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MARK
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MUSIC
WEB EXPRESS 3000 presents MARK DWANE Guitars Center Stage
My new
CD is entitled, Other Worlds and it was recorded in 2008-2009,
at my private studio here in Westlake. In regards to how the album
was recorded, I will try to detail the process… Each composition
begins with a unique set of individual elements. I usually determine
the core elements first and build around them. Each instrument or
sound element presents it’s own sonic signature and frequency
range. I will start with that component and e.q. for correction and
enhancement until I am impressed with the end result. Then it is a
matter of adding other components, one at a time, to see how they
interrelate. I am obsessive about which sounds produce the most desirable
result, so entire sessions can be devoted to a fashion show of potential
candidates. I always experiment, I love to be surprised and subtle
variations can make the difference between the mediocre and the spectacular.
Well,
my MIDI guitar system has been with me since I started this journey
in 1987. It’s an Ibanez X-ING guitar mated to a Roland GM-70.
It has it’s imperfections but I am comfortably familiar with
all it’s idiosyncrasies. I especially like the electronic pitch
bar feature, in that it does not physically move the bridge. MIDI
guitar has always been akin to black magic and requires a great deal
of patience and perseverance. As for my electric guitars, I have a
Parker Fly Deluxe, PRS Singlecut Artist, PRS Custom 24 Artist and
a PRS Custom 22 Artist. They are all wonderful instruments with their
own personalities. I string them with D’Adarrio 009’s. I
also have a Martin acoustic, Taylor nylon and Spector bass. All of
these instruments have been used on my recordings. For amplification
I always go direct. I use a MESA Formula for overdriven sounds and
a DBX 376 for high fidelity. I try to obtain as much tone as I can
get out of each instrument. So I will use various compressors and
e.q.’s but I never print effects on the guitars. This keeps the
original sound pristine and gives me processing options down the road.
I usually process the guitars with the Lexicons. I am always intrigued
with pedals so I try everything I can get my hands on. 95% of them
always go back because they degrade the sound quality. But I did find
a keeper recently in a Soundblox Multiwave Distortion that I used
on Other Worlds. When
I was a child, I was exposed to music that I think affected me subliminally.
My parents would always have the radio playing these Mantovani type
orchestrations of songs like “Never Never Land” and “Tonight”
from West Side Story. Beautiful melodies with these magnificent
sweeping string orchestrations. Then The Beatles arrived and they
changed my life. They were the catalyst that started me playing. George
Harrison was my first major influence. Web
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A
forerunner of combining instrumental rock with genres such as New
Age and electronica since way back in the late ‘80s, guitarist
Mark Dwane is a unique musician who deserves to be heard by fans of
all the above genres. Dwane made headway with his widely acclaimed
2007 CD 2012, and now on the 2009 release of Other Worlds
he breaks new ground with a CD that will thrill his long time fans
and bring in a host of newcomers. Recorded at his hi-tech Trondant
studios in Westlake, Ohio, Other Worlds is not only amazing
from a musical / musician standpoint, but it’s amazingly well
recorded without hardly a trace of distortion in the signal to noise
chain. In other words, you don’t need a ten thousand dollar CD
player to fully embrace Dwane’s modus operandi. One of those
outstanding, vintage Sony CD players made when the company was perfecting
the CD sound with their fabulous early ‘90s ES CD player series,
is just the ticket to blow away the cobwebs out of your brain. As
has already been pointed out, although he’s is a guitar player—and
there’s plenty of amazing electric, midi and slide guitar work
on Other Worlds—Dwane’s forte remains blurring the
lines of musical reason by combining a series of challenging audio
strategies that implement the guitar within a framework of a futuristic,
near science fiction approach to musical concepts. A must for those
who thrilled to the great music Jan Hammer was making during his brilliant
instrumental rock Miami Vice era in the mid '80s, Dwane’s
Other Worlds is a completely compelling and holistic musical
experience just made for guitar fans who think more clearly ‘out
of the box.’ 
It
is extremely important for everything to have it’s own sonic
space and for the arrangement to breathe. Ideally, I try to obtain
a clarity where each instrument is totally discernible in a three
dimensional sense. Every part of the composition, arrangement and
recording process is extremely important. Once I have obtained a “safe”
mix, I always do multiple variations and remixes. My Variants
CD is a collection of some of these alternate versions and remixes.
As far as my studio equipment goes, I am using Cubase on a PC for
my recording medium. I use an Amek console with Lexicon, T.C. Electronic,
SPL, Aphex and DBX processors. I am presently using Event studio monitors
with Hafler power. I mix analog to Sony DAT and bounce digitally to
master. I use Isotope Ozone for mastering. I always proof my mixes
on other systems for perspective, both high and low fidelity. I would
hope that each album reflects another phase of my musicianship. If
you do a bad album it’s easy to say, o.k. I have to do something
radically different for the next one. But if people like what you’re
doing, you tend to be more tentative about taking chances. So you
walk a fine line of introducing fresh perspectives while maintaining
your signature sound and style. If you compare Monuments Of Mars
to Other Worlds there is a big difference. But I think they
are both reflective of my sound and style. Ultimately, I endeavor
to produce music that is honest and that is a true reflection of myself.
That is very important to me. Artists have the gift of immortality,
we are able to leave behind an authentic piece of our souls for future
generations to discover and appreciate. As for guitar style, I think
it all comes down to the touch, phrasing and tonal characteristics
of the individual player. Sonically, I strive to get as much emotion,
tone and melodic sensuality as I can. Every guitarist would like to
think they have a unique voice, but that is for the listeners to judge.