#for the best immersive experience turn on Listen to the Stereo!!
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I think Tumblr will appreciate this idea kek
Grian CuTeGuY but he is one of Arcobaleno from Katekyo Hitman Reborn! His lil bird transforms into his weapon as well
#grian fanart#hermitcraft#cuteguy#my art#digital art#mcyt fanart#mcyt#digital illustration#katekyou hitman reborn#for the best immersive experience turn on Listen to the Stereo!!#cuteguy fanart
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Crash a Bash
A/N: a story of a human, who dares to join a party hosted by monsters. it’s set in halloween.^^ 🎃🎃
Word Count: 714
TW: None
***
At a house, people hooted and hollered across from the foyer. They occupied most rooms, immersed in what to do. Multi-colored lights flicked around from a ceiling, leaving some shadows revealed.
Most of them wearing costumes of varying types. Ranging from garish to understated. Highly detailed to totally simple. Either they showed up as creatures from folklore or characters from a media, they all attended the party in an ensemble.
The guest gasped, their attention roaming to what they saw. They steered from other people's lane in an attempt to maintain a low profile.
In honesty, they shouldn't be here. A regular human in a frat house of other creatures. They had been warned of potential harm if they did go. They didn't listen because well. . . they couldn't pass this up.
Not when they could experience what it could be like.
A monster mash, eh? Sounded like their type of party.
Sure, they probably shouldn't take part in supernatural events. But come on? They would be a fool to not join this one. They could pretend to be someone they were not for one night.
What could possibly go wrong?
Thankfully, they didn't need to enter with an invitation. They only discovered this party from a flyer, obtaining the address. They had prepared right then and there, exhilarated by such a fascinating prospect.
Although, they probably should have dressed up as a scarier creature than an alien. They covered most of themself with a tin foil-looking suit. It was based on those sci-fi movies, where most aliens wore
Two partygoers, a harpy and a vampire, pulled up and looked at them. They refused to crumple. They didn't need to fear these people. They probably didn't intend to scare any random guest.
"Yo, sick costume!" the harpy screeched, beaming.
"Thank you," they replied, grinning.
The vampire bared her fangs, pointing at an empty sofa. "Why don't you get over here?"
"No thanks." They waved their hands dismissively. "I can't afford to fail taking advantage of the buffet table."
They both nodded and moved past them. They proceeded to a living room, where music blared from a high quality stereo. Guests crowded a dance floor, their limbs grooving along to it's buoyant tune. Some other guests surrounded a table, chattering and eating food.
As their eyes landed on the buffet table, their jaw dropped.
Score! They must have won a lottery because damn. . . so much food to eat.
So, they plucked a disposable plate and served themself. With some dark chocolate cake, spaghetti, and a bowl of chips. They also poured a glass of punch for themself.
They started digging in, standing near an empty corner. Just paying attention to their food, savoring it's taste.
People gathered around a pool table, calculating on what moves to take.
As they discarded their plate in a trash can, the group let out noises of discontent. They snickered and shook their head.
Compared to humans, they also get riled up during eager competitions.
Someone ran towards them, pulling them towards a group sitting on the floor.
"Bruh, you've got to try this!" the werewolf said, clapping them at the back. "This barrel's awesome! It's got a load of pineapple juice!"
They arched a brow.
"Pineapple juice, huh?"
"Yup! It's gonna taste so good!"
Fine then. If they politely insisted.
As they picked up a cup, they filled it with pineapple juice. People chanted 'chug, chug, chug,' and they complied to their request. They guzzled most of it and they cheered, providing a round of applause.
They crushed the cup against their forehead. The other guests' turned louder, laughing and guffawing. They grinned, propping their hands at their sides.
Damn, they did good. Best of all, they didn't see a human in their midst. Just another partygoer, who got here for some fun.
And it should be that way for tonight. They didn't have much intentions other than to party.
Technically, they didn't fit in then again, they didn't need to. That was what the Halloween spirit was all about, right? Being someone who they weren't for an entire day? Disguising their true selves from anyone, who wouldn't think twice?
Yeah, so they were alright.
Surrounded by several people, music, and good food, they indulged in doing what they could.
***
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Budget-Friendly Ways to Improve the Sound Quality of Bookshelf Speakers
Do you have a set of bookshelf speakers that produce low-quality sound? Are you looking to improve the sound quality of your bookshelf speaker in a budget-friendly way?
Improving the sound quality of bookshelf speakers on a budget can be done by optimizing speaker placement, adjusting amplifier and receiver settings, and considering DIY sound absorption solutions and regular maintenance.
We'll discuss budget-friendly ways to improve the sound quality of bookshelf speakers. Whether you're an audiophile or just want to get the most out of your current setup, these tips will help you get the best out of your audio system without spending too much money.
Speaker Placement to Improve the Sound Quality of Bookshelf Speakers in budget-friendly ways
As a big music fan who owns bookshelf speakers, I've learned that where you put the speakers has a big effect on how good they sound.
Choosing the Right Location for Speakers
When I first set up my bookshelf speakers, I put them in the corners of the room because I thought that would make the sound seem like it was coming from all around. But I quickly found out that wasn't the case. The bass was too loud, and the sound was hard to hear.
Experimenting with Different Positions
After doing some research, I found that the placement of speakers is a key part of getting the best sound quality. I decided to try it out in different places and, in the end, chose the one that made the best sound. I moved the speakers away from the corners, closer to ear level, and at a slight angle toward where people would be listening.
The difference was clear right away. The sound was clear and even, and the stereo image was more clear. No longer did I have to turn up the volume to hear the music's details. The soundstage was bigger and more immersive, which made listening to music much more fun.
Overall, I learned that the best sound quality comes from having the speakers in the right place. To find the best place for your bookshelf speakers, you need to try them out in different spots. You can improve the sound quality of your bookshelf speakers without spending a lot of money if you try a few different things.
Under Standing the Acoustics of the Room
As someone who likes to listen to music and watch movies at home, I've learned that the way your room sounds has a big impact on how well your speakers sound.
Identifying Problematic Acoustic Elements in the Room
I found this out when I moved into a new apartment that was much bigger and had a different layout than my old one. I was surprised at first by how different my bookshelf speakers sounded in the new room.
After doing some research, I found that the main reason for the change in sound quality was the way the room sounded.
The harder surfaces, bigger windows, and higher ceilings in the new room made it echo and reverberate more. I also noticed that sound waves bounced off the walls and made the sound from the speakers hard to hear.
Improving Room Acoustics on a Budget
To solve these problems, I started to try out different ways to decorate the room and acoustic panels. I put up curtains and area rugs that absorb sound, and I even made my own acoustic panels out of insulation materials and fabric.
I also put the speakers away from surfaces that would reflect sound and tried different distances and angles.
The difference was huge, and my speakers sounded much better and more balanced after that. I couldn't believe how much better the sound was after these simple changes.
Overall, I learned that the acoustics of the room are very important if you want your bookshelf speakers to sound their best, and that trying out different treatments and placements can make a big difference.
Using High-Quality Cable
As a cheap audiophile, I've never believed wires impact sound. I assumed that working wires wouldn't affect sound quality. After reading and seeing some cable quality articles and videos, I decided to try it.
First, I upgraded my bookshelf speakers' basic speaker wires. The soundstage and clarity were immediately noticeable. My music has new sounds.
Then, I switched my receiver-to-source wires. I wasn't expecting much. But the sound grew smoother and the bass crisper and more controlled.
I found some inexpensive wires that increased sound quality. Then I also learnt that system quality affects cable quality and that cables should match system capabilities.
I now prioritize cable quality when upgrading my system since my experience has convinced me that cables affect sound quality.
Using Speaker Isolation Pads
Speaker isolation pads have improved my bookshelf speakers' quality as a music lover. I researched speaker isolation pads to increase sound quality without breaking the budget.
I noticed a change after buying speaker-specific foam isolation cushions. Pads reduced sound-altering vibrations. This improved sound clarity and accuracy.
Speaker isolation pads are straightforward to use and require no setup. Just place the pads on top of your speakers and go. The cushions improve sound and prevent speakers from scratching furniture.
If you want to increase bookshelf speaker sound quality without spending much, consider speaker isolation pads. These may appear little, but they may greatly improve speaker quality.
Experiment with Speaker Settings
Being a music lover and audiophile, I'm always searching for cheap methods to improve my bookshelf speakers. Experimenting with speaker settings works best.
When I got my bookshelf speakers, I plugged them in and played music. I soon learned that the default settings might not be optimum for my environment and music.
To find the right sound, I adjusted the bass and treble. I also adjusted soundstage and image with balance and fader settings.
I also valued the crossover frequency. This controls the speaker's woofer-to-tweeter switch. I blended the two drivers' sounds by altering this parameter.
I've found that tweaking my bookshelf speakers' settings improves sound quality without costing much. The result is worth the trial and error.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About “How can I improve the sound quality of my bookshelf speakers without spending a lot of money?”
Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQ) about improving the sound quality of my bookshelf speakers without spending a lot of money :
Do I Need to Buy Expensive Speaker Cables to Improve Sound Quality?
No, expensive speaker cables are not necessary. Instead, look for high-quality cables that are affordable. Even simple upgrades like thicker gauge or better shielding can improve sound quality.
Will Moving my Speakers to a Different Location Help Improve Sound Quality?
Yes, the placement of your speakers can greatly impact sound quality. Try moving them away from walls or corners, and experiment with different distances and angles to find the optimal placement.
Do I Need to Buy New Speakers to Improve Sound Quality?
No, there are many ways to improve the sound quality of your current bookshelf speakers. Experiment with speaker placement, settings, and room acoustics, and consider adding speaker isolation pads to reduce vibration.
Can Adjusting my Speaker Settings Really Make a Noticeable Difference in Sound Quality?
Yes, small adjustments to bass, treble, balance, and other settings can have a significant impact on the sound quality of your bookshelf speakers. Experiment with different settings to find the sweet spot that sounds best to you.
Is It Worth Investing in a Separate Amplifier or Receiver to Improve Sound Quality?
It depends on your specific setup and budget. In some cases, a separate amplifier or receiver can greatly improve sound quality, but there are also other ways to optimize sound quality without spending a lot of money. Consider experimenting with different settings and placement before investing in new equipment.
Conclusion
I've found many ways to improve the sound quality of bookshelf speakers in a budget-friendly way. To minimize sound reflections, set your speakers away from walls and corners. To optimize sound projection, try different speaker placements and angles.
High-quality speaker cable and connections improve sound quality at low cost. Better connections and wires can minimize signal loss and increase sound quality.
Finally, speaker isolation pads can isolate speakers from their placement surface and prevent distortion-causing vibrations. Foam, rubber, or cork cushions are affordable.
Bookshelf speakers may be upgraded without spending much. Small changes to speaker location, cable quality, and isolation pads can improve hearing.
I hope you all liked the article. For more articles please visit : Rewirelessify
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5 Things To Consider Before Buying A Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
Bluetooth speakers are one of the easiest and coolest ways of carrying your music everywhere you go! Be it a house party, a pool party or a beach/mountain vacation - you can carry them around easily and make all your experiences more fun! But as you know, just like any other product, all bluetooth speakers are not the same. So how do you choose the one that suits you?
Well, here is a quick guide for you! Keep in mind these 5 key things before investing in a portable speaker and you are guaranteed to make the right choice:
Size matters!
No pun intended but one of the most important things that you need to keep in mind while buying bluetooth speakers is the size! Especially if you are looking for something that you can carry around then you do not need anything that is bulky or too heavy. You need to look for compact sizes that you can throw in your backpack and carry anywhere and everywhere.
Build quality
Another thing that you should pay attention to is the durability of the speaker. Something too delicate with no protection against splashes of water or dust will turn out to be a waste of money eventually.
Audio quality
This comes as a no-brainer but do look at the driver size of the speaker you are investing in. You need something that pumps out clear and loud music to make your house-parties lit.
Battery life
Bluetooth speakers run on battery and what is the one thing about batteries that annoys all of us the most? They run out! So take a look at the battery size of the speakers before buying. You do not need something which does not keep you company for long. Trust us, you will end up just looking for powerpoints to charge your speaker.
Connectivity
Bluetooth speakers run on bluetooth (i know that ready stupid) but trust us we have a point to make! Get a speaker that supports the latest bluetooth version as it ensures lag free streaming of music. Also, there are certain speakers that also support other modes of connectivity like aux. This gives you the freedom to be able to play music through a source of your choice.
Now that you have gone through the quick guide, it will be unfair on out part to leave you without giving some suggestions of the best bluetooth speakers. So here you go:
Stone 190
This portable bluetooth speaker knows how to pack a punch. Equipped with 52mm dynamic driver, this wireless speaker pumps out thrilling audio that keeps you entertained. You can either stream your music using bluetooth V5.0 or depend upon other connectivity modes like aux. Powerful 800mAh battery ensures that you get to enjoy up to 4H of immersive music. Feel free to carry this speaker anywhere as it supports IPX7 water 7 dust resistance rating that keeps it safe against any accidents.
Stone 1000 v2
Unleash the party animal in you as these powerful portable speakers are here! Designed by acoustic experts, this speaker pumps out a 14W stereo audio with a bass radiator that brings your favorite music to life. The unmatchable audio quality forces you to instantly take the dance floor and groove to your favorite tunes. It packs a powerful 3000mAh battery that ensures a playback of up to 8H. So be it a road trip or a casual hangout - these speakers will keep on pumping. They offer a choice when it comes to connectivity - you can either connect via bluetooth or establish a wired connection over aux. These speakers are IPX5 water & splash resistant.
JBL Clubz 750
Another marvel from the JBL universe. They are perfect for you if you want to treat yourself with flawless music, everytime! The dual equalizer offers amazing bass and loud music. The bass radiators further take it to another level. And if you want to take your listening experience to another level then simply connect two speakers together and double the fun. With this, you get a playtime of up to 10H. So say goodbye to keeping your speaker near the power points, always! And carry them anywhere you go as this speaker also supports IPX7 waterproof design.
Mi Bluetooth Speaker
A perfect match for all the audiophiles out there! These speakers support a portable and trendy design. They offer outstanding audio quality and also allow you to take hands free calls. All thanks to the built-in mic. They offer a playtime of up to 8H.
Boult Audio Bassbox
Rich in bass and amazing sound - this speaker is a hit among the masses already. The 10W speakers offer you a stereo audio experience coupled with Passive Bass Radiators which can pump up the party. An 8-hour long battery backup ensures that the speakers last longer at your party.It also supports IPX5 rating! That’s all! Hope you get the best bluetooth speakers for yourself now!
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Juggler the best speaker of 2023 with TWS.
Unleash the power of sound with Bluetooth speakers.
Bluetooth speakers have become increasingly popular in recent years as more people have turned to wireless audio solutions for their music needs. These portable speakers allow you to stream music from your smartphone, tablet, or computer without the need for any cables or wires, giving you the freedom to take your music with you wherever you go. Before buying a Bluetooth speaker, you should consider several factors, including sound quality, battery life, portability, connectivity, etc. The sound quality and performance of Tempt Bluetooth speakers offer unparalleled clarity and precision. Music enthusiasts, whether at home or at a party, will love these wireless Bluetooth speakers.
