Features / Series: What's That Noise?

Stephen Hamm Theremin Man shows off his theremin magic. Read more

Storm Ross SPB: Is there a single piece of gear that you would say is the most essential to “the Storm Ross sound”? Ross: As you can see in the video, I primarily play a 2008 Gibson SG Custom. I run this through an array of pedals, ending with a … Read more

Jono Giralt (Stress Positions – drums) SPB: Walk us through your drum kit and how you arrived at your sizes, etc. Giralt: I play on a Tama Starrclassic. All Bubinga shells. 12”, 18”, and 24”. Charcoal grey, I guess? They look nice. I’ve been playing the Ludwig raw copper phonic … Read more

Dick Lucas (Subhumans UK) SPB: You’re at least somewhat active in three different bands. Do you make a point with Subhumans to differentiate your vocal sound or delivery from your other bands? How so? Lucas: No. What sets the vocal sound for any song [is] whichever band is the music … Read more

Kevin (Sutekh Hexen) SPB: Walk us through Sutekh Hexen’s setup. [Here] is a sketch and quick video clip of the primary noise setup that I have used in Sutekh Hexen 2010-present. This sketch represents the absolute base setup. Various distortions, delays, or reverbs are switched out depending on what we're … Read more

Teddy Panopoulos SPB: The new record is strictly analog. Can you walk us through the (main) gear that you used? Read more

Serge Nakauchi Pelletier (TEKE::TEKE – guitar) SPB: You use a variety of instruments. Were there any mic challenges or unique studio setups to require the sounds you achieved on Shirushi last year? Nakauchi Pelletier: I don't recall any “challenges” per se in terms of set ups or even choices of … Read more

Tom Gibbs (The Bar Stool Preachers – guitar) SPB: What kind of guitar do you use, and what do you specifically like about it? Gibbs: I’ve got two axes in my touring arsenal. My favourite though has to be the “1962 Hagstrom KENT PB-24-G.” I love that its super lightweight … Read more

Jim Blaha (The Blind Shake - guitar) SPB: What type of guitar do you play with The Blind Shake and how did you pick that model? Blaha: For The Blind Shake I always was drawn towards the cheaper models like Univox, Tiesco and Danelectro (they were cheap when the band … Read more

Fotis Tzanakis (The Contenders – guitar) SPB: Can you walk us through your guitar gear? Tzanakis: Here's a more detailed way of how I come to the sound for my guitar playing for Contenders: I play a Peerless solid body. I treat recordings and gigs quite differently when it comes … Read more

James Woodard (The Grasshopper Lies Heavy – guitar) SPB: I have two #1 guitars; one for stage; and one that stays home for recording and practice. Woodward: My old #1 is my 1982 Gibson Les Paul Standard in a tobacco burst finish. It came into a guitar store I worked … Read more

Erica (The Holy Circle – synth/vocals) SPB: What elements of your current keyboard, to you, are essential to “The Holy Circle” sound? (And what is the make/model you play?) Erica: I play a Micro Korg and Moog Little Phatty through a Holy Grail reverb, Death-by-Audio MicroDream, and a Electro-Harmonix 720 … Read more

Sam Black (The Tunnel - bass) "What's That Noise?" is a series about gear. Show us some of your key pieces. Read more

Eric Quach (Thisquietarmy) SPB: In recording your new record, did any particular piece of gear (or combination) stand out for how it captured or delivered the final tone that you were seeking for the album? Quach: Not anything in particular per se. Though to further elaborate that answer, here are … Read more

Andy (Thou) SPB: Was the mic’ing in the studio when you recorded Magus fairly straight forward, or were there some things you and the engineer did to find the right mics or experiment with sounds? Andy: The mic’ing was more or less the same as most of our previous records, … Read more

Will Butler (Tired of Everything – vocals) SPB: Tired Of Everything is your first time singing in a band. Between your first show and today, what have you done to shape how your voice sounds live? Butler: I would say, honestly, I still don't know what I'm doing as far … Read more

Adam (Tongue Party – bass) SPB: What is your amp setup and how did you choose to pair that with your guitar? Adam: So I used to use nothing but old Peavey bass heads but I kept frying them and blowing them the fuck up. I love that old Peavey … Read more

Jeff (Too Many Voices-bass) SPB: What type of bass do you play and how did you get it? Jeff: I own a few basses. I have an acoustic bass guitar I fiddle around with at home (bought that in 2004 at a music store in Denver), a Fender Musicmaster bass … Read more

John Hoffman (Vacation, The Mimes) SPB: From when you were starting out to now, what parts of your setup in studio have help to voice your sound as it stands today? Hoffman: I'd have to say it's my Tascam 122 cassette deck. It's a two-track cassette desk that can monitor … Read more

Josh Fleming (Vandoliers) SPB: Take us through your gear setup from your last tour? Fleming: We roll around the country as a six-piece band, stuffing everything in to the back of a Ford Transit named Vannah Montana. I play a Gibson SJ200 and SJ100 ‘cause they are giant and I … Read more