Palmer audio have been around for quite some time. And with a reputation for building exceptional guitar pedals and general routing accessories, sooner or later your bound to come across them. Today I am reviewing just a few of the many audio related solutions that Palmer supply. On show is the PAN01 pro passive DI Box, The “Deccappo” re-amping box and the amazing PDI09 “Junction” DI with speaker simulation out. To be honest, Palmer is a relatively new name to me. I had heard of the company quite a few years back but never came across any of their units. After a little research it became clear that Palmer is actually quite a widely used brand that has the backing of some pretty impressive engineers. The PDI09 for example is a workhorse stage solution for Tom Abraham, who has been front of house guy for the likes of Alice in Chains, Marilyn Manson and has been using Palmer solutions since 1998. For me this is an important review. I have been looking for a serious DI solution for quite some time, and the prices of the Radial kits are a little outside of my range. So I was very interested to find out how the Palmer’s match up to the “big boys” of Direct Injection.  What I find very interesting is that Palmer manufacture their own balancing transformers. In fact they even sell the PCB’s for some of their units. Now that is an interesting move. Price wise the transformers are cheaper than Jensen’s, but only buy a bit. This to me is a good sign as many engineers get very selective over certain transformers, some will only use Jensen’s full stop!  Oh yes! They also come with a five year warranty.  Wow!

Palmer PAN01 PRO Passive DI box.

PAN01 PRO passive 

First up is the PAN01 PRO Passive DI box. This simple little box features a guitar level in, a “Thru” output for you amp and balanced XLR out for the board. Also present is a ground lift and a -30dB pad, so nothing out of the ordinary there. First of all, I must say. These boxes have a build quality that would make NASA run for cover (Well perhaps not) but they are extremely well built. These solutions are all hand made in Germany using only, and I mean only the best possible components available. Atom bomb proof  solid metal casing, Neutrik connectors all round, “in house” high quality transformers and beautiful satin paint finish with high quality silk screening on the text. If Palmer built tanks during world war 2, we would probably all be speaking German right now.  These things really do feel indestructible. Whats also nice, is the PAN01 comes with this little canvas pouch with Velcro on both sides, this allows you to “strap” the little guys together providing a more organized stage setup and faster “break down” at the end of the gig.

In use the PAN01 PRO provides extremely acceptable results on guitar. Bright, very clean, detailed and surprisingly “warm” where many DI boxes tend to sound quite “cold”.  The thing that impressed me the most was the lack of noise. These units are extremely clean, have a low noise floor and hot output. I must comment at this point on the input stage,  high impedance guitar sounds are great! But, after plugging my bass guitar  in, I was a little disappointed. It just seemed a bit dull to me, not a lot of life in the mids and higher range. I am a long time user of Radial J48 DI boxes when it comes to bass recording and have come to expect a certain sound when plugging in my Warwich Streamer 4 (A bass guitar that generally makes me grin from ear to ear when DI’ing with a radial) This concern seems to be more of a “taste” issue to me as the results could be considered very good indeed, just not quite as spicy as the J48′s to my ear. At the end of the day the PAN01 Pro is an affordable pro solution at a mere 90 euro. Yes, you can get DI boxes for less than 30 euro, but they are not going to give you the kind of signal integrity or the sound quality that you get from the Palmer’s. If you are looking for a DI box for stage or studio the Palmer PAN01 Pro is a very capable choice.

The DACCAPO re-amp box.

Intriguing name, does it cup peoples heads off? Or perhaps makes your head explode with glee after hearing the results? Guess the only way to tell is to try the thing out and see. The Deccappo from Palmer is a re-amping solution intended for studio use. If your just not happy with the tone you achieved during recording then you can quite literally “re-amp” it, providing you remembered to record a DI signal while tracking. If you have spent any time recording guitars then you will appreciate this immensely. As “proper” guitar tone can be one of the most challenging elements of music production. And the ability to correct during mixing can be a god send providing you have the amps and cabs. The Daccapo features a Balanced line input with -10dB or +4dB source options. An isolated jack output that can be fed directly into your amp and an independent level control for the output, this would have an effect on the amount of signal the amp receives and can be used to great effect when paired with a decent valve amp.  Apart from that we can expect the Armageddon proof build quality and a really pleasing Lamborghini yellow paint finish.