Experience music like never before with the convenience of high-quality Bluetooth speakers.
There are several advantages to using portable Bluetooth speakers over traditional speakers that require a wired connection. A Bluetooth speaker offers many advantages, including portability, which is one of the most appealing and basic features one might look for. The speaker has no wires, so you can take it anywhere, whether to the beach, on a camping trip, or to another room in your house. Bluetooth speakers are amazingly easy to use. Connect them wirelessly to your phone or other device, and control playback at your fingertips. Bluetooth speakers can also be paired together to create a multi-room audio system. This allows you to play music in different rooms of your house simultaneously or to create a stereo pair for a more immersive listening experience. Overall, a good portable Bluetooth speaker is a versatile and convenient device that adds up to a fun time and helps you enjoy high-quality audio anywhere you go.
Best Portable Speakers
Due to their lightweight and small size, the Tempt portable speakers let you bring your party to every corner, wherever you are. Up to 15 hours of playtime can be enjoyed with these wireless speakers with thunderous bass and high-definition sound. If you are looking for something that fits any occasion or can handle all outdoor parties, these are the perfect addition. Aside from boosting your music, they are also stylish and convenient, making them a standout!
Not only does it help with listening to music better, but mini-Bluetooth speakers are a popular choice for those who want to listen to music or podcasts on the go or in places where there is no access to a power outlet, such as at the beach or on a camping trip. These headphones are ideal for binge-watching your favorite series or simply listening to soothing music in the background to concentrate. Despite their size, do not underestimate them! Despite their compact size, these speakers offer excellent sound quality. The sleek design makes them easy to pack in any bag. A seamless listening experience is provided by their easy-to-use controls.
Bluetooth speakers are a great option for anyone who wants to listen to music on the go without the need for cables or wires. By considering factors such as sound quality, battery life, portability, connectivity, and additional features, you can find a Bluetooth speaker that meets your specific needs and preferences. Stream your favorite tunes effortlessly with the Tempt Bluetooth speaker.
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(as of [price_update_date] - Details)
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Designed to get the best from movies, TV and music, the Denon DHT-S316 is the complete home entertainment package. With over a 100 years of firsts in audio technology, Japan’s first audio electronics manufacturer has an unrivalled reputation for audio quality. Fitted with two-way, stereo speakers and a punchy amplifier, the DHT-S316 delivers the smooth, detailed sound you’d expect from Denon. Dialogue sounds far more natural than with most TV speakers. For the perfect vocal balance, three presets tailor the dialogue to the ideal setting. There are also three listening modes. Choose between Movie, Night or Music modes for the ideal sonic balance with films, late night viewing and music. Helping you to truly feel like you’re at the movies, the Denon DHT-S316 is supplied with a separate subwoofer. Featuring a bass reflex port, this subwoofer is both compact and powerful. For easy positioning, the link between soundbar and sub is wireless. For quick and easy connection to your TV, this Denon soundbar features an HDMI interface. Thanks to the ARC (Audio Return Channel), you also only need a single HDMI cable between soundbar and TV to hear the sound from the TV's onboard receiver. There are also both optical and analogue 3.5mm inputs for other sources such as Blu-ray/DVD players and games consoles. As well as making your TV sound great, the Denon DHTS316 also offers effortless Bluetooth music streaming. Simply pair up and stream music from your smartphone, tablet or Bluetooth-equipped laptop or desktop computer. Stream your music library or use a music streaming service such as Spotify or Deezer to enjoy a massive range of music in Denon quality. At approximately 2" tall, the DHT-S316 fits in most spaces and can be placed in front of your display without blocking its bottom edge or IR remote sensor. You can also wall-mount the soundbar with the built-in keyholes. Raise the bar on your music and movie experience, with the Denon DHT-S316.
Immerse yourself in theater-quality sound with the Denon DHT-S316 sound bar and wireless subwoofer. Dual mid-range drivers, detailed crisp tweeters and Dolby DTS elevate your sound from a low-profile design. Powerful bass, without the cables. Give your favorite movies, music and shows the deep, rich bass it’s missing. Place the wireless subwoofer anywhere you want for optimal enjoyment
Never miss a word of your favorite TV show or movie. Denon Dialogue Enhancer improves dialogue intelligibility — ideal for movies and TV shows. Turn up the dialogue without having to adjust overall volume. Denon Virtual Surround mode delivers home cinema surround sound simulation with Dolby Digital and DTS Decoding from Blu-ray and other surround encoded media. Advanced psychoacoustic algorithms realistically simulate a multi-channel home theater surround sound speaker system
Quickly connect the DHT-S316 sound bar to your TV with the supplied HDMI cable or via the Optical input. Once connected via HDMI/ARC, control the sound bar with your TV remote — it’s seamless. A great solution for your entertainment needs, the Denon DHT-S316 Home Theatre Soundbar System with Wireless Subwoofer delivers crisp, enveloping sound for a cinematic experience at home
Standby Consumption: 0.3W, Bluetooth: Yes, Wireless Subwoofer: Yes, Sound Formats: Dolby Digital & DTS Decoding, Dialog Enhancer: Yes, Sound Modes: Movies, Music & Night, Wall mountable: Yes - Keyhole style wall mount, Maximum dimensions (W x D x H): Soundbar - 90 x 8.2 x 5.5 cm, Subwoofer - 17.1 x 31.2 x 34.1 cm; Weight: Soundbar - 1.8 kg, Subwoofer - 5.2 kg; What's included: Sound bar, Subwoofer, Remote Control (battery included), HDMI Cable, Optical Cable
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Best 5 Sellers Devises & Accessories
Alexa Voice Remote
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Ring Rechargeable Battery Pack
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Do You Need 1 Or 2 Subwoofers in a Car?
As you take that drive on a dull Saturday afternoon, nothing beats crisp, clear sounds with low bass frequencies from your car audio. Realism and depth will help you snap out of your crazy day. And there's no better way to enjoy the resounding audio without a subwoofer.
You might have been using your car stereo for some time now, but to tell the truth, you're missing out. Quality subwoofers will give you great dynamic ranges. But what's the best choice for your car–is it 1 or 2 subwoofers?
While everyone prefers their number of subwoofers, several factors will define your options. Stick around as we demystify and help you know what works for you.
Why 1 Subwoofer Might Be the Best Choice For Your Car Audio System?
Like your house, your car too is a special place. Did you know people spend an average of 4.3 years in cars? That's quite a long time to spend in a non-comfy car seat and poor quality car audio. Why choose one subwoofer?
What Is the Space in Your Car?
Though subwoofers in the past were massive and took lots of space, they are smaller and lighter today. Because of this, they're no longer just relegated to the trunk of your car. Many people install them in the rear seats of their vehicles.
Now, as you may prefer two subwoofers in your car, you must check the available space—in the trunk or under the car seats. Best Subwoofers are about 10 to 12 inches. With minimal space, especially when your vehicle is small, you may not manage to have massive subwoofers let alone two.
What Are Your Sound Needs?
Different people have various sound needs. Maybe you want balanced bass, no sound distortions, and unidirectional sound. Well, that might define your options.
For instance, a single subwoofer bass ranges from 20 to 200Hz. And at such a frequency range, you're okay. So, check what you need and make a choice.
What About Your Budget Allowance?
Subwoofers provide a more immersive experience. It provides a deeper, richer sound than speakers alone.
However, subwoofers can be costly. How much are you willing to dig in your pocket? The amount budgeted will dictate whether you can get 1 or 2 subwoofers.
Still, some subwoofer brands are expensive and, therefore, more pocket friendly to have only one high-end sub.
Benefits of Installing 2 Subwoofers in Your Car
Are you looking for a real kick or softer bass for your car? You'll likely vibrate several cars next to you with two subwoofers, especially if you have high-quality subwoofers. Well, not to scare you, two subwoofers are an excellent choice for several reasons, as stated below:
Superior Bass
Two subwoofers provide much better bass than one. If you have only one subwoofer, it will only produce the low frequencies, not the deep low frequencies required for a full-bodied sound.
It is also important to note that installing two subwoofers in your car will help increase the bass output. And you will be able to hear the beat of the music much better than before when listening through just one set of speakers.
Besides, the low-frequency sound can help improve your music's bass response and overall loudness.
Better Stereo Imaging
With two subwoofers, you'll get a wider stereo image because it can reproduce frequencies lower than what can be produced by just one subwoofer. You'll hear sounds from the sides and behind your couch or seat—therefore, better sound equalization since there are two speakers instead of one.
Improved Response Time
Since both subs work together, you'll get quicker response times than just one subwoofer. The bass will start playing immediately as soon as you turn on your car and before the music starts playing!
Exceptional Sound Quality
If you have an old car and have been using just one set of speakers, you will know how muffled the sound can be when listening to music or watching movies on your car stereo system.
However, installing two subwoofers in your car will allow you to enjoy a much better sound quality. Since each speaker is tuned differently, it will produce different frequencies depending on its placement with other speakers. And you'll enjoy the exquisite sound.
Quality at Low Pricing
High pricing of excellent subwoofers should not stop you from experiencing breathtaking audio. Why? It is possible to get renowned sound system brands that offer discounts on dual subwoofer sets. You can make your car a true powerhouse with state-of-the-art subs. Check out your preference. You might get lucky!
What to Consider When Choosing the Number of Subwoofers for Your Car?
If you're looking to improve the sound quality of your car's audio system, installing subwoofers in your car is a great way to do so. But what do you need–is it 1 or 2 subwoofers?
Consider the enclosure size when choosing a subwoofer for your car. The enclosure needs to be big enough to hold the subwoofer, and it's best to find one that has a little extra room in case you want to add more equipment or use two subwoofers later.
How much power does your system need? If you plan on running multiple subwoofers, you'll want to ensure they have enough power available. It means that if you have a receiver with two channels that only has 500 watts of power available, then any additional amps will not be able to power those subwoofers correctly.
Apart from the subwoofers, are there other components in your system, such as rear speakers, that need driving? And if so, how much drive capacity does each one have? You might want to use only one subwoofer if you have various components to include in your car audio system.
Which is Right for You?
Are you yet to choose what will work for you? Here are more insights:
For serious Hi-Fi music production, two subwoofers are better than one. But, you must be competent in your car stereo connection. A good example is to connect the subs in the crossover at 80 Hz or below or make connections at an 18dB octave or more. It is a perfect way to ensure anyone cannot find the location of the subs. And the results–an even-out sound for a smoother response.
Dual subs are vibrant, balanced, and with perfect ambiance. However, one subwoofer is easy to fit in your car, can be cheaper to procure, and most brands have the sound features you want.
It can get confusing to select subwoofers and allow you to customize your vehicle's sound. But, you can choose different subwoofers depending on how much bass you want to hear. Now, I'd pick a dual subwoofer for my car for its excellent qualities with low pricing. You could too, but the choice is yours!
Conclusion
There is a lot of debate on whether installing two subwoofers in your car is worth the effort. Many believe one subwoofer will be sufficient for your vehicle. It could be a big mistake. Analyze what you have and settle for the best!
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Tesla is known for being a premium luxury brand, even outside its EV capabilities. If you’re thinking of getting a Tesla or have one, you’ll naturally want to crank your favorite tunes as you autopilot down the highway, but one question remains: what are the best Tesla audio settings?
Teslas have no best audio settings, but you may wish to boost the treble and bass to start. Other than that, what settings work best for your music are purely personal preferences, and you will have to play around with the settings to find what works the best for you.
In this article, I’ll be detailing how playing audio works in a Tesla, including premium features, as well as how to personalize your equalizer settings for your perfect sound experience.
How Does Audio Work In A Tesla?
If you’re no stranger to new cars, you probably know that most cars these days are equipped with touchscreens that control their music, radio, navigation, phone calls, and various other functions. In this regard, Teslas are no different.
Teslas support FM/AM radio, internet radio, DAB (digital audio broadcasting) radio, and Bluetooth or USB audio file compatibility. This gives users a wide range of audio choices to occupy themselves while they drive, including talk shows, music, podcasts, and more.
By the way, I wrote a somewhat related article called getting the best subwoofer for your Tesla. Check it out!
Tesla has a few premium options that set them apart from other car brands, including Premium Connectivity, Immersive Sound, and Ultra High Fidelity Sound. While the latter two actually alter the sound, Premium Connectivity is a data plan that lets you access a cellular data network.
The most important aspects that affect audio, and music, in particular, are your equalizer settings - these include treble, bass, and mids. Anyone passingly familiar with audio will know these settings well, but not everyone knows how to take advantage of these settings.
Teslas are self-driving into the future, and they also pack an awesome stereo to boot. While there’s no best audio setting for a Tesla, you can tweak the equalizer settings to find the best balance of frequencies for your musical experience. Photo: @chadhurin via Twenty20
What Is Immersive Sound?
Immersive Sound is a premium audio option for Teslas, and effectively creates a sense of audio immersion by employing delays in sound to create the illusion of the sound coming from three dimensions. This creates the sense of the music being heightened, establishing a new surround sound-like feel.
Immersive Audio can be turned off, on, and controlled in increments depending on whether your Tesla has a partial-premium package or full premium - partial-premium users only have on, off, and auto.
Immersive Sound also controls the level of reverb and echo, further enhancing audio. To access this setting, go to your Settings in the Media player and there should be a slider for Immersive Sound.
Immersive Sound may sound like it’s a good thing, and it usually is, but you may wish to turn it off under some circumstances. For example, you don’t really need immersive audio to listen to a radio talk show or podcast.
Some types of music, too, may benefit from turning the setting off, but you have to tweak the setting along with your favorite tunes to find out what best suits your needs.
What Is Ultra-High Fidelity Sound?
Ultra-High Fidelity Sound, or UHFS, is a premium audio package available on older used Model S and X Teslas. In more recent models, including the Model 3, UHFS has been repackaged into ‘Premium Sound’ and included in every Tesla.
So, for new Teslas, this doesn’t exist. But if you’re concerned about finding a used Tesla with the best possible audio, you may want to look for one that’s equipped with UHFS. There are a number of differences between a regular Model S or X and one that has UHFS, and they make a huge difference.
Some differences include:
560 watts
(versus the standard 200w)5 more speakers (versus the standard 6)8” subwooferDolby Pro-Logic TechnologyXM Radio
It’s important to know that the newer Model 3s have a totally different stereo system that doesn’t include UHFS under any name, but many people believe its audio system is superior to those packaged in Models X and S.
So if you’re in the market for a used Tesla Model X or S, ask the owners if the car has UHFS. This may also drive the price of a Tesla up too, so bear that in mind when looking: UHFS was originally between $990 and $2500, so you’ll have to consider what kind of deal you can make.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCio6Gnk7N0
How Does the Equalizer Work in a Tesla?
The equalizers in Teslas aren’t magically different from other equalizers, and in fact, still accomplish roughly the same thing as many early digital equalizers. Presets are available such as Hip-Hop, Rock, Bass Boost, and more.
