One man and his gear
Beatboxer Dub Fx has been making quite a name for himself on the live circuit, with his loop-based performances wowing crowds around the world. He’s a recording artist too, releasing Everythinks A Ripple, his first full-length album, last year.
MusicRadar wanted to find out more about the gear behind the Dub Fx sound, so we asked him to photograph his favourite studio pieces and tell us how he uses them.
Dub Fx’s sample collection - Dub Fx - Vocal Beats, Bass And FX Vol. 1 - is available now from Loopmasters
NEXT: studio overview
Overview
“This is just a general shot of the studio where I write and develop my live set up.”
Boss GT-10B bass guitar effects processor
“This is my GT-10B. I can’t really work without this pedal, especially for my live show. I originally started with the GT-6 nearly 10 years ago, then the GT-8 and finally the GT-10B. It really is the heart of where my sound comes from: in live situations all my FX come from this pedal. I even run it as a send or an insert in the studio over all kinds of things.”
Focal SM8 monitors
“My Focal SM8s are the best speakers I have ever heard! I can’t stress how much quicker it is for me to mix on these speakers. I used to have to A/B my mixes on other speakers around the house and in the car etc, but on these bad boys if it sounds right it’s right!”
Outboard
“I have had the RME Fireface 400 audio interface for four years on the road all around the world and it has never failed me yet. My Manley Voxbox is awesome for recording vocals. I love the EQ and compression on it when I record my beatboxing; it does something to the transients that I can’t really do with plug-ins.
“The SPL Tube Vitalizer was something I bought while recording the Flower Fairy album. I wanted a piece of hardware to use while mastering and I came across this. It’s got a really nice top and bottom end. I usually start my mastering chain with a massive hi- and low-pass, making the mix sound very mid-range and tinny, then I boost the low and high frequencies with the Vitalizer, which gives it a really warm crisp analogue feel.”
Guitar
“This guitar is a custom job. It’s got a really thin body with an acoustic mic inside it and a humbucker pickup. I love that it makes either a jazzy sound, a wicked acoustic sound or a blend of the two pickups together. I used it to record all the guitar parts on the Flower Fairy album, and I have also recorded it for my new album. Usually I write a lot of my songs on this as a starting point and see what happens when I try it with my pedals.”
Soundelux U195 condenser mic
“I have gone through a lot of different mics and preamps over the last seven years and this seems to be the best mic for my voice. It’s got a great vocal sound with a ‘fat boost’ switch which boosts the 200kHz region a little. I love the top end on this mic and I never use anything else in the studio.”
Software
“My DAW is Cubase 6 and I master and compile my CDs with WaveLab 7. I use Stylus RMX a lot to layer beats for making jungle and DnB drums for my live show, where I trigger the drum loops with a sampler. I also use all the Komplete 7 tools as well for synths and sampling in my studio projects.”
Rode M1
“I love this dynamic mic. It’s really heavy and feels good to hold. I sometimes use a Shure Beta 58 if my sound is a little dull on certain systems, but the M1 has a really warm and clean tone to it.”
Dub FX’s sample collection - Dub FX - Vocal Beats, Bass And FX Vol. 1 - is available now from Loopmasters
Liked this? Now read: Carl Craig's favourite music software
“Michael Stipe said it was his favourite dance album – he used to put it on and then write his lyrics for REM to it”: Rave icons Utah Saints on their legacy, sampling Kate Bush, and the challenges of making their debut album
“They're French. I would say it's a kind of techno prog band”: Elvis Costello reckons that the Brooklyn warehouse gig he saw Justice play was “one of the great shows I've ever been to”
“Michael Stipe said it was his favourite dance album – he used to put it on and then write his lyrics for REM to it”: Rave icons Utah Saints on their legacy, sampling Kate Bush, and the challenges of making their debut album
“They're French. I would say it's a kind of techno prog band”: Elvis Costello reckons that the Brooklyn warehouse gig he saw Justice play was “one of the great shows I've ever been to”
