In Lebanon; Working Hard

Hey guys!

So I'm in Lebanon taking a little break in between relocation. March has been a huge month, I've left Kuwait for good after spending over two decades there (in addition to being born there), and now I'm in the process of moving to the UAE. EXCITING.

So, while I'm here taking a short vacation I've been spending lots of time with my AMT Electronics pedals and being exceptionally productive in work on the upcoming BENEVOLENT album. It's all coming together nicely!

I'm also working closely with Ignite Amps on an upcoming exciting something which we all cannot wait to reveal. We're currently doing final touches before this gets announced and becomes available for ordering!

I'll leave you with a few shots that make my mess of a workspace look hawt.

Hadi

AMT B-1 through Ignite Amps TPA-1

Hey guys!


Here's a new test! AMT Electronics' B-1 through the TPA-1 by Ignite Amps (It is an upcoming Tube Power Amp plugin that I'm beta testing)

Cheers
Hadi

Working with IGNITE AMPS

Hey guys!

So we [BENEVOLENT] have been working with IGNITE AMPS on a little something to be revealed soon (STAY TUNED); what I wanted to do is to take this little moment to chime in about the experience of working with them on this project and the way they process custom orders and deliver gear brutality whether it be through plugins or through hardware units.

I've been in touch with Federico Berti from Ignite Amps for a while now, mainly exchanging ideas and having endless conversations about gear. Along the way and through the webs of our conversations emerged the idea of doing a custom SOMETHING for Benevolent and the experience of working with him and the Ignite Amps team has been absolutely brilliant! They are extremely dedicated, creative, capable, knowledgeable, proactive, and hard working guys! Thorough communication and a very transparent way of dealing with their clients who eventually become friends!

The way Ignite Amps does their custom work is by first developing a VST/AU plugin for you with the specifications of your unit; whether it is an amp, preamp, pedal, etc. The plugins are made to match the exact characteristics of the unit and provide you with a way to demo your gear before it enters the hardware stage, where things become a bit more tricky to change around.

I am happy to be one of the fortunate artists who are working with such a great and dedicated team. When you are dedicated to your craft and you meet people who are as dedicated (and more) and can sit right in with the wavelength of ideas you bring to the table, the work becomes a joyful ride!

If you've got some custom guitar/bass gear unit you want to get together hit these guys up on www.igniteamps.com

Talk soon!
Hadi

AMT P-1 Metal Test

Hey guys!

Here goes the test of the AMT Electronics P-1. The audio speaks for itself!

HELL YES!

Hadi

Discover YOUR Musicianship

One of the main things that definitely set things in motion for me as a musician is coming to an understanding of who I am as a musician; the solid yet dynamic definition that sets the stage to channel all the hard work into a unified path and opens up the gates for even further dedication.

The trick behind this deal is the simple reality that when you know and understand what you're all about (or plan to be all about) as a musician you develop this tunnel vision giving you that focal point and an edge in which this new found dedication becomes all you know, all you think about, and all you look forward to. It almost (or very much so) turns into an obsession where all the hard work involved with getting it done becomes a very light task and you find yourself able to activate your inner genius.

The results of your work and the gratification entailed with watching all the elements align from the work of your very hands is a beautiful and addictive feeling.

Tunnel vision is what it's all about; whether you are a musician, a painter, writer, etc; whatever it is, it's all about the go-getter attitude that automatically goes into positive-haywire mode once you find yourself at peace, knowledge, and full acknowledgement and understanding of what you're on about in that domain.

Talk soon folks,
Hadi

AMT Electronics P-1 and B-1 = WIN

Just got the AMT Electronics Legend Amps Series' P-1 and B-1. Check out the photos below:

The B-1 is based on Bogner while the P-1 is based on Peavey's 5150. 

Clips coming soon!

Hadi

A Musician's Canvas: Translate Your Inspiration Into Sound

I was having a conversation with a friend just today about that "blue" feeling you get when the creativity bulb gets lit up and how having a working "canvas" can get you in a position of power in a sense, it allows you to tap into that creative feeling in a way to utilize it and get ideas out in a productive form. I like to think of this as a translation process where you hop on the same wavelength as your inspiration and start to decode that "blue" feeling into riffs and song ideas. 

I've already covered inspiration with a previous post, and though it's hard to explain such a dynamic thing as inspiration into words, I would highly recommend exploring what triggers your inspiration and gets you going so the process of being inspired can become a somewhat manually-induced. Do check out my previous post here  which covers my approach to inspiration.

Back to the idea of a canvas;

I can't stress enough on the importance of creating/setting up a working "realm" for you to be able to easily walk into and hammer out your inspiration into auditory lines.

Some of you may have faced issues that made you feel you can't get yourself to write songs or music and this may very well be the byproduct of not having that comfortable working space to let it out.

I, personally, have found myself on a whole different level of musical productivity once I had a small home studio setup where the only thing standing between me translating my inspiration into recordings was just plugging in my guitar. The reality of that is not the fact that I couldn't write as much songs as a musician as much as it is the fact that having that setup on my computer where I can, not only record ideas, but also expand that possibility into writing complete songs and thus allowing me to make quick decisions about riffs that come up because I'm writing songs each and every time I pick up the guitar and jam. And in turn, making full utilization of being inspired.

Signing out!

Hadi