Equalizers control how prominent different types of frequencies are within the audio. You may wish to have very loud treble (high-pitched tones) and little bass for certain situations, for instance, or vice versa. Certain types of music, too, are ideally listened to with certain equalization settings.
But first, let’s check out exactly what treble, bass, and mids do for the music you listen to.
Treble
Many prominent female vocals fall within the umbrella of treble, or high-pitched tones. Lowering treble on an equalizer may cause female vocals and other high-pitched instruments to sound muffled or hushed, while drums and other mids will overpower them.
It’s critical to balance treble with mids and bass to ‘brighten’ the music - this means that the treble balances the ‘dark’ mids and bass in music.
Treble is crucial because it helps add clarity, focus, and aggression to music. Many people focus on bass for their bass-heavy music without realizing that it still won’t sound right if your treble is off.
Mids
Most sound falls under the hat of mids. The low range of mid, or low-mid, includes deeper male vocals, bass guitars, and some lower electric guitar sounds. Snare, tom-tom, and other drums usually fall here, too. A fun fact is that most hearing is focused within this range, so it’s absolutely critical you have the right balance of mids.
Electric guitar, higher male vocals, and deeper female vocals often fall under high-mid. These can be some of the most important sounds, but too much can sound brittle, peaky, or harsh.
Bass
Bass is over-emphasized in a lot of circles, especially audiophile and hip-hop communities. Bass provides music with a punchy quality that you can feel - it’s exciting to be able to feel your music in your seat, right? Well, if we’ve learned anything, it’s that balance is important, and that goes for bass too.
Too much bass can overpower the other tones in your music that help come together and make the music what it is - vocals and other instruments will sound muffled underneath the overpowering bass.
For most music, a fine balance of bass is important, while others place a high value on lots of bass. It all depends on your music.
Balance
The front-back balance of your music is critical to ensuring a good listening experience for the driver as well as any passengers who may be riding in the back seat.
If it’s just you as the driver in the car, setting the balance to the front may be ideal. However, if you regularly ride with other people in your Tesla, you’ll probably want to push the balance back a little so the people in the back can enjoy the music too.
How To Set Best Audio Settings in a Tesla
Setting the best audio settings in your Tesla depends primarily on the type of music you’re listening to and what you hope to get out of your listening experience.
To access equalization settings in your Tesla, select Settings at the bottom of your Media Player.
1. Try the ‘Flat’ Preset
While it’s fun to customize the way music sounds, sometimes the default is best.
In fact, most music is developed to sound the way it is under ‘flat’ conditions - that is, without equalization. Virtually all equalizers, including Tesla, have a flat setting. Ideally, you should select this setting and listen to your music with a critical ear.
Flat doesn’t always work because speakers aren’t perfect, and nor are their reproductions of the sound it’s playing. But a lot of the time you’d be surprised how good the flat setting works for music!
2. Try the Presets
If you’re a bit of an audiophile and like to tweak your music, try changing the settings while you listen to your music. So now you’re parked and have your favorite tunes playing, you’re no doubt wondering where to start.
Well, you can’t go wrong with flipping through the presets. If you’re a rock fan, you should try that preset, and hip-hop will enhance that type of music too - hip-hop is notorious for heavy bass, and rock will enhance the mids and treble a bit while keeping bass respectable.
If you’re not into tweaking every little aspect, you can’t go wrong with just finding a preset that sounds good and sticking with it.
3. Customize Your Equalizer Frequencies
If you want more control, Tesla allows you to adjust five frequencies - Bass, Bass-Mid, Mid, Mid-Treble, and Treble. These are controlled on the touchscreen with sliders that adjust the dB, or decibels of each frequency - decibel is how volume is measured for each frequency.
The ‘best’ equalizer settings are highly subjective and subject to personal preference.
If I had to recommend where to start, though, I would recommend a few places where you can start to tweak your equalizer settings and figure out what you like in your music.
Some suggestions are:
Raise the bass slider by 0.5 or 1dB while listening to your preferred music. If you don’t notice much of a difference, continue raising it until you like how it sounds. Bass is generally good for any type of music.Raise the treble by 3dB increments until it begins to sound harsh, then reduce by 1dB increments until it sounds good without being harsh or tinny. Treble often needs to be increased because ideally tweeters are pointed at the head, but most car stereos, including Teslas’, are not like this.If the instrumentals are too prominent, the mids are probably to blame. If it’s bassy instrumentals, slightly lower the bass-mid setting. If the instruments are high, lower mid, or mid-treble.For hip-hop and rap music, raise the bass until you’re satisfied with the thump you get from the music. Mid may need to be slightly raised as well to help vocals compensate for the bass increase.
In the end, there are no ideal or perfect equalization settings, but these are a few good places to start. There are five sliders to tweak, after all, so go play some music and mess around with them! Don’t forget to adjust your balance to match who’s riding in the car, too.
Can You Upgrade a Tesla Stereo System?
If you find that the Tesla stereo system isn’t up to your standards, you’ll likely want to look into replacing the factory speakers with aftermarket speakers that play higher-quality audio. But seeing as how Teslas are considered sophisticated and packed full of proprietary tech, can you even upgrade a Tesla stereo system?
You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that you can upgrade a Tesla stereo system, and it’s not much different than upgrading a different kind of car’s stereo.
If I had to recommend just one thing you add to your Tesla, it’d definitely be a subwoofer: adding a sub to your Tesla, especially if you don’t have one, will completely change your listening experience no matter what type of music you listen to.
You’ll need a wiring diagram and a repair manual to do it yourself, but qualified professionals are available to make the upgrades too. The difference is that when hiring professionals to replace a Tesla stereo, you’ll probably pay a fair bit more, depending on if they specialize in Tesla stereos.
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Turtle Beach Headphones: Qualities, Specifications, and Other Details
Games take you to a different world, induce a sense of connection to this world, and immerse you in the action or fantasy portrayed on your screen or the VR set. Every gamer knows that it is not just the eyes that transport you to the world of fantasy, ears play an important role too. All your Dreamlands, Battlegrounds, and Drag Races are incomplete without the accompanying music that rings in your ear.
So as you can see, you definitely need to invest in quality sound equipment just like our range of Turtle Beach headphones. We generate the exact sounds that any game wants you to listen to. So get ready to absorb the chime of the fantasy land, hear every footstep of your enemy, and catch the squeaks of distant birds in your virtual world. We provide a guaranteed immersive experience that will block the noise of one world and enhance the music of another.
Qualities of Turtle Beach Headphones:
The term game changer is frequently used in consumer electronics, mostly without purpose. However, the Turtle Beach headphones live up to this description. Turtle Beach headphones are available in both wired and wireless versions. They deliver audio quality that isn't closely attributed to gaming headphones, and they do it in such a sleek packaging.
Unlike other earphones, which suffer from poor stereo speakers and white noise, the Turtle Beach Headphones deliver an unconstrained, rich sound that is incredibly obvious in the bassline, midrange, and high frequencies rather than overemphasizing a single component.
Turtle Beach headphones offer a unique style motivated by the magnificent work found in luxury cars and high-end equipment. Perhaps some of the functions resemble to have been inspired by the automobile industry. Additionally, our headsets have three-stage Audio Innovation, which allows you to select between Base Amplifier, Dynamic Noise-canceling, and Cabled Speaker settings.
In terms of capability, Turtle Beach headsets are great for gaming as they can simply be customized to desired audio frequencies. They're also ideal for those prolonged streaming sessions because they can play for hours on end without straining ears.
Other producers may have a non-ergonomic structure, audio lowering and degrading over time, or an inability to replicate deeper tones, whether it is in-ear or on-ear headphones. Turtle Beach Headphones is indeed a popular brand in this market that has addressed all of these issues, and many more.
Our entire headphone product line offers a remarkable mix of quality, design, and simplicity that is unparalleled in the industry. With a product portfolio favored by most professional gamers as well as average music enthusiasts, we are turning into a sensation.
Specifications:
Durable: Gaming tends to be intense, we can assure you that Turtle Beach headsets can handle any amount of stress.
Lightweight: Speaking of stress, your neck and ears will be free from stress even after extended usage.
Longer Battery: Keep the game on, as our wireless headsets deliver 10 to 12 hours of battery backup.
On-ear controls: All the essential controls lay directly over the headset, that too at an ergonomic location.
Multi-platform compatibility: All our headphones connect to any of your favorite devices, be it Xbox, Playstation, or PC.
High-quality Output: Our 40mm and 60mm range of audio speakers produce every audible frequency with the highest quality resolution.
Powerful Amplification: Our in-built amplifier can enhance even a small bit of sound, so get ready to hear those butterflies on your screen.
Active Noise Cancellation: Say no to any disturbances while you play by canceling them out with our dynamic noise cancellation
Developed for Pro Gamers: We have designed every Turtle Beach headphone with the best gamers in mind.
Other Details:
Eclipse dual drivers: Software and hardware-enabled dual-channel music delivered directly into your ears.
Accutune Precision: Bid farewell to white noise and other overlaid amplitudes, every frequency is regenerated with accurate detail.
Variable Mic Monitoring: Multiple mics keep track of active and passive sound interferences. They are canceled out to produce deep and smooth recordings without any discrete noise.
Pro Specs Feature: Wearing Glasses? Worry not, our Turtle Beach Headsets relieve your specs vs headphone conflict.
Configurable Audio Controls: Adjust your controls the way you want them. No pressure, no confusion.
Our closing words:
Headphones are sophisticated instruments with a wide range of parameters. Turtle Beach headphones include cutting-edge technology created by our leading researchers. These headphones vary from earbuds to full-size headsets, so you can get just what you need. As a result, we can confidently assert that no better device combines music quality, noise cancellation, and comfortable fitting into a single aesthetically designed headset than the Turtle Beach Headsets.
So get something special to go with your gaming PC or console instead of makeshift products. Our headsets are a perfect match for your gaming needs.
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Sonic Youth Albums Ranked (Part 3)
6. Sister (1987)
Main Genres: Noise Rock, Alternative Rock, Post-Punk
A decent sampling of: Experimental Rock
This is the first LP in the Sonic Youth discography accessible enough to be labelled a true ‘Alternative Rock’ record. It’s still rough around the edges, but Sister is full of catchy hooks and thrilling guitar sounds. I feel like this record and Daydream Nation probably went on to spawn at least 200 new alternative rock bands by the time the 90s came around (not that I was there to see it or anything, just speculation).
Sister deserves a lot of credit for solidifying on tracks like “Catholic Block” and “Stereo Sanctity” what would become the dominant formula for the band’s sound throughout most of the rest of their discography. I think that's part of the reason why this is Sonic Youth’s second most acclaimed and beloved record. Perhaps some fans would even be downright offended that I only put this at #6 on the list, but trust me when I say that this is only because the band has made so many fantastic records. In fact, for most bands, this would easily be their greatest record.
I can still remember the first time I heard the opening to “Schizophrenia”, I had never heard anything quite like it. The guitars sound upbeat yet worn out and dejected, making me feel isolated and almost spiritually weak when I listen to this track, yet somehow also comforted. The song is partially inspired by Kim’s older brother who has schizophrenia, though the roles are reversed in this song with a brother whose sister is schizophrenic. It’s a deeply fascinating and memorable piece, and I can see why many fans consider this to be a top five Sonic Youth track.
Most of the rest of Sister is very scratchy and punkish with some very tight guitar work, like “Catholic Block” which boasts one of my favourite melodic riffs in the Sonic Youth canon. There’s also “Hot Wire My Heart”, another major highlight and a cover of the obscure British punk band Crime, where Sonic Youth takes their song and upgrades the guitars and drums while also adding a bold wall of feedback at the end.
Then there’s “Pacific Coast Highway”, a completely sickening song and one of Kim’s very finest moments as a lyricist and vocalist. This haunting noise rock jumble tells the story of either a unhinged stranger, or perhaps a resentful ex-lover, who is obsessively catcalling the listener from their car, with the not-so-subtle implication that you’re all by yourself somewhere and that this person intends to harm you. I have no idea if this was written about a personal experience, but I do know from listening to their voices that this is something many women have either gone through or live in perpetual fear of. Seriously fucked up stuff, but also one of Sonic Youth’s very best tracks.
"Cotton Crown” is an odd one out in the Sonic Youth discography; an uncharacteristically sincere but still off-kilter love song that Kim and Thurston sing as a duet. Their voices are a bit out of tune with each other, but i think that honestly fits the Sonic Youth aesthetic and it’s sweet in its own quirky way, although very bittersweet decades later with hindsight about the fate of their relationship. Sort of a noise rock lullaby almost, maybe even with hints of early shoegaze.
Sister does a really good job of taking the seemingly juxtaposing ideas of the ‘fun’ and the ‘grotesque’ and fuses them together. This album is both largely exciting and still somehow alienating and depressive. It’s textbook Sonic Youth, really. I will say that the best tracks are clustered together with a noticeably weaker middle portion, but really this is still a consistently great record throughout. Altogether, Sister is one of the many entries in the band’s discography from 1986 through 1990 where Sonic Youth could basically do no wrong. A classic record.
9/10
highlights: “Pacific Coast Highway”, “Schizophrenia”, ‘Catholic Block”, “Cotton Crown”, “Hot Wire My Heart”, “Beauty Lies in the Eye”
5. A Thousand Leaves (1998)
Main Genres: Noise Rock, Experimental Rock
A decent sampling of: Alternative Rock, Post-Rock, Neo-Psychedelia
I’m just gonna say this now: A Thousand Leaves is by far Sonic Youth’s most underrated record. It’s also the last truly amazing record that the band ever put out. Maybe it’s just the bizarre choice of an album cover that turns people off of this LP. Really, what the hell were they going for here with the minimalist hamster vibes? The beautiful title really suggests something a lot more visually stunning.
In all seriousness though, I feel like nobody talks about this one because it’s overshadowed by its predecessor Washing Machine, but if there’s one area that this record exceeds above all other Sonic Youth LPs, it’s that it perfectly captures that mellow feeling that the later Sonic Youth albums were inclined towards. Not a lot of Sonic Youth records put me at ease like this one does.
Likewise, this is maybe the most ‘feel-good’ record in their discography along with Murray Street. But where Muray Street is something you could put on in the background and enjoy pretty modestly, A Thousand Leaves is a largely experimental, out-of-body experience that pulls you into its surreal, flowery, evergreen world.
“Contre Le Sexism” is a perfect opener for this kind of record; this quiet daze of a waking dream is both dainty and delirious, alluding to Alice in Wonderland with Kim’s vocals never before sounding so gentle and bright. I swear I start to hear a door creak at the end. Maybe that’s the sound of stepping out into the rest of A Thousand Leaves.
What follows immediately after is “Sunday” which is actually one of the band’s poppiest moments, making it somewhat of an outlier on this highly avant-garde and immersive record. But the warm spring vibes of the melody fits right in. The wall of sound introduced during the bridge is a soft mesmerizing bliss more akin to a band like My Bloody Valentine, if not for the tiny distant screeches of atonality whirling around here and there. As a big fan of both bands, I’m all for this kind of sound.
