A flexible multi-effect pedal that takes inspiration from the eccentricity of vintage recording technology and delivers it through an intuitive user interface.
Chroma Console offers 20 stereo effects, organized into 4 discrete modules: Character (dynamics and distortion), Movement (modulation), Diffusion (time-based effects) and Texture (collection of textural effects). The modules can be used independently or in combination, offering users a wide-ranging sonic palette in the studio or on stage.
With Chroma Console, users can easily re-order effect modules and experiment with different signal chains. This encourages experimentation, like processing reverb through a fuzz, running a reverse delay into a pitch shifter, or sending the evocative, gritty sound of an aging cassette recorder into a stereo double-tracker.
Other unique Chroma Console offerings include GESTURE, a hands-on modulation tool that allows you to record and loop knob movements in real-time. CAPTURE, a 30-second looper, can be used to create ephemeral loops or looped musical phrases.
Hologram Electronics Chroma Console
Features
- Designed and assembled by hand in Knoxville, TN
- Up to 80 user presets for instant recall of your favorite sounds.
- Power via 500mA 9V center-negative adapter (included with pedal)
- Configurable bypass settings: buffered, buffered with trails, true bypass switching
- TRS expression input mappable to any primary control
- Automatic input calibration for use with instrument level and line level sources
Chroma Console is available for $399 USD exclusively on Hologram’s website: www.hologramelectronics.com.
How to know when your bass playing becomes composition and what to do about it.
When you first picked up the bass, did you know you would end up being your band’s secret badass? Admittedly, it’s a strange kind of badassery, in that you don’t need to brag or be cocky. It’s simply the quiet confidence of knowing that you’re not just driving the musical train, you’re the engine.
Many of us are more than content hanging back from center stage and driving from the rear, choosing instead just to make folks move by improving the groove, all while having little to prove. Of course, this doesn’t describe every bass player. But if the shoe fits, there can be a flip side: Having a play-it-cool personality can sometimes mean playing it too cool. Some of us struggle with self-promotion and owning our contributions to the music. But your creative input is worth something. Modesty to the point of undervaluing your creativity can lead to less money in the bank, especially when it comes to your contributions to songwriting.
Of all the possible income streams, songwriting—and related publishing income—has always been the real golden goose of the music biz. Think about it: The most prosperous bassists, say, the Paul McCartneys and Stings of the world, wrote much of their respective band’s material. That’s one of the reasons the non-songwriter players, typically the bassist (and maybe the drummer, too—looking at you, Ringo) are often the least financially successful members of the band. Of course, you can earn a pretty good living on bass without songwriting, but having even partial credit for cocreating a song is worth claiming if you pitched in ideas that go beyond following a chart with groove and panache. There’s more than one way to handle this; some bands, like U2 and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, split the music writing credit equally.
Note that, in the U.S., copyright law covers the melody and the lyrics. Generally speaking, it doesn’t cover chord progressions, arrangements, or parts. (Which is why the 2015 jury verdict supporting Marvin Gaye’s heirs’ allegation that Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” infringed on Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” was so messed up—but I digress.)
“If you create a part that is fundamental to the song’s structural foundation, or that takes the song in a new direction, like sketching out a new prechorus or bridge, you may be doing more than adding to the arrangement.”
But that doesn’t mean you have to be McCartney banging out “Scrambled Eggs” on piano to be involved in a song’s creation. Bass players have as many good creative ideas as anyone. The key to getting credit is in (1) knowing when one of your musical ideas rises to the level of songwriting, and (2) speaking up about it.
Let’s take a look at a couple of contrasting examples from Fleetwood Mac. John McVie’s grim, minor riff at the end of “The Chain” from 1977’s Rumours largely defines that section of the song. The composition as a whole simply wouldn’t be the same without it. That’s probably why he shares a songwriting credit with his bandmates—one of his few songwriting credits with the band.
Compare that with Christine McVie’s composition “Say You Love Me,” from the previous album, 1975’s Fleetwood Mac. When the chorus arrives, John McVie launches into a clever countermelody that dances up, down, and around the vocal while hitting all the necessary harmonic beats. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, pause right now and go appreciate this nugget of low-end gold.) Arguably, the bass on the “Say You Love Me” chorus is more substantive musically than the “Chain” riff. It’s an awesome arrangement ingredient, but is it essential to the composition? Could a singer/guitarist kumbaya their way through a solo acoustic rendition without including that part? Sadly, the answer is yes, they absolutely could. No songwriting credit for Mr. McVie.
