Soundgas Diary 11th September
Written by Tony Miln
There’s an autumnal chill in the air as summer fades. Here at the Soundgas HQ we’re making plans for manufacturing, our next auction and considering how best to utilise our new space at the factory.
We’ve also been looking at what the future direction of Soundgas should be. We’ve always been stretched very thin - in spite of training a new generation of expert techs - it's always been a case of having more aspirations than time or resources.
So we’re considering what exactly our friends and customers really want from us. Is it more vintage gear, bigger auctions, new Soundgas products, or for us to move in new directions?
Do you want to see us sharing more of our knowledge like Tony's post talking about vintage alternatives to buying cheap new gear? Do you want to know more about our tech processes and/or sonic explorations - or do you want access to our team for advice?
Many have asked if they can visit us so we’re working out how we might offer experience days. We'd love to hear what you think - you can comment below or email us with ideas or requests.
I took my Mica Sonic Electric Bongos and a Soundgas Type 636P preamp to Real World Studios recently for a session with Adrian Utley for his exciting new project recording music specifically created for Dolby Atmos.
It was a dream come true to visit this incredible studio (founded by Peter Gabriel whose passion and commitment are very much in evidence) and meet the amazing team there. To get to hang out in that hallowed space and watch as Adrian, producer Buff (Hans Martin Buff) and Real World chief engineer, Katie May, captured the astonishing rhythms created by Seb Rochford and Chris Vatalaro with their intricate set ups in the wondrous Wood Room.
The Mica Sonics played their part, and it led me to think how we might be able to share the Soundgas gear with our friends and customers more. Does the idea of me showing up with a car full of Soundgas gear for your session appeal?
Our manufacturing is starting to see the benefits of moving to the new premises and Ryan Hingley and Max Dawson are doing great work organising the space and getting us geared up to increase our output. We’ve never had enough of any of the Type 636 series to seriously promote them and still can’t build them fast enough to meet demand, but I hope this will change soon.
While we’re on 636 news, Fontaines DC released their new album, Romance, last week to great acclaim. Carlos O’Connell bought a Soundgas Type 636P when they were on tour in the USA with Arctic Monkeys last year. It now resides on his main board and is used extensively live (see clip from Glastonbury Festival) and also in the studio.
I asked Carlos how it had featured on the recording of Romance and he wrote:
“All over it… That sound in Romance is a Mellotron through the 636…The drive on the Mellotron in StarBurster is 636… All my dirty guitars are 636! Love the thing…proud to endorse this incredible bit of gear!!!”
You may have heard the news that Oasis are reforming for a tour next year ;-) Tickets have proved elusive for many, but (in the grand tradition of BBC presenters): other bands are available...
When Soundgas Auctions main man Job Gregory isn't at work, he bangs the drums for the excellent Marvin’s Revenge whose gigs are somewhat wild. To celebrate the release of their new single (which may or may not feature a dub remix by yours truly), they're playing their biggest headline to date at Saltbox in Nottingham on October 12th. In stark contrast to the Oasis reunion gigs, you won't have to queue online all day for tickets, nor wait til next year to get your freak on.
While working on the remix for Marvins Revenge I drew on some elements of their recordings to create a track called Marvin’s Box Of Dub (thus titled as it vaguely reminded me of PIL's Metal Box).
The weekend's launch of the new Fieldtone Instruments Weaver was a great success with the initial build selling out within a few hours. If you're interested in Soundgas helping market and launch your new product, please do get in touch.
And finally, while we’re on gigs and The Weaver, I’m doing my first live performance under the name Uncertain Explorations on Sunday at JT Soar in Nottingham. Headlining is Me Lost Me providing a ‘perfect blend of lush electronics, haunting vocals and powerful space’ with ‘lush avant pop' from Brighton’s R. Dyer and some ‘dark folk from Sheffield’ courtesy of R. Loomes.
Billed as ‘ambient electronica from Derby,’ I’m on at 7.45 for half an hour and will be making good use of both the Fieldtone Weaver and Box Of Uncertainty - be great to see anyone who can make it down.
2 comments
Having a place we can get vintage gear serviced is priceless. Having a place we can buy it, knowing it has been set up correctly is also extremely valuable. I have a studio full of ‘goodies’ I’ve gathered over the years. I wouldn’t dare make that investment if I didn’t know you guys would help when it, inevitably, requires attention. Personally, I would love an experience day. Having the gear is one thing, coaxing those classic sounds out of it is sometimes another. I do think manufacturing gear that appeals to your audience is an obvious commercial opportunity for you. The LFO product is perfect (I have one and plan to buy two more) although a + version with outputs on full size TRS jacks would be even better! Your legendary pre amps are another case in point. Other products you might want to consider would all involve interfacing vintage gear with modern, DAW based studios. The Radial EXTC for example is invaluable in facilitating the use of old pedals and tape echoes as studio effects. I have four. It’s USP is how uncoloured the sound is. It let’s you have that vintage warmth with nothing else. But, a version designed to add colour, so that you could dial in extra warmth as part of the signal chain, would definitely get my attention. The same is true for valve DI and ReAmp boxes. Please, please keep up the great work. There’s lots of us out here who’d be lost without you!
There are now almost no Hammond Organ engineers can you think about helping the Hammond community keep them going?