“Wildflower Soul” is easily one of the best things Sonic Youth has ever written. Endless amounts of creativity are poured into this nine minute noise rock acrobatics performance along with a lyrical ode to love, nature, and childhood. The vibes of this one are really quite jaw-dropping given the fact that these are the same guys who wrote “Schizophrenia” and “Death Valley ‘69″. There’s such unison and harmony in the band’s performance here as they switch between different bpm and even time signatures, and the usage of the heavy phaser effect towards the end sounds nothing short of godlike. "Wildflower Soul” almost feels like an entire album experience in one song, and I’m beyond impressed every time I listen to it.
This makes for a hard act to follow, but A Thousand Leaves still has plenty of other highlights. “French Tickler” is a strange and satisfying track that switches back and forth between a playful melody and churning, stretchy distortion. “Karen Koltrane” is a murky but textured portrait of Lee Renaldo’s ex-girlfriend, who got addicted to hallucinogens and became heavily withdrawn from the rest of the world. “Snare, Girl” is a soothing spell where Thurston sounds like he’s trying to coax the listener into a never-ending slumber.
My only real complaint here is “Hits of Sunshine (For Allen Ginsberg)”, a lackadaisical jam session that sounds cool enough, but really overstays its welcome given the lack of development it achieves over its eleven minute run time. It’s a nice piece to vibe to, but it very noticeably disrupts the album’s flow. Take this one track away entirely, or even just edit it down severely, and this would probably be a 10/10 record for me.
Still, wow what a cool album. A Thousand Leaves is a great example of why I respect this band so much. Even this late into their career, Sonic Youth were willing to try so many new bizarre things while also building judiciously upon the foundations of their past work with great attention to detail. I wouldn’t recommend most people start with this one, it’s definitely a bit more challenging especially if you haven’t listened to some other really weird experimental rock records. But once you’re in the right headspace for it, it’s easy to get almost completely lost in A Thousand Leaves.
9/10
highlights: “Wildflower Soul”, “Sunday”, “French Tickler”, “Karen Koltrane”, “Snare, Girl”, “Contre Le Sexism”, “Heather Angel”
4. Goo (1990)
Main Genres: Noise Rock, Alternative Rock
A decent sampling of: Experimental Rock, Post-Punk
Goo was my very first Sonic Youth album, and I can definitely still feel some of the old teenage angst that I had at the time whenever I listen to this one. What probably adds to that feeling is the fact that this along with Daydream Nation is one of the two albums in the band’s discography that I’d say possesses a great deal of immediacy. Albums like Sister and A Thousand Leaves are a bit more subtle and they take a while to be fully digested. But this one, this one hit me like a brick wall.
Between “Tunic (Song For Karen)”, “Kool Thing”, and “Cinderella’s Big Score”, Goo is above all others the Sonic Youth record where Kim Gordon is really the star of the band, featuring not one but three of her most captivating songs. Likewise, I would also say that this is Sonic Youth’s most overtly feminist and socially conscious record.
I don’t know if anybody else feels this way, but to me the opener “Dirty Boots” really does sound like “Teen Age Riot” part 2. That’s not a bad thing of course, Sonic Youth making more songs like “Teen Age Riot” could never be a bad thing, and “Dirty Boots” is definitely one of the highlights of Goo with its massive build up of kinetic energy. That being said, I do have to say that I don’t think any song could do this particular kind of album opener better than “Teen Age Riot” already does it, but I still really do enjoy “Dirty Boots”.
“Tunic (Song For Karen)” is one of Sonic Youth’s most poetic and poignant songs. Kim’s sing-talking voice is even more solemn than usual as she takes on a surreal retelling of the final days of drummer/pop star pioneer Karen Carpenter from her perspective, highlighting the severity of her loneliness and the criminal negligence of many of the people around her who let her succumb to her eating disorder. Set to a backdrop of stark and droning alternative rock, I would say that this is possibly the band’s most depressing moment and certainly one of the biggest statements that they ever made.
A lot of the rest of Goo is actually pretty fun though. “Kool Thing” features Chuck D on guest vocals, and its a funny sarcastic take down of the subjugation of women’s voices in supposedly liberated spaces like the world of rock and hip hop, inspired by the time Kim interviewed L.L. Cool J and attempted to have a political conversation. The song mocks L.L.’s attitude towards women while also poking fun at Kim’s own self-perceived elitism. There’s also “Mote”, a sensational head rush that dissolves into noise rock weird-isms, sorta recreating the feeling of going from buzzed to totally black out.
“Mildred Pierce” is almost a practical joke but I kind of love the hell out of it anyway. A short track with lyrics consisting only of the song’s title, it starts with the band getting into a nice little riff before (without warning) bursting into a hardcore punk cacophony as Thurston screams the name over and over into the listener’s ears. Made me jump the first time I heard it.
And then there’s “Cinderella’s Big Score”. If “Schizophrenia” vaguely hinted at Kim’s estranged relationship with her older brother, then “Cinderella’s Big Score” confronts it dead on. Featuring some of the band’s most totally insane and disfigured guitar work ever, this song sounds harsh and militant, like the dawn of a nuclear cataclysm. It’s very hard to believe that Kim is 37 years old here; she reverts to sounding exactly like a hurt teenage little sister, rebelling against her childhood trauma and lashing out at her brother’s past bullying and now his cold indifference towards her.
The song grapples with some very painful emotions, but the experience is raw and cathartic. “Cinderella’s Big Score” is definitely somewhere in Sonic Youth’s top 10 tracks for me; it just doesn’t get any realer than this. Honestly, the record could’ve ended here. I like “Titanium Expose” enough as a closer, but this would’ve made a really powerful and lasting impression to end the album.
Despite that, Goo is an excellent Sonic Youth record that demonstrates just how much the band had mastered their craft after a decade of making all sorts of noises. Obviously I’m biased since it was my own first Sonic Youth record, but I really do feel like this is the very best place to start with the band. Goo is one of their more melodic and accessible offerings, but it’s also one of their most provocative records and it really captures the essence of Sonic Youth’s identity.
9/10
highlights: “Cinderella’s Big Score”, “Tunic (Song For Karen)”, “Mote”, “Kool Thing”, “Dirty Boots”, ‘Mildred Pierce”
3. EVOL (1986)
Main Genres: Noise Rock, Experimental Rock, Post-Punk
A decent sampling of: No Wave, Alternative Rock
If Bad Moon Rising was bleak and desolate, than EVOL is disturbed, uncanny, and deeply paranoid. Sonic Youth’s third record evokes the feeling of being all alone at midnight on a sketchy highway, complete with mental images of flickering street lights and looming shadowy figures. I mentioned earlier that I have to be in the right mood to enjoy Bad Moon Rising, but this record puts me in the right mood almost instantly whenever I put it on.
EVOL isn’t exactly a no wave album like their first two records. The highly experimental influence is still there, but the arrangements are starting to sound fuller and more intentional.
You could say that this LP marks somewhat of a transitional phase between Sonic Youth the no wave band and Sonic Youth the alternative rock band, and in many respects it has the best of both worlds. There’s a few catchy darker alternative rock songs here and there, sandwiched between tracks that could best be described as ‘mad scientist’ music, which altogether creates a varied and unique album experience.
“Tom Violence“ immediately establishes the tone of EVOL with crooked, scraping flashes of post-punk guitars. This track reminds me of heads hung low, bodies slouched uncomfortably, and the feeling of being completely wide awake at 2:00 am. There’s something very unfriendly that lurks beneath the dissonance of these sounds.
If “Tom Violence” is uneasy, then “Shadow of A Doubt” is an auditory nightmare, managing to capture something akin to the fear of being watched by an unknown stranger hiding in the shadows. Notes are gently plucked like icy cold fingers slowly crawling up the listener’s back while Kim whispers about murder plots and oneirophrenia. The “just a dream” lyrical motif is first uttered reassuringly, but eventually turns into a desperate plea as Kim begins to shout frantically and the music intensifies.
The album dials down the spook factor a few notches with “Starpower” and “In The Kingdom #19″. The former is an early example of Sonic Youth’s ability to combine melodic hooks with meandering chaos that would become refined on the next few LPs, while the latter features Lee’s first solo vocals (and one of his best performances) reciting a lucid, jet black vision of a car accident. Thurston threw firecrackers into the recording studio when they did Lee’s vocals on this track and you can hear it in the recording, and just like “Mildred Pierce” it really caught me off guard the first time I heard it.
“Secret Girl” is the scariest fucking thing in the whole Sonic Youth discography, and also just one of the scariest songs I’ve ever heard. It starts with a deep shuddering thud that sounds like it’s getting closer and closer. Then out of nowhere, a cassette-recording of an old detuned piano starts to play a simple, unnerving refrain while Kim offers a cryptic and uncomfortably suggestive spoken word piece. It feels like a scene that might play out in a horror film, where a television screen comes on by itself and the person on the screen begins to talk directly to the viewer.
Finally, there’s “Expressway To Yr Skull” (alternatively titled “Madonna, Sean, and Me”), which would be my #1 Sonic Youth album closer if not for the #1 album on this list. That being said, this song is still one of the biggest highlights of the band’s career. "Expressway To Yr Skull” starts off restless and spectacular, leading up to an utterly earth-shaking climax, and then it’s as if the song promptly dies, only to become a lingering undead entity that pulls you down with it. I still can’t get over how the ending really manages to sound like it’s dragging you down further and further into its barren depths.
To add to that, there’s actually a locked groove on the original vinyl release of this LP that plays the last little bit of “Expressway To Yr Skull”, meaning that if you let the needle sit there, it will forever loop that last little bit of droning at the end of the track. I really appreciate this little detail; it’s as if the pervasive darkness of EVOL is so encompassing that it could turn into a deep midnight that never ends.
EVOL is honestly so close to being a 10 for me, but just like Sister I find that it is decently weaker towards the middle. Still, I’m absolutely enamored with the atmosphere on this album. No gothic rock record has ever managed to sound so deeply unsettling to my ears like this little experimental record does. You really just have to experience this one for yourself. Honestly, don’t be surprised if in a year or two I’ve changed my mind and bumped this one to a 10.
9/10
highlights: “Expressway To Yr Skull”, “Shadow Of A Doubt”, “Tom Violence”, “Secret Girl”, “In The Kingdom #19″, “Starpower”
#Sonic Youth#EVOL#A Thousand Leaves#Goo#Sister#noise rock#experimental rock#post-punk#no wave#alternative rock#indie rock#album review#music review#album list#list#ranked#Kim Gordon#Thurston Moore#Lee Ranaldo#Steve Shelley#1986#1990#1998#1987
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Best Audio Equalizer For Mac
What is the use of our Macs? Are they only made to do the office work? Of course, not! We also use our Macs for entertainment purposes as well. Entertainment and Mac are synonymous to each other. When it comes to watching movies or listening to music, Mac is perhaps the best option that you can use. Using a Mac device for entertainment can enhance your entire experience.
Best Audio Equalizer For Mac Download
Best Audio Equalizer For Mac
Audio Equalizer For Mac
NOTE: If you’re a Mac OS X user, you can add/install the above two EQ’s by downloading the file ”EQs-by-iamziyad.dmg.“ Also, make sure you have Sound Enhancer and Sound Check disabled in iTunes. I have found either one of the two above settings to be optimal while using iTunes with premium IEMs, and also with high-quality audio equipment. The best audio equalizers can be used to either repair poorly-tracked sounds or spritz up good ones. Just by adjusting EQ, studio pros “boost” or “cut” certain frequencies in order to. Global Delight offers you innovative sound booster and equalizer apps like Boom 3D, which enhance audio on Mac and Windows. Our determination to excellence has earned us the unique recognition of being a brand to look upon and a major destination for the finest iOS, Mac. Not sure why Spotify won't make an EQ, but in the meantime, this one works amazingly well! The new version has 31 bands and it's easy to use and install. Been looking for a solution for awhile so happy to.
However, there are times when the audio output of your device may disappoint you. Having a weak or low sound quality may ruin your experience. But with the help of an equalizer app, you can get it fixed, and you can listen to your favorite melodies quite comfortably. All you need to do is download and install an equaliser music player on your device, and it will allow you to control the sound of your device. You can come across many such apps out there. Some have the paid version while others are free. Make sure that you use only the best one for your device.
Boom 3D: The best choice for your Mac
Like the other equalizer apps, Boom 3D is also alike but little better than any other app on the market right now. If you want to dive into your music with an immersive experience, the Boom 3D might be the perfect choice for your Mac as it has all the features that a user expects from the best equalizer app. Boom 3D is unique from other equalizers because of its innovative 3D audio technology and novel sound staging algorithms. The algorithms used by this app will make your Mac using experience more realistic as unlike other equalizers, this app extracts the elements from the stereo track and adds up its special effects to make the sound output more real and mesmerizing.
For the ones who like to use headphone while using their Mac can also download a headphone booster app on their device. This app will help you to boost the audio quality of your headphones. By doing this, you can have an even better experience while watching movies or playing videos on your device.
Benefits Of Using A Music Equaliser App
There are various benefits of using an equalizer app on your Mac device. The primary function of an equalizer app is that it gives you entire control over the sound that comes out of the speakers. Using a good Equalizer app for your Mac can even make you feel Nirvana because, as soon as you turn on the Equalizer, the sound output reaches the ultimate level of awesomeness that you can’t ignore in any circumstance.
As mentioned above, there are many such apps available out there. But not all of them are good. Check the reviews of an app before, and you decide to use it, this will help you to get the best app for your Mac. If you want, you can even download a paid equalizer app such as Boom 3D which has a trial version available as well, and it is the best equalizer app available on the internet right now, and the paid version is also not so expensive as well. Let us dive into the benefits of using an equalizer app for your Mac.
Available for both Windows and Mac Boom3D is an award-winning pro audio enhancer. Using it you can play any media content with unbelievable 3D effects from any player. Moreover, it offers equalizer presets, a boom volume booster, a precise audio tuner and more. Nonetheless, if you try this best music equalizer for free for 30-Days.
1. With the help of an equalizer app, you can control the music and video effects on your Mac, and it improves the sound output of your Mac up to a great extent, this allows you to have a better experience while watching movies and listening to music on your device.
Best Audio Equalizer For Mac Download
2. There are lots of free equalizer apps available out there on the internet which are much more similar to the paid ones. You can download any of these free equalizer apps and use them to get the best sound right from your Mac device.
3. With the help of these apps, you can control and adjust the sound effects according to your preference. For example, you can even boost the volume if you want.
4. Most of these equalizer apps come with a user-friendly interface and therefore, you should find it easy to handle. The apps are developed in a way so that the users don’t face any difficulty to use.
Best Audio Equalizer For Mac
These are some of the main benefits that you can reap from the use of an equalizer app on your Mac device. Using equalizer is the best way to watch movies and listen to music on your device. If you think that the audio quality of your device does not satisfy enough, you can make use of an equalizer app to fix it.
Now that you know the benefits of using an equalizer app on your Mac device, you should try it out for a better and an improved experience.
