Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Henry (foreground)

Before Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister, Marilyn Manson, etc., it was Screamin’ Jay who laid the foundation for Rock ‘n’ Roll’s theatre of the macabre as early as 1954. He also was an early example of the sort of alpha hedonism we might now associate with Motley Crue. While it would be an overstatement to credit him with the birth of Metal, his relationships with dark theatrical presentation, moral panic, powerhouse vocal styles, and women set the stage for myriad shock rockers to follow. Song titles include “Alligator Wine,” “Frenzy,” “Feast of the Mau Mau,” “Constipation Blues,” and one other song I’ll tell you about in a sec.

Jay’s pre-music career backstory is arguably as weird as his musical repertoire. Hawkins was born on a bus (!) passing through Cleveland, Ohio, and was left at an orphanage. He was later adopted by a Blackfoot Indian family. In his youth he studied to be an opera singer, classical pianist, and guitar player. During his U.S. Air Force days in World War II, he also became a skilled boxer, taking the Alaskan middleweight title in 1949.

While you may not have heard of Screamin’ Jay before this writing, you are very likely familiar with a piece of his work, assuming you’ve ever been in audible proximity to a radio. “I Put A Spell on You,” his monster 1956 hit, has been covered innumerable times by an incredibly diverse array of artists: Marilyn Manson, Queen Latifah, The Animals, Jeff Beck, Sonique, and Nina Simone make the list, with Creedence Clearwater Revival’s version being the best known.

The wild, bombastic tone of the song rendered it controversial at the time of release, and it was banned and censored in various regions. While the song was originally intended as a ballad, Jay said “the producer brought in ribs and chicken and got everybody drunk, and we came out with this weird version.” Jay reportedly had to re-listen to the song the following day to learn the lyrics, as he’d blacked out during the recording.

At the suggestion of DJ Alan Freed, Jay was among the first Rock ‘n’ Rollers to employ stage props in his performances. He carried a skull on a stick, called “Henry,” and often opened his shows by jumping out of a coffin, dressed head-to-toe in animal-print clothing and other strangeness. Reportedly, the mid-50′s era show was lurid enough to cause unprepared audience members to faint from time to time.

While never matching the success of “I Put a Spell on You,” Screamin’ Jay enjoyed a long, productive career centered around heavy touring, releasing 19 albums, finding major success in Europe, and even wound up acting in a few mainstream movies. There’s also a hard-to-find documentary on the man called “I Put a Spell on Me.”

His extracurricular activities became legendary as well. No one’s really certain how many children Jay seeded in his lifetime, but when he died on a bus (!!) in 2000 at the age of 70, accounts ranged from between 55 and 75 kids—depending on who you ask.

I guess his spells worked.

It’s surprisingly simple; what sounds like a Master’s thesis research project or plot device from an ’80s era David Cronenberg film was actually a pretty simple hack. It involved an inexpensive Mattel toy and an old analog synth from Radio Shack.

The toy (“Mindflex”) works by reading user brainwaves to activate small fans, which push a lightweight ball around an obstacle course. Robert simply repurposed the fan control signals to send CV (Control Voltage) data to his synthesizer. Add a little analog delay, and you’ve got the beginnings of the next Doctor Who theme song. Or plot.

Good work Robert, when can we expect the wi-fi version? An iPhone app, perhaps? See the main article over at good ol’ WIRED.COM for more info.

BEHRINGER is happy to be officially recognized by Mad Catz as a compatible peripheral in Harmonix’s brand new “Rock Band 3” video game! As the Rock Band line of games evolves much closer to rewarding realistic musicianship, we couldn’t be more excited to know that our MIDI controllers meet the game’s compatibility standard!  They have listed the BEHRINGER UMX25and BEHRINGER UMA25S keyboard controllers as “specifically tested” for compatibility in the game, as stated in their manual for their MIDI Pro-Adapter.

BEHRINGER gear will factor into Rock Band 3′s “Pro Mode,” which is a first for the series. With the help of the MIDI Pro-Adapter, “Pro Mode” allows for compatibility with professional-class MIDI keyboards, electronic drums, and some truly innovative new guitar/MIDI hybrid controllers. The manual can be found here!

Big thanks to Mad Catz for supporting us, and to Harmonix for helping to introduce a new generation of performers to music—because that’s what BEHRINGER is all about, too!

Rock Band 3 is receiving exceptional reviews, and is available for XBox 360, PS3, and Wii.

"Ye Gods, thine rackmount sound module isn't receiving my SysEx messages. Wouldst thou kindly adjust thine MIDI filter configuration?"

Closer inspection reveals this isn’t the case; the MIDI integration is really very thorough. 8 switches on the body of the instrument allow for the toggling of various MIDI pickups across the instrument, allowing multiple configurations of drone and primary strings to be routed to different synth patches or effects. There’s even a special sensor that converts the buzz of the trompette into MIDI information, which can then be routed to a unique device on its own channel.

Curiously, I had a hard time finding audio examples of this Electrowheelachord. Seems an elusive beast.

More info can be found here.

