Plays This

Daniel Lovett-Horn

Mon, 26 Feb 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Who are you and what do you do?

Daniel Lovett-Horn - Lead Guitarist in Promethium / Guitar Hunter.

What do you use?

There is no doubt what so ever that I have a guitar buying problem, something that AA cannot help with. I currently own 30+ Guitars. Most are Vs, however we do have a couple normal shapes in there. I saw the V, played a V and became obsessed. Something about the sound of a V that just cuts through tonally that other guitars simply don’t.

My main Vs are Gibson traditional Vs, however I am obsessed with Ran guitars. As soon as I saw the Jeff Waters ad for Ran guitars I just had to have one and I also had to own that one that he had. Luckily for me and with my guitar dealing contacts I managed to broker a deal for that one and also recently its evil twin.

The Ran Invader Vs are amazing, especially the Alder body ones, the tones I was able to get out of them for the third Promethium album “Faces of War” due out soon were just killer and everyone who’s heard it seemed to thinks so. My back up main guitar funnily enough is Jeff Waters red Epiphone. Now considering these guitars are a fraction of official Gibson V prices I have to say that they smoke over them. Play great, look great and sound great.

I mainly load my guitars with Seymour Duncan Invaders however I kept the Epiphone totally stock.

Of course you cannot have a guitar collection without a Les Paul and there is no other cooler Les Paul than the Ace Frehley signature model. It’s a 97 I think and as soon as I saw it I had to track one down. That thing has more power than any guitar I’ve ever played. If there is ever a nuclear war, there will just be cockroaches left and that guitar still feeding back.

Amp wise I have been a firm supporter of the Marshall mode 4 now for over 10 years. I have got 3 of them and they are just killer amps. When they came out nobody seemed to understand them and their capability however its amazing how people comment on the sound of them when they hear them (yes a positive comment ha ha). It’s always a talking point at Promethium gigs. I remember reading an article that Alex Skolnick wrote about them and said the exact same thing and how guitar centre had told him not to buy it as it was crap, yet once he dialled it in in the shop people were just staring with their mouths open.

I have also just purchased a limited edition Laboga Annihilator signature head. This is basically a 5150 on acid and I plan on trying this on the next cd.

I have recently just rebuilt my Pedal board. Ive got the usual Boss tuner and and a Boss noise gate however my other pedals were getting a bit worn so thought I’d get it rebuilt. I purchased the new version of the MXR EVH Phaser and still 10 years later that is the best phaser on the market. The new version isn’t as tough as that last one but its just so killer sounding for studios. Add in a Boss stereo chorus for your clean parts and top that off with the MXR Carbon Copy Delay which is just such an amazing pedal with its various delay options. However the main part of this board now is my new solo boost pedal. I had been using an MXR 6 band EQ for years and finally decided it was time to get something new and what can be better than the Kirk Hammett custom Ghoul Screamer pedal. This pedal for any lead guitarist is a must. It’s like a Tube Screamer on acid, it just destroys and makes everything more Metal than Metal could possibly be.

What would be your dream set up?

I always have a list that I hide from the wife on new equipment I want to purchase and honestly I have everything now I ever wanted.

HOWEVERRRRRRRR I would not say no to a Gibson 59 or 60 reissue as Jon Schaffer in Iced Earth gets some kick ass tones from his. And of course we cannot forget the Alex Skolnick Budda signature amp. It’s one hell of a struggle trying to find one but the vids available of them have just blown me away.

Also I wouldn’t say now to another 30 or so guitars ha ha!

If you want to hear how the Ran guitars and the rig sound check Promethium out on facebook and youtube and make sure you get the Face of War album to hear my tone.

Adam Thistlethwaite

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

What do you use?

Guitars

Starting with the noise makers I have three Gibson Flying Vs for live use. We don’t have the space to cart around identical guitars for the sake of it so they are all set up differently. On all of these I use 10 – 52. I’m not usually fussy with string brand, but Dean Marklay have always been reliable and last two gigs, where Ernie Ball dull after one, so I’ve stuck with them for about two years.

Gibson 2014 ‘Jap’ V (Black)

American made Gibson for the Japanese market, slightly smaller body, thinner profile and smaller headstock. This guitar gets most of the finger time in live performances these days as it is very comfortable to play, with a great action and it looks ace. The pickups are Bare Knuckle Black Dogs, personally the best all round pickup I ever used, incredibly responsive and musical. I really can’t recommend Bare Knuckle pickups enough, they are pricey but it’s a fair price considering the quality.

