: The Q4 has been designed to go just about anywhere you go. It is compact enough to fi t in your pocket and clever enough to be adapted to a wide range of applications. With the tripod thread mount beneath the base, you can affi x it to a range of stands and attachments to suit whatever conditions you are shooting under.

CONSTRUCTION: There are a number of moving parts to this device including a rotating playback screen that could get damaged if not properly cared for. The unit itself is built quite well, but it will require a little care and attention to ensure it doesn’t get damaged with rough use.

OVERALL: For high speed motion shots and even really low light examples, like on a dark stage, the Q4 handles itself really well and delivers a surprising image quality for such a compact unit. Meaning, as a musician’s tool, this is an ideal addition to your gear list for capturing gigs and rehearsals.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Country, blues, roots, blues-rock, rock, indie, alternative and hard rock players. Basically anyone who appreciates the punchy twang of T-style guitars in the bridge position and a fuller, bigger neck pickup tone with a humbucker.

SOUND AND TONE: The bridge pickup has all the twang, bite and jangle of a classic T-style design, aided by the snappiness of the Maple fretboard. The neck humbucker has a smooth, mellow Californian vibe when clean, and a juicier blues-rock voice when you push the overdrive. The in-between mode is great for arpeggiated chording.

PLAYABILITY: Traditionalists might prefer a rounder fretboard radius in order to be more consistent with vintage-style designs, but the fl atter radius of this model really works in terms of modern playability.

CONSTRUCTION: The fretwork is nice and the neck is very playable. The headstock might not be to everyone’s taste, but the fi nish is well-applied, the bridge intents well, and the controls do what they’re supposed to.

OVERALL: It’s as attractive to play as it is to look at, and that’s saying something because it’s pretty much breathtaking. These can be had for a very affordable price, which makes this a no-brainer. By the way, Tokai’s Surftone range is exclusive to Australia.

RECOMMENDED FOR: When you have no idea where to get started building your own home studio, this might just be the product for you. It is designed to give anyone looking for a start in music recording all the tools they need to get on their way.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: With the Studio One audio engine behind this package, you know you can create professional quality tracks once you get your mind set on it. The M7 microphone allows for vocal and instrument recording that can be improved within the software.

USABILITY: With a PS 49 note USB MIDI keyboard, you can now control all the sounds found within the instruments of Studio One Artist and get the most from them. But, if you are running low on connectivity, the included USB hub allows you to run your entire studio and more from a single USB port on your computer.

CONSTRUCTION: Being a starter pack for recording, the build quality is top notch, and understandably given the price. The Audiobox interface is still the same tough old unit and will most likely outlast everything else in this kit.

OVERALL:I think this is a really intuitive solution for Presonus to offer. It clears the headache of not knowing what to buy to get started, and gives you a solid selection of equipment to begin your home studio with. The HD3 monitoring headphones and mic cable are a nice touch.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Beginners just starting out on a life of rock, or Guns N’ Roses fans looking for a fun, functional, Slash-approved rig. Together with an amp, a tuner, picks and a strap, it really has everything you need to get started.

SOUND AND TONE:It’s not going to make you sound like Slash - the construction method and pickups are entirely different to what he uses, but it will give young players recognisably rock-worthy tones that will inspire them to play, and that’s what’s most important.

PLAYABILITY: The playability of the guitar is quite good. The inbuilt Shadow tuner, which is part of the bridge pickup mounting ring, is a genius idea which gives you no excuses when it comes to tuning.

CONSTRUCTION: The construction quality of the guitar is a bit spotty, with noticeable fi nish fl aws and rough frets. It’s clear that this is a budget-level axe rather than a $4,000 Gibson.

OVERALL: As an all-in-one beginners’ pack with serious rock cred, this nails everything it needs to do. Though the guitar and amp aren’t of the same quality as the higher end Epiphone and Gibson products, they’re capable of delivering a solid enough tone and a pretty perfect starting point for any aspiring rock stars. An hour in the hands of a good tech would iron out some of the fi ner fret issues. Awesome package deal.

