Artist Name: ÆUR Title: Invocation (Ancient Egyptian Melody) Genre: Instrumental World Rating:
Equipment
BOSS MICRO BR 4-Track, Vintage Yamaha FG-412 SB ll 12-String Acoustic Guitar with Dean Markley ProMag Plus pickup, and Behringer Headphones (BH 470).
Music
“Invocation (Ancient Egyptian Melody)” is a piece of instrumental World music composed, performed, produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by ÆUR (Joaquín Vélez).
Reviewed By Marty Peters
Joaquín submitted a short and interesting work that makes great use of his gear. The track comprises a multi-instrument percussion bed, an acoustic 12-string guitar and a basic bass sound of unspecified origin.
Joaquín recorded the entire song on a BOSS MICRO BR four-track digital recorder, billed by the manufacturer as “The World’s Smallest Pro Studio.” This little “four-tracker” is chock-full of features, including 293 onboard rhythm patterns, 32 virtual tracks, time stretch and an impressive list of additional goodies—all in a device about the size of your hand.
In Joaquín’s hands, the results on “Invocation” are pretty impressive!
We are not sure whether the percussion bed here was one of the presets or something Joaquín assembled. Either way, the tones are very realistic and balanced, providing an ideal platform for the acoustic guitar. The guitar part was nicely performed and captured, and the sounds delivered via the Dean Markley ProMag Plus acoustic soundhole pickup were a pleasant surprise. As longtime readers are well aware, we are strong proponents of miked acoustic instruments whenever possible. That said, we found the 12-string tone here to be articulate yet mellow, avoiding much of the “twang” that can often accompany the instrument. Well done!
Suggestions
We absolutely love it when we receive an example of someone creating a successful track with the tools at hand. While we would all flip for a vintage Neve console and a bag full of Neumann mics, reality is quite a different thing. Often in our haste (guilty as charged!) to get to the next big thing, we fail to explore the potential of the gear we have in front of us, often to our detriment.
Kudos to Joaquín for creating a pleasing result with what many would consider a bare-bones setup. A great reminder, “It’s not the car; it’s the driver.”
Summary
Inspiring
Contact
Joaquín Vélez, [email protected]