Dad3353

Probably, but, you know, 'Old dog, new tricks' and all that. Thanks for the thought, though.

It may be judicious to add a health warning for those with a disposition for suffering fits, seizures or uncontrolled epileptic bouts. I shall report further on the audio content once the hospital give me the all-clear, my eyeballs cool off and the tremors subside. To be listened to with headphones, in a darkened room and the screen turned off. ...

No, I exaggerate slightly. At the last-but-one outing, the bar owner sent us an envelope with 100€ in notes. He had no need to; we had not asked for anything. I invested in a soft case for the singer's floor tom and an additional four LED lights, and a pair of tripod stands for them. In all, more than the 100€, but it helped, of course. It's the thought that meant more to us than the sum itself, so pleased, in all.

What is this 'cash' of which you speak..? ...

Have you a sample project that we could look at, and maybe suggest how to attack this..? I use Reaper, but there are others here with Logic that could surely help out and give an opinion..? Here's a link explaining how to export to WAV files, that Reaper can use. Worth a shot..? Logic Pro and Logic Express 9: How to export multiple stems ...

I eat my peas with honey; I've done it all my life. It makes the peas taste funny, but it sticks 'em to the knife.

... in the full and certain knowledge that you're on a hiding to nothing. ...

I did a quick Google of 'mixing/mastering for Logic', and tons of stuff came up, so a read-through of some of those links might be fruitful, too..? As for acoustics : I do 95% with headphones (a decent enough pair of Superlux HD669; nothing special and not expensive at all...), with a liten through at the end on my domestic hifi (no need for bass traps, sound treatment, baffles et al for home-brewed stuff, usually...). Obviously, if the project is worth it, and one's ears are 'tuned in' a bit better, a complete studio-type set-up can gild the lily, but cloth ears won't benefit from Abbey Road, so starting out modestly is the way forward. It's really not that difficult, once a few basic notions have been sorted out. One tip I can offer (being, myself, a half-deaf, old-school, cloth-eared, old retiree...) is to use reference material, and compare one's own compositions and mixes with other, 'pro' tracks that have the same 'vibe' as that aimed for. Not to copy, technically, what's going on, but to eliminate, as best as one can, the divergence of means available to the pro studios and one's own. Does the reference track have clear, bright vocals..? Does your own track have that same 'shimmer'..? Play around with the treatment that one has, trying to get closer to that reference. There are web sites that have available stem tracks to mix oneself, to see what different drums sound like, or mixing a brass ensemble. From time to time, listen to one's work in mono, as that can show up a few 'hidden' issues. Here's a link to the Cambridge Music Technology stuff, which is excellent.

You don't say what system you're using for recording (which DAW, on which OS..?), but there are many packages and plug-ins that can take a rough set of stems and shake 'em into something decent, with a drop-down menu of options to listen to. Have a look at what Izotope Ozone offers, here, to get an idea. Does this help..?

As we play for free, I think we'll be going for a 100% increase next year, and see how it goes down.

Another dead-heat looming. How about I just print out a Certificate for everyone and be done with it..? Here's hoping that there's still some voters out there, deciding what to choose...

Advancing years starts to change things for many (maybe not everyone, but in general...). My grip is less reliable that it was, so I have a stack of sticks in a quiver hung from the floor tom, and I've had to adopt a technique of seizing a fresh stick, without leaving the beat. Never strong on stamina, from infancy, I played straight through five-hour shows before, and even longer for some weddings, or New Year shows. No longer; our repertoire is now honed to have a couple of upbeat numbers, followed by something a bit less frenetic, to give me time to breathe, and recover somewhat. At end of a gig, I now stagger out from behind the kit, and lie down, outstretched, flat on the floor (or the pavement...) until I can bring some oxygen into the system, and relax the tensions accumulated. Will any of this improve over the next decade or so..? Hmm... Unlikely, I'd say. I still do my rudiments, learn new stuff that the others want to put into our set, and it's as interesting as it ever has been, but it's not a permanent upward curve, and at what age does it start to dip depends on many factors. We can maybe return to the issue in three or four decade's time, and see who has found a difference in their performance, and why.

Just like most pub bands..?

Another vote for having a look at Talkingbss.net; there are specific courses for reading bass lines, starting from any level. Give them a try, whilst looking for a one-on-one option that meets your requirements. As to the direct question asked : yes, a teacher should have, on hand, all he/she needs to teach what their students (of any age...) want to learn, or should able and willing to recommend a colleague that can. Spend your money on someone that fits the bill. A trial lesson, normally free, is normal, too, for mutual evaluation.

I listened to each track intro on the Bandcamp site, then downloaded a FLAC album. I'll listen to it all over the next couple of days. First reaction, though : I don't like the almost systematic 'four times through' intro to most of the tracks. Not for its content, musically, but just from a composition point of view. Hearing any one track, it probably works, but skimming through the Bandcamp tracks, it irritated. I would have liked to have the lyrics, too, but these are not on offer, it seems. Never mind; more later when I've given it all a shot.

What do you mean by 'don't load'. Can't open with a Browser, or can't be downloaded from the link..? Do you have a graphics editor, such as Irfanview or similar..?

The Daub'z went down a storm (again..!) last night supporting Parpaing Papier for the 'anniversary' of our local pub. Shared backline (theirs...). As luck would have it, their drummer plays 'leftie' too, so just a snare and cymbals to swap. It's very odd playing someone else's kit. Very, very cramped, and the place (it's small...) packed to the hilt and more, despite the wet, blustery weather outside. Inside, though, an ambience inciting us to play our best, which we did (well, no-one pulled us up on the few blunders, so...). A great night (again..!); we have to go back today to recover our PA we'd supplied. The Parpaings kept the crowd pogoing, too, so all had a splendid evening. No pics; maybe some will emerge later..?

Tough; t'is what t'is. Hence my 'explanation'.

Just for (general...) information, my use of the smilie '' implies, usually, cynicism, or sometimes condescension, depending on context. My use of '' is usually 'tongue in cheek', or poker face, again, depending on context. I also use the 'Gold Cup' in the 'Like' list to indicate my approval, as in 'Well done, champ'., rather than its standard 'Thanks' label; for that I'd prefer ''. I'm not sure that there is a 'smirk' smilie, and can't think of any occasion I'd need one.

Maybe a Good Reason for lightening up with your condemnation of those playing music for other than artistic reasons, then..? There is (much...) more to Life than art.

There are clues in the 'smilies' that I choose to add, as expression of my sentiments.

And I would argue that, for the most part 'art', in any of its forms, is mostly baloney and balderdash. I would add 'hooey' for good measure.

@Baloney Balderdash Hmm; you seem to find my comment amusing, or 'funny'. Hmm. I find it sad, along with your reaction. We are not of the same Planet, methinks.

Bring it on; I've a new (to me...) hifi amp to get used to.

Yes, that's called The Army. There's a lot of it about.