51m0n

What fridge? I didnt see any fridge

[quote name='barneyg42' timestamp='1336826018' post='1651603'] And we definitely do NOT mention "one knob compressors"! [/quote] mmpphgrrrrmmpbrrrggggggggggghhhhhhh

I'm going to get hung by people again for this, but I dont like kick drum mics on bass, especially (really really really especially) if there is a kick drum mic on the kick drum. Worst possible scenario the exact same kick drum mic on both. These two instuments in the band are often the hardest to get to sit exactly right together, in a studio or live, and putting the exact same (or nearly the exact same) eq on both of them (ie the eq built in to these types of mic) just makes it harder to frequency mix the two sources to sit right. If you love the sound of you bass with a D112, or a D6, or a 92a, or a 52a, or a red audio rdv1 or whatever the particular version is, then do the sound guy a favour and suggest your drummer to use anything else (ie a 57, a senn 421. a PR-40, an RE20 jeez, anything else) on the kick..... I've found it can really help when you get to mix (either studio or live) to have chosen mics that get that ball lrolling from the very beginning.

Heil PR40 Electro Voice Re20 Shure SM98 condensor can cope with the SPL (Flea usesd one) Or if you are mixing the lows from a DI with the mids from a cab then a 57, or 58 would be fine, but then you have the whole issue of the mix of the two tracks.

Hehe, let me see, I could put the wall back in the downstairs front room, with the window in it, then have the control room nearest the kitchen, hold on, how big? Hmmmmmm, nah I dont think its quite big enough mate, sorry That new window looks enormous!

I think you might find the occasional slap might just occur.....

We do tea, coffeee, and lots and lots of yakking about basses, and anything remotely to do with basses, and music, and stuff. And make lots of noise.... It is good

Thats a fine approach until wherever you turn up doesnt have a decent PA that can handle bass. Then you are completely and utterly screwed.

[quote name='simwells' timestamp='1336504359' post='1646626'] I would recommend Exact Audio Copy for ripping to FLAC, I spent a while comparing and was a fan of this over the others due to the exact accuracy of it and it's ability to cope with damaged and scratched CDs though it's certainly not fast with them! [/quote] +1 this is a good tool for just that job

Whatever you do dont forget the camera for this part! Very interested to see this one as far as we are allowed to (Northwood IP being something you cant spill just anywhere I would imagine). Very close to rubbing my thighs over this

Oh one other vocal track to listen for that I just realised I hadnt mentioned, the second lead line. He's repeated the vocal, but almost spoken, its quiet like a mouse next to the main sung vocal, this trick is superb, its like he's quietly talking you through the lyrics really up close and in your ear at the same time as singing it out loud. Its a fantastic trick, I got Kit to do something similar on her EP, it really really works to just enlarge that lead vocal, and can be so subtle that no one even hears it without it pointed out to them.

I've a knackered back after an incident with a bass cab over 20 years ago (bloody HH 2x15s!) The only thing that has helped (and I used to train a lot way back when) has been osteopathy. Within a day of it orginally happening I saw an osteopath who managed to get it all working ok in half an hour, and the pain went completely in a couple more. Brilliant! I still see an osteopath these days, but largely because I live the vegetative life of a programmer in the day, and he keeps me mobile. Before seeing him (over five years ago now) I would slowly but surely lock up tight as a drum, to the point of struggling to breathe, over a period of some weeks. GPs were useless and just said take pain killers, which neither killed the pain of the condition, nor lead to any easing of the muscular spasm causing it. This would usually alleviate over a couple more weeks, eventually allowing me to move freely for awhile before the cycle repeated. One day it just got so bad that I looked up the original osteopath and asked her to recommend someone, she now teaches osteopathy and had no problems suggesting a local practitioner she knew was dead good. 40 minutes with this chap sorted me out, and to begin with I saw hime every week, then every couple of weeks, then every month, working away at the various issues, and giving me great advice about how I should change my working slouch into something slightly less debilitating etc etc. I know see him every few months or if I cause myself an issue (haven't for a very long time now, touch wood). This works brilliantly for me, and I'm not about to stop!

Yeah, I love hearing statements like:- [quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1336487623' post='1646291'] The day I hear an effect that improves the sound of a double bass, I will applaud it. Until then..... :bleuuuch: [/quote] Because so much of what you hear is treated in some way (eq, compression, tape compression, microphone artifacts) and you are saying you dont like the sound of recorded upright, or an upright with anything creative done to it after the fact. Which is why I mentioned close minded. I also enjoy "I am not alone" line too, the Wehrmacht weren't alone, they weren't right either....

Its official, I'm undiscerning. Cool! Can I have a badge and everything please

That is bull.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1336472801' post='1645990'] Not a great fan of effects on electric bass. On double bass it really is gilding the lily. [/quote] Nope, just open vs close minded perhaps?