PRODUCT TYPE: VIDEO RECORDER DISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC

PRODUCT TYPE: ELECTRIC GUITARDISTRIBUTOR: JADE AUSTRALIA

PRODUCT TYPE: MUSIC CREATION BUNDLEDISTRIBUTOR: NATIONAL AUDIO SYSTEMS

PRODUCT TYPE: GUITAR PACKDISTRIBUTOR: AUSTRALIAN MUSICAL IMPORTS (AMI)

ZOOM Q4 HANDY VIDEO RECORDER

TOKAI SURFTONE ATE-S38-SFG ELECTRIC GUITAR

PRESONUS MUSIC CREATION SUITE

EPIPHONE SLASH PLAYERS PACK

RRP: $499.00

RRP: $649.00

RRP: $599.00

RRP: $689.00


RECOMMENDED FOR: This is the addition that every guitar player needs for their recording or even live setup. If you want to add some extra versatility to you guitar, or just completely change the way in which you record, this is what you should look into.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: As far as sounds go, they are pretty much limitless. This is the ultimate in guitar versatility given that you transmit a MIDI signal from your guitar and this can then be translated into any sound you want. If you want your guitar to sound like a grand piano that’s been dropped from the back of a truck or the fi nest of cellos, you can do it with the Triple Play. Anything’s possible.

USABILITY: It is easy to install the pickup on any guitar, without permanent damage to the instrument, which is an added bonus. Wireless transmission terminates in the compact USB dongle that then feeds the signal direct into your computer. It is so simple to achieve results that used to require multiple pieces of hardware and a dozen cables.

CONSTRUCTION: Both the receiver and transmitter are housed in a tough plastic case and the pickup and mounting brackets are all tough enough to take any punishment they could possible get when mounted on your guitar.

OVERALL: For anyone who has thought about the idea of a MIDI guitar in the past, but has been put off by how complicated it all seemed, now you can leave you worries at the door. The Triple Play has just made it not only simple, but fast and effi cient when tracking MIDI notes from a guitar and converting them to amazing sounds.

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is perfect for anyone looking to get more control from their DAW and investigate further into a new ways of working with their audio. For anyone already working with a range of software packages, this hardware and software combination will bring it all together.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Bundled with software titles like Arsenal, Airdrums and Hybrid 3, you really have no limit to the range of sounds and possibilities that can come with the Trigger Finger Pro. That said, it will make short work of any DAW you are currently using too, and bring a whole new life to the way you create you sounds within the box.

USABILITY: The team at M-Audio have certainly thought this one through. You do get the typical design elements that would be expected on a similar controller in the 16 drum pads and transport controls. You also get four faders and four rotary encoders as well as a separate pressure sensitive encoder for menu scrolling.

CONSTRUCTION: I was astounded at how well this thing has been put together. It is a really tough piece of hardware that has a good weight to it. A metal rail is mounted on the underside to angle the face slightly, but this can be removed to lay the unit fl at on a desktop if you wish.

OVERALL: In my opinion, M-Audio has hit it out of the park with the Trigger Finger Pro. It might have been a long time coming, but it surely was worth the wait.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Blues, rock, blues-rock, sleaze-rock, stoner-rock, desert-rock, country, alternative, indie, punk, pop-punk. Anyone who wants the punch of a T-style guitar with the grit and growl of P-90-style single coil pickups.

SOUND AND TONE: The pickups have exactly the kind of edge, snarl, bite, growl, roar and grizzle that works well with a T-style design aimed at louder, brasher styles. This one is as happy blasting out chugging power chords through distortion as it is reeling off arpeggios and single-note lines. It’s especially happy with a crunchy Marshall.

PLAYABILITY: The rosewood fretboard feels a little more gentle than the maple of the ATE-S38, and as a consequence, you might lean more towards bluesy playing and soft strumming than the kind of snappy, high-speed lines that the other model encourages. Otherwise they’re very similar.

CONSTRUCTION: Great build quality, nice frets, well-cut pickguard and nice quiet controls. The headstock might not be for everyone, but it’s tricky to design a new headstock for this kind of body shape. At least you can do that cool ‘behind the nut’ bending trick!