Audio Equalizer For Mac
Also Read: Keep Your Mac Safe: Best Theft Prevention and Recovery Options
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Best Ways To Take Care Your Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
Bluetooth speakers are an easy and portable way to carry your music everywhere you go. Be it on a road trip or a beach, be it on a trek to your backyard - they ensure that your favourite music keeps you giving company every time, everywhere. Available in various sizes, shapes and styles, bluetooth speakers are quite a rage. They are a must-have for every music lover.
And if you have already bought one, then it is super important that you take proper care of it. While technicalities like the driver unit, the built and battery have an impact on your speaker’s performance, it is important to take proper care of them. This will make sure that they last longer and keep on delivering the same fabulous audio quality that they did on the day you bought them.
Taking care of Bluetooth speakers is pretty easy. Just follow some basic steps and continue enjoying your favourite tunes on your speaker.
Keep them clean
You wipe your houses every day, you wipe your furniture every now and then. So why leave your speaker behind? Chances are that you carry them everywhere. And we are sure that they get dirty!
Just like any other electronic device, it is important to protect your bluetooth speaker from any dust.
As dust is the number one enemy of your speaker’s performance. In severe cases, dust can even permanently damage your speakers.
And that’s why you should clean your speakers every now and then! Just take a clean. A soft and damp cloth and wipe it clean. Make that that you do not spray or pour any liquid directly on your speakers. You can spray an ammonia-free window cleaner on a cloth and then wipe your speakers using the cloth. Make sure that you do use any solvents or chemicals like alcohol to clean your speakers.
Avoid direct sunlight
Portable wireless speakers are generally compact in size. Exposing your speakers to direct sunlight can result in overheating and cause some serious damage to your speakers. If you have placed your speaker near a window or anywhere in the open where direct sunlight shines upon it, then remove them immediately.
You can even place a small fan near your speakers if you use them for long durations. This will not only keep the dust away but will also prevent over-heating.
Static energy is bad
The energy that makes your hair stand or the one that you do not enjoy when you accidentally touch something (and get a shock) is not good for your bluetooth speakers. It’s a fixed electric charge that is produced by friction that causes sparks or crackling. In addition to sunlight and dust, static energy is also an enemy to your speakers. It can even burn your speakers.
In the end, it is important to understand that even the latest bluetooth speaker will become old but you can make its life longer by showering some TLC over them!
Now, allow us to introduce some of the best portable wireless speakers that you can buy right now:
Sony SRS XB 43
Enjoy deep and punchy sound with these bluetooth speakers. The dual passive radiators work together to offer exceptional sound. You can press the LIVE sound button and turn your at-home party into a live concert. The multiple lights on the speaker further add to the vibe and make listening to music a happy and hip experience.
The speakers come with an IP67 rating that makes them safe against dust and splashes of water. So feel free to take them on your next beach vacation.
Stone 1450
This latest bluetooth speaker comes equipped with everything that will take your music experience to another level. It pumps out 40W RMS boAt signature sound is loud, punchy and sounds just right. The excellent stereo sound fills your room with the perfect music and leaves you with an immersive listening experience.
RGB lights dance to the rhythm of the music and make your room come alive. You can even customize your lights according to your mood. Feel free to take it anywhere and everywhere as it comes with an IPX5 water resistance rating.
Stone 190
Ergonomically designed, these portable bluetooth speakers are perfect for every music lover. Equipped with the latest bluetooth v5.0 technology, these speakers offer seamless and quick connectivity.
Its powerful 800mAh battery offers up to 4H of playback. They support IPX4 water and dust resistant rating.
JBL FLip 4
Get ready to party with these bass-tastic bluetooth speakers. The durable fabric makes it a perfect travel companion. Be it rain or spills, you do not have to worry about your speakers as they come with an IPX7 rating.
You can connect up to two devices to your speakers and stream amazing music using any device of your choice without any hassle. It offers a playtime of up to 12H.
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Top Quality Logitech Corded Headsets of 2020 in the USA for Tekken 7
Tekken 7 is another one of those games that have taken the world by storm. Developed and published by Namco, this is a fighting simulation game which was launched first in 1995 for Playstation gaming consoles. Coming from there, the game has reached its seventh edition, which is playable on PS4 and requires compatible headgear to make the players give out their best performance.
Here are the top quality Logitech Corded Headsets that have proven to be the best performers for this game in the United States of America in the year 2020.
Logitech H570e Stereo USB Headset
The H570e is strong and lightweight to withstand long hours of wearing without causing any discomfort to the user. They have in-line controls that are very easy to find. They offer premium audio at an extremely affordable price. They offer acoustic echo reduction along with a noise-canceling mic. The DSP or digital signal processing blocks out disturbing sounds to offer great sound quality. They can be easily connected to your gaming consoles via a USB connector.
They offer over the head wearing design with a flexible microphone. They have an LED indicator that lets you know if there is an incoming call, this helps others around you know when you are occupied in a call conversation. The wideband audio helps you hear true to life sound quality while allowing others to hear you with spectacular clarity as well. This headgear is companionable with Microsoft Lync 2013, Skype for Business, Cisco Jabber, and WebEx to offer you a comprehensive sound solution.
Logitech G230 Stereo Gaming Headset
This premium headset, with its red-on-black motif, stands a class apart when it comes to premium Gaming Headsets. The earpieces of this gadget are slightly angled to give an overall styled appearance. Furthermore, they can even swivel to a full 180 degrees so the set can be placed on the chest or shoulders if not in use. The cable has an in-line control unit that can be used to mute or unmute the sound; on the other hand, you can also flip up the mic to mute all communication.
The mic is flexible enough to be bent in whatever position that suits the user. The cable of the headset is threaded and comes in crimson color. Two gold-plated 3.5mm tips help to connect the headgear with a PC or laptop, the green one is for receiving audio, and the red one is for voice transmission. The headband is expandable with padded ear cups offering premium user experience. The 40mm neodymium drivers deliver premium and natural sound.
Logitech G231 Prodigy Gaming Headset
If you want to enjoy your games with premium sound, then G231 is your ultimate sound partner. It is PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Gaming System Compatible, so whatever your gaming console may be, the G231 has got them all covered. They have a unidirectional folding mic that helps you rest them on any surface without the concern of damage. On top of that, the earpieces are also able to lay flat. It is a Prodigy Series Logitech G gaming headset that has 40mm neodymium speaker drivers to completely immerse you in the sound you are hearing.
They are also connectable with mobile phones and tablets, making them a comprehensive gadget. The ear cups are covered with cloth that is removable and washable and also heat and sweat resistant. They do have a system requirement, so you may need at least Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 Xbox One, PS4, or PC to enjoy them. Their design is such that it does not let you get tired even if you have worn them for long, which makes them ideal to have during long gaming sessions. They offer you clear chats and crystal sound at an extremely affordable price.
Logitech G35 7.1 Surround Sound USB Digital Headset
This top-quality headgear from the Logitech family is compatible with Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, or Windows Vista, and Windows XP. Immaculate digital surround sound is offered by Dolby, which gives a detailed and pinpoint sound, letting you hear your enemies in the game before they see you. They come with three changeable pads for the headband to let you choose the best one that fits you. They offer durable comfort that remains with you for a long period of time.
You have the option of three customizable G keys that allow you to have a one-touch command over music, chats, and much more. You have a one-ear audio control that lets you have a quick access to volume controls and surround sound adjustment. The microphone on these state of the art gaming gears has noise-canceling technology to ward off any unwanted sound and let you have a hassle-free premium user experience.
Logitech G633 Artemis Spectrum RGB7.1 Headset
The Logitech G633 offers a premium sound, which is compatible with PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and Mobile. These headsets have a crisp 7.1 Dolby DTS surround sound and advanced Pro-G drivers with onboard equalizers offering comfortable audio adjustment and premium sound for hardcore gamers. They have a frequency response of 100Hz-20KHz with multiple source audio mixing.
You can plug them in two devices with one through 3.5 mm audio jack and one with USB to answer calls or listen to music while keeping your gaming session uninterrupted. You can use the Logitech gaming software to choose the lighting colors and customized audio EQ. You can also customize the three G-keys with your favorite game short-cuts. The microphone has an LED light that lets you know when you have turned on the mute function. The mic has noise-canceling, plus it is foldable to offer easy storage.
Conclusion:
Each one of these Logitech corded headsets has been tried and tested and proven to perform best for hardcore gamers and also for people belonging to all sorts of communication-related businesses. They are readily available, and their popularity in the market of the United States of America proves their immaculate performance levels. So no matter if you are a casual gamer or a pro-level gaming professional, these gadgets can serve you best for all your requirements. Get to know more about them and the rest of the Logitech headgear family at https://www.findheadsets.com/ .
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Australian music act Savage Garden will always be revered as a commercial tour de force that launched Australian pop music to the stratosphere in 1996, propelled by a series of chart-topping hits from their debut, self titled album followed by their 1999 sophomore release, Affirmation. While tracks like Truly Madly Deeply and I Knew I Loved You would attain significant success breaking through to international markets, there was far more to this group than a seemingly uncanny ability to create pop hits. Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones would be the creative force behind Savage Garden, instrumental in writing and producing their own material, first out of a family home in suburban Brisbane and then a recording studio in Sydney. A shared devotion and love of music and performing would bring the pair together, and a unique collaborative dynamic would lead to the creation of truly eclectic and exciting material.
Hayes would discover a love and passion for music from childhood, crediting Prince’s iconic Purple Rain soundtrack as pivotal in shaping his fascination with music, “I remember I got a walkman for Christmas and I got Purple Rain by Prince and it just changed my life and listening to the stereo mix and it did something to me that music still does to me now. It physically stops me from being able to concentrate.”
Jones similarly, had been immersed in music from an early age and between this constant exposure and his competitive nature, he would learn to play a variety of instruments as he notes, “I was brought up in a household where in one room there was a drum kit and in another room there was a guitar rig and another room there was a bass so I had older brothers in music so I’d walk in and sort of I’d be a little threatened by my brother playing drums better than I would so I’d go in and I’d practice when he wasn’t there. Then I’d go into the guitar and play guitar and so this was at the age of about 10, even earlier on the keyboard so I guess I’ve always known that I would do music and I survived on it throughout my late teens in pub bands and things like that so it was just a matter of time before I found something that I could really sit with and go okay, I’m going to work this as hard as I can.”
As would be reflected in the sonic eclecticism of Savage Garden’s catalogue, both Hayes and Jones would be influenced by contrasting styles growing up. Darren cited the importance and influence of pop music, “I’d have to say that I definitely was a pop fan because I grew up, you know, I was born in 1972 and I watched the whole pop thing happen. I think that the album that changed my life wasn’t The Beatles, it was Prince’s Purple Rain m y’know, Duran Duran. “Pretty in Pink” was one of my favourite teen films, so yeah, I was living and breathing the whole Flu-Row experience, I guess.”
Jones would find himself immersed in different genres, that would lead to this fusion in style evident in the group’s work. He further elaborates, “Pop definitely not all the time for me. I went through a phase of ska and punk, “oi!” music for a while there when I was a teenager, but what that did is open up a lot of various types of influences throughout my music.”
While Darren would exude a natural and playful confidence as the un-official front-man during the duo’s electric live performances, he discussed how attending Michael Jackson’s Bad Tour in Brisbane would greatly influence his aspirations to be a performer, “It was Brisbane, 1987 and by a crazy stroke of luck I ended up front row for ‘The Bad Tour’ and I witnessed him at the absolute Olympian peak of his prowess. He would move one finger and the entire arena would scream. I looked around that room and I knew I was going to do that some day. I wanted to lift the energy of a room when I walked into it and I wanted to take people away from the sadness of life and into a dream world. That night, I stopped being a fan and I observed him as a student. He’s still my hero.”
Hayes would continue to nurture this element of his personality growing up as he notes, “I was at university I did a lot of moonlighting in theatre productions and different plays. I was expected to be a doctor or lawyer but I left university one month before the end of my course. My parents were livid, my father thought that I was completely mad, but now he’s our biggest fan.”
While Hayes and Jones had clear aspirations to work in the music industry as performers, they would not meet until 1993 via an ad posted by Jones looking for a singer in his band. Darren elaborates, “Daniel was in a band called Red Edge in Brisbane, they had a lot of interest from a record company but they were looking for a new singer. I saw their advert in the Aussie NME saying ‘Serious singer wanted.’ The pair would first speak over the phone with Hayes eventually auditioning in person for the position. He recollected on the experience further, “It was the first audition I ever went to. Um… when I spoke to him (Daniel) on the phone, I clicked, and even after the audition, I remember leaving his house, I went to a restaurant with a friend of mine and I actually said to her, “I think that I’m gonna be really successful. Like I can feel it in my bones. Just from meeting this person.”
Darren would be successful in joining the band, however, it was clear that there was chemistry between both Hayes and Jones that would form a deviating musical output. Daniel elaborates, “I instantly thought it would be interesting to work with him. I liked his personality and his input towards the songs and I thought he had a really nice voice. After being in different bands for about a year, we decided to write a couple of songs together on our own. That’s how Savage Garden started.” By 1994, Hayes and Jones had parted from Red Eye and began writing material as a duo tentatively titled, Crush. The writing and recording of these early tracks were done at Jones’ suburban home prior to the pair’s signing with a record label. Daniel recollects, “Darren would come round to my house everyday and we’d try and write songs. They were some of the best times I’ve ever had ‘coz it was a real challenge. We even soundproofed my bedroom with a load of mattresses so it felt like a proper recording studio!”
Hayes’ and Jones’ collaborative relationship was based on a healthy competitive nature. This was combined with a clear admiration and appreciation for each other’s particular strengths in the process of song writing and composing. Darren elaborates, “I mean, Daniel doesn’t do lyrics. He wouldn’t even touch melodies- not his thing. Likewise I’m not interested in spending a day behind a keyboard working out the EQ on a drum kit. We have to work round each other a lot, But I think it helps make what we do much, much better.” Daniel shared a similar sentiment, “I’m his instrument! He would say, “Let’s try that!” and hum something and I would put it into musical terms. For most of the time though, I’ll conic up with music first. Darren is perhaps more the lyric man. I do what Darren can’t do and Darren does what I can’t do.”
The competition between the pair of who could create the more impressive piece of music would also be a significant factor in fostering the exciting material that would come from their collaboration. Darren elaborates, “I think it’s with fondness that we remember writing songs and recording songs because it’s never a struggle. It’s never a battle. It’s just “here, I’ve done this”… and it… it’s a little game almost. We try to top each other. Daniel will write a piece of music and it’s like, oh my God, it threatens me because it’s better than anything we’ve done so I’ll go “Okay” and I’ll have to go away. And I come up with something that’s better than than ever, and then, so I might come up with a song lyrically that just blows him out of the water and the melody’s really quick and he’ll go, “Well, have a go at this.” And then he’ll pull Carry On Dancing out of the hat and just show me that.”
