Direct Interview with Artists!　What audio products do you use to create music? Vol.3 Ta_2(OLDCODEX)

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 back. 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 is Ta_2, a member of the unit "OLDCODEX" with painter YORKE. They have sung theme songs for many popular movies such as "Kuroko no Basketball" and "Free! On December 16, 2015, they released a new single, "Aching Horns. On December 16, 2015, they released a new single, "Aching Horns," which is the theme song for the movie "High Speed! -Starting Days-", which opened in theaters on December 5.

As a musician, Ta_2 says that he is usually particular about sound in his songwriting. What kind of environment does Ta_2 usually use to listen to music?

─ Could you tell us what kind of player you usually use?

Ta_2: Astell&Kern's AK240 and AK380. When I felt that I was spending less and less time listening to music at home, I first started listening to music on an MP3 player or something, but I wasn't satisfied with that anymore. Next, I upgraded my earphones, but when I thought that had reached the end of its usefulness, I decided to get my hands on the AK series. I put mostly CD recordings in my player, and of course they are mixed, but I was able to listen to the sound as it was when the artists recorded it. It was really exciting. It was like being able to see what it was like in the overseas studios where they recorded, and the AK series gave me the feeling of being transported to another world. So, although it was not a cheap model, I thought it was for my work, for the band, and I kept on cheating my financial sense (laughs).

─ I see (laughs). (laughs) Did using the AK actually have any impact on your work?

Ta_2 It has had a huge impact. The first one I got my hands on was the "AK120," but as I listened to it on a daily basis, the way I heard the sound kept changing, and I started getting involved in trackdown.

I was also recommending the AK series to sound professionals such as studio engineers and guitar tuning techs, and they all bought them before I knew it. I asked them to listen to what they wanted to do with the AK series, and we were able to share our ideas with the production staff for the new single, "Aching Horns". I was able to create a sound that I was quite satisfied with after paying close attention to every detail.

─ How do you usually use "AK240" and "AK380" differently?

Ta_2: I use the "AK240" more often than the "AK380," because the 240 has great punch. I have the impression that the mid-high and mid-low frequencies are very high, and the sound blasts out like a cannon. So it is suitable for loud rock music and the kind of sound we want to listen to. On the other hand, the "AK380" is a model for the kind of music you want to listen to. I enjoy listening to live, clear sound of a small group of classical music or live recordings, or DJ music such as techno, and I use it more for my hobby than for work.

─ ─ Today, I brought my "AK380" with an amplifier attached.

Ta_2 Oh, I'd love to listen to it. I bought an amp too, but haven't tried it out yet. I really wanted to try this set with my Layla (earphones).

(auditioning).

This is pretty close to the sound we hear in the studio. The OLDCODEX songs in particular are by far the best I've ever heard. The "Aching Horns" you just heard also sounds like the sound we wanted to deliver, even though it is an MP3 source. However, you might want to use a low gain amp. High gain gives the impression of being a bit crushed, which I think is a waste.

─ I also brought the stainless steel "AK240".

Ta_2 (Listening) The stainless steel one tightens up the low frequency range. When I listen to rock music with the normal "AK240," the low frequency range is punchy, but it is a bit spacious. I thought it would be cooler if it were tighter here, but with stainless steel, I have the impression that it is tighter.

But the ironclad combination for me is the "AK380" with the amp set to low gain and Layla. The feeling is that my ears become a master studio. I prefer to hear the sound as it was created by the artists, rather than tweaking the sound to my liking in the playback environment. In that sense, I think this set is the most suitable.

─ ─ "Aching Horns," a new song that the AK series also contributed to the production of. What did you think of the song?

Ta_2 It is the theme song for the movie "High☆Speed! and it is our 12th single, but after listening to many different sounds, it became a song that allowed us to go back to our roots. What we wanted to put into this song was the wish to be honest in order to change ourselves.

To be honest is actually a difficult thing for human beings. The more we grow up, the more we are surrounded by the unreasonableness of society, and the less we are able to speak honestly. But that also means that we are keeping ourselves inside our shells, and we have no choice but to break out of them.

That's why the melody of "Achning Horns" is rather sad, but the performance is very intense. I also intentionally sang in a rough style. I put what I really wanted to shout, so it became the most honest song I have ever written.

──There are two coupling songs on the CD.

Ta_2 For the second song, "Reminder," before we start playing it live, we play a sound effect that is like a "boom boomerang," but we talked about how we wanted to make even that part of the song into a song. What do we want to show first as OLDCODEX on stage that day? When we thought about what kind of band we are, the catchiest thing was that we have a painter, so we decided to write a song that fits YORKE's live painting.

The composer of this song is EBA, who I had worked with for a long time, and I asked him to write a song that would make YORKE. want to paint, the sound of the beginning of OLDCODEX.

─ ─ The third song "Get Up To Go" was composed by Ta_2, wasn't it?

Ta_2 I composed the music and EBA arranged it. This song is quite heavy. I tried to make a cool song with a single guitar riff. I think if people listen to it, they will associate it with the hard rock of yesteryear. The song has many Japanese lyrics and is easy to understand, so I think it is easy to sing at karaoke. However, you will have to yell a lot in the middle of the song (laughs).

The three songs in this single have the same core but different ways of expression. I feel like I caught a glimpse of the new OLDCODEX, and the three songs were a discovery for me. I think that this single has peeled off a new skin.

─ ─ On February 10 and 11, 2016, you will hold a 2-DAYS live concert at Nippon Budokan. Please tell us about your ambitions at the end.

Ta_2 I think the stage will be as if the last Budokan live concert was a baby. We are going up another level, and now, our band is becoming a bit confusing (laughs). If we used to be "AK120," now we are "AK240" (laughs).

The title of our live show is "Veni Vidi," and we put all of our feelings into it. If you do a search, you can find out what it means, so please look it up before coming to see us.

OLDCODEX Profile

Formed in 2009, OLDCODEX is a unit consisting of vocalist Ta_2 and painter YORKE.

The unit name is a coined word combining the meanings of "OLD" and "CODEX" = "old" and "manuscripts such as the Bible.

They have performed many anime tie-up songs, including "Catharhythm," "Walk," and "Lantana," which are the ending themes of "Kuroko's Basketball," and "Rage on" and "Dried Up Youthful Fame," which are the opening themes of "Free! On February 11, they held their second Nippon Budokan live concert "Veni Vidi".

■12th single "Aching Horns"

Label: Lantis / Released December 16, 2015

Limited First Edition (CD+DVD) 1,800 yen (excluding tax)

Normal Edition (CD) 1,300 yen (excluding tax)

Anime Edition (CD) 1,200 yen (excluding tax)

Included songs

01. Aching Horns (Lyrics by YORKE. Composed by Ta_2, Arranged by Hisashi Koyama)

02. Reminder (Lyrics : YORKE. Composition & Arrangement : eba)

03. Get Up To Go (Lyrics : YORKE. Composition : Ta_2 Arrangement : eba)