Dad3353

Good evening, DF, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

They'll not be going to waste...

Magma ...

Good evening, RR , and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Good evening, Spencer, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

We're adding this to our set, so I've been listening to it often enough of late ...

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

Have you tried contacting Ashdown directly..? They may be able to help. Just a thought.

There are occasions, notably with amplified acoustic instruments, where the sound from the instrument and the sound from the amplification combine, usually at specific frequencies, to start feeding back, or sounding 'boomy' or 'ringing'. Phase reversal can help there, as a phase-reversed amp sound tends to cancel out the acoustic sound, so bringing clarity. Much depends on the stage, venue, proximity of the amp, so it can't be a permanent, 'built-in' thing; it's used by listening to see what sounds best in any one situation. If there's such an issue, phase reversal can be very useful indeed. If there are never such issues, it won't fix what doesn't need fixing. Hope this helps.

Ah, in that case... Duly ordered (optimistically, all three volumes ...). Thanks for the recommendation.

I wonder if a Precision version would be possible..? Hmm...

This one, by any chance..? Mr P.C. ... Makes a very apt Christmas gift.

Good morning, Mark, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

No, nothing against Cubase for any of the reasons given, but whatever choice one makes, there are compromises to be made. Personally I have been using using Reaper for ... well, even longer than that, and 'trialed' it for nothing for well over a year. I did finally decide to buy a license, but it has worked out to be less than the price of a cup of ordinary coffee per year (although, to be fair, I never drink coffee anyway, so...). No, the main concern is having software that your 'platform' can support (I've never been one for acquiring 'cutting edge' stuff; all my 'puters have always been very low spec...), having a 'workflow' that makes sense (I have found it fairly easy to do easy stuff with any DAW, and I only do easy stuff, so...), and having the flexibility to be able to handle the very divers media and methods dictated by one's Muse. For me, Reaper does all of this; others have great success with other stuff. There's a reason why Cubase, Protools, GarageBand et al are used so widely, and for so long. They're all good; one just has to choose whichever ticks the most boxes, and accept whatever this choice implies. Reaper does all I need; there are many DAWs out there, including many fine free or low-cost ones. Be aware, too, that Kontakt (even the Player version...) and Vsts in general, are a rabbit hole; it's often a Good Idea to have some kind of brake on one's aspirations, lest one falls into the 'All the gear, no Idea' trap. I'd be embarrassed to explain how I came to know this. Hope this helps.

Not a User of Cubase, but I believe it will treat Kontakt as a Virtual Instrument. If you try it, be sure to understand where the Vst should be in your disk, so that Cubase can find it. It differs depending on 32/64 bits, but I can't give more detail than that. I'll be the first, but maybe not the last, to recommend thinking of moving on to another DAW at some time..?

Cheers, Ped. No rush; I've Dunlop straplocks on all my important stuff (and anyway, I'm a drummer, so...). It's galling, just the same. There's still the chance that some part-time postal bod will find the packet poking out from under a cushion somewhere. I so wanted to post photos of 'em as cymbal holders, though.

I could maybe have helped, but the postman has yet to deliver the sets sent out weeks ago now. If they turn up in the next few days, (and if you're still looking...), I'll be back. I'm not banking on it, though; I think the envelope has slipped down the back of the van.

Good evening, Henning, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

This can happen if you're playing above your 'paygrade'. Don't be tempted to rush into stuff beyond your present grasp; with patience and diligence, things will improve. What to do..? Firstly, have the backing track loud enough so that you can really hear it. If you're playing to a speaker system, maybe the sax is drowning out the track, so try with headphones, maybe (just one side, if you need to hear what the sax is doing...). It's also important to listen to the track, without playing at all, to get the beat and structure integrated in your mind. Don't play; sing the sax line whilst listening. If you can get a metronome synchronised to the tempo, that'll be a big help, but It's not always easy, depending on where the track came from. Chord sheets help, too, as a visual aid as to where the music is going. Again, this is stuff that can (and should...) be worked on without playing. Once it's well established in your mind how the music is constructed, where the changes come, when to stop and breath, when to launch into that awesome riff... Only then can you play with confidence, over any track at all (that you've studied and mastered...). In short, it will be of little help to just 'blow' over a track. Put a bit of work into studying it first. Do you have a tutor..? That would be of enormous benefit; he/she should be able to help, at least in advising what tracks are suitable for your level. Hope this helps.

Good evening, Mike, and ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

With the space/volume I see in the photos, I'd suggest that there's no point in looking for 'studio' ergonomics nor performance. That's not to say that nothing can be done, but some careful thought, careful planning and a careful budget can improve things. I'd start by accurately measuring the whole room, and making a plan view, giving all salient details such as doors and windows, and how they open, and ceiling height, plus any other features such as radiators and the like. A list of the principle elements of your system (screen, console, monitor speakers, Fx and other boxes, instruments...), with their dimensions, and maybe a rating from 1 to 10 on a 'this is used most often' scale. A lot can be done with trestles and worktops, and shelving solutions, either wall-mounted, built-in or even made mobile on castors can be part of the picture. Is the room used for anything else (stored boxes, winter coats, vacuum cleaner...)..? There's a need for much thinking 'outside the box', and much compromise to be made, but it can be done. Don't throw money at it; it would be largely wasted. Disclaimer : I would describe my take on these things as tending towards the 'minimalist'; I spent decades working in IT from a 1 sq metre desk, and my present 'pica-studio' takes up less than 1 cu. metre before my armchair. When I need a keyboard, or my guitars or bass, they're played on my lap. Ideal..? Maybe not. As good as Peter Gabriel's set-up..? Very far removed..! Adequate..? Yes, and by necessity, so it is what it is. One cuts one's coat according to one's cloth. Hope this helps.

There's none so deaf as them's that won't hear.