One of the earliest tracks written and recorded by the pair at Jones’ home-turned recording studio is the ecstatic, A Thousand Words, which would appear on the group’s debut album a few years later. The track begins with eerie synths before launching into a funky mix of loose guitar riffs, a subtle bass line and stabbing keys embellished by a subtle guitar line. Hayes recollected on the origin of the track, The first track Daniel and I wrote and finished together was A Thousand Words. And it was funny, I remember sitting in his front room and we said, “Let’s… we’re gonna do this, let’s write some songs” and he said “What do you want to do?” And I said, “I’ve been working on this song” and I pulled out the chords to Right On Time by… uh… that band, whatever that was (Daniel: Nightclubs… ) really simple house song and y’know and sang this different melody over the top, thinking I could fudge it, and Daniel said, “Eh, well, you know, we could go that way, but a zillion bands have, y’know, what do you actually want to do?” We started talking about music and I was really into Achtung Baby by U2 at the time and, I don’t know, Daniel was a big fan of INXS and Seal, I guess. But he pulled out a chord progression, which is the chord progression in this song and I pulled out a like a Manchester kind of beat to go over the top of it, and it became… it filled the room. I remember thinking, “Wow, this is the most full, you know, piece of music I’ve ever heard in my life.” And when I look back now, Daniel probably thought it was really simple, but for me, it was the most musical thing I’d ever seen or heard.”
While the pair’s compositions would continue to develop and evolve, A Thousand Words is a demonstration of the clear talent and sophistication in Jones’ musical ability, creating a vibrant and interesting sonic landscape with pop sensibilities. The composition would also be an indication of the fusion of various genres and sounds that would continue to be evident throughout the band’s catalogue. Between the funk elements evident in the percussion, contrasted with the prominent guitar riff reminiscent of rock, with pop chord progressions, it’s clear that the pair’s genre-crossing inspirations would be evident in their music.
On top of this composition, Hayes’ details the breakdown of a relationship with the lyrics, using his exceptional ability as a songwriter to paint vivid, visual images:
We stumble in a tangled web
Decaying friendships almost dead
And hide behind a mask of lies
We twist and turn and we avoid
All hope and salvage now devoid
I see the truth behind your eyes
Darren elaborates on the writing of the track, “One of the two songs about conflict in relationships. This track is a very personal snapshot of a real life argument and a play on linguistics and twisted meanings. The rhythm section of Terapie Richmond and Alex Hewitson take the track beyond its original Manchester feel and make it alive, grunting and believable.”
The exciting result of the developing song was vital in instilling confidence in the pair and encouraged them to continue to create music as Jones notes, “We were so confident after that, that we just decided to come back to each other’s house every day. And really that’s all this band has been. It’s just a decision for both of us to keep coming back every day and keep doing it.” In a retrospective interview after the release of Savage Garden’s debut album, Daniel discussed the recording of the track further and the special distinction it holds on the album, “A Thousand Words is a song… that was… it was the virgin song. It was the first song that happened. I still think you can see Darren and I learning about each other in listening to that song. It’s.. that was sitting there sort of like looking up at Darren and looking up at Daniel and the songs can say different things to each of us. But I think it’s great that it’s on our first record because it means a lot in that way.”
As the pair continued to write and record in suburban Brisbane, a reflective night at a local bar would lead Jones to compose what would become one of the most important and iconic tracks in Savage Garden’s catalogue. He elaborates, “Like a lot of Australians I was up the pub on a Friday night, I was maybe eighteen or nineteen… I’m like “you know what, I don’t belong in this pub”… I walked home…I got home and I started composing what ultimately became the whole To The Moon And Back. From the start of the intro, to the guitars, to the chorus, to the little melodies in there, the orchestral piano string ending. I remember going, “this is going to be my ticket that’s gonna stop me from having to go back to that pub and drink.”
Daniel would present an early composition to Darren as he developed lyrics to accompany this atmospheric instrumental. Hayes elaborates, “This was one of the first songs Daniel and I wrote together. It was a beautiful, space-like instrumental that Daniel had been working on for quite a while. He showed it to me and I took it away to work on the melody and lyrics. The song came together very quickly. We recorded the song and included it on our first demo tape.”
The lyrics would resonate with Daniel in particular as he noted a parallel in his own emotional state with Darren’s lyrical inspiration, “It’s a strange metaphor for me but that song saved me, as well as when Darren contribute his lyrical story to it. It floored me even more so because it was a very personal subject for him about a friend of his, that probably wasn’t that dissimilar to me in the sense that they were lost.”
By 1995, Crush had been renamed Savage Garden as an ode to a passage in the novel, The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice to which Hayes was a big fan of the author. The pair had recorded enough material to produce a demo tape that they began dispersing to various record labels to no success. It’s estimated that Hayes and Jones sent out approximately 150 copies with all but one rejection. John Wordruff who previously had success managing Australian groups, Icehouse and The Angels was excited by the material he had heard. This early incarnation of To The Moon And Back had the record buff particularly excited, as he noted, “It was pretty much as it ended up on the album. Obviously a bit rougher but it came from a home studio but the same vocal, same arrangement. Much as we were in the middle of the grunge era, and I managed rock bands, it was pretty undeniable.”
Beyond the material however, Wordruff was confident in a partnership after meeting Hayes and Jones as he recollects, “I thought they were brilliant. I thought the discussions we had together was some of the most honest and frank — albeit somewhat naïve from their perspective that I ever had with a new artist. That was what got me even more so than the music. I was still debating that with myself, because the closest thing to a pop band that I had ever looked after before was Icehouse.” John would become the pair’s manager and presented the demo tape to two major record labels, both of which passed. This disappointment would not last, however, as Wordruff was able to negotiate a contract with label Roadshow/Warner music and after the success of the pair’s first single, I Want You, Hayes and Jones entered the studio to work on Savage Garden’s debut album. The pair were finally seeing traction as they went from Jones’ Brisbane home to a recording studio in Sydney.
While the pair had up until this time, written and arranged each aspect of their music on their own, Charles Fisher would be brought in to produce the album with Hayes and Jones. Fisher had previously produced various other Australian bands including Air Supply. Beyond producing the album with Hayes and Jones, Fisher would also provide mentorship to the pair who were only freshly immersed into the professional recording space. Charles recollected on when he first heard the pair’s demos, “When I first heard it, there was one song that I thought was magnificent, and that was a song called To The Moon And Back. It was so good, I thought anyone who could write that, could write They hadn’t done much recorded beyond the primitive demos they had done in their own home, so there was a lot of education involved in getting them to do what I thought needed to be done.”
With a professional recording studio at their disposal and an experienced producer alongside them, Hayes and Jones began to record new material and develop the early demos they had recorded in Brisbane. It’s important to note that the pair had delivered demos that while primitive had featured the vital melodies and progressions that would be instrumental in completing the finished tracks. Fisher elaborated further, “The songs were there, the structure was there, we really just had to come up with a bit of a sound to the whole thing cos it was just Darren and Daniel. It was all very simplistic in the demo stage so we had to blow it up a little bit but the songs were there, and when you have the material, the rest is easy.”
This sentiment is evident on a number of tracks, including the early demo of To The Moon And Back. The melody and chord progressions are clear and evident from this early incarnation, however some aspects of the instrumentation differ from the completed track. The subtle, but infectious bass-line and the light, airy synth lines during the verses remain intact, however, many of the futuristic keyboard sounds would be removed and replaced with multiple guitar riffs. The percussion would similarly be replaced with a more live and acoustic drum pattern. Jones’ sublime keyboard coda during the outro is also evident with dramatic synths eventually being replaced by the string arrangement that would be featured on the completed track. An acoustic Spanish style guitar solo would also be added into the bridge giving the track a more contemporary feel. A number of sound effects would also be filled throughout the track to compliment the imagery of the lyrics. Darren recollected on the re-recording of the song, “One thing we didn’t say about To The Moon And Back was the fact that it was incredibly hard to record because the demo was so…perfect. It was a really simple song and it had out of key singing in the demo had cheap keyboard sounds, but it was so believable. And that’s the reason why everyone hooked on that song. And recording To The Moon And Back, we really tried to jazz it up, change it, and make it this and make it that and we almost lost it. I think we only just got To The Moon And Back.”
With the new-found budget and opportunities that came with this record deal, the duo were able to employ the Sydney Symphony Orchestra to record the string arrangement featured during the climatic finale of the track. Hayes elaborated on the outro further, “It I was a huge Bjork fan and I always love songs that kinda came back for a revamp so from a structural part of view, it was a much different song. At the same time, we were worried that it might be too serious, I could never tell if it would be a hit or not.” The sublime outro is a perfect intertwine of Jones exceptional keyboard skills present on the demo, contrasted with the dramatic tone of the heavy string arrangements.
Coupled with this stellar composition, there was a maturity and sophistication to the lyrics that would separate Savage Garden from other contemporary pop acts. Hayes perfectly compliments the visceral composition with lyrics filled with various metaphors, creating a distinct and atmospheric visual imagery. Darren elaborates, “I guess it carried a weight to it and maybe a maturity that we didn’t really have at that time but were hoping to be.” Daniel similarly notes, “I wanted people to understand that yes this is a pop band, but it was an intellectual pop band… yes we have pop melodies, yes, we have pop progressions but we’re saying something lyrically here that’s a little more clever than “oh I want you.”
The first track to be developed at the Sydney studio with Fisher as their new collaborator is the funky Violet. The pair brought with them a sparse, but compelling demo with the melody clearly established and propelled by an infectious synth and bass line. Prominent keys and a snare drum would give the song a catchiness and energy complimented by Hayes’ quirky lyrics, detailing the “disco in one’s mind.” The sessions took some time to get traction as Jones noted, “It was actually a really hard song to record cause it was our first one. Darren and I had just flown down to Sydney, just met with this producer called Charles Fisher, walked into the studio, and all looked at each other and said “Where do we start?” And one of us said “Violet.” (sighs) And about a month later, we actually got something happening on Violet. That’s how long it took before we actually got something moving in the studio.” While all the key elements were already evident in the pair’s demo, Fisher would begin to put his own touches on the track, polishing and adjusting certain elements of the composition. In particular, Charles would take the infectious bass line and add various effects to distort and compress the sound. As Jones notes, “Great idea from Charles of the bass line came out in the studio, um, just started distorting it, made it really fuzzy, funky, blues…this song’s got everything.” Hayes similarly recollected on how the song began to take shape with the irresistible bass line, “It moves and jumps now, and it’s fat and fuzzy and very funky and as soon as that happened, the whole song just came alive and then we were lucky enough to have Rex Goh and come in and play some fantastic guitar on the track.”
Goh would add some bluesy guitar riffs to embellish the track further, adding to the sonic landscape and complimenting the metallic clang of the prominent snare drum. Jones discussed how Fisher’s advice would be instrumental in providing the pair with perspective when creating these vibrant compositions, “Charles’ motto would be “Less is more.” And it was a perfect motto to have, for Darren and I, because we like to feel things out. We liked as much as we can put down, we’ll put it down. Um..and we needed someone like Charles to go, “Okay, think about this, guys, why do you actually want to do this? You don’t have to if you do this.” And it was as simple as that. And we’d go, “Yeah, great idea.”
There is an energy to Violet that while clearly evident on the demo would be magnified and heightened with the adding of various subtle but key instruments. Darren discussed further, “It reminds me of the energy that you hear in a Prince track or Need You Tonight by INXS. There’s just something about it. It has a sonic quality that just… it bubbles and pops.” The pair would spend a significant amount of time with Fisher developing the track from the demo to the completed product as Darren notes, “We actually shelved it halfway through and thought well, hang on. You know, spent copious amounts of time working on the rhythm loop and the bass line, just trying to make it work, and in the end the solution was really simple.”
Other tracks would experience a more radical change in sound as they were being developed in the studio. One such example is the vibrant, Tears Of Pearls. The genesis of the song deviated from the usual collaborative process between Hayes and Jones, with Darren taking a role in the creation of the composition.
Jones elaborates, “I remember feeling like I was writing a song that Darren would want to write. That happened for time to time with the pair of us. I’d give him some lyrical suggestions and say,“Look I really want to write a song about this or about that”, and I think Tears Of Pearls for me, was a song I was writing because he was asking me to write this type of song. Nearly literally, like kind of going “can you do this beat?…And I was literally carving it out in front of him going, “Is this what you mean?” The early demo would be more so reminiscent of electronic music compared to the completed track with a plethora of pulsing synths behind a deep computerised drumbeat. This initial mix would include a slightly different melody with a synth line appearing throughout that would eventually be dropped. The pair would return to Tears Of Pearls in their Sydney recording studio alongside Fisher to re-vamp the production. Hayes elaborates, “We were never really that keen on it, and it changed a lot during the recording process, and Charles Fisher did a wonderful job of producing. Just the little things in that track like there’s a string line which is in unison with my melody. There’s a glockenspiel in the chorus. It was all very Diana Ross and The Supremes, Motown kind of production values which we’d talked a little bit about. it’s nice. It’s a got a real Eastern feel to it now in the guitar solos and I think it’s quite exciting.”
Many of the keyboard synths would be removed from this final mix and the drumbeat would be replaced with a pattern more reminiscent of dance music as opposed to electronic. Similarly, strings would once again be inserted throughout the track, most notably during the sublime bridge, swelling and dramatic while recalling elements of the string section in Upside Down by Diana Ross. A pulsing bass line would also be evident during the final mix alongside an organ solo. Fisher would also include eastern style guitar riffs into the track to give it a more exotic and fuller sound. Jones similarly recollected on the evolution of the track, “It sort of popped up in the recording process, and it was a few people’s favourites within their companies, and Charles and the people that we were dealing with. I just didn’t know where it had come from. It’d come out of nowhere. But I did like the change that it took in the recording session with the Eastern feel, the guitar riffs and the intros. It was sort of a technical thing, and one of the bottom E string was actually tuned to a D.. um… I think accidentally. And it was actually sounded a little sitar-y like, and it worked.”
The influence of pop superstars and some of Hayes’ musical idols would be evident in the sound of Tears Of Pearls, with the artist attempting to create a track that could be performed live with theatricality. He describes further, “I always had an obsession with New-Wave and big pop stars and even though I didn’t listen to Duran Duran as a fan as a kid, when the 90’s happened, I started the 80’s obsession. I was a hipster retro-ist from the very beginning; I really missed the new wave era. I was into Michael, I wasn’t into Duran, I was into George Michael, I wasn’t into Morrisey So, I think there was definitely a camp theatrical nature to the whole movement that I didn’t experience and I mined very heavily I think as a style…I think Tears Of Pearls was a very definite and obvious attempt on our part to really be camp, be theatrical. Create this almost bourgeois sound.”
The inclusion of string instruments in many of the pair’s compositions would become one of the defining sounds of a Savage Garden production. Mine would be one of the first tracks in which Jones would include string arrangements to replace what were originally synths on the pair’s early demo. This transition from prominent synths to the sweeping and swirling strings that would be evident in the final mix brings further intensity to the composition. Jones elaborates, “I really enjoyed working with the strings. It was one of the first songs that I had sort of thought about doing a string arrangement, in some of the string breakdowns and what not. And I really, thoroughly enjoyed it… I really enjoyed bringing out… emotion within the stringed instrument world.” Besides the strings, the various percussive elements are another integral element that conjures the atmospheric composition. Between the deep bass and various drum effects, the pair place a delay on the instruments to form a unique contrast and interplay. Hayes elaborates, “You Could Be Mine is, it’s a song that’s really, musically, all about delay. It started off with a bass line and a drumbeat, which delayed, and subsequently every instrument just had to be delayed too… Every instrument is cycling through a delay in its own time, creating a swirling continuous swell that culminates in the instruments finally locking together.” Hayes lyrics detail an obsessive desire for the unattainable; a common lyrical theme that would appear on a number of the pair’s tracks and perfectly compliments Jones’ dramatic composition.