In use the DACCAPO does not disappoint. The Level control provides a lot of range that makes this re-amp kit more compatible with variety of amplifiers. Valve amps in particular can benefit from hot source signals, so input level can really be experimented with. Again the Neutrick sockets provide quality I/O and the -10dB / +4dB pad switch allows for use with a range of domestic and professional interfaces. I was so impressed with the results I got from this box that I replaced my current re-amp setup and am now using the palmer DACCAPO as my main DAW to guitar amp solution. I find myself sending all sorts of things to my guitar amplifier’s these days. And with the DACCAPO sitting there ready for some signal I am confident that what I will get back will sound superb.

The PDI09 Junction splitter

This is an unusual one. The PDI09 “The Junction” is a specialist DI box solution that is designed to be patched between your amp head and cabinate, with a split going to the console. This split will then provide an Amp head sound with the isolation of a DI box. Amazing! If it works! The really amazing thing is, it does work! It actually sounds like a mic. There are top  sound engineers out there that are using the Palmer Junction boxes as main guitar reproduction solutions for major artists and events. For example, Tom Abraham, (front of house guy for Alice in Chains and Marilyn Manson) swears that the Palmer junction solutions have replaced his standard mic setup. There are quite a few ways you can configure this little box. Anything you introduce to your amps chain will inevitably carry along to the input of your console. And with the speaker sim being this convincing, there really is a lot you can do with the provided tones.  The PDI09 provides some handy features. An attenuation switch goes from 0dB to -15dB to -20dB and the “Bright, Normal, Mellow” switch provides some tonal range.

In use I found the PDI09 to be very cool indeed. You will need a cabinate to get anything out of it as the output requires a speaker load. There are “hot plate” or “dummy load” solutions out there if you dont have a cabinate. If you use this box without the cab or dummy load, you can actually damage the device. So please read the manual before assuming what this box actually does. After setting up with a 2X12 Marshall cab coming directly out of the back of my Marshall Class 5 gave amazingly realistic results. Granted, I did need to EQ the signal a little, but after a bit fo careful console filtering I found the PDI09′s sound to be close and detailed with with great tonality and dynamic range. It hasn’t replaced my beloved TUL G12 prototype as a close mic sound but as a blending element in recorded guitar sounds, the PDI09 gives great detail and tonal range. On stage the PDI09 is a no brainer, the band will love you for giving them the closest guitar sound they have ever heard.

Conclusion.

With the use of their own transformers combined with a build quality that should make all audio manufacturers stop and think, the Palmer DI solutions are excellent! I have personally purchased all three of these boxes because they have provided me with an affordable DI solution that spares no expense. Palmer clearly use the best quality components and exhibit serious expertise in the field of impedance matching technology. I was very impressed with the sound quality that came from all of these boxes. DI boxes might not be the most exciting of subjects but if you are serious about recording great guitar sounds then they should be very high on your list of concerns. I have used a huge range of DI boxes over the years, there are some horrendous budget boxes out there that can really degrade your signal quality. The Palmers provide a professional solution at an easily accessible price point. Palmer provide the whole range, there is a solution for just about anything. So if you are unfamiliar with their products you should check it out, it might be worth it.

Artists that are currently using palmer solutions include, Joe Bonamassa!!!!!!!!!!! (Sorry, just had to use a whole bunch of exclamation marks there.) The Black Keys! Def Leppard (Bad spelling included) Emmure and SUM 41. To name a few. 

Palmer Audio DI boxes and solutions  are available in South Africa From S.E.G.M.A. If you’re in the Cape Town area you can contact Jenny at Mactrack’s.

