I've been emailing with Plini for a little over a month now and he's really a very nice and humble down-to-earth guy who doesn't take things too seriously and does what he does because he enjoys it. He's got a good sense of humor as well.
What I found interesting (but not surprising) is that he's completely self-taught and produces his music with the bare minimum of gear - for both guitar playing and for recording and producing his music. His recordings sound like a top-notch band produced in an expensive studio but a lot of them are just him plugging his old Ibanez S620 straight into the mic input of the iMac (without an interface!) and using plug-ins for Logic.
He uses the piano roll interface in Logic to input the notes (bass, keyboards, orchestral sounds, etc.) as well as for programming the drums. And then he overdubs the guitars and mixes everything himself on the iMac. And the stuff sounds great. He doesn't use any extra outboard gear connected in a maze to the computer like I see so many people doing with their home recording gear. His entire recording rig is just the computer and a guitar (and now the Axe-Fx II which he's only recently started working in).
This again proves the point that a large plethora of expensive gear is not necessary to get great-sounding results. Plini uses off-the-shelf software synth modules and plug-ins that cost several hundred bucks each but the results sound like something from a multi-million dollar studio. And he just uses his ears and instincts to manipulate the controls until things sound good. People ask him how he did this and did that but all he can say is, "I just tweaked the controls until it sounds to my liking."
In a different way, this reminds me of Guthrie when I first saw him do a clinic at Tone Merchants a decade ago. His guitar was plugged direct into an amp without any effects. Yet he sounded great and was getting more different and useful sounds out of it than most guys can with a big refrigerator-sized rack full of devices from Eventide, TC, dbx, Rocktron, etc. The technology has changed a lot since then but Plini is basically doing the same: using the bare minimum of what's readily available to get a lot of great sounds and stellar production. It's akin to a kid back in the 80's using only a 4-track cassette tape recorder with one guitar through a small combo and producing something that sounds really good.
So, again, don't get caught up in gear. Recording enthusiasts can be just as bad as the boutique gear snobs who argue about woods, metal alloy in bridges, capacitors and transformers in an amp, etc. as they argue about mics, mic preamps, compressors, EQ's, etc. You can get so much out of what'd be considered the most "rudimentary" gear these days. What's important is the music you come up with and your own ears for producing what sounds good to your ears. _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Last edited by alexkhan on Sat Oct 04, 2014 2:52 am; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2014 9:01 pm Post subject:
Also, as he alludes to in some of his answers, Plini will be taking delivery of a new Strandberg Boden 6 very soon. Really can't wait to see what he comes up with once he has a Strandberg in his hands. _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 3:20 am Post subject:
One of the benefits of getting to know young and talented up-and-comers like Plini and Yvette Young is discovering contemporary music that they are into. I really liked Plini's cover of Kimbra's 'Cameo Lover' but I didn't know who the artist was and I figured that the tune is an old pop song of a bygone era. Here is Plini's rendition:
The melody has a pleasant but "old" feel to it - like old jazz or R&B from the 50's or the 60's. Then I read Plini's comments about how he really loves Kimbra and I decided I'd better dig around. So I looked her up on Wikipedia and then went to iTunes to listen to snippets of her tunes from the album 'Vows' that contains 'Cameo Lover'. After checking out a few tunes I bought the album right away and I've been listening to it from start to finish ever since.
Wow! Kimbra is awesome. Having been a big longtime fan of iconoclastic and/or eccentric female artists like Kate Bush, Bjork, and Imogen Heap, I was smitten by Kimbra immediately. Unlike the aforementioned artists, though, Kimbra has a strong R&B and jazz underpinning with more infectious pop/techno sensibilities. I guess Kimbra's music can be labeled R&B and jazz-influenced electro-pop as described in her Wikipedia article.
Whatever one wants to call it, all I know is that the music is great. And I'm very thankful to Plini for introducing her music to me. There really is a lot of great music and artists out there who are under the radar. We often figure that all pop must be like Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Beyonce, Rhianna, Britney, etc. along with rap and mind-numbing techno but it really isn't like that at all. We just have to dig around ourselves or have someone else recommend stuff to us.