I honestly never realised how much the right pickup can compliment your playing until I tried them. Believe the hype! The guitar is tuned to Eb Standard.

Gibson 2010 Standard V (White)

I’ve had this guitar since we started the band and it’s seen the most action over the years. It wears all the scars you’d expect after 5 years being thrown in and out of a van and around a (usually cramped) stage. The neck took a beating from a thumb ring I used to wear, so I sanded off the finish and treated the wood the way I’d read Brad Paisley did with one of his guitars and the neck is smoother and more pleasant to play, especially with sweaty hands. I quite like the way the body finish has organically worn down, rather than a false relic. The pickups are Bare Knuckle Riff Raff in the bridge, not quite as full bodied as the Black Dogs but a hell of a lot meaner, and BK Cold Sweat in the neck, which are still nice and aggressive for a neck position. There is only one master volume control, but there is a very small value capacitor hardwired inside to roll the top end off a touch in lieu of a tone dial. This guitar is tuned to open F# and comes out typically for the songs we play in open F#. Obviously.

Gibson 2005 Standard V (Cherry)

My dad got me this new in 2005 when I was 16 after I watched Thunder and fell in love with Luke Morleys Faded Cherry Flying V. Although I’d always had guitars this was the one that inspired me to practice more and start writing. It’s the only guitar I still use with the original pickups, I’m 99% sure they are stock Gibson Burstbuckers, whatever they are they sound great. Being 12 years old and played hard it also shows heavy wear.

Mexican Custom Shop Stratocaster

This dark sunburst strat was an impulse buy, it’s got a pretty unique grainy maple neck, never played one like it but it feels great. The frets are also massive! 90% of home playing and songwriting happens on this guitar. It comes out on the road occasionally when space is a premium, as it’s a smaller case than the V’s. It has a Seymour Duncan Hot and Cool Rails in the bridge and neck respectively and an original Fender CS Texas Special in the middle – selecting different combinations on the 5 way switch make it extremely versatile.

Amps

I’ve been through lots of amps over the last few years, including almost every standard Marshall model at some point. I believe any Marshall will work as a solid base for filling the frequencies a lead guitar should occupy. This last year I’ve using a 50 Watt 2550 ‘Silver Jubilee’ with no plans to change. I keep the EQ fairly flat, maybe boost the mids and presence, I crank the lead channel volume and use the clean channel volume as the master. I prefer 50W to 100W amps as you can crank it up before the soundman gives you a bollocking. I keep the gain low, about 3 - 4, so that the amp tone just about breaks up when you hit the strings hard, but it’s pretty much a clean, with very slight break up.

As a backup I currently have a Marshall Vintage Modern 2466, which is also great for that straight up, honest British rock vibe. For some reason all the tolex has been removed… no idea why.

Pedals

Probably the most boring pedal board you will ever see. Signal naturally enters at the Line 6 G50 Wireless receiver straight into the Boss tuner, I tried the TC Polytune for a bit but never really liked it. This then into a Way Huge Pork Loin – which is an incredible overdrive pedal. The great thing about the Pork Loin is that it sends through an un-altered clean signal through to the amp as well as the gain clipped signal, which I really like; it’s a nice fat but clear tone where you can hear every string in a chord. All knobs are kept around 12 noon except the ‘clean signal’ pot which is right up. The signal goes straight in to the amp from here.

The Boss LS2 and TC Flashback are in the FX Loop. The LS2 gets stood on for solo’s for a clean volume boost, one of the loops is fed straight back into the pedal, and buffered up to be slightly louder when engaged.

Misc

Picks are InTune Grip X Jumbo Jazz, 1.14mm. With fancy MW text like proper rock stars!

The pedal to amp cables are the Fender Instrument series, nice chunky rubber and I’ve not had one fail on me yet. The three I need are run through a cable wrap for speedy set up and set down.

What would be your dream set up?