The legendary music composer, sound engineer and studio owner Jerry Barnard came around to the college to treat the students to a unique lecture on his latest music productions and recording with Sonke……… He expressed how this jazz influenced artist had to have her album re-finalized and her contract due to her wanting to have more of a jazz influence which is not inline with the music corporation agenda. The whole album was recorded at B&S studios, Live with highly experienced session musicians. Jerry gave a detailed microphone and placement list, which is rare and showed the connection he has to his music as an engineer. The blend of both a good engineer and producer allows for both influences to blend seamlessly into a musical masterpiece, which has already gone double platinum and nominated for several SAMA awards.

He expressed how this album was a risk for the record label as so much music is midi programmed these days and this is what the audience “ear” has been come accustomed. The sophistication of the music and production can be risky when artists go away from the “norm”. The non-conservative nature music does take us back to the roots of many contemporary genre’s of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s who diversified the musical pallet that still has a cult following to this day. I enjoyed the questions coming from what is primarily an electronic influenced class who where inspired by the music and the way in which Jerry works while recording and producing live artists.  The students were amazed at the idea of recording with bleed and artists all in the same room.

To show his diversity he also played some rock and big band recordings he has done over the years and a rock recording he did 15 years ago in one hour, which had such great performance and recording detail with so much energy, personally blew me away. This shows that you truly can hear when a producer has great ears and understanding of music and by having a music degree and being able to read music helps so much with music production at this high level.

The microphone collection at B&S is extraordinary and diverse but Jerry mentioned how he has become a fan of the Tul collection, manufactured by his long time friend Tully Mcully.

After spending so much time playing the students live recordings, Jerry talked about his midi composing techniques for the advertising industry. Using plug-ins like Goliath and Battery, allows him the advantage of modern technology in order to create the array of musical requirements for modern film and advertising industry.  He went into the details of trying to understand the needs of the client and working to a demanding deadline. Playing through some of his work, which incorporated an array of time signature changes to work with the pictures tempo changes in order have the subtle beat variations that add the professionalism to the final results. Jerry spoke to the students about the musical rights they need to be aware of when writing music and how the laws have changed towards copy write infringement. He ended off with some encouraging ways to get into this world of music production and working with advertising agencies. It was great to have such an industry professional share some of his knowledge gained over so many years to help enlighten young enthusiastic producers.

Article written by: Gaston Roulstone – Academic Head – Cape Audio College

Starting with his history as a DJ, producer over the last 10 years.

Simon also spent time to get to know why all the students were attending the college and what are their personal aspirations in the music industry. It was great to see how interested he was in what the student had to say and what they were looking into learning about music production. After discussing the past he went into his future and now producers more as a single artist after trying many time to create “bands” from Max Normal to Play Doe.

He is currently producing music for Die Antwoord and Jack Parow just to name a few of the MC’s he is currently working with and a focus on international releases. Simon discussed how he created his first music for advertising. The highs and lows of working in advertising and trying to balance that part of his musical career which was a scratch DJ, competing in battles and aiming for the DMC competitions. After the realization on the amount of progressive DJ’s like Qbert who where leading this genre had laid down the rules and he wanted to be more exclusive which is what lead him down the world of musical production.

After answering some of the student questions he went on to play some of his past and latest tunes, discussing the methods by which he created music. From Famon Nigiri , Super Evil.  This meant the students got a rear insight into the creation of Super Evil, which came from a calibration with some French touring artists which seemed to be a good, bad idea. The Melody came from a  Fender Rhodes and the bass from a Wurlitzer electric piano. After searching high and low for a month, he purchased a very beat up Rhodes MKII, which he dedicated the song Strhaff Tak, which had a great sample which was a tribute to that specific unit.

When asked if he prefers hardware or software hi discussed how both work and that a producer using hardware might be frustrated by the way an interface works and on the same note software can also be thin sounding and difficult to use in a live set. He has tried several times to use software like Abelton Live but found you had to perform to the “rules” of the software which limited him as a versatile performer on stage. He demonstrated in-depth on how he configures his live setup around his MPD, Roland 606 and set of Kaos pads.