Bluegrass

Today, multitrack recording is the standard method by which most groups choose to record. The whole point is to capture individual instruments on separate tracks to allow for the greatest amount of control over instrument balance. Great caution is taken to ensure there’s no “bleed” from one channel to another. For example, poor isolation can lead to loud snare drums winding up on vocal tracks if the vocalist’s microphone is too close to the drummer during a session. This makes the levels between the vocals and the snare more difficult to control.

This begs the question: prior to multitrack recording, how would these problems be avoided? And more importantly, how would one deliberately increase the volume of a featured performer, like a soloist?

We’ll look to bluegrass music for the deceptively simple, even anticlimactic answer: back in the day, mixing was handled by simply stepping closer to the microphone! The mix between instruments and vocals was handled by adjusting the height of the microphone—higher for more vocals, lower for more instruments. In terms of avoiding unwanted bleed, there really was no fix; musicians simply had to play cautiously!

The old-timey technique, like many methods of yesteryear, has a faction of loyalists—even competitively! See this clip and watch “The Hillbenders” winning performance of the “2010 Single Microphone Bluegrass Competition.”

Note that singers far away from the mic are pushing their vocals a little harder to be heard better. Soloists take turns approaching the mic for their spotlight moment, then step away to allow the next featured performer their time in the sun.

Practicing with a one-mic setup is an excellent way to learn greater dynamic control of your instrument and voice. It also presents a great opportunity to learn about microphone pickup patterns and proximity effect.

The BEHRINGER C-3 Condenser Microphone features a selectable omnidirectional pickup pattern.

For example, a unidirectional microphone wouldn’t be appropriate for recording this type of setup, as the performers circle the mic in a horseshoe pattern. As such, a mic like the C-3 or B-5 is appropriate, as it features a selectable omnidirectional pickup pattern, allowing the mic to pick up sound uniformly from all directions. Using a single mic defeats the purpose of using a mixer, of course, but if you’re recording to computer you’ll still want a preamp like the MIC2200.

The next time your band practices are feeling stale, give this technique a shot, and be sure to record the results! Study the recordings, and pay particular attention to whose voice is too quiet or what instrument is too loud. Try to improve the balance on your second go-round; this is an excellent exercise in getting your band to work as a team, as opposed to merely a sequence of soloists!

(via BEHRINGER’s Blog)

After a little programming, the Arduino board converts the Power Pad’s controller output signals to MIDI note data, which could theoretically be routed to any sound module. In this case, it’s running to a simple keyboard that contains some drums samples. Now he can tap out some funky, if quantized, beats via little more than a pair of fuzzy slippers.

Pretty cool! For more game controller-to-MIDI mayhem, check out The Guitar Zeros.

(via BEHRINGER’s Blog)

Philip “Tyrannosaurus Rex” Cooke made a suggestion on our FaceBook wall a while back, recommending we take a look at this unique instrument conceived by eccentric microtonalist Harry Partch in 1965.

Played with mallets, the Quadrangularis Reversum is a marimba-esque instrument built from eucalyptus and redwood. The keys are made from bamboo. All of Partch’s instruments are now in the possession of Dean Drummond at Montclair State University’s music department. The instrument is actually intended as a companion to Partch’s “Diamond Marimba,” which uses Partch’s proprietary “Tonality Diamond” for pitch layout. The Reversum uses a tuning system that is essentially the “Tonality Diamond” turned inside-out. I think. I wish Carl Sagan was still around to help explain all this.

While the Quadroogulanus Reglazzurt is a unique instrument, I was able to find at least one re-creation here. The brief writeup says that it’s cooped up in a garage somewhere, unfortunately. Furthermore, there’s a great interactive Flash version of the instrument located here, which allows you to trigger samples from of the Reversum from your own keyboard! This is a great find, as it allows us to hear the bizarre intervals of the instrument’s 43-note scale without having to rummage through random garages or travel to Montclair State University.

Expect a “Get to Know: Harry Partch” feature to follow soon! This guy was just too much! His instruments were all diligently tuned to a proprietary 43-note scale that his compositions worked for. More than likely, you’re used to the 12-tone scale. Imagine what would happen to your learning curve when faced with one of his instruments for the first time! You’d have a lot to un-learn.

More on Mr. Partch later.

(via BEHRINGER’s Blog)

Blues Traveler Interview

Scott: How it’s going everyone, it’s Scott Jawson with the BEHRINGER Podcasts Station in the BMF Music Lounge. I’m here with Brendan Hill from Blues Traveler. How it’s going man?
Brendan Hill: That’s right! Hey, how it’s going?
Scott: Pretty good. I heard you were in Michigan last night.
Brendan Hill: We were, we played at Travis City and rocked a wine mixer… that was awesome… and so now we’re doin’ the Palooza, and psyched about it.
Scott: Is that today?
Brendan Hill: Today, yeah we go on…, 1:45 to 2:45 so kinda early on the big main stage and we were gonna rock our hearts’ out.
Scott: Great, yeah I’m sure! You guys always do… love Blues Traveler…
Brendan Hill: Thank you.
Scott: you guys have anything else coming up this weekend or are you gonna take a little break after Lollapalooza?
Brendan Hill: We’ve got two weeks off, and then we stop back up on the 21st I think, we’re gonna be hitting New York– New York State and then I think we’re out ’til October 15 or something like that..
Scott: Nice
Brendan Hill: So, we’re psyched to be still doing it, rockin’ it out, and so yeah, we love BEHRINGER mics so and amps and things so we’re…
Scott: Yeah, we’ve got all kinds of stuff… this is the Podcast Studio/ Station we have set up that just plugs into your computer & we’ve got the new BUGERA Amps and stuff, so its pretty nice.
Brendan Hill: Well we can’t wait to try them out.
Scott: Thank you so much for talking to us.
Brendan Hill: Thanks a lot Scott!
Scott: Yup, signing out from BEHRINGER Lounge. Thanks a lot.