If money was no object, I honestly don’t think I’d change that much. I’m a believer in getting happy with your sound and concentrate more on the performing. I have been down the road of thinking this or that will make the ‘tone’ better, but 95% of the audience won’t realise, but they will notice you prodding pedals and tweaking amp knobs all through the set – so find something you are genuinely happy with and leave it alone. Same with guitars, whatever you are confident picking up and performing with is your best guitar, not the best action, pickups or strings. But that’s just my opinion!

Having said that, we hire a backline for select events (Fig 5) and I’d take that with us everywhere we went if we could! I’ve always wanted to try spitting the signal into two separate heads to blend together, but the practicalities of carting two heads around won’t work. I also wouldn’t mind a Gibson Custom Shop Flying V either…

Ollie Fleming

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Ollie and I run guitar tuition company Your Guitar Academy in Brighton offering lessons from the most experienced, dedicated and enthusiastic tutors teaching from beautifully equipped home studios. In my spare time I play guitar in various cover bands, function bands and originals band Kintillo.

What do you use?

I try to use the same set up for all gigs now, starting with my Music Man JP6 guitar with Elixir 10 - 46 strings. It’s an incredibly versatile guitar especially with the coil tap and piezo. I feel like I can get a good approximation of most tones without having to switch guitars - something you just can’t do on gigs where you need to keep the music going! I like the Elixir strings as they keep the feel of new strings for much longer, so I can do 2 or 3 gigs in a weekend and still have them feel nice at the end!

I never really got into using stomp boxes, as I prefer the sound of the guitar straight into the amp, but I do have a Korg tuner, and Ernie Ball volume pedal and wah.

The majority of my time is spent playing just through the amp without any effects. I use an ENGL E670SE which I’ve had for years, but switched the standard 6L6 valves for JJ KT77s more a bit more mid range. Again it’s a very versatile amp with midi switching, able to do clean to bluesy crunch all the way up to modern metal and super high gain nu-metal sounds (not that I have many opportunities to use that!). Something I’ve learnt from gigging (and being told that my lead sound wasn’t loud enough) is that it’s very important to have enough mid range in your sound, otherwise your guitar will get lost behind the other instruments in the band (drummers I’m looking at you…) and too much gain has the same detrimental effect.

On the few occasions where I need some effects I have a Fractal Axe Fx Ultra plugged in to the effects loop of the amp. This allows me even more versatility with things like synth, vocoder/talkbox effects along with more standard things like chorus and delays.

Everything is controlled with a Rocktron Midi Mate control pedal, and the sound comes from a Matrix Neolight 1x12 speaker. I can’t recommend these speakers enough - they’re so light!

When I’m teaching I use an Ibanez AEW acoustic, or a Parker Fly plugged into a Mooer Little Monster BM. It’s a tiny little amp but has a great tone to it. The Parker is great for teaching as it’s so light and comfortable to play, I would use it live but the Music Man sounds so much better! I use Logic Pro X to record backing tracks for students and an iOS app called AudioStretch to slow down music so they’re able to play along.

What would be your dream set up?

I’m really pleased with the set up I’ve got - so I guess some roadies would be nice!

One thing I’ve got my eye on is a Kemper Profiling Amplifier, and the foot switch. I’ll have to try one before I decide, but I absolutely love the idea of being able to profile any amp (not to mention the library of amps online) and then carry it around in a much smaller package. I’d also like to make the switch to In Ear Monitoring instead of normal monitors and ear plugs. The Kemper would be really helpful in this as it can DI to the desk but also power a cab for a back line sound.

Michael Schack

Tue, 31 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Who are you and what do you do?

Born, raised and still living in Belgium
Never had any formal music conservatory education, I actually have a degree in economics/marketing.
Professional drummer since the early ’90s, focusing on live playing and sound design.
Hybrid drummer, combining all things acoustic with electric, since 1993 and after building a side carreer as a Roland electronic drums demonstrator in the Benelux countries, started touring the world as a V-Drums artist in 2001.
Since 2003, a regular “product development consultant” for Roland Japan’s Electronic Percussion Design Department, assisting them in the design, development and sound content of the TD-3, TD-20, TD-9, TD-20X, SPD-30, SPD-SX, TD-30, TD-15, HPD-20, TM-2 and TD-25 instruments.

