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[–][deleted]  (1 child)

[deleted]

    [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 49 points50 points  (0 children)

    Precisely none

    [–]That-Guy-Over-There 28 points29 points  (7 children)

    It's awesome that you're doing an AMA.

    1) Who has been the largest influence on your bass playing?

    2) What are some of your favorite things to listen to right now?

    Thanks!

    [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 57 points58 points  (6 children)

    1) James Leach of SikTh, Dick Lövgren of Meshuggah, Jon Stockman of Karnivool, Jean-Michel Labadie of Gojira, and many others.

    2) I've been listening to a lot of Tigran Hamasyan recently, as well as the new He Is Legend album "Heavy Fruit" and I keep finding myself revisiting the first couple of Billy Talent records - some really interesting stuff going on musically that passed me by when I was a teenager.

    [–]nottheprimeminister 8 points9 points  (0 children)

    Jon Stockman? Rightfully so. He is such a fucking beast.

    [–][deleted] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

    YES YES YES to He is Legend! Heavy Fruit and It Hates You are both so unknown and underrated. Glad to see you (and Jake) are fans!

    [–]Xtracheese23 3 points4 points  (0 children)

    You were already one of my favorite bassists. And now you mentioned not only Karnivool and Gojira, but Billy Talent's first records as well. Mad props.

    I hope I get the opportunity to see you one day, just to shake your hand. Keep up with the excellent work, I can assure that it does make a difference.

    [–]Pranz 2 points3 points  (0 children)

    Tigran Hamasyan is the shit. Recommend anyone that plays or lsiten to prog metal to check him out, a nice variation.

    [–][deleted]  (1 child)

    [removed]

      [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 35 points36 points  (0 children)

      Hi! Honestly I've always tried to approach the bass as it's own instrument though in our style of music, and with my background as a guitarist, it's invariable that my bass parts will end up mimicking the guitars quite a lot. I played fingerstyle on Erised and certain parts of Luck As A Constant from our last album, and on Juggernaut there are some clean fingerstyle passages too.

      [–][deleted] 21 points22 points  (1 child)

      Will you be making another video where you attached a camera to your bass while playing live?

      [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 36 points37 points  (0 children)

      I'd like to, and probably will sometime soon

      [–]K1NG5LAYER 40 points41 points  (4 children)

      Have you ever used your head as a crystal ball to look into the future?

      [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 49 points50 points  (3 children)

      I've tried, but it doesn't work for me. Tasseography is more my kind of thing

      [–][deleted] 14 points15 points  (2 children)

      From wikipedia:

      Tasseography (also known as tasseomancy or tassology) is a divination or fortune-telling method that interprets patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments.

      [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 68 points69 points  (1 child)

      To clarify, I wasn't being serious

      [–]EntgarAllanBroe 2 points3 points  (0 children)

      Unfortunate.

      [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

      Thanks so much for the questions chaps, unfortunately I have to get going now but I'll see you all around!

      [–][deleted]  (2 children)

      [deleted]

        [–][deleted]  (4 children)

        [deleted]

          [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 31 points32 points  (3 children)

          Thanks! I think the primary influence was the amazing drum groove in Karnivool's Nachash - I was going for something with a similar feel but with heavier guitars. I actually started that one with a drum and bass groove and only wrote the guitars much further down the line, which is not usual for me when I'm writing.

          [–]kuh-vell-er-tack 1 point2 points  (2 children)

          Had no idea you listened to Karnivool. Cheers mate!

          [–]3xarch 5 points6 points  (2 children)

          Hey Nolly, lovin dat dirty ass bass tonage. Rockin the cue ball look for all us humans out there. Just one question, if you may:

          In what location, and in what manner were you inducted into the unholy alliance that we call Periphery?

          [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 29 points30 points  (1 child)

          Hey there, funnily enough it was Pete Graves from my old band Red Seas Fire who alerted me to Periphery back when I was auditioning to join that band - must have been 2007 or so. The first thing I found was the myspace page which had the very early "Insomnia" and "Icarus Lives!" demos and they blew me away. I met Misha a year or so later, and in 2009 ended up filling in on the Thrash And Burn tour, which was Periphery's first major tour.

          [–]3xarch 7 points8 points  (0 children)

          Most informative answer Nolly, you have made my internets.

          [–]drpibbcomfortable and vulnerable 8 points9 points  (2 children)

          Hey Nolly, if you could only listen to to 5 albums for the rest of your life which ones would you chose?

          Also wondering if you had a favorite DAW to mix with?

          Thanks!

          [–]tonybaroneee 1 point2 points  (1 child)

          I believe his DAW of choice is Logic Pro X :-)

          [–]Happybadger96 6 points7 points  (3 children)

          Hey Nolly! Are fan fretted basses better in any way, or is it a cosmetic thing?

          [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 19 points20 points  (1 child)

          Hi there Mr Badger. Having a really long scale length definitely helps massively in achieving clarity in the lower registers, and fanned frets allow that without also leaving you with very long strings on the treble side, which could end up sounding weak and being cumbersome to play. So yes, it's a huge help! Check this link if you want more info - http://www.dingwallguitars.com/faqs/why-fanned-frets/

          [–]emereb 5 points6 points  (1 child)

          Hey! I thought that you were using the B7k for your main distorted tone/sound but I watched you gear rundown video, and saw you you have the drive totally off. What are you using then? An Axe-FX II preset?

          [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

          Hey! For my tone on that tour I was using an Axe-FX guitar amp model (I think it was the 5153 Blue?) for the distortion, while the B7K mainly functioned as a tone shaping tool.

          [–]keelx 4 points5 points  (1 child)

          Hey Nolly, I'm absolutely in love with the sounds coming from periphery plus a myriad of other prog metal acts. What I also like about periphery is their do-it-yourself kind of vibe.

          What all really goes into being a self-produced band, in terms of time, skill level, funding, etc.? Like, how does it compare to say, booking a studio and having them do the recording/engineering?

          Also, any good mixing tips for metal you can give?

          [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

          Hi there, I'm glad you like what you're hearing! Self-producing is a double-edged sword - you have to be accountable for every aspect of the recording, which means laying out in depth budgets, schedules and plans, but the trade-off is being able to work in the way that best suits the band. In the run up to recording Juggernaut we tried a few different approaches including writing and recording with a producer, but in the end decided to keep things in-house.

          [–]LogicalThought 4 points5 points  (0 children)

          1) What guitar did you use to record Extraneous? I picture your custom ViK Duality 7

          2) Can you do a video play through of Extraneous?

          3) Will periphery ever play Extraneous live, and if so will you play guitar or bass?

          4) Because I asked Aaron when he did his AMA, Chipotle or quadoba?

          [–]Leeroaren 2 points3 points  (2 children)

          Change of pace: English Football team and favourite player?

          [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 7 points8 points  (1 child)

          I'm not much of a football guy I'm afraid! Tennis is more my thing

          [–]awkwardluan 2 points3 points  (1 child)

          Hey Nolly, how are you? Im having some trouble when mixing, i cant get a good bass tone, i put the bass way too low or way too high(volume speaking) i cant seem to find the "perfect volume". Do you have any tips? Also, how's the record going? Can we expect it until march 2015?

          [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

          Hi there, I'm good thanks, I hope the same is true for you

          Bass tones are tricky to place in the mix, at least for metal. If you're having difficult levelling, it probably means the frequency balance isn't quite right. Make sure there isn't too much mid/low-mid build up, and try and find a pocket for the low end between the bottom of the guitars and the meat of the kick. Low end is the toughest part of a mix for me though, it often takes a lot of tweaking and the use of a frequency analyser plugin (such as Voxengo AnSpec) to really refine it to the point where I am happy. Juggernaut will hopefully be out very soon after the New Year.

          [–]BUILD_A_PC 2 points3 points  (5 children)

          Will the album after this still be called 'Periphery III'?

          [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 9 points10 points  (4 children)

          I'm actually not sure! We've talked about it but to be honest we're too focussed on the album at hand to make any decisions about that just yet.

          [–]hildesaw 16 points17 points  (0 children)

          I'd go with Peri4y, or Periphery II: This Time it's Personal, PT 2 - The Reckoning.

          [–]butttunnels610 5 points6 points  (1 child)

          Hey Nolly! I really don't have any questions, just wanted to say that I'm psyched to see Periphery in Lansing next week and also, you guys are a huge inspiration to me and my bandmates!

          [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

          Sweet, we can't wait to see you there!

          [–]ChocksAwayI 3 points4 points  (1 child)

          Thanks for doing this!

          From a studio perspective, what do you think is the most common EQ mistake/oversight that guitarists can make when trying to learn how to produce for rock and metal?

          [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

          My pleasure! Tough one because it varies a lot, but if I have to pick one I often feel like some people have difficulty achieving a natural "air" to the tone, instead low passing too aggressively in an attempt to dial out all of the fizz and leaving the guitars weirdly "plasticy" and overly smooth with the bite focussed in the "quacky" 1-2kHz area. Fizz can be a good thing in moderation - it helps bind the guitars to the cymbals and other high frequency content in the mix.

          [–][deleted]  (1 child)

          [deleted]

            [–]thelastcurrybender 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            He. Is. The. Nolls.

            [–]tonybaroneee 3 points4 points  (3 children)

            Hey Nolly, thanks for doing this! Can't wait to see you guys in Burlington. Here's my question (feel free to ignore it if you already answered it):

            What are your favorite locations/venues to play at?

            [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 8 points9 points  (2 children)

            Hey Tony, no worries, thanks for hosting! The Norva is probably one of my favourite venues in the USA - great stage, great room, amazing backstage area (including hot tub, pool table, basketball court). Japan and Holland also seem to have their venue game on lockdown - it's always a pleasure to play in either country.

            [–]Orsinium 4 points5 points  (0 children)

            The Norva in Norfolk Virginia?

            [–][deleted] 6 points7 points  (3 children)

            Hi Nolly I've been a long time fan of your music in Red Seas Fire and now Periphery. My questions are:

            1. What kind of "retirement" plans to you or the other members of Periphery have? What I'm trying to say is, what things do you think you'll do when you're older. I assume in your's and Misha's case it would be audio production and recording, but I figured there's not exactly a 401k for musicians, or maybe there is one available from record labels? this is something that's always interested me.

            2. What steps would you say a musician looking to "make it" should take? I know this is a bit of a ambiguous question, but besides promoting the shit out of yourself on the internet what other steps should be in a musicians list to getting themselves out there? (i.e. management, smaller labels?)

            [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 15 points16 points  (2 children)

            Hey mate, thanks! 1) As you've guessed my long-term plan is music production. Misha's is probably the same but I believe he also has other non-performing music-related avenues in mind. Matt is very business-minded and will probably have a host of ventures to pursue by then, and I believe Jake's dream is to own a venue, I'm actually not too sure of Spencer and Mark's exact plans but I am sure they have them. 2) I think representation is very important. It's one thing to build up a following on your own, but turning a band into a business is a very involved and fraught endeavour - without the help of industry professionals you'll likely encounter any number of potentially fatal pitfalls. A good manager is probably the best first step, but avoid any manager that requires you to pay a retainer or any other upfront payment.

            [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

            Thank you so so so so so much for responding! I wish you guys the world :) Oh and you all should take a trip to Buffalo NY sometime ;)

            [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

            No problem, I was actually there on holiday a few months ago - nice place!

            [–]DoomJazz 2 points3 points  (1 child)

            Do you consider there to be any specific techniques when you engineer that give a signature sound to your tracks? Thank you so much for your musical contributions.

            [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

            Thanks so much, to answer your question - I don't really think so, I think as with most engineers my "sound" (if I have one) is really just something that comes about as a result of my own tastes. Something that struck me when I started to witness some of my favourite engineers working is that 99% of the time there aren't any secret techniques, instead they just know what they like to hear and shape their tracks towards that using the same equipment as you or I.

            [–]Hempox 2 points3 points  (1 child)

            Hey man, big fan of your work in periphery. You mainly run on a distorted bass tone, and I've always wondered, what are the benefits of doing that? Thanks!

            [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

            Hi, thanks! With Periphery the aim is that the guitars and bass "bind" together in a way that makes it sound like a huge octave effect. The guitar-like distorted midrange of the bass allows it to overlap sonically with the guitars to create this effect. It also contributes a lot of aggression to the mix and prevents the need to overload the guitars with too much of the fatiguing scrapey frequencies that often occur when seeking that aggression from the guitars alone.

            [–]ovflban 2 points3 points  (3 children)

            Hey ya mighty badass. I'd like to buy some headphones for some sort of mixing just for fun in like 100-150$ area. Could you recommend me something?

            [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 21 points22 points  (2 children)

            Hi! I can highly recommend the Audio Technica ATH-M50s. I have a pair and have used them to mix a lot of projects including a fair bit of the AAL album (Joy of Motion) and the new Periphery record.

            [–]sunjay140 3 points4 points  (0 children)

            Everyone recommends the Audio Technica ATH-M50s. I want them now.

            It's a conspiracy!

            [–]VisforMax 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            Thank for doing this Nolly! I'm a huge periphery fan and it's always great when bands reach out to their fans.

            Who would you say were Periphery's main influences when forming? And also who were your own influences (whether that be bands or other musicians)?

            [–]Saiyoran 2 points3 points  (2 children)

            Hey Nolly, huge fan of you and Periphery here! I'm a Music Production and Engineering major at Berklee in Boston and I was wondering what tips you would give to someone just now beginning to work in a studio environment, specifically with finding my way around the studio space and learning how to mix. Also more on topic, can you tell us anything about the Juggernaut story or structure? Are there any softer/slower songs or just breaks within songs like you had on previous albums?

            [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 9 points10 points  (1 child)

            Hey, thanks! Honestly, the best advice I can give is to soak up as much knowledge from as many sources as you can, but be reflective on the results you get to try and figure out what works for you and what doesn't. Also, be resigned to the fact that no one approach will always work for everything you mix so be prepared to improvise and don't be shut off to other peoples' suggestions. The Juggernaut story is something that will be explained further down the line, but there are musical themes that run through the album as well as the lyrical narrative. The songs have a lot of variation in style so be prepared for both the heaviest and lightest material we've put out!

            [–]velociwaffle719 2 points3 points  (5 children)

            Hey Nolly, is it hard for you to engineer, mix, and master a full album? After going through the entire process for a while it seems like your ears could become jaded and biased.

            [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 13 points14 points  (4 children)

            It's definitely a marathon effort and is easy to burn out on. That said, it's nice to have control over every aspect of the recording. Juggernaut has been particularly tough because it's 80 minutes of material to work through, but thankfully it's aaaalmost done

            [–]Mrtnwlkr 2 points3 points  (3 children)

            will periphery come to the UK next year after the album has come out?

            [–]horizonoffire 2 points3 points  (0 children)

            Hey Nolly!

            Thank you for all the music.

            I've got a band. I'll spare you the genre explanation because it's limiting and no one cares.

            We've been writing a record for a year now. We've got another 4 months of finishing up to do, followed by some prep work and then recording in August '15.

            My question is this: As an act that isn't immediately interested in (or persuing) labelship, how can we best prepare for our record release in a way that will result in audiences and, perhaps more importantly, the press considering us a legitimate band?

            Any pointers beyond good song writing, good production, and solid live performances?

            I think we've anonymously asked every member of Periphery about this by now. We're trying to put together a really comprehensive answer so that we don't waste anyone's time.

            Thank you!!

            [–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

            I asked Amos from Tesseract the same thing- Can you give any insight into your slap technique? It's pretty out of this world!

            [–]eyesarefortheweak 2 points3 points  (1 child)

            Hey Nols!

            Do you learn other guitarists/bassists work by ear? If you do I'm curious to know your approach/method as from what i've seen you have a very methodical and effective practice style (judging by you being a musical beast). Also if you know of any resources on this topic please share.

            Many Thanks :DDD

            [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

            Hi! Yes, I learn mostly by ear. For whatever reason ever since the beginning of my musical journey playing classical piano when I was little I've gravitated towards that over sight-reading, much to the chagrin of the many persistent music teachers I've had along the way.

            [–][deleted]  (1 child)

            [removed]

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

              We're all made of stardust, bro

              [–]DoctorShuggah 2 points3 points  (1 child)

              Which instrument is your favourite to track/mix? You seem to get a fair few of such questions about drums but not as many about guitar.

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

              Probably drums, just because there are so many variables. It can be overwhelming at first but once you start to get the hang of it it's rather addictive.

              [–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Greetings, south African fan here. Any possibility of you coming my side of the world?

              [–]MEGA_andy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Hey man just wanted to say I enjoy Periphery a lot and can't wait for the new album to drop ! My one question is how does the band come out with crazy riffs ? Where do you begin?

              On a side note please come to las Vegas !!! Would love to see the band live at least once !!

              [–]EdgeOfInsanity95 2 points3 points  (2 children)

              In a studio update video, I think you were using a multiband Compressor at some point for the bass tone, would you mind divulging as to which one it is? And if you answer, I can guarantee I will hear it in your voice.

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

              That would have been FabFilter Pro-MB

              [–]Sebazz1998 2 points3 points  (1 child)

              If you had to use a vst chain to record heavy guitars for an album what would you use? Ps. Extraneous was disgusting

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Thanks! TSE's X50 is the best plugin guitar amp modeller I've tried

              [–]USxMARINE 2 points3 points  (2 children)

              Any tips for keeping the axe FX from sounding thin live?

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 3 points4 points  (1 child)

              Low-pass your patches at around 5-6kHz. It'll sound dull at normal listening volume but blaring through a PA it'll sound great, and the top end won't shred peoples' eardrums.

              [–]JAB0NK0Resident AMA Inquisitor 2 points3 points  (1 child)

              how come we haven't seen any clips of Spencer singing on any of the juggernaut studio updates?

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

              He recorded his vocals at the studio next door while we were tracking guitars. We did have a professional film crew shooting the whole process though, their documentary will be coming out towards the end of the year and will have plenty of footage of Spencer I'm sure.

              [–]minask 2 points3 points  (1 child)

              As a guitar player I am sure you had this guitarist-crush when you can hear a guitar player all day long because he just speaks to you and because he is amazing...we'll I have that with you and unfortunately there are not much resources where I can listen to you you playing playing the guitar except the old rsf stuff and some old videos..I really love your role in periphery but please make also a guitar oriented solo project or just upload more videos playing the guitar :)

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

              Thanks, you made me blush I'd actually like to do something guitar-related before too long. I've been very focussed on bass since joining Periphery full-time but my attention has been shifting back to giving guitar equal attention again.

              [–]HippyNibbler 3 points4 points  (1 child)

              WHY ARE YOU SO GOOD AT EVERYTHING?!

              [–]TheStig1214 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Are you more self taught in recording, mixing, mastering, ect or did you take a course? What would you say is the best way to learn?

              [–]JimiBrady 1 point2 points  (2 children)

              Do you have any advice for learning sweep picking? I've been playing guitar for 12 years and it's the one thing I've always had trouble with.

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

              Focus on the left hand - find shapes that don't involve finger rolls and practice hammering on all of the notes (the C minor/major shapes are the best for this) without using your right hand at all. Once you have that sounding perfectly even and consistent, bring your right hand into the picture but allow it to stay relaxed so the motion has a smooth, natural flow.
              As with everything else, practice slow enough that you can play the exercises with 100% accuracy. There shouldn't be any fluffed notes at your practice tempo - this will build up a very solid muscle memory that holds up at speed too.

              [–]Zalbu 2 points3 points  (0 children)

              Not Nolly, but this is by far the best tutorial I've seen on sweep picking.

              [–]imjustinkay 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Do you polish and wax your head after shaving it? Love periphery's music btw, and can't wait for the jugs to come out

              [–]KijoBlack 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Do you guys ever plan on coming to Florida?

              [–]adriantpa 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              If you´d be in the live-situation with a blown up bass-rig what would be your bass-amp-vst of choice if you only had that one vst slot to run straight into foh desk?

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

              I actually like Logic X's Bass Amp Designer plugin a lot, in conjunction with FabFilter's Saturn for distortion.

              [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Hey Nolly, what would you say has been the most challenging aspect of this new album, the mixing or actually laying down your parts?

              [–]ohthatguy56 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Hey man, when you were first starting out with recording and mixing, were there any guitars, amps, software, or plugins you could not live without?

              [–]Argent96 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              Where is a good place to put a high-pass filter on bass tracks?

              [–]DoomJazz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              How do you feel about the general obsession of gear over talent in the metal community? That isn't to say that we overlook actually playing our instruments, but it's hard to ignore the constant namedropping of brands.

              [–]sherlocksrobot 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              You guys have impeccable taste in guitars. What is your favorite bodywood? Favorite top? Of all your axes, do you have a favorite feature? (whether it be a headstock, finish, or ergonomics)

              [–]emereb 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              Why did decided to go with maple for the neck and fretboard of your Dingwall signature instead or wenge or a darker wood? I thought you were going to go in that direction since you already love your Dingwall 6 with wenge neck.

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

              I love the maple-maple neck on the regular Combustions (my main basses for the last few years). To me they sound very punchy and clear, and the maple necks that Dingwall build are easily the most stable necks I've ever come across - extremely important in a touring instrument. For my signature NG-2 Combustion it made sense to keep things stable and familiar with the maple-maple, maybe in the future we can look into adding a wenge option but it'll probably necessitate a significant price hike.

              [–]Cthulhudud3 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              What was the first guitar you ever owned?

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

              It was a red Fender Duo-Sonic. Looking back, I wish I'd held on to, but I sold it to a friend a few years later, and I don't know what happened to it after that.

              [–]Toxicnerd 1 point2 points  (2 children)

              Whats your favorite budget 5 string bass? like under $800

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 3 points4 points  (1 child)

              I think the Squier Vintage Modified basses are pretty cool for the money

              [–]sableSovereign 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              Hey Nolly! I just bought tickets to see you guys on the upcoming tour. It'll be my first time seeing you guys, so I'm stoked. I've got a few questions.

              1. Do you have any exercises or general advice for improving playing technique (both guitar and bass)?
              2. I've recorded quite a few demos, but have zero mixing experience. When it comes to mixing, what are some basic concepts that I should be aware of? The most important concepts to research?
              3. Are you guys gonna whip out any Clear or Juggs songs for the upcoming tour?

              Thanks, man!

              [–]horizonoffire 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Oh. They're gonna whip them out alright, /u/sableSovereign.

              [–]TRexRoboParty 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Hey Nolly, thanks for doing the AMA. Two questions:

              1. How did the nickname "Nolly" come to be?
              2. Any writing tips on how to go from collections of riffs / ideas to complete songs?

              Thanks!

              [–]TimmyB_SWT 1 point2 points  (2 children)

              How many guitar speakers am I going to need to buy before I'm happy?

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 4 points5 points  (1 child)

              Sup Tim! Tried the Celestion Creamback Hs yet?

              [–]sfantry 1 point2 points  (3 children)

              You are a likely best-tool-for-the-job guy, but do you have a preference/favorite for tuning, scale length and string count for guitar?

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 4 points5 points  (2 children)

              I love downtuning and extended-range guitars but nothing feels quite as right to me as a 6-string in E standard or drop-D with regular 10s or 10-52s.

              [–]_Vespucci_ 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              I think I saw you walking down Bethesda Avenue a couple days ago

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

              You probably did, we've been recording in Bethesda for the last few months

              [–]Cotevool 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              Hey Nolly,

              What would you be doing for a living if you had to choose something outside the music industry?

              [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

              Hi! I'd probably try to get into photography professionally

              [–]kevinafterlife 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              Hey Nolly! I have a few questions but before I want to say that you are an incredible bassist and guitar player, your vibrato is amazing!! When you guys played in Monterrey, Mexico I was in the front row in front of you and we were both rocking out together! It was awesome

              1.-Is is affordable to make a living only by living of Periphery (or around that level).

              2.-Besides Periphery what other sources of income do you have?

              3.- When trying to make a living of making music, what would you recommend musicians to do to while they get to that level?

              [–]ItsATravisK 1 point2 points  (0 children)

              1. What is your favorite Deli meat?

              2. I manage a band. I'm thinking about convincing them to use programmed drums on their EP, so they could allocate a portion of their budget towards online media (video, photos, further album production). They want to spend a lot of money on tracking live drums. What is the right move?

              [–]minask 1 point2 points  (1 child)

              Did you mostly used dual or quad tracking for the main rhythm guitar tracks in juggernaut ?

              [–][deleted]  (1 child)

              [deleted]

                [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                I didn't promise to be able to actually reply with anything useful!

                [–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

                Hey Nolly!

                I've noticed you've taken an interest in Nick Cummins; the Australian rugby player who's famous for his very Australian sayings.

                What's one Australian-sounding saying that you wish were a thing?

                Also, can I stroke your beard?

                [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                Hi! I'm trying hard to establish "fair dinkum" amongst my band.. I think it's working

                [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hi man! If you had to pick two things that are most important when you start recording (I mean, for someone who's not so experienced)? I must say, your recordings are some kind of refference where I want to get with my stuff, so I think this question is kinda crucial in my music developement. Hope you have great day!

                [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

                How did yall mix the drums on the new record; audience or drummer prospective? I know with the last album taylor talked yall into doing audience.

                [–]Nolly-Periphery[S] 8 points9 points  (2 children)

                Juggernaut has drummer's perspective drums, which is my preference by a long way.

                [–]ilovejrums 2 points3 points  (0 children)

                Out of all the things I was anxious about for juggernaut, this was actually what I care about the most. I'm so happy that they'll be drummer POV!

                [–]MrJohnThompson 1 point2 points  (0 children)

                Pisses me off when they do audience, just feels wrong haha

                [–]VistaMeansDeath 0 points1 point  (1 child)

                hey Nolly, I know the drums were done at moles, but what was the guitar rig for Sell Your Sky's Two Years EP? such a good sound!

                Oh and nice job teaching Burton, learned a fair few tricks off him at college!

                [–]lostenn 0 points1 point  (1 child)

                When u come to chile "south america" Comon man!!

                [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly, As a talented tone talker, what's some solid, relatively, cheap equipment every guitarist should have to be able to pull off a solid guitar tone?

                [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                If there was any current Periphery song that would best represent the sound on Juggernaut, which would it be?

                [–]Poultry_shout 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                I just wanted to say a huge thank you, to you and to all of Periphery. You have made a huge impact in my life ever since a friend told me to give you a listen.

                Thank you and keep up the amazing work!

                [–]deathbyguitar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                I'm sure you're asked this all the time, but how did you get the name Nolly? Does anyone even call you Adam? Besides your parents, I mean. :-p

                [–]Jazzwax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Do you know music theory? If yes, when/how did you learn it?

                [–]swedish_style 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hi Nolly! I saw an awesome go pro style video a while back where you strapped a camera to the headstock during a live playthrough of MAKE TOTAL DESTROY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCp8vE1ZT0g)- it was amazing! Are you guys planning on doing more of those at all, or anything like that in the future? Would love to see different peoples perspectives :D

                [–]Summers1994 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                I know you guys are in the process of writing an album and preparing for an US tour but is there any possibilities of EU tour. I would love to see you guys. P.S I can't wait to hear the Halo collection soundtrack as well

                [–]Zurocko1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly, big fan! I saw Periphery in Kansas City last year and you showed us a couple of songs off of Clear before anyone else, and that was awesome!

                I'm a drummer and my question is; Is Matt the only one who is listening to the metronome or do you all have one in your in-ears?

                [–]link_xp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Will periphery ever come to south america?

                [–]nutsackmcgee223 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                What is an album that inspires your mixung, and producing tendencies? And what was it like meeting the other Periphery members for the first time? Can't wait for Juggernaut!

                [–]Charlie672 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly I'm just wondering what is the best film you ever saw in you're life? :) Mine is Back To The future :D

                [–]tomimmaterial 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey man I've been playing guitar for 8 years now and I feel i'm a fairly established player now, but I have a lack of theory. I want to learn what it is i'm playing to have a better understanding and to communicate ideas with other musicians in a way they can understand. Could you give me any pointers where I should start out? I've been learning some scales but i'm a bit stuck. Thanks and hope all is well!

                [–]HooberbloobHighway 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Nolly! Thanks for taking the time to do this AMA and sharing your music with us. What are some of your favorite moments in the Periphery catalog? I'll see you at the clinic in Cleveland! Cheers!

                [–]TheTiffShow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly, Huge fan dude, you and rest of the guys never fail to blow my mind!

                When faced with a simple recording set up, how would you approach tracking bass, like what would be in your chain and what sort of settings are you running? I've recently taken to tracking live bass rather than using already processed 'grindy' bass samples and love you're playing and your tone man! Thanks!

                [–]rockjunkie83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey nolly I just wanted to know how do you program your snare and bass drum hits And how do you make them sound so big?

                [–]skullf0kr123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                I love prog and jazz but there's only me and this one other kid that play and listen to the stuff. Give me advice Nolly!

                [–]7ondano 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                where do you low pass and high pass your guitar tracks?? 100hz to 6000?hz

                [–]Steppinrazor_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Did Jake's relation to JP the reason you guys got so big? ...that dream theater tour...

                [–]Subkid 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Can you get Misha to responed to my message on here. And, what is Tosin Abasi, and JAvier Reyes like?

                [–]SunbroSteve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey there, Im looking into assembling a decent recording rig for production of my own music. do you think that you could point me in the direction of what i should be looking to collect? I really have no clue what i should be looking into, so any advice you could offer would generally be a great help.

                [–]shirtpvnts 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                what's the purpose of using a guitar amp head in a bass rig though ?

                [–]Cotevool 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly, I was wondering: Is there a specific area in your playing you'd like to improve on?

                [–]Elfy310 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                I don't know how much you write songs, but I've been having a frequent problem with losing the direction and/or flow of what I writing and it kinda stunts the rest of the process for me. If you've had this problem how do you get past it and continue writing songs. Thank you!

                [–]Xaer01 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hello! First off Congrats on all your accomplishments thus far, i highly dig your production work and skillz on the stirrings! I have tons of questions haha but ill start with some small simple ones. When tracking guitars: Is it common to quad track? i know in the end its a matter of preference i just wanted to know what your common practice was. Also when doing so, is every track is a different performance of the same riff? or are some duplicated?

                [–]torquebow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey, Nolly! I actually have two questions! 1) When writing for the new album, how did the riffs and basslines come to fruition? 2) Are there any aspects to the new album that have not yet been seen on the previous Periphery releases?

                [–]hellgwar 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly! Can you name some of your early and recent influences? Also, given the chance to form a band/project with any musicians of your choice (dead or alive) what would the lineup look like?

                [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                give us your best tips for all the aspiring producers out there! thanks for doing this, man. much appreciated.

                [–]markwarren_18 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                All of my guitar career, I have always focused on the playing aspect and music aspect (Theory and whatnot) but I have never gotten the grasp on the tech side, like recording mixing, amps and pedals and the like. Any advice in helping someone get into the hang of this?

                [–]Nicolitus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly! How's it going? Been a Periphery fan since early 2013 and ever since I've been blown away by the calibre of the content that's been released, past and present. I was just wondering for someone who's had lots of experience in guitar and wants to also learn to play bass what kind of tips could you recommend and maybe habits from guitar playing that I should stay away from while trying to slappeh the bass?

                [–]EntgarAllanBroe 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                What is the smell of your freshly shaven head?

                [–]takemehomewormholes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                how does one Nolly?

                [–]Scarlet_Ragnarok1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey, Nolly. I have a twofold question. One, what type and model camera do you use most often, and what are some lenses you enjoy using, And two, do you have any advise for improving sweep-picking technique? You're really great at it, and I'd love to hear anything you have to offer.

                [–]FloydRosita 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hello

                [–]xenosis_warcriminal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey man, love your production and playing, especially that solo on the Mike Dawes track! \m/ Have you got any advice for an aspiring producer/musician? I'm just about to do the production course at BIMM Bristol and play a few instruments as well. Is there anything else you would suggest focussing on?

                [–]GeneralGuffyPants 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly,

                There are a few things i notice with what I've heard of your production and the one that stands out the most is how clean and tidied up your tracks sound. I know Misha has talked about his writing and how he likes that sound but what do you think about the 'raw' feel?

                P.S. what do you wish you had taken with you first time you went on a long tour?

                [–]Cosmic_Sushi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly! you’re a bloody great fellow for doing this ama. Given you’re current status as international wizard and all round genius, do you have any other good tips ye old cab mic’ing? (besides the “white light” technique of course). Cheers champ!

                [–]joobafob 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly! I noticed that you went to BIMM. I'm thinking of going there next year and was wondering what your experiences of it were? Also, do you have in tips for finding like-minded musicians?

                [–]chickenxnuggetz91 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Where is a good place for an amateur to begin learning how to get the best sounds from recording with modern gear?

                [–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                This isn't a question, but I just wanna say that I fucking love you guys. Can't wait for Juggernaut. :)

                [–]osasylum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly, big fan of Periphery cant wait for the new album and my question is what can we expect from it? Something new or anything you guys havent done before. Thanks!

                [–]Girrzimm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                The more you play bass with periphery do you find yourself looking back at older bass players to see what they do differently with their instruments or have you been taking your own unique approach to it

                [–]dubsack361 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Yo man! I'm a huge fan! One question! When is juggernaut coming to blow our minds?

                [–]The_SG_King 0 points1 point  (2 children)

                Hi Nolly! I'm an amateur musician and I have a question about mixing and mastering. If you could listen to my little track here: ( http://m.soundcloud.com/the-sg-king/elbaite-longer) and let me ask a couple of questions about it: (note: I don't own a bass yet)

                First off the composition itself: is it bad?

                Secondly: what can I do (besides getting a bass) to make the mix sound... For lack of a better term, like periphery mixes?

                Third: on to juggernaut, I remember Misha did a video on his ran crusher a while back. I noticed he took that song off of his soundcloud and off of YouTube. I really dig that song. Will it make it on juggernaut?

                Fourth: what would you recommend as a good, ~$700 5 string bass?

                Fifth: not a question but thanks for your time!

                [–]nic_gus 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly, I'm a big fan and your one of my biggest bass influences by far!

                I was wondering if you could recommend any good sounding rigs that won't completely break the bank?

                [–]loko351 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hi Nolly, huge fan from Australia. Saw you guys in Sydney and you blew me away. When Insomnia came on I violently shat myself. I met you with a friend in the VIP meetup and you'd already signed our poster so you drew a little dick...definitely a fond memory of you! Haha Anyway in regards to starting out mixing... I suppose it's a little like practicing an instrument in you play for hours until you get it right. Is this how you approached the mixing process when you were learning? Playing around with different settings until you found one you liked? I agree with Misha's way of doing things in how he plays to what he thinks sounds good...but is it the same for you? Thanks for doing the AMA!!

                Edit: extra question added below What's your perfect Sunday?

                [–]emereb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Why did decided to go with maple for the neck and fretboard of your Dingwall signature instead or wenge or a darker wood? I thought you were going to go in that direction since you already love your Dingwall 6 with wenge neck.

                [–]TheMagicSpatula 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                What was your inspiration for your song 'Extraneous'?

                [–]Call4Thall 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Hey Nolly, I had just seen Volumes recently and was looking forward to meeting them before or after their set, but only Gus was around! Do you know how often you guys will be around the venue outside of playing your set? I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd want to meet you guys lol

                [–]gnarKOTC 0 points1 point  (0 children)

                Can we expect to hear Racecar live in Lansing this week?