(via BEHRINGER’s Blog)

The growly lead melodies of Rancid‘s 4-string hero have inspired many a listener, myself included, to pick up the electric bass. But what’s going on in that bass tone of his that’s kept it so compelling across 20 years and 7 albums? (8 if you count Operation Ivy.) We put Matt’s tone under an audio microscope and figured out what techniques and tactics you can employ to emulate his signature sound.

1. The Right Hand: Play with a pick. Picking brings a sharper, quicker attack to each note, and also produces a more midrange-heavy sound. Learn to pick with uniform upstrokes and downstrokes, and start slow. Increase your speed over time to achieve consistency at high-tempo.

2. The Left Hand: Learn your scales, the major and minor pentatonic in particular. Practice running up and down them for 20 years and you should be good and ready to go.

3. The Bass: Matt’s been associated with the Fender® Precision bass through most of his career, but has lately been spotted playing a custom-made number, shrouded in mystery. Per interviews, he has largely used the same P-bass from his teenage years on the vast majority of his recordings. Perhaps the lesson here is to choose a bass that loves you and it will remain loyal.

4. The Amp: The tone is pretty gain-heavy for rock bass. If your bass amp has a tube preamp section, like on the BVP5500, crank it. You can get a similar tone out of the BDI21bass modeler by turning up the “Drive” control.

5. The Mix: More so than traditional bassists, Matt’s playing is prominently pushed to the front of the mix on Rancid’s albums. When mixing your band’s recordings, push the bass up as close as you can in the mix to the vocals. When your guitarists start to complain, stop.

Devil's Brigade in store now!

As a “lead bass” player, there are rock’n’roll purists out there who would criticize Matt with cliches like “A bassist doesn’t need to rely on a pick,” or “He doesn’t understand his role in

the band.” Matt doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would listen to that sort of thing, and neither should you. Play what you want, put it out there, and listeners will find you.

By the way, check out Matt’s other band, “Devil’s Brigade,” whose self-titled record came out Aug. 31! Devil’s Brigade is a project of Matt’s that’s been brewing since 2002, and I’m glad a full-length album has finally seen the light of day. It features Matt on upright bass and lead vocals, as well as Tim Armstrong of Rancid on guitar, and DJ Bonebrake from X on drums!

(via BEHRINGER’s Blog)

Here’s a review from DV247.com on our newly released EUROLIVE powered speakers, the B815NEO’s. The NEO in the product name comes from the neodymium magnet drivers. Their review focused a lot on the added features and portability, and that they can be used as floor wedges if needed:

Apart from the enormous power output, the other big selling point for the cabinet is its light weight – the B815Neo is a manageable 23 kg (51 lbs), which for a box this size with so many features is nothing short of astonishing. It’s the kind of fact that will be welcomed by everybody who is currently encumbered with back-breakingly heavy PA cabs.

Meanwhile, Behringer has been very generous, incorporating a very useful two-channel mixer with two individual gain controls, two-band EQ, bass roll-off and a noise gate. Speech and music can be distinguished with the contour facility and there is a timed switch off button. The cutaway shape of the cabinet means it can be used as a floor or wedge monitor and connected to further Neos by the XLR output.

The 1200W Class-D power amp, with its lack of large transformers and heat-sinks, cuts the weight of the B815 by 30% compared to its predecessor. On-board DSP includes a limiter, digital crossover and time-alignment correction for the drivers. A 1.75″ titanium-diapraghm compression driver provides the high frequencies while the 15″ driver is Behringer’s own Neodymium unit. While the cabinet is a fair bit larger than the B812, the light weight makes it very easy to mount on a speaker stand and the Neos can also be stacked using the well designed rubber feet and locating socket on the top and bottom of the cabinet.

The drivers sounded clean and transparent throughout the whole frequency range and they were particularly impressive when coping with the dance track we used, with absolutely no hint of any overload or distortion despite the thumping bass… The overall volume on offer from the Neo is simply stunning, with nary a hint of overload, which if present would be indicated by an LED on the front. For power to weight, I can’t think of any other speaker that comes close to the specs of the B815 at the moment. The Neos need to be heard- and carried- to be appreciated. The Behringer Neos have raised the game in the louder, lighter, cheaper sweepstakes and at the moment are well ahead of the rest of the field, with the Behringer B815Neo setting the pace.

(via BEHRINGER’s Blog)