Direct Interview with Artists!　What audio products do you use to make music?　Part 1: yuxuki waga (fhána)

Many people have the impression that artists are particular about their instruments, but not so much about the audio equipment they use to play them. However, there are probably a few people who think that artists are not so particular about audio equipment, which is the environment in which music is played back. However, since these people have always loved music and have become professionals because of their love of music, they must in fact be very particular about their audio equipment. We will talk in detail about their choice of audio products and how they use them because they are artists.

Our guest this time, yuxuki waga (yuxuki), is a member of "fhána," a group that has released a number of original songs using VOCALOID as a solo artist, and is now involved in a number of anime songs. He now uses a combination of the Fostex "HP-A8" USB DAC with built-in headphone amplifier and "TH500RP" headphones as the core of his audio playback environment.

─ Why did you choose the combination of "HP-A8" and "TH500RP"?

yuxuki: Actually, Mr. Sato, the leader of fhána, said, "I want the latest USB DAC," and the members compared several desktop USB DACs. As a result, Mr. Sato chose a product from another manufacturer, but I liked the HP-A8. I wasn't really planning to buy it, but I ended up getting it (laughs). (Laughs.) However, it works well with the monitor headphones I use, and I now use it for final checks of my music productions. So, I actually got the "HP-A8" first, and then chose the "TH500RP" as the headphones to go with it.

─ ─ What was the point in choosing "TH500RP"?

yuxuki: To tell the truth, I basically prefer sealed-type headphones and rarely own open-air headphones like the "TH500RP. I like energetic and powerful sound. Well, except for the great models like AKG's "K702" (laughs). On the other hand, I dislike sounds that have excessively strong sibilance (the grinding sound that occurs when pronouncing a "sa" line) or that are too sharp in the high frequency range, making them difficult to listen to. I also dislike sounds that are too sharp in the high frequency range and are difficult to listen to. Sorry, I'm selfish (laughs). The TH500RP was perfect for my tastes.

─ Is it because of the singing voice?

yuxuki That's right. Especially when used with "HP-A8", the high frequency range is not sharp, but vocals can be heard clearly. Even the smallest details of facial expressions are clearly audible. The low frequency range is also highly focused, and there is no sense of fuzziness. When I tried to increase the EQ around 50 Hz, I could hear a very clear, solid-sounding low frequency range. As one would expect from Fostex, they are a perfect match.

I guess Fostex has released a lot of professional-use equipment for both speakers and headphones, so they are easy to handle.

yuxuki: That is one of the advantages of Fostex. However, I think the most important point is that Fostex is a manufacturer that is particular about sound quality, regardless of whether it is for monitoring or listening.

─ ─ On August 5, the opening theme of the TV anime "Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya Zweiherz! Is the "HP-A8" and "TH500RP" also being used in the creation of this song?

yuxuki I'm using them to the fullest (laughs). (laughs) In addition to guitar, I was in charge of synths and rhythm section arrangements this time, so I used them to check the sound of those parts. Especially for guitar, the headphones were very useful because the mid-range expressiveness and resolution of the headphones were excellent, and it was easy to detect small changes in tone. Also, with the help of Junnosuke Sato of IWILL, the sound producer in charge of fhána, "Wonder Stella" will be released simultaneously in high-resolution format in addition to the CD. I think you can get a better sense of the subtle nuances that went into this project, so I encourage you to listen to the high-resolution version as well.

─ Actually, today I brought a new product from Fostex that is scheduled to be released this fall. It is a renewed model of the T50RPmkIIIn ( released in early September), a semi-open headphone that is popular overseas as a professional monitor headphone. This model incorporates the latest technology developed for the "TH500RP," which uses the same RP diaphragm (short for "Regular Phase," which has a flat diaphragm shape, unlike the common dome type).

yuxuki Oh, let's listen to it right away.

Please let me listen to it.

yuxuki This is nice. I like "TH500RP", but these are also very good. Obviously, the balance as a monitor headphone is different from that of "TH500RP", but conversely, it seems to be very useful as a monitor headphone. In fact, they can be used for recording sound. It would be good to use "T50RPmkIIIn" for recording and "TH500RP" for dubbing and listening. It seems that my Fostex ratio will increase even more (laughs).

(Interview and text by Kenji Nomura)

＜fhána profile

A four-member unit consisting of sound producers Junichi Sato, yuxuki waga, and kevin mitsunaga, and vocalist towana. In 2013, they made their major label debut with Lantis, and released their first album "Outside of Melancholy" in February this year, which reached No. 8 on the Oricon Weekly Ranking. On August 5, they will release their 6th single, "Wonder Stella" (TV anime "Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya Zweiherz! OP theme song) will be released on August 5.