The students asked a lot about his work doing sound to picture, this opened up Simon to not only reveal the inside working of doing sound for films, from music, sound design to ADR. He inspired the class with work he had produced and how simple ideas were built upon and when finally added to the picture how it creatively transformed you sensory perception as a viewer. He alliterated the importance of the directors he has worked with which can be the core to building your career in the Sound world.  Simon is very focused on sound design and went in depth into the realm of sound manipulation through this art. The intense creativity  a sound designer needs to have when creating sound that truly do not exist in reality.

After a short break, out came the big gun synths in the form of Reaktor and Alchemy from Camel Audio. Giving detailed analysis of what makes up these synths and how a producer can manipulate them to create original and bizarre sound, which allows for originality and presence which is essential to stand out as a modern music producer. With modern soft synths you are only limited by your own imagination and the producers ability to tweek the parameters.

 To end off the night SiBot demonstrated how he performs his live show. He has a passion for the Kaos Pad 3, that is a major part of his sound which he openly admits he can get totally lost in when playing around in the studio. Like any good musician this is the way electronic musicians practice their skill with their instrument of choice.

 This was certainly an eye opening experience for all the students to have so many techniques and a great world of musical experience from sound design, to jingle writing to live performances. No easy task as a music producer in any genre but certainly as a electronic producer this is a very important but yet difficult task, how do you entertain an entire crowd of people as a single performer on stage with a whole bunch of buttons and synths. Visuals are so important to Si-Bot and he expressed how important it is to be professional about this and how he will go out of his way to work with organizers to make sure his performance is world class.

A personal thank you to SiBot for such a detailed and inspiring lecture. Hope to see you back in the Cape Audio College lecture room soon.

Article written by: Gaston Roulstone (Academic Head – Cape Audio College)

Recently we had the opportunity to bring in one of our past graduates who is doing quite well for themselves. Steve Elswoth (AKA Audiophile 021) popped in for a visit yesterday reveling some of his secrets to our Modern music production course students.  Steve has been busy since he left us over 8 years ago. As Audiophile 021 he has performed all over the country and at most of your favorite festivals. Steve is now head engineer at Red Bull studios in Cape Town, a community development studio that has become a huge support mechanism for our local industry. The Red Bull studios are about community upliftment through music. The main players are Richard Rumney – Studio Manager, Jake Lipman – Studio Communications, Steve Elsworth – Head Engineer and Ivan Turanjanin – Culture Manager Red Bull, If you feel you are capable of producing music you can send a demo to Steve, Audiophile 021. Giving a detailed run down on the Abelton Live interface. Demonstrating the concept of how to navigate around the clip view and the concept of creating music without the use of a linear based time line.

Discussing the concept of layering the sounds to create depth of the sounds, giving an example to kick drum manipulation by using 3 to 6 kick drums samples EQ’ed and processed to allow them to define the sound that cuts through the mix and offering the “phat” sound of modern music. Using the impulse found within Abelton allows for trigger back control over drum samples which can then be routed directly to the Live mixer. Steve expressed his fondness of tracking a real acoustic drummer who is capable of playing tight to a click and then layering this instead of just programming all your beats constantly along the time line.

We then were treated to a demo of the Roland 606 and how to trigger back samples to create a multiple patterns and sequences from which a song can then be programmed. He explained how this is how music was created and how to use this directly as a multi track loop recorded into Abelton Live. Students were very interested in how to program a beat directly in the Live sequence window. This gave him the opportunity to show the students a bunch of production tip and tricks on how to make your music more detailed. The warp features of Live allowed the use of loop manipulation in order to synch multiple tempos for groove within a production.

While looking into the clip view this gave the students an insiders look at how Steve lays out his DJ set. He demonstrated how to use the Novation Launch pad to not only launch the tracks but also how to use the effects and EQ to creatively develop a DJ set. Using simple colour coding allows him identifying the different genres, which means your set can be changed on the “fly” when reading the Dance floor, which is an important part of being a DJ.