Current musical adventures:

SquarElectric, a duo project with a V-Jay/DJ friend of mine, which resulted in a live duo MashUp concept where I trigger all sounds and mixes and him putting moving images and sound FX on top. I’ve been combining and integrating the SquarElectric adventures in my international solo performances at drum festivals, Roland drumming events and music fairs, apart from playing live with some of Belgium’s most famous live playing artists like Milk Inc, Kate Ryan, Ozark Henry and Soulsister.
Netsky, which went “Live” in 2012. Since then we played numerous venues and festivals all over Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, Korea and the US, including the Coachella festival etc. Netsky is now releasing a third album, and we’ll be playing some big festivals in Europe and the US during the summer.

#PushYourDrumming clinic concept, which I conceptualised together with Roland Benelux drum product manager Christophe Cools and after starting out of Benelux in fall 2014, since then brought me all over Europe, Malaysia and recently also Canada. With #PushYourDrumming, I want to show and inspire any drummer how to think out of the box, take advantage of all drumming things online and start playing beats and fills that matter instead of studying drumming mathematics which usually keep yourself inside your own practice room. It’s been a ball seeing all those drummers showing up to the clinics and doing things with all tips and exercises which they take home after the clinic on a USB stick or download with a special #PYD code after attending the clinics.
Michael Schack “sMashUp”, not only in Benelux but also in Colombia and Mexico for the very first time this summer.
Drumeo Affiliate Satellite Instructor - since July 2013.

What do you use?

Depending on the project or gig, I have five different setups. And each one has a name :)

1/ The SmashUp

For the SquarElectric and my solo SmashUp shows, I’m playing Roland TD-30KV V-Drums combined with two SPD-30’s Octapad controllers, connected to two Apple laptops loaded with Ableton Live Suite 9.6. When playing V-Drums, I never combine those with acoustic cymbals. I do use Tama Hardware, always!

2/ The Live V

When playing with Netsky or doing a demonstration concert for schools or at smaller drumming events, I’m using that same TD-30KV, including Tama Road Pro hardware, but then combined with a Roland SPD-SX Sample Pad.

3/ The PushYourDrumming set

This one can be a TD-30KV or even a smaller TD-25KV, with Tama hardware, but always combined with a full expanded multipad setup, including the SPD-SX, the Octapad SPD-30 and a Roland Aira TB-3 Touch Bassline synth.

4/ The Bubingaboom = Hybrid 1

When playing acoustic, I always combine my current Tama Starclassic Bubinga with at least an SPD-SX. This is also the minimal setup for most of my recent live streamed Drumeo (webcast) lessons.

I usually also use this set for recording sessions in my studio. It cracks into the red zone every single time. Depending on the request, type of music etc., I sometimes also use parts of other brand drumsets I own, including a Ludwig VistaLite and Slingerland StudioKing setup. But over these last 2 years, this 2015 Tama set has been dominating my recording studio.

For cymbals, I’m a total addict of the Meinl Byzance Series. Since 2008, I’m even combining two of their 16” crashes as HiHats and almost never went back to regular 14” setups. They really blend well with any male or female vocal performance, both live and in the studio, and they keep my HiHat muscles in good shape :)

The full set listing : Tama Starclassic Bubinga, consisting of

Tama StarPhonic Aluminium 14” x 6” SD
22”x16” BD
10” x 7” Tom
12” x 8” Tom
14” x 12” Floortom
16” x 14” Floortom
Tama Iron Cobra

Meinl Byzance symbal setup

1 x 16” Byzance Thin Crash + 1 x 16” MediumThin = HiHat
16” Byzance Medium Crash
18” Byzance MediumThin Crash
21” Byzance Sand Ride
14” Byzance

5/ The Cocktail Jam = Hybrid 2

When recording more specific Sample Pack content and HipHop/BreakBeat stuff, I’ve also been using the Tama Cocktail Jam, always combined with a Roland multi-dual trigger setup combined with a couple of Roland TM-2 Trigger Modules.

My Recording/Production gear

Apple MacBook Pro 15”
Ableton Live Suite 9.6
RME Fireface 800 and MOTU
Midas M-32R Digital Mixing Console
Full set of Audix drum microphones for close miking
SE Electronics set of Overhead microphones
AKG Solitube
Neumann
Mojave MA-200’s Tube Room Microphones
Manley SLAM
Quested F-11 monitors
Adam S3-A monitors
Native Instruments Pro Control 49 keyboard
Native Instruments Komplete 10
Arturia Collection V
Novation Bass Station 2
Yamaha Reface DX
Roland TB-3
Electro Harmonics Vocoder

What would be your dream set up?