This element of a grand and theatrical sound would be evident on a number of tracks being worked on for the group’s debut album. Another such example is the kinetic, Carry On Dancing. The track is once again inspired by Hayes’ love with Anne Rices’ novel series, The Vampire Chronicles. Darren described the intended visual imagery of the track, “The scene is just before midnight … a full moon at a masquerade ball … avant-garde strings, timpani and even castanets create the gothic feel of the song, inspired by Anne Rice’s vampire chronicles. The feel is grandiose and theatrical.” Jones would fill the track with distinct synths that would carry the melody, while also recalling the dramatic tone of string arrangements. The prominence of keyboard throughout the track in conjunction with the clattering drum fills, would give the song a distinct electronic sound, noted by Hayes in the removed lyric, “It’s something more than a techno beat.” As the pair worked with Fisher in the studio, the track would see an expansion in sound as the synths were replaced with the luscious and sweeping string arrangements that would define the completed song. While there is a clear progression between the pair’s sparse demo and the vibrant mix created in the studio a year later, this isn’t so much an overhaul as an expansion and fulfilment of Jones’ creative vision with the resources of a professional studio. Daniel recollected on the evolution of the track, “Carry On Dancing…very grand, very avant-garde, very over-the-top. Expels a lot of Darren’s inner personality. I love the combination of strings and pianos. In the recording process, we managed to get some timpani samples and some castanets and what not, so we just tried to make this bigger than life.“ Darren similarly recollected on his thoughts hearing the completed mix, “I remember hearing the finished mix and it was bigger than I’d hoped it could get. It was just um it just feels so grandiose; I think that’s a good word for it. When I hear it, I see things like a masquerade ball in the 18th century and a werewolf or a vampire perhaps outside stalking the people inside.” Carry On Dancing would be an example of just how integral Hayes and Jones’ early demos would be in shaping the sound of what would become the grand completed tracks.
The electric pop classic, I Want You which would become a breakout single for Savage Garden would go through an extensive development before it’s completion and release. Beginning as an early demo entitled Today…A Bad Day, the pair would extract key elements from this early version as they created what would become the classic track. Hayes elaborates, “I Want You had so many different incarnations. I think it was a demo called Today…A Bad Day and there was just something in the sound of that demo that was worth keeping.” While the basic elements of the song were developed and recorded in quick succession, the track would be put on hold before resurfacing later in the sessions. Darren recollects, “It just seemed to happen. I remember coming back the next day in the little room out in the front and sort of singing it. It was really quickly written, to be honest. I mean, we… I think I sang this song 2 days before we flew to Sydney to record the record. And we had it on TDK tape, just on a TDK tape. And it was the least produced or finished demo that we had for this record and was, in fact, almost shelved. It was.. we tentatively put it up for selection, and it was politely looked at but sort of sat by the wayside. But by the time we recorded about 8 tracks, I guess we just slipped it in and somehow it was assumed that we’d record this one and it, it seemed to turn out really well.”
Hayes sings of waking from an erotic dream and the pursuit to replicate the feeling once again. He fills the lyrics with surreal metaphors and similes, intricate wordplay and eccentric thoughts behind the sound of a thumping beat. Darren elaborated on the writing process for the track, “It is a nonsensical song. It’s a song about a dream that I had and it’s a song that lyrically, really my voice is like a bass instrument in that song. It’s just stuttering along like a rhythm instrument and so the symbols will come first and the lyrics were something that I did pour through a thesaurus and I did look through my dictionary. I thought of as many colourful, fantastic adjectives and analogies that I could use to describe this thing.” Jones similarly recollects, “The original idea was very simple: to use the voice as a rhythm instrument — cramming in as many syllables as possible into one phrase.”
Hayes’ unique vocal delivery evident during the verses would not only add to the compelling instrumental but also give the track a distinctive personality. Jones elaborated on this further, “It was easier for Darren to sing the faster the tempo because he didn’t have to hold his breath so long which was quite ironic because it’s already a very fast vocally song… The fact that he was pushing it to go faster cos it made it easier for him, it’s all part of the particular magic of that song.” In contrast to the verses, the chorus is particularly simple but effortlessly catchy. Darren elaborates on how it developed, “I guess that idea for that chorus, it was really a background vocal, there was no lyric… that became a chorus. I remember being very precious about lyrics and very overly detailed. One of the brilliant things that Daniel does is he sees the forest for the trees and he just said to me “What about something really simple? Why don’t you just have a simple chorus?’ and that’s where the lyric I Want You came from.” One of the most compelling aspects of this chorus are the luscious vocal harmonies that create a perfect interplay with Hayes’ lead vocals, adding warmth to the already vibrant vocals. Jones elaborates, “The recording process really bought the song alive. The simple vocal in the chorus became a bed of 12 voices. Six of Darren’s and six of session singers that we sank very low in the mix to give the chorus the thick layer of vocals that you hear.” Darren continues, “I’m really proud of just the production value and I love the blend of the vocals. There’s about 12 vocals in the chorus, all double-tracked and harmonised. And the vocal in the verse is so fast and so intricate and it always seems to fascinate people, and I like it.”
The brilliant composition is just as eccentric and captivating as the lyrics, anchored by pounding bass, spacey synths, a clashing snare and a subtle but essential guitar riff. With Fisher at the helm as the track was nearing completion, it was clear that I Want You had great potential as a first single. Daniel recollected on hearing the completed mix in the studio, “When we played it in the studio in Melbourne after it had been mixed, we spent all day on the mix and they played it as loud as they could through the biggest system in the studio. It was that moment where you felt it and heard it and everything seemed to have all come together on that particular song. It was probably then, no one knew who we were at this point… I saw myself being able to perform to hundreds, thousands, if not tens of thousands of people at that particular time because of how powerful this song was from my point of view.” Not only would the track become one of Savage Garden’s most commercially successful songs and help launch them to stardom, but it’s also an example of how tracks would often evolve significantly during the creative process.
Another such example with a more radical shift as the song evolved is the funk-rock track, Break Me Shake Me. Similarly to I Want You, the song developed from a earlier demo entitled Stepping Stone with the songs’ lyrical content being inspired by a fight between Hayes and a close friend. He elaborates, “Nat is my friend I met in grade 3. She was a Madonna fan, I was a Michael Jackson fan and then through high school she used to look like Madonna. I was obsessed with vogue-ing so naturally we were just very close friends. She’s always been there for me and like all good friends, boy have we had fights. And Break Me Shake Me is about one of our fights.” The track would be revised with the lyrics re-written as Darren’s relationship with Nat evolved and no longer became relevant to the conflict expressed on Stepping Stone.
As Darren elaborates, “It was a song called Stepping Stone. And we reconciled after that song and we became friends and everything was fine, but the same sorts of things started to happen to our relationship and subsequently, the song had to be re- written. Because the first song didn’t describe the situation anymore. This is part two of that song. Um… and yeah, it’s schizophrenic. It really is quite crazy. I remember we started recording Stepping Stone and it just didn’t feel right and I started singing a different melody. I started singing the words “I never thought I’d change my opinion again” and Daniel said, “That’s a great melody,” and then we ended up re-writing the song.” It was clear as the track was beginning to take shape that the pair were expanding into a harder rock sound than what they had recorded previously.
A combination of clear inspiration and unadulterated self-expression would be essential in developing the sound of the song. Jones elaborates, “Break Me Shake me was inspired by a combination of the guitarist Steve Stevens who was Billy Idol’s guitarist and Michael Jackson. And I think at that time in our lives when we were writing, I came from 80’s rock music so I was all about 80’s rock, big hair, big guitar… Darren was very, very much into the Michael Jackson super-stardom of the 80’s. And I think when Darren and I were our true selves, Michael Jackson would come out of him and some 80’s rock guitarists would come out of me and thus Break Me Shake Me came out of it.” He continues, “I think I remember writing the bass line and then I remember looking at Darren and he’s doing these finger snaps like Michael Jackson… and the song just started to create itself.”
Between the irresistible bass line and finger snaps that open the track, and the slow build of various forms of percussion including tambourine, Break Me Shake Me is instantly captivating to the listener within the first couple of seconds. The verses are sparse, yet rich, with the composition perfectly complimenting Hayes’ sublime lead and background vocals as he sings with subtle conviction. All of this culminates to what is akin to a sonic explosion during the chorus with heavy guitar and thundering drums propelling Hayes’ intense vocal delivery. The combination of various contrasting guitar styles from the funky Prince-like guitar riff that enters during the second verse, to the hard-rock reminiscent riff that dominates the chorus, adds to this sparse yet layered composition.
Rex Goh would once again lend his talents, performing the aggressive guitar solo featured during the bridge. Darren elaborates, “When Rex Goh played the solo we were jumping out of our skins. Even though it goes all over the place we felt that the solo was perfect. It was a single take and was so angry we just had to keep it.” The pair would revisit this guitar orientated rock sound on other tracks produced during these sessions such as Love Can Move You. Break Me Shake Me demonstrates that there would not be a single genre that would define the sound of Savage Garden as the pair would pursue their own artistic compass and influences, wherever it would take them.
While eclecticism would be a integral aspect of the pair’s work as they bridged and combined a wealth of genres, Hayes would experiment with his own writing style and vocal effects on the magnificently camp, All Around Me. Being the principal lyricist, Darren would deviate from writing about his own personal experiences and look to Daniel for inspiration in writing this funky anomaly. He recollects, “Quirky, freaky, bizarre, fun. Initially it was my attempt, lyrically, to include an aspect of Daniel’s life in our music, Because I felt a bit selfish that I’d taken over certain themes and whatever, and Daniel has an obsession with Meg Ryan, but it’s a healthy one. He loves Meg Ryan very much. And in our little home studio there’s about 14 or 15 pictures of Meg…some of them wall-mounted. One of them from me as a gift to Daniel. And there’s a scene in a Meg Ryan film called “When a Man Loves a Woman” and she’s dancing. And she dances in a certain way and she says the words “stick-on tattoo.” And the way she says those words is the personality of this song. We wrote a song for Meg Ryan to dance to, and it’s all about being obsessed with Meg Ryan.”
Once again Hayes conjures a striking visual imagery with the lyrics complimented by an instrumental recorded by Jones at their home studio. Beginning with a flurry of screeching synths and a variety of drum patterns, the track continues to build an infectious groove propelled by the bass until the bridge, in which Hayes performs a brilliantly quirky rap with his voice pitched up. Darren discussed the inspiration for the eccentric performance, “It’s like being an actor. It’s like performing. It’s doing to your voice what a costume can do to your voice in a stage play. To be honest, really, the only effected part of this song is the rap. And it’s actually the speed of the vocal and it was a mistake. I was stuffing around with the vary speed dial on the multi-track recorder, and I realized that you could change the pitch of your voice. So I um pitched it up a notch, basically. Like it’s pretty close to the normal pitch of my voice, so there’s a hell of a lot of play-acting happening in that rap. Um and when it came back, it sounded like chipmunks on steroids. And I really liked it, so we kept it.”
Hayes would once again revisit this studio technique, on another track recorded during this era, the wonderful, I’ll Bet He Was Cool. As All Around Me continued to be fleshed out during the recording process, certain elements of the composition would be omitted or replaced, giving the track a greater polish and expansion with the inclusion of various instruments. One of the most notable contrasts is the replacement of the synth line carrying the melody with a funky loose guitar riff. The verses would be stripped back to just the infectious bass line, a slapping snare drum and Hayes’ exceptional vocal performance. The amalgamation of various genres and styles present on the track is a testament to the pair’s various influences. As Jones noted, “It’s a very bitty song. The song’s in bits and pieces, and it’s a little funky and a little disco and it’s…there’s hippie elements to the song as well. It’s like computerised hippies.”
This is one of the elements that would make Savage Garden’s output unique in comparison to many of the Australian acts producing music at the time. This exploration into various contrasting genres mixed with a little camp would be evident on tracks like All Around Me. As Daniel elaborates, “They’re songs very strong in melody and I think that you can look at the date that we were born and the music that we grew up listening to and you can see similar structures. I think the ’80s were a time very much like the ’60s in which there is a real focus on melody and I think that’s what we see in our songs but I think more than anything if I could have a career like a band like INXS or U2 because they manage to metamorphosize and change and they’re always relevant but they’re not repeating themselves. I think what we’re doing, this is pop music and by that I mean we’re taking the sum of our influences within pop culture and we react to them and then we make something. We don’t reproduce the past, we react to it and I think that’s what a band like U2 does and that’s what I think Savage Garden would like to do.”
One of the greatest assets of Savage Garden was Hayes’ exceptional and versatile vocal range. Between his sublime and cathartic falsetto and ability to provoke various emotions, it was clear that his exceptional song-writing skills were matched with indisputable vocal talent. This is demonstrated to full effect on the atmospheric ballad Universe. The song began as an instrumental demo developed by Jones based on a prominent guitar riff. He elaborates, “It actually started out… it sounded like Eric Clapton had met Joe Tetriani in a pub and said, “Let’s go home now and write a song.” When it first started, it was a guitar-based… groove. With some sort of, like a, lush sort of keyboards creeping in here and there.” As Hayes began writing lyrics for this early demo, the development of the track headed in a different direction as Darren’s love for RNB and Motown would have an influence on shaping the emerging song. He recalls, “Well, I heard it in a different way. I thought once again, like Moon And Back, I thought it was one of the strongest pieces of music that Daniel had written, at that stage; he’s since eclipsed himself. But at that stage, it really was, and I just had some ideas for a feel and the bass line subsequently changed. It became more Smokey Robinson, I guess. Um… to be honest, we’d been listening to That’s The Way Love Goes by Janet Jackson — I thought it was a fantastic, sexy slow groove and I really wanted to sing a sexy, slow song and that was Universe.”
As evident in the instrumental, which fused a drum beat reminiscent of American slow-jam RNB with the spacey and stark synth line, the pair’s various contrasting influences would help shape the composition. Jones elaborates, “Universe was a little bit of a “we aren’t 100% sure who we are so lets have a go at writing this RNB like, sultry, sexual beautiful song that you’d want to make love to.” And I think it was a little bit of Darren’s RNB flavor that he has and then it was probably fused with my English big –sweep synthesizers and kind of ambient seductive feel. It was really a song that was a bit of an experiment because we were trying to figure out who Savage Garden were at the time because it was undiscovered.”
