This RL Music web-Interview took place on and around the 11th February 2010
At RL Music, weve been privileged to have interviewed some of the greats and legends of the analog synth world. People whose works were infused with analog anthems to bloops, drones, blips and textures because they understand the power, warmth and total creative exibility that analog synthesizers can bring. However, what about those who are on the rise, and making a name for themselves in a different, and more varied musical environment and who probably represent the majority of our customers?
Meet Shekhar Raj Dhain, the Creative Director of JUICY AUDIO PRODUCTIONS. As a musician in his own right, hes provided work to a number of television channels such as CNN, BLOOMBERG, MTV, OXYGEN, LIFETIME, HBO and DISCOVERY. He's also collaborated on art installations, and produced others ("its like being a kind headmaster"), as well.
Shekhar has kindly agreed to share his experience and views of his world of music and, in particular, how it works with the extraordinary phenomenon we all know and love as music with analog synths.
Q So to start Shekhar, can you tell me how you got involved with Music? A - The usual route of doing it at school to get out of a boring afternoon or two of lessons (laughs). I studied tabla (Indian drum with a distinctive sound) for two years and recorder, then treble, along with a year or so of piano. I faffed around for years before this but at the age of 17 my life changed, I bought my rst synth a Yamaha PSS780! It had a basic form of vector-synthesis and a built in sequencer, which allowed you to overdub, etc. My choice was based on the obvious factor at the time; a lack of money (smiles).
Q Do you remember when you rst come across analog synthesizers? A Yes, that was whilst I was at secondary school. The music teacher had a Roland JX-3P, with the programmer. I was blown away by the sounds and the power inherent within this machine compared to the PSS style stuff, which was also lying around at that time. Years later I owned JX-3P myself and it was a great piece of kit, with some odd midi quirks to make things interesting. Midi on my particular one, was always on channel 1.well, thats that decision made for you then! (smiles) My next experience was even more mind-blowing because I spent the summer of 1991, and beyond, soaked in the sounds and use of analog synthesizers. It was the summers of rave, house & techno. You name it, all things electronic - 808, 909, 303! Youd go to a club and youd hear these sounds everywhere. I never got tired of the music or the vibe. I bought a Juno 60 in 1992, put my knowledge of physics and maths to good use (ahem), and learned how to program. A few years later, I made some lucky nds through the old music magazines and bought an ARP 2600 and a minimoog to add to my arsenal. Since then I've used and bought some of the other all time great analog synths that were made such as; the Memorymoog, Jupiter 8, Prophet 5 and the Oberheim OB-8, Xpander and OB-Xa. Some of these awesome machines have come through RL music and lovingly cared for by KSR of course.
Q Do you use analog synthesizers on a regular basis? A To be honest, in spite of all my digital gear, every time I re the studio up I reach for an old analog FIRST. Why? Because theres something in the sound which has warmth, character and slight movement due to the analog circuitry which just cannot be replicated fully with VSTS and even VAs. Its not just nostalgia, but an instant gratication via the turn of a knob or the ick of a switch. On a straight A/B test, Ive found even those whove always had VAs are blown away by the pure power of the analog sound and hence hanker for the gear and sounds thereafter.
I appreciate that some people will complain about the price of the vintage gear these days, or the fact that it needs a certain degree of maintenance to keep in top condition but this isnt the entire picture. I think these opinions are been propagated by people who are buying things from the wrong sort of places or are just plain unlucky. The way I see it, youre investing in something that will potentially last you a lifetime and clearly appreciate in value year after year simply due to the limited numbers sold, small numbers remaining and most importantly, the demand. Personally I think that if youre buying through people like yourselves who are also backed up by KSR for repairs, servicing and restoration expertise, youve got the ability to bring everything bang up to date with the minimum of fuss.
Q How did you get into the business? A That was down to hard graft, tenacity and luck. One of my friends was a lm student and needed some music for various projects whilst he was at uni. I promised I'd help him when the time came. I remember I had an assignment to hand in at the end of that week at uni myself, and a mild hangover, but I wrote pieces specic to his works and he was happy with them. After that labour of love, another friend was providing stuff to one of the games companies before the days of PC gaming had taken off, and asked me if I had stuff I'd like to throw into the hat. Now THAT I got paid for, but for the life of me I dont know what they exactly did with the music (laughs). After a few years of doing a 9-5 job and then discovering the internet, I just sent out mail shots to various radio and TV channels and production companies asking them if theyd be interested in my services, which also included voiceover work, to which end I took a professional voiceover course as well. Whilst all this is going on, I was sending what I thought was more commercial or pop sounding electronic music to various labels, with mixed results. I also did a load of rehearsals and pub style gigs with rock bands. The memories of some of those situations make me smile to this day. Its all good, cause it shapes and renes you like only real life experiences can. Eventually, I got good responses from the TV production and lm companies, so kept an eye and ear on things via various channels, and the rest, as they say, is soldiering onwards and hopefully upwards.