I’m already playing my dream drum set ups, so I would invest more in my studio setup:

Apple Mac Pro 32-core desktop running Ableton Live Suite as I’m currently using
full set of Apogee converters
a double set of Universal Audio Apollo interfaces
a full selection of Manley outboard gear
a full set of the latest Moog synths
a full set of the latest Waves plugins
a full Nexus software synth package
a full Rob Papen software synth package

Ydna Murd

Fri, 27 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Andreas David aka Ydna Murd. I’m originally from Hamburg, Germany but have been living in Western Canada for the last 10 years. I have been playing drums since 1981, when I was 11 years old and became a professional drummer in 1991. I played in countless bands and projects, was involved in many studio recording sessions and have been teaching at 12 different music schools.

2 years ago I opened the Westshore Music Academy in Victoria B.C. Canada together with my wife. We hired 12 instructors and are offering lessons for more than 20 different instruments. My main focus at the Academy is drum instruction. Aside from the weekly lessons we also organize masterclasses and clinics. Jost Nickel and Thomas Lang came to our school last year for drum camps and we have some big name drummers lined up for this year as well.

When I’m not teaching at the school you can find me doing clinics and masterclasses myself or teaching online. I’m one of the Drumeo instructors and I also produce videos for my own successful YouTube channel. In addition I write workshops for Drum Magazines like Drums Etc. (Canadian) and Drumheads! (German).

I played and performed pretty much every music style in the past but have been focusing on Live Drum & Bass music for the last 12 years. I produce original Drum & Bass music and perform either live as a solo show (DJing Drummer) or with my new trio Spectra. You can find more info about my music and my drum books on my homepage at www.drumgate.com.

What do you use?

I endorse several companies: Sonor Drums, Vic Firth, Roland V-Drums, Drumtacs and Eccentric Systems Quick Torque Cam.

I’m currently using a Sonor Ascent Beech Drum Kit in 10” rack, 14” and 16” floor toms, 14” Ascent snare drum and a 22” kick. Sometimes for recording additional toms and a 10” aux snare drum. I use the Sonor 400 hardware and pedals. The drum sticks I’m using are Vic Firth 5B American Classics. I’ve been endorsing Supernatural Cymbals for many years and although my contract with them expired I still use their cymbals.

On the electronic side I’m playing my Roland TD-30 drum kit, Roland SPD-SX sample pad, additional Roland pads, bar triggers and pedals, an Akai APC-40 midi controller and a HP laptop with Ableton music software. I use Logic Audio for recording and Ableton Live for loop based live performance. For recording the acoustic drumkit I use many different mics, Sennheiser e604 for toms, AKG D-112 for kick, Rode 1’s and 5’s for cymbals and overheads and Shure 57’s for snare drums.

Furthermore an Alesis Studio 32 mixing desk, a Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer, Edirol UA 1000 and Roland Octa-Capture interfaces, Art preamps, 2 Eurorack Pro Rack mixer for live on stage and a customized InEar monitoring system. For videos I use a GoPro Silver and a Panasonic Camcorder and the Magix Pro Video Editing Software.

What would be your dream set up?

I think I’m pretty close to my dream set up already. I might add a few things, a second Roland SPD-SX would be great, I’m also planning to get into triggering acoustic drums with the Roland TM-2 module for certain recordings and maybe even live.

I love Sonor drums, so naturally I would like to own their entire catalogue, especially all of their snare drums and high end drum kits. On top of my wish list right now is actually a Giant Step bass drum pedal. And of course there’s quite a thing in the Roland product catalogue I wouldn’t mind calling mine. I would love to own a really big PA system as well. Playing D&B music requires a PA that can handle the low end and sometimes I hit the limit with the PA I have currently, especially when jamming with my trio Spectra.

I also play piano, guitar and bass, so there’s always gear I see I’d love to own, but usually I can resist the tempation of buying more, there’s only so much available space in my studio. I’m not much of a gearhead, at clinics you will hardly hear me talking about my gear but I do certainly appreciate good sounding, quality gear.

Linzey Rae

Fri, 06 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Who are you and what do you do?

Hi! My name is Linzey Rae and I am the vocalist of The Anchor, a metalcore band based out of Denver, CO.

