New releases from Mika Tyyskä and his animated alter ego ”Mr. Fastfinger” are always special occasions, thanks to Mika’s special blend of musical ability, fat guitar tones and dry Finnish humour.
Nevertheless, his brand-new album ”Solarium Dreams” – out today – might well be his best to date.
The main reason for this album’s ”special something” probably lies in ”Solarium Dreams'” high fun factor and spontaneity, that was achieved by near instantaneous recording without ”proper” rehearsing of the new material.
Mika Tyyskä took his raw musical ideas and sketches – developed using an iPad-app – to Lasse Rantanen (bass) and Thomas Törnroos (drums). The trio then tried to decide on arrangements and additional parts on the spot, before pressing ”Record” to commit their ideas instantly.
In most cases, Mika then took these recordings and expanded them with additional parts, as well as more guitars and additional synth tracks.
The resulting album – ”Solarium Dreams” – is a firework of musicality, fun and technical prowess. The whole record sounds fresh, and it is filled with plenty of memorable melodies, cool hooks, and some sound effects that will make you prick up your ears.
My personal favourites include the tracks ”Smoke Effector” and ”Krueger Dreams”, but I’m sure that everybody interested in contemporary instrumental Rock and Fusion will find their own favourites from among the fourteen new tracks.
How many points out of ten? Twelve, I’d say! Let’s all respect this moment.
Mika Tyyskän ja hänen animoidun alter egonsa ”Mr. Fastfingerin” uudet julkaisut ovat aina huomion arvoisia, Mikan musiikillisen lahjakkuuden, hänen maukkaiden kitarasoundien ja kuivan suomalaisen huumorin ansiosta.
Siitä huolimatta hänen upouusi albuminsa ”Solarium Dreams” – joka julkaistaan tänään – saattaa hyvinkin olla hänen paras tähän mennessä.
Tämän albumin ”erikoisuuden” pääsyy luultavasti piilee ”Solarium Dreamsin” spontaaniudessa ja soittamisen ilossa, jotka saavutettiin lähes välittömällä äänityksellä ilman uuden materiaalin pidempää harjoittelua.
Mika Tyyskä vei iPad-sovelluksella kehitellyt raa’at musiikilliset ideansa ja luonnoksensa Lasse Rantaselle (basso) ja Thomas Törnroosille (rummut). Trio yritti sitten päättää sovituksista ja lisäosista paikan päällä, ennen kuin painoi ”Record”-nappia tallentaakseen ideansa välittömästi.
Useimmissa tapauksissa Mika otti sitten nämä äänitteet ja laajensi niitä lisäosilla, sekä lisäämällä kitaroita ja synaraitoja.
Lopputuloksena syntynyt albumi – ”Solarium Dreams” – on musikaalisuuden, soittamisen ilon ja teknisen taitavuuden ilotulitus. Koko levy kuulostaa raikkaalta, ja se on täynnä mieleenpainuvia melodioita, hienoja koukkuja ja hauskoja ääniefektejä.
Henkilökohtaisiin suosikkeihini kuuluvat kappaleet ”Smoke Effector” ja ”Krueger Dreams”, mutta olen varma, että jokainen nykyajan instrumentaalirockista ja fuusiosta kiinnostunut löytää omat suosikkinsa neljäntoista uuden kappaleen joukosta.
Kuinka monta pistettä kymmenestä? Kaksitoista, sanoisin! Let’s all respect this moment.
Here’s a demo of the Bluetone Atlantis Reverb combo. The demo is a cover version of the classic Fleetwood Mac track ”Albatross”. • All guitar tracks have been recorded with the Bluetone Atlantis Reverb combo • Guitars used: Epiphone Casino (main melody, stereo centre), Hamer USA Studio Custom (harmony melody, panned left and right; rhythm guitar), Squier Bullet Stratocaster (slide parts) • Mic used: Shure 545SD • Preamp used: Cranborne Audio Camden EC2
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All pre-WWII guitar amps are muddy-sounding and uninspiring pieces of junk. Right? No, wrong!
Granted, some of those old-timers are almost completely geared towards clean Jazz tones, but you might be surprised by some of the forward-thinking features many of the early guitar amplifiers include.