Q What would you like to do in the future? A - I would like to do more production work, as I love working with others and helping them reach their artistic vision, is a joy. Its not the easiest of processes, because anyone whos a creative soul will know how attached you can be to your work at so many levels, so the criticism has to be constructive, words should be encouraging, and the synths should be analog! (laughs) I would also love to be involved in some of the bigger scoring projects and installations, such as the Vince Clarke and Martyn Ware project. In fact, working with some of my heroes would be the icing on the cake.getting to spend time learning and working with living legends AND all that lovely analog gear! (smiles)
Q - Whom or what inspires you? A - I could give an anodyne answer such as life itself, but thats only half of it (laughs). Its all the stuff I've soaked in from my heroes, such as Vince Clarke, Orbital, Kraftwerk, Human league (especially the mark 1 version with loads of system 100 all over the place), Depeche Mode, Aphex twin/Richard D. James, Brian Eno.the list is long and it includes legendary producers such as Gareth Jones, ood, Daniel Miller et al. Also Oasis, Noel Gallagher, Jagz Kooner, Bollywood composers, Hans Zimmer, Christophe Franke, Tangerine Dream.Ill stop there shall I, otherwise ill end up trying to remember too much from my 900-plus c.d. collection (laughs). All the people Ive mentioned are inspirers because its testament to their courage to buck any prevailing trend and stick to their own vision and hence make or break it each time they put something out. They have a sound and sonic imprint that is clearly their own and of course all of them have great, classic analog synths, in their collections. Especially Vince, Flood, and Daniel Miller, if you go by the interviews theyve given over the years. Vince in particular, since he has a sound that is clearly his own, yet he manages to come up with fresh and inspiring stuff after 30 years in the business. All with the use of old analog gear. Thats part of why hes still around, and an inspiration to so many NEW artists to this day. The same with dpche, which is a blend of all mostly old analog, and martins songwriting. These guys have a Midas touch when it comes to their craft. Then theres the guys who wear the studio hats, such as Flood, Gareth Jones, Jagz, and Brian Eno. Eno is unique cause he started or found the concept of using synthesizers as processing or treatment tools, which can really add life to a tired and quite anodyne sounding synth, and without doubt open up many possibilities in arrangements and mixes.
Q Can you name your all time favourite analog synth? A - (takes a long breath) Not easy. I think all electronic musicians are a bit nerdy at heart, so asking them to pick one would leave them scratching their head for the rest of the day. How about a top 5? Q - Sure, thats usually how I approach that tricky question. A In no particular order:

1) Roland system 100 discreet technology, which means theres no chips in
there, and a very free ranging design which allows you to set things in hertz rather than footages, plus a beautiful, rich sounding lter, patching points, and the great 104 sequencer, allow you to come up with stuff that ironically takes a bit of head scratching using software. An amazing synth which ive used a great deal, cause its so heroic and warm sounding.
2) Roland Jupiter 8 It DOES live up to all the hype, and if youve got a good
one, thats been serviced and calibrated properly, its ambient and electro heaven. It can be soft, warm and almost sweet, yet at the ick of a switch can end up being dirty, raucous and shredding metal. Its also Bi-timbral of course with a great arpeggiator, has memories, and really looks the business too.
3) ARP 2600 These are highly sought after, and rightly so. Its all normalised,
but the real fun begins when you start using the patch leads, to bypass the internal stuff and really get this beauty chugging away. A pair of built in stereo speakers and that clangy spring reverb add to the fun. Its VERY addictive, cause like the system 100, its so instant and heroic. I reckon EVERY synth enthusiast should have one.
4) Moog minimoog It took a while for me to be a convert to these, cause I
wasnt initially impressed by the lack of tweakability compared to the others Ive listed, but of all the moog products, the mini has a sound that is funky, sexy, powerful, soft, emotional.you name it. Its THAT lter, coupled with some neat little tricks you can perform by putting the signal back into itself and thickening the sound even more and so on. Its no wonder moog remade and remodelled it for the millennium and beyond, but the original has a character of its own
5) Yamaha CS80 Beautiful. No one has ever made anything like this again,
which is a shame as the technology is there. Everything on this instrument screams power and nesse, which is down to the delicacy with which you can make changes in real time because of the polyphonic aftertouch, the ring mod, the ribbon.its in a class of its own. Its a good job RL Music and KSR are there, because CS80s are becoming thin on the ground and the only minters
Ive seen are from you guys. Again, the reality of this machine far outstrips the myth and you have to experience it for yourself to really understand.
Q - Any last words to our analog fans out there? A - If you own at least one vintage analog synth in your arsenal, youll have some part of your sound that will allow you to stand out a little from the crowd. Youll also be investing in something for a rainy day. Thats a win-win situation, and people like RL Music and KSR are thankfully still around to help you if you need it.