OVERALL: A great option for those who like the edgier, louder, brasher sounds that T-style guitars give you. A true tone-monster and extremely affordable.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Blues, rockabilly, country, indie and rock players who love the classic Epiphone Casino sound, but fi nd the full-sized version a little bit too unwieldy.

SOUND AND TONE: Classic ‘rich-but-ratty’ P-90 tones with all the clang, bite, snarl and ring that you could hope for. There’s a great jangle in the middle position, and the neck pickup oozes with overtones and detail, while the bridge pickup growls and snaps just as it should. It also sounds great unplugged, with a pleasing midrange honk and great natural sustain. These qualities both transfer to the amplifi ed sound and are especially prevalent when you step on the overdrive.

PLAYABILITY: Already a rather playable guitar type, this smaller version of the Casino bumps up the playability stakes even further by being a more manageable size. It seems a little easier to execute all-over-the-fretboard runs because you’re not wrestling with the body to get to the neck. The fretwork is nicely done too.

CONSTRUCTION: Great build quality, certainly an eye-opener if you’re used to Epiphone’s more budget-oriented axes. This is a serious guitar with serious tone and no visible fi nishing fl aws to be found anywhere.

OVERALL: A corker of a guitar for those who love the vintage, semi-hollowbody P-90 sound, but are put off by the larger body size and the risk of feedback. When you get it to feedback it sings like the voice of an angel.

PRODUCT TYPE: USB WIRELESS MIDI GUITAR SYSTEMDISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC

PRODUCT TYPE: USB CONTROLLERDISTRIBUTOR: PRO AUDIO GROUP AUSTRALIA

PRODUCT TYPE: ELECTRIC GUITARDISTRIBUTOR: JADE AUSTRALIA

PRODUCT TYPE: ELECTRIC GUITARDISTRIBUTOR: AUSTRALIAN MUSICAL IMPORTS (AMI)

FISHMAN TRIPLE PLAY USB WIRELESS MIDI GUITAR SYSTEM

M-AUDIO TRIGGER FINGER PRO

TOKAI SURFTONE ATE-S38P-SG ELECTRIC GUITAR

EPIPHONE CASINO COUPE ELECTRIC GUITAR

RRP: $699.00

RRP: $699.99

RRP: $699.00

RRP: $1159.00


RECOMMENDED FOR: When you are looking for a high quality audio interface for working with Pro Tools on either a Mac or a PC, you can’t really look past this compact device. Perfect for studio quality recording in a potable housing.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: With the renowned Apogee microphone preamps as the beginning of your recording chain, the Pro Tools Duet offers exceptional quality audio the entire way through the signal path. This is backed up with excellent A/D conversion to ensure everything you want to record gets captured.

USABILITY: The compact device is very easy to work with. A jog wheel works for volume control on the unit, with all inputs (2 combo mic/instrument/line connections XLR and quarter inch) and outputs (2 x quarter inch balanced line/speaker outs and one stereo headphone out) supplied via a breakout cable. This allows your workspace to be kept tidy and doesn’t interrupt your workfl ow.

CONSTRUCTION: Built into the same tough box as the Apogee Duet, simply branded by Pro Tools, this is a unit that has previously stood the test of time and continues to deliver great results.

OVERALL: There are plenty of compact USB interfaces on the market, but few offer the quality preamps and A/D conversion that you get with the Pro Tools Duet. Don’t let the size fool you, this is a serious piece of recording equipment that could take the place of any professional interface when only two inputs are required.

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is the ideal home recording interface when you need multiple inputs and you really need high quality preamps and conversion. For the home studio that doesn’t want to scrimp on quality, the Quartet is the interface to look at.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Just like the Pro Tools Duet, this features the high quality preamps and analogue to digital conversion that you want from a device of this calibre. With additional ins and outs including digital connections, the Quartet should integrate well with any recording setup.

USABILITY: With the ease of the user in mind, this unit handles like a dream. There are no stiff buttons to deal with on the top panel, just a smooth plate with touch responsive controls to allow you to work with minimum fuss. Includes four combo mic/instrument/line connections (XLR and quarter inch) and six quarter inch TRS balanced line/speaker outputs and one stereo headpone output.