The brand-new Bluetone Atlantis Reverb combo (1,950 €) is a handcrafted Finnish all-valve amp, that is based on one of the most fascinating old designs, the Gibson EH-185 (c. 1940). The original Gibson combo included an active two-band tone stack, which is a feature still only found in a handful of guitar amp designs.
For Bluetone’s Harry and Lauri the ball started rolling, when a customer ordered a quasi-replica of the EH-185 from Bluetone. Intrigued by the challenge, the guys came up with a number of ways to realise the vintage circuit with modern components.
The Bluetone Atlantis Reverb takes these updated circuits, and combines them with a number of Bluetone’s modern features, to arrive at a modern and roadworthy alternative to the late-1930s original.
This is what the Atlantis Reverb looks like on the inside – super clean workmanship and top-notch components in a easy-to-service PCB layout.
The Atlantis is a single-channel guitar amp; the input section comprises controls for volume (gain) and the two-band active EQ (cut and boost), as well as a switchable preamp boost and a Bright-switch.
The effect section features an Accutronics spring reverb unit and Bluetone’s own, beautiful bias-modulated tremolo. Both effects can be switched on and off.
The output section sports a switchable Solo-boost and a post phase-inverter Master-volume control. The post phase-inverter design means that turning the Master full up takes the control out of the circuit completely.
The back panel offers additional speaker outputs, an unbalanced line-level output – with its own, built-in dummy load and level control – as well as the DIN-port for the footswitch unit.
A three-switch footswitch unit is included with the Atlantis Reverb combo, as is the necessary cable.
The Bluetone Atlantis’ preamp isn’t your run-in-the-mill 12AX7-based design, but instead runs a pair of NOS 6SL7-tubes and one 6SN7 to achieve its special tones. Both models were very popular among tube HiFi enthusiasts in the 1990s, but are extremely rarely seen in modern guitar amps.
The power amp can run most of the common octal power amp valves, such as the 6V6GT, the EL34, the 5881 or the KT66. The design is cathode-biased, which means you can drop in a new pair of tubes without the need for manual biasing. The only thing to remember is that if you want to use a pair of 6V6GTs you have to put the small switch (hidden in the picture by the back panel) to ”6V6GT” to prevent any damage to the amp. All other valves are supposed run on the 6L6GC setting.
From the workshop the Bluetone Atlantis Reverb comes equipped with a pair of 6L6GCs, giving you a Fender-style power amp with an output somewhere between 25 and 30 watts.
The black round thing in the picture’s right-hand corner is a toroidal mains transformer. The guys at Bluetone swear by toroidal mains transformers, because of their reduced weight, great reliability and superior (read: lower) hum-induction levels.
The combo’s cabinet is a traditional Fender-type open-back design. The speaker is a 12-inch Celestion Neo Creamback unit rated at 60 watts.
The cabinet is made of lightweight and ecologically sound solid paulownia wood, making the Bluetone Atlantis Reverb far lighter to carry than what you’d expect from a 12-inch speaker equipped traditional design.
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Here’s a demo based on Santana’s classic ”Samba Pa Ti”. • Guitar: Hamer USA Studio Custom (no effect pedals were used) • Mic: Shure 545SD • Preamp: Universal Audio Volt 2
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The Bluetone Atlantis Reverb combo’s forte definitely lies in its clean and break-up tones. The cleans have a charming chime to them that’s all their own – the sound, at least to my ears, is even sweeter than on a Fender ”Blackface” offering a lot of three-dimensional depth to your playing.
The two-band active EQ allows you to tailor the amp perfectly to any guitar you might pick, proving to be a very effective tool both on stage and in recording situations.
Overdriven sounds have their charms, too, as long as you don’t expect any creamy distortion from the Atlantis Reverb on its own. This combo’s crunch is of the late-Sixties/early-Seventies type, perfect for early-Santana, classic The Who, or T. Rex style excursions, which put dynamics and attitude front and centre.
The Atlantis also works exceedingly well with all types of effect pedals.
If you have an opportunity to test drive one of these beautiful handcrafted gems, you should definitely grab it!