The inspiration for Darren’s sublime and sensual vocal performance originated from the Motown artists he grew up listening to. Artists such as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and others would help shape Hayes’ vocal identity and the iconic falsetto that would become synonymous with the group. Hayes recollects, “When everyone else was listening to Duran Duran and Cyndi Lauper and new-wave pop, I was listening to Motown records. I was listening to Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, I was understanding who Smokey Robinson was. And I think that helped me develop a falsetto voice. A lot of the time I was imitating these artists and I couldn’t sing and I was a male and a lot of them were females or had high voices like Smokey Robinson, so I would just imitate them not understanding at all what I was doing and that was called falsetto…I just hit the notes, I didn’t understand how or why but that influence was ingrained in me and Universe was really the first time I let that stuff out. In my mind I guess I thought I was singing Sexual Healing or Tears Of A Clown or something. It was definitely an homage to or an unconscious release of those crooners that I listened to in the Motown era.”
While Fisher would be brought in to polish the track during the album sessions, engineer Mike Pela who had previously worked with artists such as Sade and Maxwell would also contribute to mixing the track alongside Tears Of Pearls. Pela would bring an international influence, enhancing the RNB and soul elements of the track. Darren notes, “It was finished and recorded and mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, and we really liked it. We were really happy with it. When we went to America, the Americans had an idea for it and they really wanted to see if they could change it. Um…and it was given to Mike Pela, who’s done a lot of work with Sade, Fine Young Cannibals, and when he came back with the finished track, it sounded like a Smokey Robinson song. It was really, really ironic that it would go that way.” It’s not hard to see why a song like Universe could have appeared quite easily alongside the RNB landscape that dominated the 90’s. Between the drumbeat and the infectious bass line, coupled with guitar riff embellishments, the composition is warm and a perfect companion to Hayes’ seductive vocal performance.
As the recording sessions were nearing completion and Savage Garden’s debut album was beginning to take shape, an impromptu trip to America would birth one of the key ballads that would feature on the record. The pair were originally planning to fly to London for the final mixing process however due to budget restrictions, this didn’t eventuate. As mixing was instead relocated to Australia, Hayes would use the money he had saved to take a trip to Los Angeles. A few days in Santa Monica would give Darren the inspiration to write the sublime ballad. Hayes recollects, “By the time we got to the end of the trip we were in Santa Monica for two days. Well I fell in love with it and I remember walking around the third street promenade and I went home and wrote these lyrics to this song.”
The feeling of alienation and isolation that came from being immersed in a foreign country and environment would form a central theme to the developing lyrics. Darren elaborated on the lyrical inspiration further, “It really was written about Santa Monica, about feeling so out of place in a new city but seeking comfort behind the mask of a telephone. We were just getting into the Internet and we found it interesting how in cyberspace you are only as interesting as your mind. You can be anything you want to be. So sitting in a cafe in Santa Monica on day, this strange thought came into being.”
While the verses detail an observational account of Santa Monica with references to coffee shops and skate boarders, Hayes also touches on the displacement of being an outsider as he contemplates and questions, “What am I doing here?” As evident on the lyrics featured in the chorus, he finds salvation in the fact that through cyberspace and Internet, he can control his own perception and image to seemingly fit into any situation.
Beauty so unavoidable
Everywhere you turn
It’s there
I sit and wonder what am I doing here?
But on the telephone line I am anyone
I am anything I want to be
I could be a supermodel or Norman Mailer
And you wouldn’t know the difference
Or would you?
Hayes discussed the meaning of the track further, “It’s funny because it, it’s, it really has captured for me just a sense of uncertainty we were feeling or I was feeling at the time of the record. It ties in… my American.. reaction and my experiences with America as a first-timer and for me, just hints at a little bit about the public mask that we’ve started to put on and how through the telephone or through my computer or on the internet I can hide behind something and I can be anything I want to be and you wouldn’t know the difference. And that’s that song.”
As Darren returned to Australia, he would bring the idea to Jones and the pair would develop the track further. Hayes elaborates, “We had finished recording the record, and I was walking along, and the, the pace of my walk probably set the tempo of the song. And the chorus came straight away. The chorus, melody and the lyric was there, I sang into the tape deck and I went back to Daniel and said, “Look, I’ve got this song. I think it’s really, really good,” and played it. Um… but I… there was no verse progression at all. And so Daniel played a progression and I started singing over that and it just came really easily.
The song would be recorded back in Australia and mixed by Daniel’s brother. The composition is warm yet also somewhat melancholic with an emphasis on keys and a subtle floating synth line present during the verses. The inclusion of various minor guitar riffs would add further depth to the composition. It was clear that the track was truly magical however it was not intended to be included on the final configuration of the album. This however, would change as the track listing was being finalised.
Interestingly, Savage Garden’s most successful track to come from their debut album would be recorded as the last song during these sessions. The iconic ballad Truly Madly Deeply evolved from an earlier demo entitled Magical Kisses recorded by the pair years earlier. The track was faster in tempo, brighter in composition and featured a different chorus. While the prominent keys that would define the ballad were evident on this early version, they would be accompanied by an assortment of flourishing synths that would eventually be removed as the song evolved. There’s a significant contrast in tone between Magical Kisses and what would become Truly Madly Deeply; somewhat a reflection of the pair’s circumstances at the time. Hayes recollected, “It’s strange, this one, because before we recorded the record, it was a very different song. It was faster, it had a completely different chorus. And during the process of recording the record, I guess we changed a lot. We’d been relocated to Sydney. We were there for 8 months. It was the first time either of us had really left our families. Um… we were living in a one-bedroom apartment, on each other’s case every day. It was quite a stressful situation, and it was the last song that we recorded for the record. And I think, we talk about this now, even though it’s a love song and it’s based on a very personal experience, it’s still a song about being homesick for us actually, just about the people that you love.”
While the pair saw potential in Magical Kisses, Jones had reservations about the heavy pop sound of the chorus. He elaborates, “One of those days when Darren and I relationship was being tested on a creative level. I remember kind of nearly begging with Darren to change the title of the song and to actually re-work and look at the chorus because for me at the time, it just didn’t sit right with the sound of what Savage Garden was becoming. We had this very pop song with a very pop chorus called Magical Kisses so it didn’t sit right for me and Darren, God bless him was understanding enough to re-work the chorus and he sat down and said, “what about this?”
A trip to a Sydney café would give Hayes the inspiration to re-write the chorus as he elaborates, “I remember I wrote the chorus in I think it’s called Bayswater Brasserie on Bayswater Road, Sydney… um over a cappuccino and we actually had a keyboard and everything set up on in the hotel and I went back and we sort of sang the song. And it just seemed right. And suddenly this song was a much more credible, believable song than Magical Kisses had ever been, and it was because it was from the heart.” As Darren presented this new poetic chorus to Jones, it was clear that this was the element needed to elevate Magical Kisses to something truly extraordinary. Jones wouldn’t be the only one to be instantly receptive to this re-write as Hayes recollects, “I wrote the melody in my head because it was a completely different chorus previously. I went into the studio the next day; I was recording my own vocals. Charles was in another room and I said “I’ve got this idea for that song, let me just try something.” Recorded it and I think he said immediately, “that’s a number one single.”
The composition would also see a significant overhaul, with the tempo being slowed down dramatically. Jones recollected on how this alteration occurred, “There was a day when Charles and I were just hanging around, not really doing much in the studio, and uh, we had this song, Tru — uh… Magical Kisses it was called and we wanted to play around with it a little bit. And we found a loop from some CD there and it was like really slow, and we were trying to put it to this track and it just wasn’t working. So we said, “Well, why don’t we slow the whole song down so it fits this loop?” And that was the way it sort of ended up getting, you know, half the speed that, that it started out with. And it was a bonus. It just came out of nowhere. A definite bonus.”
By the time Magical Kisses had evolved into Truly Madly Deeply the composition would be noticeably sparser, with focus on the keys and a prominent acoustic drum loop. Hayes would also add incredibly luscious vocal harmonies during the chorus, adding warmth to the already whimsical lyrics. Both Darren and Daniel would cite the track as being one of the strongest produced during the final weeks of this ten-month long recording session, and thus it would be highly considered for a place on the impending album. Darren elaborates, “It was intended to be a very quiet, down-key finish to the record. And that’s how we tried to produce it. And during the recording process, it just showed itself as a much stronger track, and uh… when we looked at the finished record, we realized it was probably one of the strongest tracks on there.”
If there’s one word to describe the body of work produced by the pair alongside Fisher, it’s eclecticism. The sheer scope of Jones’ musicality and Hayes’ lyrical depth on early demos and both album and non-album tracks alike, demonstrate clear ambition and no set of rules. Between the glitzy funk of Memories Are Designed To Fade and the harder rock sound of Love Can Move You, there’s an element of experimentation that exudes from these various efforts. Hayes would similarly explore lyrical themes relating to his struggle with sexual identity on the haunting B-Side to Truly Madly Deeply, This Side Of Me. Early demos such as Tell Me It’s Ok recall elements of Culture Club and In This Lifetime, industrial new-wave.
Another track worked on during these sessions that remained unreleased for many years is the soaring ballad, She. The song would go through a number of radical compositional revamps during it’s development. While a 1994 demo version of the track was released on the greatest hits compilation Savage Garden: The Singles in 2015, another vastly different demo of the song exists. The 1994 mix is more akin to a ballad, sparse and featuring only Hayes’ sublime vocals, distant strings and a piano, however, this alternate mix features percussion, a prominent synth bass line and an increased tempo. This change in melody is coupled with the addition of background vocals. While the lyrics are almost identical, the tone of each version is vastly different due to this significant contrast in composition.
Jones recollected on when the track was first written, “From memory I think we just sat down and literally wrote it together in my parents’ house in Brisbane. I remember my mother really liked the track, the innocence and raw beauty of it. It’s very pro-female song so I think a lot of girls will relate to how powerful it is for them. I think that was probably the biggest reason why my Mum really took to this particular song”. Hayes recollected on the lyrical inspiration for the track in a retrospective interview, “It’s a long time ago, but my recollection is I was writing about the relationship that I have, and continue to have, with the women in my life. From my Sister to my Mother and all the friends and the wonderful female relationships in my life. I know I’m indebted to these incredibly strong women who loved me and taught me what it was like to be strong and succeed in a world where you sometimes feel underestimated.”
The pair had recorded a wealth of tracks during this almost year long recording session and enough songs to fill more than one standard album. While some would appear as B-Sides on already released singles like I Want You and To The Moon And Back, the task at hand was to create a cohesive album. Santa Monica, which had appeared as a B-Side on the To The Moon And Back single, would be considered to appear on the forth-coming album. Hayes elaborates, “Santa Monica was intended to be a B-side, and we actually pushed a recorded track off this record to put this one on.” The enthusiasm of the record label would be a deciding factor in including the track on the pair’s debut album, despite the fact that it had already been released on the single. Darren continues, “This track appeared as a bonus track on the “To The Moon & Back” single. When we released “Moon” we felt that the song had more potential than we had at first thought. Then when we went to America, the record company fell in love with the track.”
As the track-list was decided, the final configuration of the album would include an eclectic and healthy blend of various different styles and genres. From the RNB reminiscent ballad Universe to the hard-rock explosion of Break Me Shake Me, the pair’s various different musical influences would be reflected in their debut effort. Fisher discussed his intention with the sound of Savage Garden’s eponymous debut album, “I wanted to just combine influences from the 70’s, the 80’s, the 90’s. I just wanted the entire sound to have so many different influences that it became undefinable (sic).”
Fisher would also add some final touches to the completed mixes, adding various little elements to sweeten the compositions. Darren recollects, “Charles baby-sits the record when you leave. He spent two weeks tweaking it. We came back into the mix and there were little glockenspiels and there were string sections in there and just tiny little pad bits that he had added at the end. Um…which just… they were like the seasoning, you know, on the meal. It just really…touched it off really nicely.” Hayes discussed how instrumental Fisher was in also guiding the pair in producing and taking ownership of their work, “I think we went into this record waiting for people to just turn it into a great record. We had the songs. Tell me where to sing, tell Daniel what to play, we’ll do it. It was slow process, and what it did, it taught us to take responsibility. More than anything, I think Charles taught us to make it our record, without taking anything away from Charles. He made us sit down and make decisions and be responsible for what was on tape. Um…taught me a lot about the physical nature of recording, about using equipment, um introduced us to the sampler, suggests little… little sections in songs, which you don’t think are that important, but in the end, actually really top off the song.”
The track listing would differ between the original Australian edition of the album and the various international versions. Promises would be another track that would originate from the demos recorded in 1995. The song would go through an evolution in sound and structure with Fisher suggesting to transform the outro into what would become the bridge. Hayes did not particularly favour the song and was hesitant in including the song on the international version of Savage Garden. However, due to pressure from the US label, the song would ultimately be included and All Around Me and Mine would be removed from the American release.
Other songs would be reshuffled with the chart-topping hits I Want You and Truly Madly Deeply being moved to Side A on the international configuration. Hayes discussed his preference for the flow of the original order and how it exemplified the build up of strings that would feature on the album, ”I love the track listing of the Australian album. It’s actually different to the rest of the world. To me, it starts off with To The Moon And Back and we hear the strings and Carry On Dancing comes in at full force, and Pearls carries it along. It’s again, we hear the strings section.” Not only would the track listing differ but some songs would feature a different mix. Most notably, Truly Madly Deeply would undergo a change in sound with the acoustic drums being replaced with a more commercial dance-influenced beat. The distinct keys on the original track would be lowered and instead an organ would take prominence. The guitar riff would also be more evident during the chorus on this new mix. While the original ballad was certainly accessible and had all the elements to be a significant hit, this international version seems to be mixed for a greater commercial appeal.
Savage Garden’s debut self-titled album would be released on the 4th of March 1997 in Australia and international territories the following year. To call the album a commercial success would be a vast understatement. Boosted by the success of singles, I Want You and To The Moon And Back, the album would stay at the peak of the Australian charts for 19 weeks. The success would not only be domestic, as the album would attain significant sales internationally. Truly Madly Deeply would top the single charts in the US and the pair would be launched into superstardom by the summer of 1998. Savage Garden would also attain unprecedented critical success in Australia, grasping 10 Aria Awards in 1997, a record that stands unbeaten today.
While Savage Garden will always be regarded for their iconic hits that defined Australian and international pop music in the late 1990’s, their greatest work lies beyond the numerous chart toppers. The collaborative relationship between the pair, anchored by Hayes’ sublime lyricism and Jones’ talented musicality would be instrumental in creating the exciting material that would appear throughout their discography, reflected on both their debut album and their second and final album, Affirmation.
I’m sure most artists say this, but my favourite songs are not the hits. I’m grateful for them, but I love songs like “Break Me Shake Me,” “Crash and Burn,” “Two Beds and a Coffee Machine” or “All Around Me.” [Those] are by far more my cup of tea. You can never tell which songs will be hits, but we made 95 percent uptempo electronic pop music, yet we’re most famous for those two ballads. — Darren Hayes
I think that I could survive on song-writing and live performance only in all what happens within this business and that’s from videos, the photo-shoots, the press, whatever, I mean, if I could just have that hour up on stage and then a few hours during the day to write a song to get up on that stage, I’d be happy. That’s all I need. — Daniel Jones
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