We have been around for about 3 years now and just released a new single called Greenbow County! You can buy it off iTunes and Amazon. It is also available on Google Play and Spotify! We are super excited to announce that we are in the studio currently recording a first full length, set to release in fall 2016.

I played guitar/bass for 8 years and have been self teaching myself vocals for 6.

I have been performing in bands since I was 12 years-old and have been with The Anchor for the full 3 years…

I recently started a YouTube channel, which had a video, called Metal Kitchen, go viral in January. You can find other videos on my channel including more Metal Kitchen, original music, pop covers, vocal covers, and other silly videos if you need a good laugh.

What do you use?

For live shows, I use a EV N/D767a. It is a dynamic supercardioid with awesome clarity. My favorite part about it is its super low handling noise, which makes it great for live performances. It’s been through a lot with me, but I love this mic!

For the YouTube channel, we do all the audio and visual recordings ourselves.

Our software includes:

Studio One 3 Recording Daw
Torpedo Cab Sim
Steven Slate Drums
FabFilter for EQ/Limiting/Compression/MultiBand Compression
Waves Audio Platinum Pack - Different Reverbs/Harmonic Enhancers
Corel Video Editor

Our Microphones include:

SM7B
AT2020

Other hardware we use includes:

Our instruments and gear we use for recording/filming purposes:

What would be your dream set up?

Oh man…If you gave me all the money in the world, there would be a problem.

I think the first thing I would want to buy is a Shure SM58. They are freakin indestructible and sound amazing.

As far as recording equipment goes, you never really know what you want until you buy something and realize you need something else to go with it. But the list we have so far is:

Mackie 8 Bus Mixer
Motu 24 I/O Audio Interface
Probably every single Steven Slate Plugin he has ever made.
A huge isolation booth and tons of square footage to record drums.
A rolly chair. I still don’t have a stinking rolly chair.

Jeremy Barclay

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Jeremy and I’m the guitarist for Little Grim, a South London alt/indie group. Think Stone Roses meets the Strokes meets 1970s funk and you’ll get a general idea of what we do – or check out our recently released single, Sparks.

What do you use?

My set-up is simple, partly because I’m a purist, and partly because I’m broke. So it consists of a 2001 Fender American Standard Stratocaster going into a Vox AC15, with a few pedals in-between. The Vox, which was part of my set-up long before I got my first American guitar, completely opened up my sound. It’s capable of bell-like clean tones and has plenty of grit, too. It’s the perfect size for the size of venues we play. I’ve played through an AC30 before (which belongs to our drummer) but never found myself in a situation where I could really get the most out of it – like driving a Ferrari in Central London.

My Strat is a complete workhorse, and I treat it as such. I’m not too precious over it, and think any knocks and dinks that it’s earned on the road only make it look better. Sound-wise, it’s unmistakably a Strat. Being a slightly older model, its pick-ups aren’t so hot and I think it has quite a vintage sound which works for me.

In the studio I’ve used other guitars. Our first single, Vice, was recorded on an old Ibanez semi-hollow, as well as a gorgeous Fender Deluxe Telecaster which was very hard to leave behind.

I can’t get enough of pedals – I even tried to make one once whilst at university, but my soldering skills weren’t up to scratch. I’d like to draw attention to a couple: The Fulltone Plimsoul Overdrive pedal is a completely distinctive overdrive (and far more interesting than their more popular OCD); and the TC Electronic Hall of Fame reverb puts the spring in my Vox to shame.

What would be your dream set up?

I’m surprised I haven’t been barred from my local guitar shop, I go in there so often just to try all my dream guitars and then leave without spending a penny. It changes every day, but at the moment I’m a big fan of the 1971 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe similar to the one used by Adam Granduciel from the War on Drugs. My ideal amp would probably be a Fender Princeton, although I’m not sure the two would go so well together.

Marcel Zidani

Wed, 09 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Who are you and what do you do?

Hi! My name is Marcel Zidani and I am a Composer, Concert Pianist and Piano Teacher.

I work much of the time from home, which means I am able to get a good work life/family life balance.

I have given concert recitals throughout the UK and abroad and have played many piano concertos with different orchestras. My performances and compositions have been heard on Radio 3 and local radio stations. Radio 3 compared my compositions to that of Liszt, Satie and Chopin.