Here’s another demo of the Bluetone Atlantis Reverb. It’s a cover version of Santana’s classic ”Samba Pa Ti”. **** • Guitar: Hamer USA Studio Custom (no effect pedals used) • Mic: Shure 545SD • Preamp: Universal Audio Volt 2
Here’s a demo of the Bluetone Atlantis Reverb combo – a handmade Finnish valve combo, based on a Gibson EH-185. The demo is a cover version of the classic Fleetwood Mac track ”Albatross”. **** • All guitar tracks have been recorded with the Bluetone Atlantis Reverb combo • Guitars used: Epiphone Casino (main melody, stereo centre), Hamer USA Studio Custom (harmony melody, panned left and right; rhythm guitar), Squier Bullet Stratocaster (slide parts) • Mic used: Shure 545SD • Preamp used: Cranborne Audio Camden EC2
Bluetonen Atlantis Reverb -kombo on käsintehty suomalainen putkivahvistin, joka perustuu Gibson EH-185 -malliin nykyaikaisilla parannuksilla. Demobiisi on coverversio Fleetwood Macin klassikosta ”Albatross”. **** • Kaikki kitararaidat on soitettu Bluetone Atlantis Reverb -kombon läpi • Kitarat: Epiphone Casino (päämelodia, stereokuvassa keskellä), Hamer USA Studio Custom (kaksiääninen melodia, vasemmalla ja oikealla, sekä komppikitara keskellä), Squier Bullet Stratocaster (bottleneck-kitara) • Mikrofoni: Shure 545SD • Esivahvistin: Cranborne Audio Camden EC2
Vox esittelee täysin uudenlaisen hybridivahvistinsarjan. 12AX7-putki (AV15 1kpl, AV30/60 2kpl) hoitaa sekä etu-, että pääteasteen yliohjauksen. Kaikki mallit on varustettu kahdeksalla erillisellä etuasteen piirilevyllä ja järeällä kaiutinkotelolla, jossa muun muassa epäsymmetrinen kaiutinkartion sijoittelu ja pyöristetyt kulmat. AV-vahvistimissa on 3 eri efektiä: (kaikkia voidaan käyttää samanaikaisesti) Chorus, Delay ja Reverb. Sen lisäksi AV30/60-malleissa on efektilenkki, sekä liitäntä lisäkaiuttimelle. Toimitus ajoittuu Helmi/Maaliskuulle.
Vox AC15CH/AC30CH/V212C
2 uutta klassikkoa ja niille sopiva 2×12” kaiutinkaappi. Perinteiset AC-sarjan koneet nyt nuppiversioina! Uutta näissä nupeissa on mullistava tehonalennin, joka normaalin pääte -> tehonalennin -> kaiutin –ketjun sijaan on tehty tehonalennin -> pääte -> kaiutin –periaatteella. Tämän ansiosta kaiutin reagoi soundiin aivan kuin sitä soitettaisiin täydellä teholla ja näin saadaan elementti liikkeelle tuottamaan iso soundi pienillä äänenvoimakkuuksilla. V212C-kaiutinkaappi on varustettu kahdella Celestion G12M Greenback-elementillä. Toimitusarvio Maaliskuu 2016.
Marshall CODE
Marshall lyöttäytyi yhteen audio-ohjelmistojen pioneerin, eli Softuben kanssa, ja heidän yhteistyönään syntyi uusi CODE-sarja. CODE-sarjan vahvistimien mallinnusta kutsutaan MST (Marshall Softube) teknologiaksi. CODE-sarjan vahvistimissa on 14 etuaste-, 4 pääteaste-, sekä 8 kaiutinmallinnusta. Efektejä näistä uutuustuotteista löytyy 24 kpl, mukaan lukien seuraavat: Kompressori, klassiset stompbox-säröt, Auto Wah, Pitch Shifter, Chorus, Phaser, Flanger ja Tremolo. Toki mukana on myös Delay-efektit, jotka on Tap Tempo-ohjattavissa, sekä erittäin laadukkaat Reverbit.
• CODE-preampit pitävät sisällään muun muassa seuraavat klassikot: JTM45 2245, 1962 Bluesbreaker, 1959SLP Plexi, JCM800 2203, JCM2555 Silver Jubilee, JCM2000 DSL100 ja JVM410H.
