Dad3353

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1495024582' post='3300545'] I'm interested to know what the general bass playing population reckon to the bass sound on this... [/quote] It's as well you're asking about the bass sound, as the less said about the rest, the better (although as it's a 'live' take in less than perfect conditions, one may forgive quite a lot...). Burpy, solid, authoritative tone, then, from the bass, which carries the track along nicely. Not convinced by the more rapid 'run-downs' at the turn-around, which are rushed for the most part and should be either cut down (play alternate notes..?), practised (is it worth it..?) or replaced with a turn-around of your own (that's what I'd do..!). It shouldn't be that hard to get [i]that [/i]sound regularly; that's one of the 'signature' Jazz tones, and works in many situations. Be aware that, as with most things in life, abuse can tire the audience, so using a different timbre from the instrument's range would be recommended on numbers that support it. Altogether a fine bass, in context; Good Work, lad. Hope this helps.

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1494831480' post='3298724'] You were there at the time (like me) then, were you? This comes over as somewhat patronising, mate... [/quote] Good morning, Ivan... Wrong side of the bed this morning, eh..? I was indeed around at the time (but quite young...). I'm sorry that you found my post to be patronising, despite the 'smiley'; it's not my preferred style, although I can stretch to it if pushed. I found the Mo Foster classic volume 'Seventeen Watts?' to be very interesting concerning the early years of UK rock, and had, myself, much in common with his accounts, gleaned from the mouths of the pioneers themselves. There were, it's true, many capable musicians around, but there were many more eager, young, enthusiastic folks inventing the genre, with little or no academic musical, nor technical, knowledge at all. The School of Life was the route that many took (and it served them well, in many cases...), but their [i]debuts[/i] were largely 'hit and miss' (often miss...) and 'trial and error' (often error...). I can quite understand the perplexity felt by an old-timer, steeped in the traditional ways of the time, confronted with a budding skiffle group, with four acoustic guitars, a tea-chest bass and a washboard, claiming to be 'musicians'. Some were to become so, but many never made beyond school leaving, and took up other careers. Times have changed; it's now pretty easy to learn music from t'web or a qualified teacher. Not so easy back then, as the popularity of the Bert Weedon method testifies. Patronising, me..? It's not my intention; just adding a touch of perspective, as seen through my small end of the telescope, and for the greater part in jest. No malice intended.

[quote name='CTO' timestamp='1494802777' post='3298667']... Thanks for your critique!... [/quote] [quote name='CTO' timestamp='1494802777' post='3298667']... Do you have a link to the composition challenge? I hear the first time about this - Is this more about a composition or a production?... [/quote] Here you go... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/305041-may-composition-challenge-get-writing"]May Composition Challenge - GET WRITING ...[/url] The idea is to compose a piece, no more than 5 minutes, inspired by the picture, chosen by last month's winner (Chiliwailer, in April...). Have a look at some of the previous months, to get the idea..? Here's the April entries (scroll down a bit to see the links...)... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/304637-april-composition-challenge-voting"]April Composition Challenge entries ...[/url] ... and those for March... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/302951-march-composition-challenge-voting"]March Composition Challenge entries ...[/url] All in a spirit of good, clean fun, with a sprinkling of mutual learning and monthly astonishment at some of the brilliant work that comes up. The fit to the picture is supposed to be the main criteria, but each will have his/her own spin on that. Good production helps, of course, but a good piece will shine through, whatever its technical qualities. Tempted..? Here you go

Could have been worse... A 4 Watt cab at 800 Ohms..?

[quote name='WILD FROG SHOT' timestamp='1494773151' post='3298421'] Here is mine:... [/quote] Excellent; a fine representation of the picture. Hiss..? With my cloth ears and whistling tinnitus, I've no hope of suffering from that..! Sounds good to me (but then again, with what little hearing I have left, it'd have to be [i]monstrous [/i]to trouble me..! ). Good work, well done.

Some of us (not all, but some...) have grown up somewhat since those idyllic times, and have developed a little sensibility about the feelings of others. There remain certain vestiges of that dark, uncouth era, but, in general, humour has moved on. Maybe there's a certain staleness to hearing those 'blonde' jokes [i]et al[/i]..? One would hope so.

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1494754269' post='3298267']...to exclude rock and rollers from membership " because they weren't proper musicians"... [/quote] Although to be fair, in 1961, many 'rock'n'rollers' were, indeed, 'not proper musicians'..!

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1494753259' post='3298257']... Graham Norton...oh dear.... [/quote] We're not blessed in France, either. The pair (Stéphane Bern and Marianne James, if anyone cares...) that chattered away like gibbons, in French, over the show's hosts, speaking English, was, as usual, very irritating. I would ask the technical team to provide, for those with modern TV equipment, a choice of audio stream, as with some films, so as to have only the original version, without the 'local' feed. Even better would be the option of having solely the music, with no commentary from anyone at all..! Dream on, eh..? I rather liked the Portuguese fellow's appeal at the end for a return to 'music'..! He's not wrong, in my view; most of the other tosh was at best formulistic, much was downright drivel, musically, with 'hook' choreography or long legs as a poor substitute. Yes, I know it's a 'show', but surely someone is capable of marrying decent visuals with decent music..? No..? Oh well; I must be older than I thought.