We then went deeper into the concept of music production and the use of plug-ins and analogue based hardware electronic instruments. Steve encouraged the students to make the most of their gear and that music production is not about the amount of software or hardware you own but how you use it. This means it is best to get to know a synthesizer inside and out allowing you to get the most from that specific gear.

 When asked if he every freestyles a gig, he had a simple answer NO. Practice makes perfect and it is important to respect the fact that people paid to see a performance and they have expectations of you to entertain them. No professional will go on stage unprepared and un-organised.

 The night ended with a Steve playing some of his latest productions and collaborations, which gave the students an inside, look into his structure for producing a wide variety electronic. The lecture was a great success with students saying how they were so inspired that they were on their way home now to work on some tunes. Thanks to Steve Audiophile 021 and Red Bull studios Cape Town for the continued collaboration with Cape Audio College.

Gear used in Lecture.

Mac Book Pro, Abelton Live 8, Access Virus A, Roland SP-606, Novation launchpad, Korg Kaoss pad 2, Novation MK225C, Moog Mooger Fooger

Article written by Gaston Roulstone : Academic Head – Cape Audio College

In the next three articles I am going to be discussing some techniques to get the best possible drum recordings at home. This can be a difficult prospect in a fully equipped recording studio let alone in your lounge or garage, but there are some useful techniques that can be used to improve your home recordings. One very important thing that is often overlooked is the importance of tuning your drum kit before you record. Making sure your kit is properly tuned before you start can save you hours of trouble!

Firstly we need to take a look at your rooms’ acoustics. A drum kit recorded in a professional studio will sound big due to the ambience of the large tracking room, whereas a drum kit recorded at home will generally sound small and close, so lets look at some ways of improving the sound of your home recording.

A homemade bass trap used to absorb excess unwanted bass

The first problem you will encounter is that most rooms in a house are likely boxes with parallel walls, floors and ceilings; this is especially true of garages. Parallel walls cause standing waves, this means that they accentuate some frequencies and attenuate others depending on the distance between the walls. 90° corners are also a problem as they tend to collect bass frequencies. The are many companies that offer basic room treatment kits, but these can be expensive and are not necessarily as effective you’d like.

Lets have a look at a cheaper option. You can just as effectively treat your room with everyday household objects in order to smooth out its frequency response. Placing any kind of absorptive or diffusing material in the corners can help a lot to smooth out your low-end frequency problems, even if you place a few shelves or the like in the corners, this will help. The diffusion will prevent the bass collecting and building up in the corners, and the absorption will help to keep your over all frequency response as linear as possible. In order to help prevent those standing waves building up you will need to place some diffusion and absorption along the walls. An old thick rug hung on the wall will provide adequate absorption. You can even cover the ugly rug with a curtain to give a more pleasant look. It is pretty important to treat most of the walls like this especially the longer walls. I have even seen a friend set up a couch or bed along on of the walls to act as a bass trap in front of the drum kit. This also provides some more absorption directly in front of the kit, which is very important.

A homemade Mutli-angular shelving system used for diffusion.

Cheap diffusion can be problem, however any multi angular surfaces help to diffuse the audio, whether it’s a shelving unit with some multi angular surfaces or whether you spend a little money on a diffusion package from one of the local manufacturers. These packages are fairly inexpensive and can provide very good diffusion.  The floor of your room is another area that is often forgotten.  Most engineers will prefer a reflective wooden floor with a thick carpet set up underneath the drum kit, however experimentation is the key, so play with combinations of absorptive and reflective surfaces depending on what genre you are recording and the specific sound you are looking for.

You must be aware however that you can over treat a room and this will lead to a very dead, close sound when you are looking for more of a “live” sounding drum kit. However, this again depends on exactly what sound you are looking for.

So those are some fundamental ideas on how to prepare your room for your drum recordings. Spending some time preparing your room can save you endless troubles later on in the recording process and even more so in the mixing stage. So before you begin, make sure you have a clear idea of exactly what sound you are looking for. Listen to a few reference tracks of the same genre to get an idea of how the drums sound in these tracks, this will help you to refine the sound you are looking for and give you an idea of how much (or little) absorption you will need in your room.