I have a large private teaching practice and many of my students have won local and regional young musician competitions. I also coach other performers and piano teachers, which means I am lucky enough to work with the full spectrum of age groups and abilities.

In 2015 the pianist Leslie Howard nominated my composition “Butterflies” for the British Composer Awards and I have just finished the 2nd piece in my Butterfly music “Broken Wing”.

I am currently working on a selection of pieces called “The Composers Odyssey” for Trumpet and Piano. These are pieces that I have written for local cornet player Paul Wood and are a fusion of Spanish/Cuban and Classical styles. They are soon to be published and have been really well received by audiences.

What do you use?

My piano is a reconditioned Model A Bechstein and around 90 years old. I did some of the reconditioning myself, and a friend who is also a piano restorer helped me to install premium hammers from Germany onto the piano action. I carefully selected many of the individual parts and the strings that I wanted. The result is that my piano has an incredible bass section and quality tone!

To record my music I use Tracktion music editing software with my macbook pro and a Mackie Onyx Satellite sound system. The software is relatively easy to use and the results are high quality recordings which you can hear on my website and on YouTube. Most of the recordings are done on a Steinway Model D concert grand.

When I compose music I often find inspiration whilst improvising. Improvising often keeps my approach fresh as there is no right and wrong. I’m essentially just mucking about on the piano, however having said that, this mucking about has years of scales, arpeggios and knowledge of harmony behind it which helps to produce and formulate ideas. The trick is to forget what you have learned in formal lessons and study whilst applying your musicianship freely. Once I have an idea I use manuscript paper and Sibelius software to notate it. This is the hard part, making sense of it on paper and turning your idea into a well structured and finished article, rather like a good book.

My music is available from various sheet music publishers, “The Composers Odyssey” is at the editing stage and will soon be available. On youtube you will be able to hear the first part of “The Composers Odyssey” “Beethoven in Cuba”.

What would be your dream set up?

I am considering a Steinway Model B as my next purchase. I will probably go down the reconditioned route again as I am told that the methods of making instruments today are not as they used to be.

Kosta Vreto

Fri, 26 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Who are you and what do you do?

I am Kosta Vreto, guitar player and composer of Wardrum (albums: Spadework, Desolation, Messenger) and Jaded Star (Memories From The Future), running a solo project as well (Skin On Strings, Pictures Of A Broken Heart). Beside all of these, I teach guitar, do guitar clinics, some session work and work as a producer and mixing engineer for bands!

What do you use?

Well let’s start from the guitars! I use two hand made guitars by an amazing luthier from my hometown Thessaloniki, George Papazoglou. My main axe is my purple guitar (mahogany with maple top and maple fretboard, two humbuckers which I can split) and the other one is a Superstrat replica (ash, maple and ebony). I do use, depending on the sound I want to get, a Cort and a Tradition guitar as well! My acoustic guitar is a Ovation and a Olympus classical guitar.

My amp is a Telegun Hell Boy (hand made as well). I have to say that I’m in love with this amp. I love the versatility of it. I can take it with me on any gig, from rock to metal style. The best feature I think is the rich sound and the ability to “listen” to the player as well!

My pedalboard consists of a variety of Telegun pedals as well for the distorted sounds, an Ibanez tube screamer, Boss pedals for delays, EQ’s and acoustic simulations and a Rocktron Tsunami chorus pedal. To be honest I’m not a huge fun of wah but still I own a cry baby pedal!

As far as the studio is conserned, I love to work on Logic and use a Motu and Mackie sound card. So either for messing around or producing an album, I tend to rely on Logic (maybe way too much hahaha). Beside the amps and guitars I own, in the studio I have a variety of other amps (Marshall, Peavey, Bugera…) and cabinets (Laney, Boogie, Engl..) for recording purposes…

What would be your dream set up?

It all depends on the genre of music you have to play. For example, a metal setup would be my purple guitar, a tube screamer into the Hell Boy or a 5150 straight to a Boogie 4x12 cab. A more rock approach would be my Strat into The Hell Boy or a Marshall Plexi straight to an Engl cab. But you know that this is a very tough question to answer. Still I think I came as close to it as I could!!!

Alexey Poblete

Fri, 15 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Who are you and what do you do?

Hello! I am Alexey Poblete and I am a rock/metal drummer. I am 13 years old and I have been playing drums for 6 years.

