BigRedX

That's weird. Could you post some photos of how you have the lead arranged with the strap when you are playing. I had a Yamaha guitar with this output socket arrangement and never had any problems with it.

The last gig I went to where I wasn't also playing was Auger/Westenra/Dhampyres at The Met in Whitby as part of WGW. The bands were all great but struggled with appalling sound from an under-powered PA and seemingly incompetent sound engineers. The strange thing was that at various points throughout the evening the mix would suddenly improve for about 10 seconds and then mysteriously go back to being terrible again. Auger actually stopped their set after the first song and essentially did a second sound check and didn't continue the set until it sounded half-way decent. Overall a less than brilliant start to the weekend. I would have also gone the gig there the following night to see Deviant UK, but the appalling sound put me off. From what I hear the sound was better, but still not very good. I played at the Met two years previously and it looked like the same people doing the PA, and while they weren't brilliant they weren't as terrible as on this occasion. They also brought a much larger PA that was far more suitable for the size of the venue.

But a lot of that back catalogue sold in significant numbers when it was released so there are plenty of copies still around for anyone who wants to hear or buy them.

And what's the betting that one of the listeners manages to sneak in a recording device and the tracks are all over the internet before the end of June?

It is indeed. I played Corrosion Festival there a couple of years ago with In Isolation. Looking forward to getting on that stage again.

Next Hurtsfall gig is opening day 2 of BLAQKHOLESUN 2024 at The Alhambra in Morecambe. We'll be on at 16.20 on Saturday 8th June but the whole weekend looks brilliant:

Next Hurtsfall gig is opening day 2 of BLAQKHOLESUN 2024 at The Alhambra in Morecambe. We'll be on at 16.20 on Saturday 8th June but the whole weekend looks brilliant:

I play my Eastwood Hooky as both a guitar and a bass which confuses quite a few people - mostly PA sound engineers. Despite mentioning this when we set up, I have discovered that it's still necessary to soundcheck one of the songs with a "guitar" part so they don't EQ out all the top end.

In Isolation played The Arches in Coventry with Chaos Bleak on Saturday. I played there a about 10 years ago in my Terrortone days, but the venue has improved massively since then although it's still just as difficult to find. Both bands played to a small but very enthusiastic, and relatively young (for a "goth" gig) audience. Obligatory photos: Next gig for me is with Hurtsfall in Morecambe on the 8th June opening day two of BLAQKHOLESUN Next In Isolation gig is supporting The Rose Of Avalanche in Leicester on 28th July.

If you are going to use a band finder internet site make sure your ad is very specific about you want both musically and in in terms of commitment. Alternatively stalk your favourite local bands on social media, as you never know when they might suddenly require a replacement bass player. Both of these approaches have worked for me.

Unless they are written down I find most lyrics at least partially unintelligible, and of those that I can understand a lot are cringe-worthy.

Here's my gig-hardened playback system: This is the current evolution of about 20 years of using computers for gigging. Everything fits in a 3U rack case with removable front and top. All the connections are made at the patch panel at front of the rack. It might not look as neat but it's much easier than trying to find the correct sockets at the back on a darkened stage with only 10 minutes to set up and line check before you play. The laptop is a 2012 MacPro with an SSD and 16GB RAM. It has been completely rock-solid in the 7 years I've been using it for backing playback. I use Logic Pro X (again without problems although I only run a single 3rd party plug-in and the track and plug-in count is kept to a minimum - usually 1 reverb and a couple of compressors) running a mixture of MIDI and audio. It runs under its own login that is just for live playback with WiFi and Bluetooth disabled. Interface is a Focusrite which is completely overkill in terms of I/O for our needs, however it was chosen because it is properly rack mountable in a 1U space. Before that I had a "half rack" sized interface that was impossible to secure properly in the rack and as a consequence wasn't always reliable. It provides a balanced line outputs for the PA, but we also run this through an ART DTI box first (hidden inside the rack) which completely isolates the interface from the PA feed preventing ground loops and will protect the interface should anything nasty be inadvertently be sent to it. If you are doing serious level gigs I would suggest that you invest in one of these for every stereo feed you want to send to the PA. As far as possible all the connections to the outside world are made via XLR cables. The patch panel left to right is as follows: Channels 3 & 4 XLR inputs. These have never been used and will probably be removed if I ever need to add more front panel outputs. Channels 1 & 2 XLR outputs. Via the ART DTI box. These are the outputs we normally use to connect to the PA. Channels 1 & 2 Jack outputs. Via the ART DTI box. Occasionally we encounter a sound engineer who insists on using their own DI boxes. In that case we connect to these. Channel 3 XLR output. This provides a click track for the drummer Channel 4 XLR output (added since this photo was taken). This provides a backing track mix for the drummer. MIDI Out XLR. We use MIDI to automate patch changes for the live instruments and effects. USB output. I try as far a possible not to use computer-grade connectors in a gigging environment, but this one is a necessary evil which allows me to control the backing from an Elgato Stream Deck pedal. The alternative would be something that connects wirelessly which IMO is even less reliable. I carry 2 spare USB cables and the system can run without the footswitch if absolutely necessary - it's just not as convenient and the rack can't be positioned off-stage in that case. All USB cables inside the rack are cable-tied and hot-glued in place. Powercon connector for mains power to the rack. This splits two ways inside the rack to provide power for the laptop and interface. The Elgato Stream Deck pedal provides all the playback functions we need live. The large middle pedal is start/pause for the playback. The right pedal triggers a macro which closes the current song and loads the next one from the Finder. The songs all have a number at the front of the song name and changing the set order is done by simply renumbering the songs. The left pedal toggles the loop function in Logic on and off which allows us to extend a selected part of a song if required. The whole system takes less than 5 minutes to set up on stage which includes all the MIDI connections, and has proved far more reliable than the majority of other systems I see bands on the same bill as mine using. I know of at least one other band who, having seen this, have subsequently produced their own version of it. Because it's controlled via MIDI having the Helix on stage is a bit redundant, but it serves two very important functions. Firstly because each song has its own named Preset it serves as an automated setlist. Secondly it is set up to receive MIDI sync for delays and other time-based effects the LED on the tap-tempo footswitch changes from red to blue when receiving the sync signal which gives me a visual indication that the backing is running without needing to be able to see the computer screen. We did try running dispensing with the Helix hardware and running Helix Native on the laptop, but it massively increased the load time for each song which made it a bit impractical for quick song changes. At the moment the current load time is less than it takes for the applause to die down after we finish the previous song, so we can give the impression of going seamlessly form one song to the next. Maybe when I upgrade to an Apple Silicon laptop we'll have another look. HTH.