Obviously, I prefer to have trusted friends and sources make recommendations than spending time fishing around for the good stuff. Just don't have the time to wade through the mountains of crap to find the occasional gems. I really do want to be exposed to the really good music that today's young generation are listening to. I know it's out there and Kimbra is a great example. The DJ Avicii is another. Kind of went through the Armin van Buuren techno-trance phase last year but what he's doing is completely different. Here is Plini's re-mix of Avicii's 'Levels' again (for those who missed the post earlier) with a healthy dose of heavy riffs and tasteful shredding thrown in.
You know, I listen to this kind of stuff and I feel half my age all of a sudden! _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2014 3:26 am Post subject:
And, of course, Plini is a huge Guthrie fan. _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
I've been emailing with Plini for a little over a month now and he's really a very nice and humble down-to-earth guy who doesn't take things too seriously and does what he does because he enjoys it. He's got a good sense of humor as well.
What I found interesting (but not surprising) is that he's completely self-taught and produces his music with the bare minimum of gear - for both guitar playing and for recording and producing his music. His recordings sound like a top-notch band produced in an expensive studio but a lot of them are just him plugging his old Ibanez S620 straight into the mic input of the iMac (without an interface!) and using plug-ins for Logic.
He uses the piano roll interface in Logic to input the notes (bass, keyboards, orchestral sounds, etc.) as well as for programming the drums. And then he overdubs the guitars and mixes everything himself on the iMac. And the stuff sounds great. He doesn't use any extra outboard gear connected in a maze to the computer like I see so many people doing with their home recording gear. His entire recording rig is just the computer and a guitar (and now the Axe-Fx II which he's only recently started working in).
This again proves the point that a large plethora of expensive gear is not necessary to get great-sounding results. Plini uses off-the-shelf software synth modules and plug-ins that cost several hundred bucks each but the results sound like something from a multi-million dollar studio. And he just uses his ears and instincts to manipulate the controls until things sound good. People ask him how he did this and did that but all he can say is, "I just tweaked the controls until it sounds to my liking."
In a different way, this reminds me of Guthrie when I first saw him do a clinic at Tone Merchants a decade ago. His guitar was plugged direct into an amp without any effects. Yet he sounded great and was getting more different and useful sounds out of it than most guys can with a big refrigerator-sized rack full of devices from Eventide, TC, dbx, Rocktron, etc. The technology has changed a lot since then but Plini is basically doing the same: using the bare minimum of what's readily available to get a lot of great sounds and stellar production. It's akin to a kid back in the 80's using only a 4-track cassette tape recorder with one guitar through a small combo and producing something that sounds really good.
So, again, don't get caught up in gear. Recording enthusiasts can be just as bad as the boutique gear snobs who argue about woods, metal alloy in bridges, capacitors and transformers in an amp, etc. as they argue about mics, mic preamps, compressors, EQ's, etc. You can get so much out of what'd be considered the most "rudimentary" gear these days. What's important is the music you come up with and your own ears for producing what sounds good to your ears.
This is always refreshing to hear. A creative mind and talented hands will always make the most modest setup sound like a million bucks. Although I hope he upgrades from his Ibanez guitar sometime, I am sure there are ton of nice guitar companies who will be very willing to accommodate him.
Oh man, that Guthrie Tone Merchants clinic still gives me goosebumps. Fun times. He coaxed some amazing music and technics through that old trusty PRS and the Cornford.
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 9:59 pm Post subject:
Carlo wrote:
This is always refreshing to hear. A creative mind and talented hands will always make the most modest setup sound like a million bucks. Although I hope he upgrades from his Ibanez guitar sometime, I am sure there are ton of nice guitar companies who will be very willing to accommodate him.
Oh man, that Guthrie Tone Merchants clinic still gives me goosebumps. Fun times. He coaxed some amazing music and technics through that old trusty PRS and the Cornford.
Seems you missed my post about Plini eagerly awaiting a Strandberg Boden 6. As you can imagine, I'm absolutely thrilled to get to know Plini and have this opportunity to work with him in the future. You can bet that I'll be putting all my resources to work. It'll be a lot of fun. _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
This is always refreshing to hear. A creative mind and talented hands will always make the most modest setup sound like a million bucks. Although I hope he upgrades from his Ibanez guitar sometime, I am sure there are ton of nice guitar companies who will be very willing to accommodate him.