CONSTRUCTION: Being built by Apogee, you know this is a solidly constructed unit. The jog wheel is smooth in action and all the touch response pads work perfectly. With all connections found on the rear, your cables are kept out of the way on your desk too.

OVERALL: This is not only a great looking interface, but one that sounds great too. With a range of input and output options on what is still a fairly compact desktop device, the Pro Tools Quartet could very well be the centrepiece of any serious digital audio workstation.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Rockers, metallers, stoner-rockers and stoner-metallers. Basically this is not your granddad’s Orange. It’s designed to explore the darker regions of guitar tone in a two channel 50 watt amp head.

SOUND AND TONE: Big and fat. That best describes the Dual Dark. It has monstrous bottom end, that classic Orange hairy top end, and a big fat rich midrange that manages to command, no, demand attention. If you play in a one-guitar band, it’ll fi ll out the sound nicely. If you play in a two-guitar band, you win. But the clean and crunch sounds are pretty cool too. You can scoop the mids if you really want to, but they sound so good you’ll wanna keep ‘em.

USABILITY: Very simple and straightforward. You can scoop the mids in the second channel, you can run it at different wattages and remove two of the power tubes as needed. There are two foot switching options: channel switching and/or attenuator switching - the latter meaning you can use it as a boost. Clever.

CONSTRUCTION: A nice chunky Orange amp with easy-to-see controls weighing in at 21kg. The black-and-orange look is very unique and loaded with attitude. Pre-amps include 5 x Ecc83/12ax7’s. OVERALL: A hugely versatile amp that nonetheless leans towards big, fat, commanding, domineering tones, be they clean, crunch or an all-out distorted meltdown.

PRODUCT TYPE: AUDIO INTERFACEDISTRIBUTOR: SOUND DISTRIBUTION

PRODUCT TYPE: AUDIO INTERFACEDISTRIBUTOR: SOUND DISTRIBUTION

PRODUCT TYPE: GUITAR AMP HEADDISTRIBUTOR: AUSTRALIAN MUSICAL IMPORTS (AMI)

AVID PRO TOOLS DUET AUDIO INTERFACE AVID PRO TOOLS QUARTET AUDIO INTERFACE

ORANGE DUAL DARK 50 AMP HEAD

RRP: $1375.00 RRP: $2350.00

RRP: $3499.00

DISTRIBUTOR PHONE WEBSITEAMBER TECHNOLOGY 1800 251 367 WWW.AMBERTECH.COM.AUAUSTRALASIAN MUSIC SUPPLIES (03) 95491500 WWW.AUSTMUSIC.COM.AUELECTRIC FACTORY (03) 9474 1000 WWW.ELFA.COM.AUJADE AUSTRALIA 1800 144 120 WWW.JADEAUSTRALIA.COM.AUYAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA (03) 9693 5111 WWW.YAMAHABACKSTAGE.COM.AUDYNAMIC MUSIC (02) 9939 1299 WWW.DYNAMICMUSIC.COM.AUSENNHEISER AUSTRALIA (02) 9910 6700 WWW.SENNHEISER.COM.AUJANDS AUSTRALIA (02) 9582 0909 WWW.JANDS.COM.AUAUSTRALIAN MUSICAL IMPORTS (03) 8696 0600 WWW.GIBSONAMI.COMNATIONAL AUDIO SYSTEMS (03) 8756 2600 WWW.NATIONALAUDIO.COM.AUPRO AUDIO GROUP AUSTRALIA (02) 9521 4844 WWW.PROAUDIOGROUP.COM.AUAMBER TECHNOLOGY 1800 251 367 WWW.AMBERTECH.COM.AUNETWORK AUDIO SOLUTIONS 1300 306 670 WWW.NETWORKAUDIO.COM.AUTECHNICAL AUDIO GROUP (02) 9519 0900 WWW.TAG.COM.AUGLADESVILLE GUITAR FACTORY (02) 9817 2173 WWW.GUITARFACTORY.NETVOX AUSTRALIA (03) 9693 5111 WWW.VOXAMPS.COMAVID AUSTRALIA 1300 734 454 WWW.AVID.COMSOUND DISTRIBUTION (02) 8007 3327 WWW.SOUNDDISTRIBUTION.COM.AU

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