No mention of Lamb yet? [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt1Ef_ai_C4&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=AL94UKMTqg-9A3smZ_xx-PtuYilNpWWpNg[/media]

If it is there when the effect is on and no cablet is plugged in then its the device causing the noise, end of story. What a crock of ****!

Is the noise only there when you re playing, or is it there when you arent but the effect is on?

[quote name='Rimskidog' timestamp='1335983523' post='1639163'] Go on then Mr Wolf. Do your worst: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-LHIXeWhNY&feature=relmfu[/media] [/quote] Right then, didnt get any time over the weekend to get this listened to properly (serious family stuff to sort out) so here goes now. Short response, this is going to be a great long list of why you should mix like this Rimskidog is damn fine at his job. Drums are really great, very punchy, phase issues? Not a chance! Is that real room ambience on the drums? And possibly the sound of the snare pushing tape hard, I couldnt say for sure, but it sounds 'real', and very very precise at the same time. Love those drums, the claps are great too, nice and 'loose' in feel but at the same time spot on, you drove the preamp hard for them? They have a sweet 'crunch' to them! See how the bass and the kick become one instrument for most of the song. Thats fitting the jigsaw together that is right there, the attack of the kick preempts the bass, the bass extends the thump of the kick and adds pitch info to it. And the bass absolutely drives the song at the same time. The kick, snare, bass and lead vocal are right up the middle, pretty much everything else is out to the sides. The slide guitar is balanced really cleverly its very 'wide' but its impossible to say which side its actually on. Nice stuff. Note the harmonised backing vocal supporting the main lead, right from the start, panned hard and multitracked and just there. Nice balance. Theres just nothing 'wrong with it', no nasty frequencies, nothing, perfection. That is just sublime mixing of bv's IMO. Now the tricks, each section plays with that bv to lead balance really cleverly, bringing in more bv for the chorus, adding different ooooh bvs during following versus, the big switcheroo is how loud the lady vox get, they almost take over from the lead in the biggest hook 'My baby's cool, she's electric', except they stay wide and the lead stays in the center, just really quiet comparatively - thats damned brave I think. I want to hear that again straight away! There is an absolute mass of vocal on this track, tons of it, all mixed beautifully, lots of double and more tracking going on. Yet if you werent listening for it you probably wouldnt really notiuce how hard the vocal is being worked. There is also vocal eq'ed for effect (classic telephone voice on the 'Shes Electric' exposed female line) that is just really pushing the 'hook' into your head, super smooth blend of the female multitracks on the 'oh, oh oh oh, oh oh oh' parts too. Also listen to the end of each section leading into the next, there is almost always a little something to help lead you in, a bit of modulation effect on the guitar going, or a synthy shroinngggg sound that happens literally a beat or two before the next section. Then there is that weird little run up a keyboard (maybe) briiingggg, like a xylophone beater run up the metal plates. That keeps coming back, its a totally thow away daft little sound, but its such a clever hook as well. And in order to keep that nice acoustic building through the song there is definite panning trickery in places, just the top end of it switching hard left to hard right, just giving more and more movement throughout sections too. Love that sort of thing. Listening again there is a very clever steady build in intensity through the song, more and more parts seem to come in. Yet it actually doesnt even sound really overproduced to me, if you were 'casually' listening you'd just think "what a great song". Not kidding this is a briliant mix. There are tonnes of nice touches, but its made by the arrangement too (great song, with superb hooks and performances as well of course). Spend a couple of weeks over this one chaps, its an absolute masterclass in mixing. Not just pop either, this is how to arrange and mix anything you want to stick in peoples heads. Quality.

That looks like a huge PIA to pour! No wonder they needed to go for a drink the other week

Foobar2000 rips FLAC (and just about anything else too IIRC. Top music playing device for the windows platform IME.

[quote name='Rimskidog' timestamp='1335983523' post='1639163'] Go on then Mr Wolf. Do your worst: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-LHIXeWhNY&feature=relmfu[/media] [/quote] Oh nice one. This I'm going to save for the decent speakers mate, I know its going to be good, but I wont have time for a couple of days (family stuff to attend to) I will give it a proper listen though, promise - been wanting to hear some of yours for a while!

Its a huge topic though, and you're jumping in dry, I'd be worried if you didnt think it were overwhelming, I still think its over whelming and I've been mucking about with recording and mixing for over twenty years now. For every engineer out there there are two or three different solutions that can work for every challenge you face as well, so the amount of learning is never ending, part of why I like the topic so much I guess. I'm happy to listen to anyones mixes, but my mix notes are hideously abrupt, because I write what I think as I listen to something the very first time. Anything else and I find my brain and ears are already compensating for anything that stood out as odd or off in some way, which is the opposite of what you want from mix notes IME. If you can cope with a Mr Wolf style uncompromising attack on your mix without it upsetting you then it'll be fine

Yeah, then we'd all know how often I contradict myself wouldnt we