Oh man, that Guthrie Tone Merchants clinic still gives me goosebumps. Fun times. He coaxed some amazing music and technics through that old trusty PRS and the Cornford.
Seems you missed my post about Plini eagerly awaiting a Strandberg Boden 6. As you can imagine, I'm absolutely thrilled to get to know Plini and have this opportunity to work with him in the future. You can bet that I'll be putting all my resources to work. It'll be a lot of fun.
Oh snap! My Brian has been on overdrive lately lol.
This is awesome news. Can't wait to see what he does with it.
I am getting really obsessed with Plini's music now. It's not just his chops, which he has in spades, but his compositions as well as his creative and aesthetic point of view as well. It's like his guitar playing just transports me into a different place and state of mind.
I am really digging Chon who seem to be in the same music ballpark as Plini.
their music showcases great technical prowess but it just feels organic and melts with their songwriting. I can't explain it well, it just works lol.
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2014 9:12 pm Post subject:
Carlo wrote:
I am getting really obsessed with Plini's music now. It's not just his chops, which he has in spades, but his compositions as well as his creative and aesthetic point of view as well. It's like his guitar playing just transports me into a different place and state of mind.
I am really digging Chon who seem to be in the same music ballpark as Plini.
their music showcases great technical prowess but it just feels organic and melts with their songwriting. I can't explain it well, it just works lol.
Haha. That's really great to hear. Yeah, I really love what Plini is doing. He's not the over-the-top technical monster that Guthrie is as a player (but then who is?) but he has more technique than needed to execute his musical ideas and it's his phrasing that I find so pleasing and exceptional - whether it's heavy modern metal rhythm or clean jazzy licks or fusiony liquid leads.
Plini's interests and tastes are remarkably broad. He's a big Metheny fan (said he even went to the Pat Metheny Unity Band concert in Sydney recently), which would be rare for someone his age. He also turned me onto jazz guitarist Ulf Wakenius and jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan who play some exquisite music. He also loves Django. Plini's musical maturity is quite exceptional and you can hear it in his music. He exercises restraint and taste and always makes sure that every note counts.
He also got me interested in his peers and friends in the modern prog-metal field: The Intervals, The Contortionist, Skyharbor, Helix Nebula, Chon, Sithu Aye, and more... Lots of really good stuff. It's as if he's opened up a whole new world of music I would never have discovered on my own. In the meanwhile, I've introduced him to the wonderful world of Jeff Beck who he was aware of but never checked out thoroughly. He loves it. Since he's also so into soundtrack orchestral kinds of music, I'm planning to introduce him to composers like Wagner, Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, Mahler, Stravinsky, etc. It's really fun having discussions about music with him. Our tastes are virtually identical. _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
I am getting really obsessed with Plini's music now. It's not just his chops, which he has in spades, but his compositions as well as his creative and aesthetic point of view as well. It's like his guitar playing just transports me into a different place and state of mind.
I am really digging Chon who seem to be in the same music ballpark as Plini.
their music showcases great technical prowess but it just feels organic and melts with their songwriting. I can't explain it well, it just works lol.
Haha. That's really great to hear. Yeah, I really love what Plini is doing. He's not the over-the-top technical monster that Guthrie is as a player (but then who is?) but he has more technique than needed to execute his musical ideas and it's his phrasing that I find so pleasing and exceptional - whether it's heavy modern metal rhythm or clean jazzy licks or fusiony liquid leads.
Plini's interests and tastes are remarkably broad. He's a big Metheny fan (said he even went to the Pat Metheny Unity Band concert in Sydney recently), which would be rare for someone his age. He also turned me onto jazz guitarist Ulf Wakenius and jazz pianist Tigran Hamasyan who play some exquisite music. He also loves Django. Plini's musical maturity is quite exceptional and you can hear it in his music. He exercises restraint and taste and always makes sure that every note counts.