Good morning, Theo... Yes; as above, good stuff there, and there's nowt wrong with your tasteful bass playing. Indeed, all the instruments are more than well executed, with maybe a special mention for the vocals..? Shades of Sade there (that's a compliment...). Any downside..? Well, yes, actually; I was less fond of the overly harsh 'lo-fi' drums. My hearing is especially 'shot' in the mid-to-upper ranges, but even with that I had to turn it down quite a bit, as I found it too aggressive and rasping. It's probably just me, though, as the overall production and mixing is otherwise top-notch. Altogether, then, a 'thumbs up', with just a touch of reserve on the drums sound. Well done to all involved.

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1494751543' post='3298243'] Well, do I ever feel stupid! After getting a full set of strings so I could change the G on my Jazz for last night's gig (mainly because I wanted to have my most recent memory of it a happy one and not the sight of it falling over!) I started to tidy away things this morning. "Where shall I put the pack of three unused strings?" I thought...not on the shelf with all the used strings I keep 'just in case'....I'll stick then in the drawer with odd bass related bits and pieces....and guess what I found there? TWO unused sets of D'Addario Chromes!! Glad no one will find out how dumb I was yesterday [/quote]

Done. Doesn't take long, and is interesting enough, for those that do home recording or studio work. A pleasant, non-stuffy, approach to surveys.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1494711853' post='3298121']...it sounds like all the songs were written by the same composer... [/quote] All except one; the winner..!

A strong and stable rendering from Lucie Jones, representing the UK.

I don't watch 'em, I listen to 'em. Overkill on the visuals and gimmicks; hurts my eyes (and sensibilities, such as they are...). The opening number was shockingly out of tune often, sure enough, though. Can't be easy going through that mill, I suppose.

Not seen 'em all yet, of course, but 'Portugal for the Win' so far. You saw it here first.

[quote name='SH73' timestamp='1494705260' post='3298070'] A bit out of tune [/quote] Nah, just 432 Hz, s'all.

[quote name='SH73' timestamp='1494701248' post='3298023'] Modesty. Perhaps you could start a thread on mixing, mastering, eq ing, compressing etc. So we can learn from master Dad. [/quote] I might take you up on that..! Once my ops and stuff are over (end of month or so, with any luck..?), I could lift the curtain on the days and nights of a retired sedentary armchair ex-musician with time on his hands and a barrow-load of projects 'on the go' at any one time. Be afraid; be very afraid.

[quote name='gareth' timestamp='1494686789' post='3297870']...still using XP! [/quote] A lot of software, and more especially 'custom' software, won't run on 'upgraded' OS, for many reasons. Running XP (or MS-DOS, or DR-DOS, or any other...) is not, in itself, a problem, as long as the security implications are taken on board, depending on criticality. This would include having suitable isolation from public networks, having robust and verified back-up procedures and 'spare' hardware. There are still a lot of servers out there running NT..! Not everything can be updated at the same frenetic pace as Microsoft[i] et al[/i] would like. It's not only the cost of the OS itself. It's also a very good reason for eschewing 'customisation' of software; this very forum has, occasionally received, and resisted, requests for functionality which would imply such. It's not an easy route to take.

[quote name='Mudpup' timestamp='1494681550' post='3297825'] I think if you are being paid to provide a service (i.e entertain 50 people in the Dog and Duck) you have a responsibility to make sure the job gets done. That means being able to complete the gig pretty much no matter what happens... [/quote] ... and if the drummer's bass drum pedal breaks..? Then what..? Or the hi-hat..? He, too, carries spares of those, I suppose, plus a spare snare drum, floor tom and drum rack..? There's a limit, that's all, and a question of probability and practicality. A spare lead takes up little space, as does a DI. Spare cabs and amps are quite a different category, and at many gigs would have to be left in the car for lack of space, 500 metres from the venue and unguarded, in any case..! Not always a case of 'can't be bothered' or 'unprofessional', in my view. There's a financial aspect, too..!.

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1494625650' post='3297511'] I have absolutely no idea how you manage to do your tunes... [/quote] Nor do I, I'm ashamed to say; nor do I..!

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1494625081' post='3297506']... enjoy [/quote] ...and enjoy it I did. I do likes me a spot of polyrhythm, does I. ...and 'Snap..!' for the thinking behind it all. Time, indeed, for a (re...) birth..!

Mmm..! Mushrooms..!

In several decades of FOH sound experience here in France, I can't recall any single occasion where the FOH, or the monitoring, was 'less good' for the support acts. It's true that, if a band has their own engi, they will usually be able to make a better job than the house engi hearing a band in 'real time' for the first time, with things like cueing in delay on the vocals etc (the same is true of the lighter, a job I held down for yonks for a ska-rock-punk band...). The material is the same, the engi is the same; I've not experienced any neglect of support bands, even when some (thankfully rare...) come across as 'divas'. Is it all that different in the UK..?