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I would have said guitar based rock is a broad enough church to house both but hey ho, no biggie. Anyway, keep an eye out for my next project, SPICEGIRLS!

I've got it to augment the C4 synth pedal, as its paltry controls aren't sufficient to realistally do much with; effectively it's adding 6 buttons to the C4 (MC6 = MIDI Controller with 6 buttons). The C4 has a MIDI interface box but its connectors are non-standard so I connect them via an interface (a box with standard MIDI DIN connector on oneside and the C4's proprietary connector on the other) called a Neuro Hub which sits on the underside of the pedalboard (they now do a smaller interface called a MIDI Adapter). MIDI is quite straightforward: you can think of it as a simple network addressing system where: Every attached device has an address (called a channel, a number 1-16). Each attached device (could be a synth, a pedal, a lighting controller) has a pre-defined set of messages it can accept, such as keyboard notes, control-knob settings, selector switches on/off. You can send a value along with the message (a number 0-127), which could be the note on a keyboard, the value of a volume slider, a switch on/off, which effect setting to select. Typically synths allow you to save a setting of your choosing to one of 127 memories (eg. 0=moog sound, 1=80s synth bass, 2=the sound they used on that hit in the 90s, etc.); these are called "patches". A programmable MIDI Controller like the MC6 allows you to program each button to send one or more messages to a given MIDI channel (and set what's displayed on the LCD panel next to the button); typically these could be to choose a given sound you've configured on the synth (a "patch") or to step up/down through the patches. In my case I've programmed two of the buttons to send the messages to step up/down through the C4's patches. Note that the 16 channels and numbers 0-127 may seem limited; this is because MIDI is based on 1980s technology (ie. 8-bit computers). However, you can send multiple messages to the same unit, eg. play a piano sound at middle-C with vibrato at 50% volume (ie. that is 4 messages), so it really is quite powerful. Imagine you walked into a room with some kit and the producer said "play me a piano sound at middle-C with vibrato at 50% volume"; you'd press a few buttons, twiddle the Vol control, and hit a white key half way along the keyboard; curiously similar to what the MIDI controller would do. The manufacturers of each unit typically publish a list or table of the messages you can use to control its features; all you need to do is look up the sequence of commands you need to send to make the target device (eg. the C4) do what you want..

A band I play in played at this small venue in Southsea last Fridy night. Blazing hot load in and subsequent load out. Very few people about and so a very low turnout. Long stort short (as you will have guessed, I bet), the lady is refusing to pay the band any money at all (a fee was agreed in writing). She was pleasant on the night and watched as we played all evening, presumably having decided she wasn't going to pay us anything. I will be going to the Small Claims Court, but any locals who may get a gig there, I would be inclined to not play there.

Having just checked out the "up and coming" Nottingham Girlband, there's not an enormous overlap between them and previously-named Girlband. Girlband are a straightforward Lady Parts-ish band, and Gilla Band are not up-and-coming due to being a bit too Leftfield. Luckily they didn't call themselves that! like this:

I suggested they change their name to Metallica instead

Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf

Cheers guys, I have the NC (2009) model 🙂.

I think they're past the point of easily being able to change their name. To do that, you either have to be completely unknown or have an enormous following (like Slaves when they changed to Soft Play).

But there's no point (IMO) in having a "transparent" amp if you cab(s) aren't transparent too.

Love 'em! I was confused by mentions of Girlband from Nottingham...

There Ain't Nothing Like Shagging - The Tams

Just wouldn’t have been possible on the last gig, no spare mics, inexperienced sound guy and I’m just the sideman who can’t be making such demands/adding so much complexity just for me