Skol303

"Jesus was a black man, No Jesus was Batman" Shaun Ryder, Black Grape... deep and meaningful as ever ;-)

Hey Mike. Good to hear you're busy recording - and busy with family life! (I can empathize with the latter if not the former). You've always been a source of inspiration in the Recording forum so don't be a stranger and keep us posted on your new material - be great to hear it. All the best and happy bassing. Paul

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1344548790' post='1766418'] ...The only thing I'd suggest is that unfortunately the backing track is really badly clipping throughout through my monitors. Pull the overall level back and work on the mastering and you'll be laughing. [/quote] ^ Ditto. As for the playing... phenomenal! Great skills and really nice lines as others have mentioned.

[quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1344525406' post='1765970'] Anyone that considers £150 too much for custom made plugs which offer the very best protection,is mistaken. Just ask anybody that suffers from tinnitus as a result of overexposure to loud volumes. [/quote] Speaking as someone basing their entire knowledge of this subject on Google... ! ... from what I've read the benefit of more expensive (£100+) earplugs over cheaper ones (£10) isn't primarily about offering better protection for your ears - it's about offering a better quality of sound. I could be very wrong here, but that's what the reviews I'm reading seem to suggest - that you can protect your ears cheaply (cotton wool being the bargain basement option!), but if you want to do so AND maintain clarity across the frequency spectrum, then you need to spend some money. At least that's why I opted for cheaper E20s - if I've got this wrong then happy to be corrected.

About a dozen! Although I haven't been in a band since I was a teenager (now late 30s). ... played plenty more gigs as a DJ, but that's a different story. Credit to all of you chalking up the hundreds and thousands.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1337171936' post='1656542'] A bit more info from splugz.co.uk with regard to musicians specifically: [url="http://www.splugz.co.uk/musicians-earplugs/"]http://www.splugz.co...cians-earplugs/[/url] FYI only, I stress again that I'm not associated with Splugz Ltd in any way. [/quote] ^ I've just ordered a pair of these. Reviews suggest they're good for the money and ideal for occasional giggers like me.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1344422278' post='1764137'] Just need some bronze rings around the outside of em [/quote] ... and some more speakers to plug the holes

[quote name='dincz' timestamp='1344270136' post='1762032'] I must admit I don't get it, but then the music I really enjoy - sit and listen to intently rather than hear as background music or dance to - has a powerful emotional influence on me. Hair standing on end, goose bumps and sometimes tears. What does this music do for those of you who enjoy it? Is it simply a kind of academic appreciation of the structure and technicalities, or something else? [/quote] I can't say it brings me out in goose bumps; that's not what I get from this sort of thing although I do enjoy it. For me it's partly academic - I'm interested in sound synthesis, so I like to see/hear how different sounds are made and by what 'instruments' (that term often being loosely applied!). So I guess I like the creative aspect of it; the not having to give a **** about holding down a melody or groove, or worrying about whether people are dancing. I think that sort of freedom allows people to really let their imaginative hair down. I also find it inspirational. From what is on the surface quite random noise I've often picked up little nuggets that can be used to enrich more traditional or 'musical' compositions. I work pretty much exclusively with electronic music, which is an area where new sounds are the forefront of musical progression - arguably more so than in traditional guitar-based music - so I love the weird and wonderful noises that come from experimentation. Lastly, there's a psychedelic side to all this which chimes with my inner hippy. Man

Love it! I'm all for this kind of experimental stuff Reminds me of an experimental jazz/electronic night I used to go to upstairs at the Briton's Protection in Manchester, hosted by a group called '1bpm': http://www.1bpm.net/ Used to host some truly innovative and often crazy performances... some would have me in awe, others would have me in stitches. All brilliant, but certainly not everyone's cup of tea.

[quote name='Jack Cahalane' timestamp='1341621241' post='1722082'] Not sure where this belongs, so apolgies if it's in the wrong place! [/quote] Hi Jack. There's a thread for SoundCloud posts in the Recording forum here: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/156658-basschatters-soundcloud-accounts/ There's also a SoundCloud group on Basschat where you can share your music: http://soundcloud.com/groups/basschat Get stuck in!

Just to throw in a curveball... and probably not most people's cup of tea at all!... but I've always thought this bassline is a real peach, albeit repetitive. Harder to play (well) than it sounds, too. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEBoVhx_hDk

^^ Cheers folks. It's a tricky subject for obvious reasons. In hindsight I should have trodden more carefully. Hopefully no harm done.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1343908708' post='1757133']I cannot believe some of the ignorant, offensive bollocks I'm reading on this thread: "Don't be so f***ing weak & just do it" - what a great bit of advice for somebody who suffers with chronic depression.[/quote] I think you're getting the wrong end of the stick. I didn't post this as being sound advice for everybody; I posted it in the context of what works for me personally. "Don't be so f*cking weak and just do it" has been my personal mantra on a number of occasions in life - including some very dark times dealing with the death of loved ones. It's my inner sergeant major giving me a pep talk at times when I need a jolt to the system, not sympathy. I'm certainly not suggesting that the OP or anyone suffering from depression is "weak". I'm just offering my take on how to deal with life's downs. Apologies if it's angered you or anyone else - certainly not my intention. On re-reading my post I can see how it comes across as being flippant, when it was intended as being more of a 'call to arms', so to speak. The OP asked for a 'spark plug up his bum'... I took this as meaning he wanted ideas to help motivate himself, and getting angry with my inner id is how I do just that. To be clear: "Don't be so weak and just do it" is MY personal spark plug up the ass - not my view on depression per se.

