Thomas McRocklin

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Thomas McRocklin
Thomas McRocklin in studio
Thomas McRocklin in studio
Background information
Birth nameThomas McLaughlin
Also known asMcRocklin
Born (1979-09-20) 20 September 1979 (age 44)
Newcastle upon Tyne
OriginUK
Instrument(s)Guitar
Websitemcrocklin.com

Thomas McLaughlin (born 20 September 1979), better known by his stage name McRocklin, is an English guitar player, music producer and mastering engineer.[1] He was the guitarist featured in Steve Vai's music video "The Audience is Listening" (1990).[2] He then became the lead guitarist in Bad4Good,[3] a band produced by Vai in 1991. He is currently the lead guitarist and co-producer of the band McRocklin & Hutch.

In 2023 McRocklin co-founded the software company PolyChrome DSP, with partner Luca Capozzi of Audiority.

They built their first product, the McRocklin Suite early 2023.

The McRocklin suite plugin was built to replace all of McRocklin’s previous guitar chains.

Since the launch, their first plugin has reviews from guitar legends including Ola Englund, Herman Li of the band DragonForce. It has been featured in music publications Guitar World,[4] Sound on Sound,[5] and many others.

The McRocklin Suite is what McRocklin uses for all of the guitar tones for recording, content, and live streaming. Further PolyChrome DSP products are expected in 2024.

Biography[edit]

McRocklin started playing the guitar at the age of four.[6] By the time he was seven, he was performing onstage. His first big break came when he opened for Ozzy Osbourne in his hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne, at just eight years old.[7]

McRocklin went on to star in Steve Vai's music video "The Audience is Listening" and Vai became a close friend and mentor to him. During this time, McRocklin was gifted the custom-made Ibanez 7-String Universe. Steve Vai used this guitar on his Passion and Warfare album.[8]

McRocklin also featured in the Warner Bros. documentary Legends of the Guitar presented by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, at the age of 11, along with other guitar greats.

Time in the US[edit]

As the youngest person to be signed to Interscope Records at the time, the band Bad4Good (B4G) was formed around him. B4G released an album which was co-written and produced by Steve Vai.

During this time McRocklin also joined Zakk Wylde, Steve Lukather, Stuart Hamm and others on stage for the Jason Becker Benefit concert.  

Back in the UK[edit]

After returning to the UK, he released his own solo album 91-95. He also became more involved in production, which led to becoming a mastering engineer. It also fueled his interest in electronic genres of music, which took him away from the guitar.

McRocklin reentered the guitar scene almost 20 years later and is now producing new music. He produced a guitar-based EP entitled New Beginnings and gained a large following on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. McRocklin also formed the Shredwave band McRocklin & Hutch, which is inspired by 1980s rock, cult movies and 21st-century tech.[9] In 2018, McRocklin was invited to write and perform guitars on Gunship's The Video Game Champion.[10]

McRocklin & Hutch also joined Dragonforce on the UK leg of their 2019 Extreme Power Metal tour with their album Riding Out.

In December 2019, McRocklin launched his own online teaching platform, schoolofmcrock.com.[11]

In 2024, McRocklin took part in the recording of LeBrock's track 'Star'

Equipment[edit]

List of McRocklin's main equipment
Category Brand Type
Guitar Kiesel Guitars
  • Zeus
  • Aries
  • Delos
  • Type X
  • Osiris
  • HD6
  • Leia
  • MCR6X Signature
Pickups Fishman (company)
  • Fishman Fluence Signature Series Tosin Abasi
  • Fishman Fluence Classic Humbucker
  • Fishman Fluence Signature Series McRocklin
Amplifier Victory Amps Sheriff 22 Head
Boss KATANA-AIR
Effects Horizon Devices Precision Drive
Boss Line Selector LS-2
Bogner Harlow
Load Box Boss WAZA Tube Amp Expander

Endorsements[edit]

Since returning to playing guitar and producing music, McRocklin has become an artist for brands such as:

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Bad4Good: membros se reencontram na NAMM Show, fãs pedem reunião". whiplash.net (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  2. ^ "Steve Vai - The Audience Is Listening - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  3. ^ "Thomas "McRocklin" McLaughlin – The Mozart Of Music". allthatshreds.com. May 26, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  4. ^ Jonathan Horsley (February 9, 2023). "Thomas McRocklin launches guitar plugin company PolyChrome DSP and claims the software has replaced over $3,000 worth of his own gear". guitarworld. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  5. ^ "PolyChrome DSP McRocklin Suite". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "McRocklin Bio". McRocklin. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  7. ^ "Thomas "McRocklin" McLaughlin | ARTISTS". Ibanez guitars. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  8. ^ "Vai.com - The Official Steve Vai Website". www.vai.com. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  9. ^ July 2019, Richard Bienstock 09 (July 9, 2019). "DragonForce Announce New North American and U.K. Tour Dates". guitarworld. Retrieved July 23, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "The Video Game Champion by GUNSHIP". bandcamp.com. December 20, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Online Guitar Lessons - School of McRock". www.schoolofmcrock.com. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  12. ^ "Ibanez Artists". ibanez.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  13. ^ "Kiesel Guitar Endorser". kieselguitars.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  14. ^ "Eventide Artists". eventideaudio.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  15. ^ "Fractal Audio Artists". fractalaudio.com. July 7, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  16. ^ "Thomas McRocklin". www.astonmics.com. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  17. ^ "Thomas McRocklin". fishman.com. Retrieved February 3, 2020.

External links[edit]

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