Q - Thank you for your time, Shekhar and good luck with all your projects for the future. A - Its a pleasure Rich and thanks for the interview.
Juicy audio productions: www.juicyaudio.com
Further samples of shekhars work can be found here: www.yookamusic.com/ymn/juicyaudioproductions

P-S Series

Power Amplifiers
P7000S P5000S P3500S P2500S

P7000S Rear Panel

Reliable, professional-quality power amplification for a broad range of applications.
In 4 bridged mode the P7000S delivers 3200 watts, the P5000S 2600 watts, the P3500S 2000 watts, and the P2500S
1300 watts. Yamaha's exclusive EEEngine technology significantly reduces power consumption and heat generation. Independent sweepable high-pass and low-pass filters on each channel so you can optimize output for subwoofer or full range systems. Neutrik Speakon output jacks and 1/4-inch output jacks for each channel, in addition to 5-way binding post. Balanced XLR and 1/4-inch TRS jacks are provided for channel input. Variable-speed fans offer quiet, efficient cooling. Comprehensive protection includes power on/off muting, DC detection, thermal protection, current limiting, and a protective cover for the attenuators. YS Processing (Yamaha Speaker Processing) achieves optimum matching with Yamaha Club Series loudspeaker systems.

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

Model Output Power 1kHz, THD+N = 1% 1kHz, 20ms burst 20Hz ~ 20kHz, THD+N = 0.1% 8 bridge bridge 8 bridge Voltage Gain Input Sensitivity SN Ratio Power Consumption THD+N Frequency Response Crosstalk Damping Factor Maximum Input Level Input Impedance Controls Front panel Rear panel Connectors Indicators Load Protection Amplifier Protection Cooling Fan Power Requirements Dimensions (W x H x D) Weight Included Accessories * Half power = 1/2 power output level Input Output RL=8 RL=8 20Hz~20kHz, DIN AUDIO 1/8 power (4 pink noise) Idle 20Hz~20kHz, 1/2 power, RL=4 RL=8, Po=1W, 20Hz - 50kHz 1kHz, half power, 8 Att. max, input 600 shunt RL=8, 1kHz +22dBu 30k (balanced), 15k (unbalanced) POWER switch x 1 (push on/push off), Attenuator x 2 (31position) MODE switch x 1 (STEREO/BRIDGE/PARALLEL), FILTER switch x 2 (SUB WOOFER/LOW CUT/OFF), FREQUENCY control x 2 (25Hz ~ 150Hz) (12dB/oct), YS PROCESSING switch x 1 (ON/OFF) XLR-3-31 type x 2, 1/4" TRS phone x 2 Neutrik SPEAKON NL4 x 2, 5-way binding post x 2 pairs, 1/4" phone x 2 POWER x 1 (Green), PROTECTION x 1 (Red), TEMP x 1 (Red) heatsink temp 85C, YS PROCESSING x 1 (Yellow), SIGNAL x 2 (Green), CLIP x 2 (Red) POWER switch on/off mute, DC-fault: Amplifier shuts down automatically, Clip limiting: THD 0.5% Thermal: Output Mute (heatsink temp 90C) (Operation not restored automatically), VI limiter (RL 1): Output limit Variable-speed fan x 2 120V, 220V-240V; 50Hz/60Hz 480 x 88 x 456mm (18-7/8" x 3-7/16" x 17-15/16") 12kg (26.5lbs) Security cover1, Owner's manual 15kg (33.1lbs) 14kg (30.9lbs) Variable-speed fan x 1 Less than 0.1% +0dB, -1.5dB Less than -70dB More than 350 More than 200 +8dBu 104dB 650W 35W +6dBu 103dB 500W 35W P7000S 1100W x 2 750W x 2 2200W 1600W x 2 3200W 950W x 2 700W x 2 650W x 2 (230V) 1900W P5000S 750W x 2 525W x 2 1500W 1300W x 2 2600W 700W x 2 500W x 2 1400W 32dB +4dBu 102dB 450W 30W +3dBu 100dB 320W 25W P3500S 590W x 2 390W x 2 1180W 1000W x 2 2000W 450W x 2 350W x 2 900W P2500S 390W x 2 275W x 2 780W 650W x 2 1300W 310W x 2 250W x 2 620W

DIMENSIONS

unit : mm

30 374.46 5.5 456