My favorite drummers are - John Bonham, Eric Singer, Neil Peart, Tommy Lee, Tommy Clufetos, Jackie Ramos, and many more!

I love classic rock and metal! I have a youtube channel where I do drum covers and I am in a band called Moxy and The Influence.

My favorite bands are - KISS, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Motley Crue, Black Sabbath, Moxy ROXX, Five Finger Death Punch, Avenged Sevenfold, Obscura, Slayer, and more.

I started playing drums at the age of 6 years and 9 months. It all started when I was 5 years old and watched a kids tv show about music and once I saw the drummer, I absolutely fell in love with drums! I finally convinced my parents to get me drums after more than a year of persuasion. They got me a drum set and a drum teacher. I promised them to join a drum competition if I started playing drums. After 6 months of playing drums at age 7, I joined my first drum competition and won! I also played drums with Patti LaBelle at age 7 and I played with Stevie Wonder at the Nokia Theater also at the age of 7.

I had my drum teacher for a year and a half. When I was 8 years old, I became friends with the drummer of KISS, Eric Singer who is now my mentor. I also received a video message from Neil Peart when I covered YYZ at age 8. I won the Next Great Drummer competition in categories - Beginner, Intermediate, and Hard.

In 2012 I played on Tommy Lee’s Rollercoaster drum set during KISS and Motley Crue’s soundcheck in Vegas. I was also the 2013 Worldwide Hit Like a Girl Drum Contest Under 18 Champion and was a judge for Hit Like a Girl 2014 and 2015. I was also the champion for the KISS Drum Off on KISS Kruise III, 2013.

I also played with Thomas Pridgen and his band The Memorials in 2014. In 2015 I was featured as a drummer in Ellen Degeneres’ and GAPKIDS’ girl power campaign and clothing line. I had an interview with Ellen Degeneres, played drums for her, and taught her a beat on drums.

I also jammed with Nick Menza of Megadeth, Veronica Bellino of Jeff Beck, Meytal Cohen, Thomas Lang, Eric Singer, and Derek Roddy, etc. I also had appearances on Fox5TV Las Vegas and on the news in Philippines. I toured in Philippines in September - October 2015. Over there I played with Death By Stereo, Sandwich, Imago, Wolfgang, and Arnel Pineda of Journey.

I have played with many KISS Tribute bands, and local bands in Vegas like Sin City Sinners and Antitrust. I played with the Next Great Drummer All Stars Band at the long beach Jazz festival. I’ve done many magazine interviews like Rock and Roll, Russian Magazines - Kids of Metal, and Legato Magazine from Philippines. I played at NASCAR in Vegas in 2012 and 2013. I also played at many charity events and at the Andre Agassi Benefit show. I also received a certificate from Senator Henry Reid in Vegas. Recently, I was in Walk The Moon’s music video, ‘Work this Body’.

What do you use?

Most of the time I use my Pearl Classic Maple Series Silver Sparkle drum set (Previously used and given by Eric Singer who used it in KISS, Alice Cooper, and Queen.) I use this drum set in my drum covers.

Concert Toms -

Tom #1 - 10 in.
Tom #2 - 8 in.
Tom #3 - 10 in.
Tom #4 - 8 in.

Rack Toms -

Tom #1 - 10 in.
Tom #2 - 13 in.
Tom #3 - 12 in.

Floor Toms -

Tom #1 - 14 in.
Tom #2 - 16 in.
Tom #3 - 18 in.

Bass Drums -

Kick #1 - 22 in.
Kick #2 - 22 in.

Pedal - Pearl Eliminator Demon Drive Double Pedal.

Zildjian Cymbals -

Crash #1 - 12 in.
Crash #2 - 18 in.
Crash #3 - 17 in.
Crash #4 - 17 in.
Crash #5 - 16 in.
Crash #6 - 17 in.
Ride - 20 in.
China - 16 in.
Splash - 8 in.
Hihat - 13 in.
Wuhan Gong - 26 in.

Sticks - Eric Singer Signature Zildjian Drum sticks

What would be your dream set up?

My dream set up would be similar to Mike Portnoy’s Mirage monster but I’d love the color to be purple and black. I also would love to have my own version of Tommy Lee’s rollercoaster on my drum set. :)