So next issue we will take a look at equipment choices, microphone choices and how best to set up for your recording. Now get out there and prepare your room!!

The Cape Audio College open day is here once again. We are opening our doors on the 26th of May to anyone who wishes to join the crew and get a guided tour of our facilities, a chance to chat to our lecturers and a guest talk by Cape Audio graduate, Lindsay Johnson. Lindsay has been hard at work since he left the college over 8 years ago. Lindsay is a sound production manger for Primedia who are responsible for the production work behind KFM, Highveld radio, 702 Talk and Sterkinekor  (official Sony Playstation Distributors in SA). Lindsay will be sharing valuable experience along with insight into how he succeeded in the audio production business. The doors will be opening at 10am and Lindsay will be conducting his talk at 12pm. A Q&A session will be followed by refreshments and the doors will close around 2pm. SO! Be there or be square!

You can contact the college on (+27) 21 448 8383 for more info. You can also e-mail us at study@capeaudiocollege.co.za 

Next week we have a real treat in store for our modern music production course students. Cape Audio College will be hosting a practical workshop with Cape Town based electronic music producer Sibot! Sibot needs no introduction here in Cape Town with a following that has been developed over a number of years from his involvement with some of the countries most beloved electronica, Max Normal, Constructus Corporation, Real Estate Agents and Playdoe have all been big names at home and abroad. Sibot will be doing more than just sharing some of his experiences of the industry with us, he will actually be running a practical workshop focusing on the creation of music using the various tools we teach here at the Cape Audio College. Practical hands on demonstrations of the actual in’s and out’s of electronic music production as well as insight into the practicalities of using the gear to full effect.

An absolute musical icon – Sibot’s career has always pushed the envelope, always maintaining his core ideals. His directions have been multiple, blurring the boundaries between Hip Hop and Electronic Music, between live and DJ. Sibots Genre-less style has lent itself to advertising and party atmosphere alike.

Live, Sibot has performed most major festivals in South Africa and countless gigs, from street parties to corporate awards ceremonies. Internationally he has been invited to festivals such as Sonar – Spain, Pukkelpop – Belgium, Printemps de Bourges – France, Paleo & Elektron – Switzerland, Glastonbury – UK and Splash – Germany and countless club gigs all over UK, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Poland all the way to The Reunion Islands.

One would be hard-pressed to find other musicians with this much talent and drive. As a solo or collaborative artist Sibot stands out from the rest as one of the few people to lead the way as South African Music in all its forms.

http://www.sshadoworkss.co.za/artist/sibot

How do I attend?
With the success of Red Bull Studios build up to the CTEMF it is obvious that Sibot exposure is in demand. We have an opportunity  for anyone who is interested in gaining some valuable knowledge. Although all our Music Production course students get access to the workshop, we still have three available seats for whoever wants to join. So if your interested, you can fill in the form below and right of this article and we will select three names based on your motivation for attending. Write us a quick few lines in the massage box, telling us what kind of music you make, how long you have been doing it and why you think you should gain some Sibot secrets. 

Sibot will be lecturing on Wednesday the 17th of April at 6pm, here at the Cape Audio College, Cape Town. 

Share ]]> http://www.capeaudiocollege.co.za/blog/?feed=rss2&p=1617 0 http://www.capeaudiocollege.co.za/blog/?p=1600 http://www.capeaudiocollege.co.za/blog/?p=1600#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:08:37 +0000 Richard Harriman http://www.capeaudiocollege.co.za/blog/?p=1600  

Recently we where visited by one of our old graduates, Ernie B St Clair. Ernie studied here at the Cape Audio College 11 years ago and has enjoyed quite a lot of success as an artist and producer. It seems that Ernie is doing quite well for himself, with a SAMA nomination last year and a tour coming very soon, it’s clear that there are a lot of opportunities out there for talented young artists. We had a few minutes to catch up and have a chat about what Ernie has been up to and where his career has taken him now, 11 years later. 