You could try my own Patented approach to self-motivation. It worked for me to give up smoking - a very different issue, granted - but I'm sure it's transferable. I call it the "Don't be so f*cking weak and just do it" method. Seriously. Get angry with yourself. Switch off the telly, pick up your bass (or put down your cigarettes in my case) and just do it. You'll feel good for making a positive change in your life and it'll get easier the more you do it, especially when you start to see improvements to your playing (or health as it was for me). If that doesn't help then a good ol' fashioned morbid meditation on death might do the trick. After all, you're going to wake up dying one day and don't imagine that's going to be a good moment to look back on all those wasted nights watching telly, when you could have been gaining some pride playing bass. Life's too short for "mañana, mañana....". So that's a spark plug for you right there: get angry, think dark thoughts and come out swinging. I'll let you handle the insertion bit... And seriously, good luck with it.

There are plenty of sites like this around. Like it or not, this is [i]probably[/i] the future of commercial music (known as the 'direct to fan' business model)... albeit in its infancy at the moment. The trouble here is that these sites crave massive amounts of publicity, usually using a 'pyramid selling' type approach based on social media - i.e. relying on participants to plug the site amongst their own friends and followers. This publicity is crucial to the website's success - in fact it's pretty much the only bargaining chip they have with advertisers, the press and so on. My ear is relatively close to the ground on this sort of thing and I must admit I'd never heard of Band Crusade before (has anybody else?). So I'd question whether their goal of gaining of Christmas number one is really achievable. If this sort of thing works for you, then great. I'm sure there are some perks to be gained from it. Personally, I think it's only a matter of time before one of the big players (i.e. a major label) sets up something similar and steals the market on this format. Because like I said, this is the direction in which the industry is heading... it's just taking time for the super-tankers of the scene to change course. [b]PS: quick edit to include a couple of examples of 'direct to fan' websites...[/b] [url="http://www.nimbit.com/"]http://www.nimbit.com/[/url] [url="http://headliner.fm/"]http://headliner.fm/[/url]

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1343291351' post='1748273'] I tell you what, you can polish it, you can sprinkle it with glitter, but the minute you sink your teeth into it, you are going to know the truth [/quote] Mmmm... like a giant Malteser!

I'm enjoying following this thread! However, I'd like to make a correction to the signature statement beneath Rimskidog's posts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiJ9fy1qSFI Turns out you really can polish a turd afterall! Carry on; as you were...

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1343119325' post='1745357'] Reaper is the best bang for the buck DAW on windows and Mac IMO. [/quote] ^ This. You might also want to try using Audacity, which is free software and a good place to start out. It's not a DAW but can be used for home recording just fine: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ I personally use Reason as my DAW, but it's not to everyone's tastes and isn't the cheapest of the bunch (around £300) - I'm just very familiar with it and like to stick to what I know! http://www.propellerheads.se/products/reason/ In terms of interfaces, I use a Tascam US-144mkII which I've found to be VERY reliable for the money (around £115): http://tascam.com/product/us-144mkii/downloads/ ... however, if I was to buy a new interface, I'd probably opt for a Focusrite Saffire 6, which gets great reviews (around £150): http://www.focusrite.com/products/audio_interfaces/saffire_6_usb/ Hope that helps. And be sure you post your recordings on Basschat! There's also SoundCloud group for sharing music that you might be interested in: http://soundcloud.com/groups/basschat

I tried making a living as a club DJ (not strictly a 'musician') in the mid-late 90s and failed miserably at it. I then worked in the music press for 4-5 years until I realised there was no real money to be made from it; since then I've done something completely different and kept up music as a hobby... so I guess I dipped my toe in the industry and decided it wasn't a career for me. I'm still in touch with plenty of professional musicians, and nearly all of the people I know continually struggle to make ends meet - even the 'successful' ones (signed with TV appearances, etc). Living with financial risk and uncertainty is the biggest downside of going full-time - at least that's what friends tell me. That and the strain it can put on relationships due to antisocial hours and time spent away from home (that's what their partners tell me!). This isn't to say you shouldn't go for it. Just that it's not a decision to take lightly - because if it goes badly, it could spoil your enjoyment of music for a long time to come. I've seen it happen. Also - and no offence meant by this - but make damn sure this creative impulse isn't the symptom of a mid-life crisis!! Seriously. Take a long introspective look before you do anything too hasty. PS: yeah, my glass is cautiously half-empty...

What the cluck?!!

Cheers for all the wit and sympathy folks! 'Biohazard' now dealt with and bass made safe using antibacterial wet-wipes. Never again. Never forget.

Here's a handy tip for those of you with infants at home... Never - I repeat, NEVER - store your bass in the same room you use to change your baby's nappies. This morning, my wife informed me that Skol Jnr had managed to wriggle off the changing mat (placed on the floor) and reverse his yet to be cleaned rear end into my bass, which was parked nearby. The result? Not pretty nor pleasant, or so I'm told. I'm convinced this is is some kind of 'dirty protest' and that he's destined to become a guitarist. Live and learn people, live and learn.

Genuinely made me 'LOL'

Probably a bit leftfield for some tastes, but I'd recommend checking out 'Solo Electric Bass 1' by Squarepusher. http://warp.net/records/releases/squarepusher/solo-electric-bass-1 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Solo-Electric-Bass-1-Squarepusher/dp/B002DU7OA4 Quite different to the usual suspects; I personally like it a lot. But you may well hate it!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1341880630' post='1725691'] It's never too late to start using earplugs. Even if you have hearing damage, it's always worth preventing it from getting worse. [/quote] I absolutely agree! I haven't bought any plugs yet, but I've promised myself to do so before I start attending gigs again (currently housebound with a one year-old to content with... could probably do with plugs for that too!). I spend a lot of time mixing/producing using headphones in the evenings, so I make a point of keeping the levels low for that. Can't be too cautious.