He also got me interested in his peers and friends in the modern prog-metal field: The Intervals, The Contortionist, Skyharbor, Helix Nebula, Chon, Sithu Aye, and more... Lots of really good stuff. It's as if he's opened up a whole new world of music I would never have discovered on my own. In the meanwhile, I've introduced him to the wonderful world of Jeff Beck who he was aware of but never checked out thoroughly. He loves it. Since he's also so into soundtrack orchestral kinds of music, I'm planning to introduce him to composers like Wagner, Rimsky-Korsakov, Debussy, Mahler, Stravinsky, etc. It's really fun having discussions about music with him. Our tastes are virtually identical.
I can already tell from his music that he has very open musical tastes. And he synthesizes his chops and influences really well into his music. I am really enjoying it.
I am going to start listening to those prog bands he mentioned. It's been a looong time since I had a decent prog kick.
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2014 5:52 am Post subject:
So look at who Plini was able to hook up with in Sydney last week after the Satch show there. I wonder how he was able to pull this off.
_________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Ola Strandberg and I are thrilled to have him on board and look forward to working with him closely for many years ahead. I truly believe Plini will create some amazing music in the future. As great of a player he is, to me, he's more of a composer/writer who seems to have an endless well of musical ideas.
I've heard the early mixes of Plini's next EP that will be released sometime early next year and it's truly awesome. The sky is truly the limit for this uber-talented youngster who just graduated from university with a Master of Architecture degree. A super nice and humble guy as well with a great sense of humor. Working with both Guthrie and Plini in the future is most exciting as I know that the best is yet to come. _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 8:06 pm Post subject:
And as if I didn't have enough things to do, I've been working on things in the background with Plini and hooked him up with Marco Minnemann and Marco ended up playing the drums on Plini's upcoming EP titled 'The End of Everything' - the final part of his 3-EP trilogy. I've been hearing this new EP from its early raw form with Plini's programmed drums and it was truly amazing to observe it evolve as Marco's drumming got added, mixed and mastered to its final form. Here is the preview trailer.
Although only 3 tracks, the music runs the gamut covering and mixing elements of prog, prog-metal, fusion, jazz, rock, ambient electronica and pop into a cohesive musical whole in which Plini's own compositional voice shows confident originality and continued maturity and development. You have to remember that Plini is just 22 and graduated from university in December and only now is he dedicating himself 100% to what I'm sure will be an amazing career in music.
I'm really happy to have played a small part in the making of this EP and having Marco contribute his incomparable drumming to Plini's music. Marco really likes working with Plini as well and Plini is, of course, super thrilled to have had Marco play on this EP and set the foundation for more projects in the future. The possibilities are most intriguing to ponder. _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Joined: 10 Sep 2004 Posts: 2783 Location: Chino, CA
Posted: Tue Feb 10, 2015 2:02 am Post subject:
15K+ views in little over a day. Wow. That's impressive. Plini is definitely on a fast upward trajectory. Funny to read the comments of people totally flipping out that Marco is on it. _________________ Ed Yoon
Certified Guthrie Fan-atic
BOING Music LLC - Managing Partner
.strandberg* Guitars USA
Ed Yoon Consulting & Management
Guitar Center Inc.
Ola Strandberg and I are thrilled to have him on board and look forward to working with him closely for many years ahead. I truly believe Plini will create some amazing music in the future. As great of a player he is, to me, he's more of a composer/writer who seems to have an endless well of musical ideas.
I've heard the early mixes of Plini's next EP that will be released sometime early next year and it's truly awesome. The sky is truly the limit for this uber-talented youngster who just graduated from university with a Master of Architecture degree. A super nice and humble guy as well with a great sense of humor. Working with both Guthrie and Plini in the future is most exciting as I know that the best is yet to come.
He's sounding great! Can't wait for his EP and what he does next with the great Guthrie!
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Kimbra is awesome. Having been a big longtime fan of iconoclastic and/or eccentric female artists like Kate Bush, Bjork, and Imogen Heap, I was smitten by Kimbra immediately. Unlike the aforementioned artists, though, Kimbra has a strong R&B and jazz underpinning with more infectious pop/techno sensibilities. I guess Kimbra's music can be labeled R&B and jazz-influenced electro-pop as described in her Wikipedia article.
As you can imagine, I'm absolutely thrilled to get to know Plini and have this opportunity to work with him in the future. You can bet that I'll be putting all my resources to work. It'll be a lot of fun. 