• Päätepuolelta voit valita seuraavien putkimallinnusten väliltä itsellesi sopivan: EL34, 5881, EL84 & 6L6
• Kaiutinmallinnuksetkaan ei ihan heti lopu kesken: mm. 1960, 1960V, 1960AX, 1936V, 1912, 1974X
Kaikkia näitä, sekä muita toimintoja voit kauko-ohjata Bluetoothin avulla, kun lataat ilmaisen Marshall Gateway-applikaation (iOS ja Android). Tämän lisäksi USB-liitäntä mahdollistaa CODE-laitteen toimimisen audio-interfacena tietokoneellesi. Toki audio stream toimii molempien yhteyksien kanssa, eli CODE toimii myös laadukkaana äänentoistolaitteena.
Some of the cuddliest pieces of equipment at this year’s Frankfurt Musikmesse came in the guise of Hotone Audio’s ranges of micro-sized effect pedals and amplifier heads.
The special eye-catcher with the Skyline-series pedals is the transparent Gibson-style control at their front end.
Two coloured status-LEDs behind the transparent knob light up, whenever the effect is switched on.
Naturally, you cannot fit a nine volt battery inside such a tiny pedal, which is why Hotone Skyline pedals have to get their juice from a power supply (9 V, negative centre – not included).
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The dark blue Hotone Blues (current price in Finland:65 €) is an overdrive pedal specialised in producing juicy Blues tones by using a pair of overdrive circuits wired up in series.
The big knob is for gain adjustment, while the two noctilucent (meaning: they glow in the dark) knobs deal with tone and master volume, respectively.
Engaging the Fat-button adds a bigger bottom end to proceedings.
Listen to Hotone’s own demo of the Blues pedal:
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Hotone’s Choir pedal (65 €) comes in a fetching baby blue colour scheme. This is the analogue chorus pedal of the Skyline series, built around a Panasonic BBD MN3207 bucket-brigade chip.
The Gibson-knob controls speed, while chorus depth and effect are controlled by the smaller knobs.
Depressing the Deep-switch will send you to the bubbly depths of psychedelia.
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The Hotone Eko (65 €) is a delay offering you some analogue character.
The Eko’s maximum delay time is around 500 ms, which is long enough for most Rockabilly, Rock and Pop applications, but maybe just a bit too short for serious Brian May-style layering.
The Mod feature adds a sprinkle of tape-style wow and flutter to your delay sound.
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The Skyline series also includes a Tube Screamer-inspired vintage overdrive, called the Hotone Grass (65 €).
The pedal offers you controls for gain, volume and Voice (tone).
The BRT-switch (for ”bright”) adds top end bite to your tone.
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One of Hotone’s newest pedals – the Octa (80 €) – is an octaver that features both ”octave down” (OCT1), as well as ”octave up” (OCT2) signal in two different operating modes.
The regular Clean-mode is polyphonic, meaning you can play chords, too.
Octa’s Dirty-mode gives you a vintage-style, monophonic experience (you can only play single note runs), and sounds funky and greasy (in a good way).
And yes, you can use the Hotone Octa with your bass, too!
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Hotone’s Trem (65 €) is an über-compact – yes, you guessed it – opto-tremolo pedal.
In addition to tremolo speed and depth you can also adjust the tone colour of the effect.
When choosing the Hard-mode the trem effect changes from a smooth, sine-style wobble to a harder on/off-type effect.
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Despite their diminutive size Hotone’s Skyline-pedals aren’t toys, but grown up guitar effects!
Their zinc-alloy casing seems to be very sturdy, while the bent metal rod north of the footswitch works effectively in preventing your foot from hitting the pedal controls. Each pedal comes with two stick-on base covers – the non-slip rubber-type cover is for straight-on-the-floor use, while the velcro-style counterpart makes creating a micro-sized pedalboard possible.
The large control knobs aren’t just a visual gimmick, but also make it much easier to place three controls on such small pedals.
In terms of effect quality Hotone’s Skyline series is straightforward in the best sense of the word. Each of the six pedals I tried does exactly what you’d expect it to do, winning me over with a very decent sound. At these low prices you’d be crazy to expect esoteric boutique-quality effects, instead the Hotone Skyline pedals proved to be great guitar effects for your everyday needs.
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