Hex Orchestra

At the conclusion of the article was the comment from someone attending the Byrne discussion at SXSW who stated that the downside to downloads was the sound quality as compared to CD. We all have heard this before. What no one seems to discuss is the fact that low quality MP3's exist simply because they take less time to download on low bandwidth connections. Even with a 56K connection people can download a 5MB songfile in a "reasonable" amount of time. However, we are living in a new age - one in which 2Mb connection speeds are the norm and many ISP's are now offering up to 16Mb. This is the fastest growing area of ISP's and at these rates we will easliy witness Mr. Byrnes prediction of digital downloads outselling CD's by 2012. I think it will be sooner than that. Especially if DRM issues are put to rest. But there is another benefit to all this - the low quality MP3 will be replaced by higher fidelity file formats that are now not widely offered because of the time it takes to download files formatted at 16/44.1 or higher. But just as downloads will be the norm and CD sales will decline so poor quality audio formats will be replaced by file formats that will equal or surpass current CD quality. By the time 2012 rolls around we might be looking at even fast connection speeds enabling customers to download multi-channel formats as well. The future is bright!

OK, I will do my best and will try not to ramble (but I usually do so I will ask forgiveness outright) With regard to influences there are many. But from the entire spectrum of musicians, composers and songwriters I would most certainly include Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny, Joni Mitchell, Igor Stravinsky, the teachings of Howard Roberts, Pat Martino, and so many of the same names that so many have counted as influencers before....but, egads, as I write this I realize that the list is so long it would be ludicrous to attempt to put all the names down. Aside from the teachings of my father who is a prolific artist and my mother who was a fine musician, the most profound influence on me was one of my teachers from years ago. His name was Mac McKernan (he passed away nearly 5 years ago). I studied the works of major composers with him and he opened the door to many melodic, harmonic and rhythmic concepts. From him I learned not to be afraid to reach out - not to worry what other people thought - just reach for the muse. Just summing up this influence question: any and all music that touches the heart is inspiring to me. But influences are not limited to music. The world of photography, painting, sculpture, film and an awareness of socio-politcal spectrum have influence on all of us as musicians. As musicians we hear music from all of our sensory experiences. That is the easy part. The hard part is is capturing the music heard in the minds ear in some physical, recorded form when these sensory experiences offer musical inspiration. And that is exactly what is so inspiring about working with Lee Groves. Lee has been able to take our combined melodic and harmonic concepts and bring them to life. Hex Orchestra is really all about three musicians (myself, Lee Groves and Pete Marett) who capture musical ideas using our various instruments and Logic Pro, then engage our sphere of friends who wish to be part of the continued musical exploration. Lee then adds his magic using a Mac and Logic Pro and the process of production begins. That in and of itself is a whole topic. Many actually. You also asked about guitars. Uh-oh. This is where I get into trouble. I have a serious case of Guitar Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) :^) At the moment I am using and following acoustics, solid-bodies, and semi-hollows: Taylor 614 CE with Neves K4 preamp Baby Taylor (3/4 size) Benito Acoustic Gibson Centennial Series Nick Lucas 1972 Pimental Nylon 1966 Bill Barker Archtop (once owned by - get this - Nancy Sinatra. At least that was the story I was told...."these boots....) Gibson ES 335 Veilette Baritone 12 String Parker Fly Deluxe Godin Multiac steel string Godin Multiac nylon string Brian Moore C90P.13 Brian Moore i4P Bass No-name 4 string bass Ibanez George Benson GB-10 Fender Stratocaster You also asked about blending the sounds of the guitars with electronics. I use very little outboard gear. A few pedals every now and then and I also own a Vox Tonelab (the one with a couple of rocker pedals). Virtually all the other sounds happen in Logic Pro. I use several virtual amplifiers - the Waves GTR 2.0, Amplitube 2.0, Native Instruments Guitar Rig and Guitar Amp Pro in Logic. Between all of these plugs I can get virtually every amp sound that I hear in my head. All the other effects are plugs from Logic Pro and a host of other AU plugs from a variety of manufacturers. Anyway, sorry for the ramble. :D M

Sure. You want to take the lead on this or should I just fire away? M

:) Hey method - glad you like the name. It came to us in a stroke of weirdness :D Cheers, M

Hi D.A.I.C. :) Thanks so much for finding our music on myspace. Since your original post we have changed the name of the project. I have always been a bit uneasy just having this under my name as it is truly the work of so many people. After much consternation (uh, did I spell that right??) Lee and I have named the project Hex Orchestra and we have posted some of the new tracks in progress here. For those who visit the site you will hear Dominic Miller (Sting) who performed on Peace, Vernon Reid (Living Colour/Masque) who solo'd on Experiment, and Nina Madhoo (London based singer/lyricist) on Redemption Day. We are finished tracking parts on the album and will begin mixing this week followed by a mastering session. We will let everyone know when this album will be available as soon as all the T's & C's are (bits and pieces) are sorted. All the best! Mark