Hey Richard

 Great seeing you too pal, specially back at C.A.C

Q:       Hey man, nice to have you back here. It’s been a few years since you popped in an said hi. Have you released your album yet? What’s it called, and where can I buy it? 

 A:     Nice to be back and see old faces ,the pleasure is all mine. It’s been 11 years since I studied at C.A.C and since then I’ve starred in the Coca-Cola Pop star competition in SA and was a top ten finalist, I was then Signed by Virgin/EMI and later formed a band called Afro-z that had many chart topping hits. In 2005 we parted to start our Solo careers and in Later 2006 started my studio production company Pipeline Records cc and Released my current SAMA nominated Album in 2011 called `I Am Universal `.  Its selling on Kalahari.net for R100 and the sweetest thing is it gets delivered to your doorstep that’s including postage.

Q:     How long did it take to put together? And how is the album doing? 

A:     It took me two years to complete in my plum stead home studio, I’m selling well at gigs, as we all know retail is not as good as selling at your gigs, because the record industry is changing.  Never the less it gives artists more control over the product.

I’m currently starting my Western Cape School Tour that will be very good for the BRAND.

Q:    Where did you record it? Who was involved in the production.  

A:    Yeah like I said it was at my studio that a built 5 years ago, was exciting with this project I really stepped my game up, improved production and sonic quality .

Q:    Are you still writing all the tracks yourself? 

A:   I do write all my music and collaborate with other writers too, I love that, because all the greats have done that in the past. 

Q:   I remember you getting to the finals in the Coca-Cola pop stars show a few years back. Did that help or hinder your career? 

A:   Being in pop stars most definitely helped me to get signed, I had the privilege to perform with the great Brenda Fassie, Mandoza, Ernie Smith, Danny K and Loyiso to name but a few.

I’ve learned more as working with all these artist made my ears better too, as Ray used to say so, I grew better as an engineer and a producer. 

Q:    You where nominated for a SAMA award last year. Tell us the story? Did you attend the ceremony? 

A:    This was a experience of a life time, especially that last year marked my 10th year in the industry as an recording artist. I was humbled that they acknowledged my album as well as my Label Pipeline Records. I did attend the ceremony and it was Grand.  It was one of the best ceremony’s ever.  The stage, lighting, artists and networking were great.

Q:   What are your plans for the future? Are you working on any new production’s? 

A:    I’ve got plans to tour SA, the rest of Africa and The States soon, as we are making moves with prominent brands overseas already.  I’m starting production on my DELUXE Edition of my Album.

I’ll Send u a link to the FREE download of my new single soon.

Q:   You where a student at the cape audio college quite a few years ago. Does what you learned here still help you when working in the studio?

A:   Of course, it’s strange that everything I learned then comes back to comes back when you grow working with other people, most definitely the industry things like rights originations that I knew of helped me too. 

Q:   What is the most important lesson the Cape Audio College taught you? 

A:   To listen to Pink Floyd too…… lol (As Rae Director of Cape Audio Always said). Yeah I actually respected songs like “Money” they made me listen and add FX to my songs too like the actual money falling and cash registers that they added in that songs as well as the 7/4 time signature that they used made me think differently.  Even though the music I do is more Urban I’ve definitely learned to be an eclectic listener as a Singer /Songwriter/Engineer.  For any one that doesn’t know that song as an engineer go YouTube it  

Q:  Where can we catch a show? 

Easter Mon 9 April 2012  I’m at the V.& A Waterfront Amphitheatre WOULD LOVE TO SEE EVERBODY  there, good thing is its FREE !

Thanks Ernie. 

Thank you all, its been a pleasure.  Blessings

Please see my social media links below!

Ernie.B St.Clair
Pipeline Records          skype: ernie.b.st.clair

email:ernie@pipelinerecords.co.za

www.erniebstclair.co.za
www.pipelinerecords.co.za
www.twitter.com/erniebstclair
www.youtube.com/PipelineRecordsTv