Personally I wouldn't use an iPad as it IMO is too fragile for live use especially if you are going to be connecting via the Lightning or USBC connector. Also the touch screen is less than responsive to sweaty fingers. I'll respond more late today when I have more time with details of the gig-hardened set-up I use.

What is your playback device for the backing and clicks? Unless you are planning to have sections of the songs with no live drums that need to be synchronised to the backing, the normal practice is just for the drummer to have the click and the rest of the band plays to the drummer. Also IME bands using backing have a tendency to put far too much on there, just because they can which in turn gives an over-complicated and messy live sound. Being in charge of the backing playback for both bands I play in, I now have a policy of turning down anything I think is unnecessary by 1dB every time we rehearse. If I get the fader down to "0" without anyone saying anything I remove the track from the backing permanently. The thing to remember is that the recorded and live versions of songs are two different things. Just because it's on the recording don't automatically mean you need to reproduce it on stage. Also IME stereo FoH isn't always a particularly good idea as only a select few members of the audience stood in the sweet spot in the middle get the full benefit. Unless you have some very obvious panning effects, I'd consider reducing everything down to mono, but if you must have stereo backing reduce the width FoH to no more than 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock pan, and during your technical rehearsals check what it sounds like with only the left and only the right channel audible to ensure that you don't have stereo effects that sound wrong with a channel missing.

IMO some of the tunes are massively uplifting, even if the lyrics can be a bit dark.

What DAW are you using?

I've got the Helix Floor which is slightly bigger than the LT. I don't think the size is a problem as it's essentially a self-contained pedal board, plus I have made the decision that if it can't be done with the Helix then live I don't need to do it.

My selections - The old: The new: Mine:

Right now, for originals bands the financial entry level to getting your music out to the public has never been lower in every respect. That means the cost of decent instruments as well as making and "releasing" a recording. Of course that means that everyone who can is now doing it, so the signal to noise ratio is now greater than ever. In the past I don't think that not having much money has ever been a real barrier to making music for me. Lack of it might have meant that I couldn't always do things exactly how I wanted, but I always found ways to at least make music and get it out to the public. Some of it might have meant making lifestyle choices that others might not find palatable, but those of us who a truly driven to make music will always find ways of doing so.

What's your amp and cab? IME you need a clean amp otherwise the drive sounds from the effects can have a tendency to clash with the drive of the amp. Also set your amp's EQ to as close to neutral as is possible and use the Helix to shape the sound. Whenever I hear musicians struggling with multi-effects often the problem is that the amp and cab is getting in the way with conflicting EQs and drives. For me my amp has been just about making me audible as far as possible and anything else is an unwanted side effect. I'd start with just the Obsidian 7000 module. I know that Dark Glass devices as supposed to be aimed at "metal" sounds, but for me this is by far the most comprehensive set of drive and EQ possibilities.

That's what the dad rock band I was in did. However a couple of the bass lines were surprisingly easier to play at the recorded pitch in standard tuning. Having to transpose up a semi-tone made then slightly harder...

The SE we had was good and we sounded excellent on stage and FoH, but he arrived late and was overly methodical in setting up (slow). If he'd turned up on time it wouldn't have been a problem and he could have taken as long as he wanted. We'd been warned about the bus lanes and took great pains to avoid them. The problem was the loading instructions were incomplete so we didn't know we needed to turn off Midland Street to find the loading entrance, and it wasn't helped by road works and barriers around the turning.

Next gig for In Isolation is in Coventry at The Arches Venue, on Saturday 25th May. Chaos Bleak in support:

Unless the lest Sei models are completely new designs, I really can't see the point in playing one first if you already familiar with the concept. When I had my Sei (Off-set Flamboyant 5-string fretless) made about 15 years ago, it was made specifically for me to my guidelines. The personal nature of the bass was brought home to me when I went to collect the finished instrument. While I was waiting for Martin to make some last-minute adjustments, I gave me another recently completed 5-string fretless Sei to play. The two instruments could hardly have been more different in feel, playability, and sound. I'm not that brilliant a player compared with the typical Sei user, but I even I could tell - the one made for me felt perfect. The other, while really nice, just didn't feel as though it fitted me.