There are countless examples of brilliantly composed bass lines—consider McCartney’s carefully crafted part on George Harrison’s composition “Something,” or Rufus bassist Bobby Watson’s incredible performance on Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You,” or pretty much any Motown track with James Jamerson—that don’t merit songwriting credit.
If you play originals or back up original artists onstage or in the studio, there may be times when you’re called on to do more than interpret a chord chart. If you create a part that is fundamental to the song’s structural foundation, or that takes the song in a new direction, like sketching out a new prechorus or bridge, you may be doing more than adding to the arrangement. You’re participating in the songwriting.
If that’s the case, it could be time for a delicate conversation with your cowriter(s), whether that’s the artist or bandleader, the producer, or your bandmate. I have talked with pro players with hit songs who sometimes agonize over this part of the job, or at least play it very carefully, so as not to eliminate themselves from future work. But if you do create something that’s essential to the composition and decide to assert yourself and stake your claim for a share of the songwriting splits, be fair, be cool, and get it in writing. Just remember that you are a badass, and get to it.
Boris announces Amplifier Worship Service Tour across North America, performing all songs from their first album. Featuring two drummers and Starcrawler as support, tickets on sale April 26th.
This fall, Boris will trek across North America performing all of the songs off of their beloved first album, Amplifier Worship. Featuring two drummers and an extended backline, this will be a Boris tour not to miss. Starcrawler will support all shows and tickets go on sale Friday, April 26th at 10am local time— a complete list of tour dates can be found below.
Boris has been in constant pursuit of their own ideal “heavy” since their formation in 1992. From the outset they became like a chimera, evolving at a rapid pace, establishing a unique style with extreme down tuning and mega volume. Their broad sense of “Heavy Rock” swelled grotesquely, as it engulfed powerviolence, ambient and drone, with a trance component of krautrock and so on.
From Tokyo to the world, Boris spread out from the underground community to have their name become more widely known. Five years after their formation, Boris went deep into the beyond of heavy music to make their first album, one that can be said to be a palace constructed in unexplored realms. However, the album by no means serves as a peaceful "end" or resting place/"gravestone" for those compositions. Rather, it was a map to the “beyond” that Boris drew up at the time, a blueprint pointing to the future. 25 years after the release of Amplifier Worship, that guidance has been revealed: a full length tour for performing all of the songs on the album in a double-drum-format Drone Set.
As a pioneering effort in Drone Metal, a palace under the name of Amplifier Worship was constructed and revealed as both a point of departure as well as a destination. Amplified oscillations and volume, going from anguish to pleasure and back, being in fear as well as in awe at what can be called heavy— we venture into this palace of worship together.
For this tour Boris are taking along Starcrawler, a band that "...intensifies the prayer of rock 'n' roll. This only takes us further into the beyond, embarking on this worship service. Welcome to the ceremony!" comments Boris.
Look for more exciting news from Boris to arrive very soon.
For more information, please visit borisheavyrocks.com.
Boris, Amplifier Worship Service Tour Dates:
September 25 San Diego, CA @ Music Box
September 26 Los Angeles, CA @ Belasco
September 27 Pomona, CA @ Glass House
September 28 Fresno, CA @ Strummer's
September 29 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
October 1 Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
October 2 Seattle, WA @ Showbox
October 4 Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall
October 6 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
October 8 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
October 9 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
October 10 Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium
October 11 Chicago, IL @ Ramova Theatre
October 12 Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
October 13 St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
October 15 Grand Rapids, MI @ Elevation
October 16 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew's Hall
October 17 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
October 18 Pittsburgh, PA @ Tunderbird Music Hall
October 19 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
October 21 Boston, MA @ Paradise
October 22 Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
October 23 New York, NY @ Racket
October 24 Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage
October 25 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
October 26 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
October 27 Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
October 29 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
October 30 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Midtown
November 2 Tucson, AZ @ 191 Toole
November 3 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre