Shortwave Dahlia came into being as a solo venture in 2004; A year later it became a duo and a year after that a trio. “At this rate we'll have an orchestra in about 15 years.” says founder Jack Alberson.

Alberson says the best description he has heard of the music is “futuristic rock.” But he says he has seen everything from “new wave” to “industrial.” Alberson talked to Gearwire about what his ambient/electronic band is aiming for in their music and how they use their gear as the means to this end.

Patrick Ogle: What is your “sonic aim” musically? What sound are you trying to achieve? How do you use and choose gear to facilitate this?

Jack Alberson: I have been a fan of electronics in music as far back as I can remember being into music...I was entranced by the Eurythmics' early records as well as other synth-heavy rock bands that got a lot of airplay in middle America (i.e. The Cars).

I think we want to marry organics, synthetics and sampling found objects without having to deal in clichés that pander to any one subculture. That's a very loose aim, but it's the only one we truly have at the moment.

Obviously, our choices in gear take that into consideration, but we also have a small budget and have to make concessions with that in mind. You know how it is; you find good deals here and there and augment your setup a little at a time.

You use a Korg MS2000 live and a Roland Juno 60 at home. Tell us about WHY you use these two synths?

What drew me to the Korg was that it was an inexpensive way to utilize current technology with an interface that doesn't require scrolling through "pages" (like my Alesis QS6 does) to get the sound you want. The Juno has such rich sounds...its string pads are dynamite.

What appeals to you most about the Korg?

Having the capacity to run other instruments into its filters is a great asset. I've gotten some amazing treated guitar sounds out of it (especially for one of the songs we're working on for our new album).

What are its drawbacks?

I suppose the drawback would be not having separate banks for user-created sounds. I don't exactly want to overwrite the factory presets--they're fun to start with and mutate in a live setting.

What appeals most about the Juno?

I quite like the pitch wheel interface and that you have the controls to alter its range right there next to it. I like the arpeggiator as well.

Again, what are its drawbacks?

I have yet to buy a MIDI retrofit and, though I have the original sequencer Roland made for it I have yet to buy a DCB cable. I'm lazy.

If you had to replace these two what would you look for?

If we're talking dream synths, I'd love an ARP 2600 or a Jupiter-8. I'm pretty happy with the ones I have, though. I don't think I'd seek out a DAW or any of the other newish synths to replace my current setup.