BigRedX

If you've got 91 slices either your pattern is too long or you haven't correctly identified all the relevant slice points and removed the "ghost" ones. You need to play with the sensitivity slider until it detects all the slice starts that you need and then delete the ones that aren't required. Unless it's very busy, a typical 2-bar pattern should have around 16-24 slices, and none should be shorter than 1/16 note The ascending pattern is created with the intention that you also save each slice as an audio file. You then load these into a sampler (real or plug-in) each one to a note. When it plays the MIDI file it will replay the pattern but now you can change the tempo without changing the pitch. However if that's all you want to do, it is simpler to save the REX file and if you have a Mac and are running Logic convert it into an Apple Loop which will do the same thing automatically. If you want to use your own drum samples you'll need to identify what each slice does (which is why it's important to remove the ones you don't want) and the edit the MIDI file in your DAW moving each note to the correct pitch for the relevant drum sound and duplicating those that correspond to multiple drums that occur on the same beat. Alternatively you can save the MIDI pattern as a quantise template and then program your own drums and use this template to replicate the feel of the original rhythm. HTH

Spent most of the morning listening and occasionally watching (I'm working at the same time) to the BBC's "Must Watch Track" selection. It seemed the best way of checking out lots of bands with what I would hope was one of their better songs and performances. For the most part I was struck by how weedy most of the bands sounded. Notable exceptions so far were The Prodigy and St. Vincent, but everything else so far was pretty much just a wash. It was a bit like listening to the radio in 1975/6 after glam rock had fizzled out and before punk. All technically accomplished for sure, but just aural wallpaper, and nothing good with a William Morris pattern, but bland, just wood chip painted magnolia. There was also a worrying amount of C&W influences both musically and sartorially for which there is no need if you are outside of Nashville. And some of it was just awful. Most notably The Libertines, not just weedy but out of tune vocals, too many bum notes from guitars and seemingly under-rehearsed with regards to the intro and ending. Maybe there's some songs and performances I'll like that I haven't got to yet...

All the post-processing will be just as important as the bass, strings and amp.

The "Drummer" instrument in Logic will generate drum parts based on the recordings of other instruments. However unless your tastes are very mainstream you might struggle to find rhythms in the style that you want. In the long term I have found it more effective to use a beat/groove detector (Recycle! is what I am most familiar with) on sampled drum parts that are close to the style/pattern you want and edit the results. That way not only do you get the rhythms you want but you also learn about how an actual drummer puts those rhythms together which will lead to improvements in your own drum programming.

Thanks for taking the time to answer. Due to the sheer scale of the event and numbers who attend, are you guaranteed an audience or do some bands end up playing to virtually no-one on a stage tucked away in an unpopular corner of the site? Has anyone who has attended as a punter witnessed this? I have to admit I'm not a massive fan of festivals in general, but the more I hear about the festival the less impressed I am from a band's PoV. Like so much in the current musical climate the artists who appear to be able to make it work are those who already have some success and a following.

Guitars and basses displayed with no strings fitted always make me wary. To me that says there is a problem with the neck that will become obvious when strung.

The Op hasn't been on Basschat for over 3 years now.

Because while both are past their sell-by date, the 1975 aren't quite as stale, and neither have been going long enough to get a second wind as "legends".

I would like to think that any promotor putting us on and any audience coming to see us would be somewhat disappointed if there were different people on stage to those they were expecting. Any bass player replacing me in this band, trying to use a standard 4-string bass would find much of the set challenging and some of it completely impossible to play. That's not because I'm some "monster" player (I'm not by any stretch of the imagination), but simply because they wouldn't have access to a lot of the correct notes I play. As the live sound is stripped back to vocals, synth, bass VI and drums, what I play is integral to the overall band sound and playing something different because your choice of instrument is different to mine is not going to cut it.

I think it is very easy to speak out against the paying practices of the Glastonbury Festival for bands when the vast majority of us are never going to find ourselves in the situation where we have to choose between sticking to our principles about getting paid, or sucking it up and playing for the "vibe" or "exposure" or whatever other reason works. It would be interesting and enlightening if @Linus27 could report back after the weekend with how it went financially for his band. Did it cost them overall to play the festival? I notice that they appeared to be playing 4 times - was that required to make it financially viable? How did merch sales go? Were there any and does the festival take a cut? And then maybe come back at the end of the year and let us know if playing Glastonbury got them any more gigs or other opportunities, or did it end up just being another gig in a tent in a field (albeit one that most people have heard of).

I think sometimes musicians have a very blinkered or naive view of what it is like for other bands (especially originals bands), regarding the use of deps. There are some great musicians out there but, IME once you step outside of conventional blue-based rock, soul and jazz, finding ones that understand the specifics of the music are few and far between. It's not just about playing the right notes in the right order. For instance it would nearly impossible to replace any of my current band with deps. Firstly if we turned up with a different singer (no matter how technically good they may be) half the audience would want their money back. Any dep for our synth player would either need to have the same synthesisers with the same custom patches or they would need to spend some serious time with the recordings working out suitable facsimiles of the sounds. My dep would need a Bass VI with the same non-standard tuning as many of the songs are completely impossible to play using normal Bass VI tuning and a Helix or pedal board capable of producing all the bass and guitar sounds I use. And all of that is before we even consider band image...

This. My gear is all repairable and/or replaceable - it might not be cheap and it might take some time but it can be done. Myself, particularly now I'm in my 60s, maybe not so much.

I don't want to rain on @Linus27 parade, but I hope this is the soundcheck. Otherwise why is no-one down the front and what is that carrier bag doing on stage?

The best thing you can do is to not concentrate on it. I can tune mine out a lot of the time. Unfortunately reading this thread has made it obvious again!

This assumes that all bands and the music they play is equal and interchangeable. Maybe that's the case if you're playing generic covers, but for everyone else it's not. It doesn't bother affect me in the slightest what other bands charge (or don't) because they are not my band, and they are in no way a substitute for what we do, and therefore not seen as competition. While we do have a figure in mind when venues and promotors are asking us to play, what we ask for gig is on an individual basis, and playing in front of a new audience who may well all want to buy CDs and T-shirts afterwards can influence what we ask for.

I can't help you with piano recommendations, but bear in mind the following: 1. There is no volume control or headphones socket on an upright piano, and when played enthusiastically they can be loud. May be a concern if you have neighbours with adjoining walls. 2. They are big and heavy. check that you'll be able to get it into whichever room you want to have it in. I had to turn down the family upright piano because it wouldn't fit around the corner at the top of the stairs, assuming I would have been able to get it up the stairs in the first place. 3. As has been said you need to factor the annual tuning cost. 4. Don't buy anything with a wooden frame. I will never stay in tune in a modern heated house. 5. However it should be possible to get something serviceable for free. Here in the UK people can't even give away old upright pianos. So if the situation is similar in Belgium and you are prepared to wait and see what is available you could end up with something nice for the cost of transport and a full service and tune once it installed at your property.

But there's no point (IMO) in having a "transparent" amp if you cab(s) aren't transparent too.

Does it matter having a "transparent" amp when the cab(s) are likely to be introducing far more colour to your sound.

Is it the bikini top?

Made fretless by completely removing the fingerboard.

If I was looking for a hardware synth now, one of the Hydrasynth models would be top of my list.

Ah... It's actually a short jacket and a long skirt. Far too hot for the jacket. I wore the skirt but not the leggings I usually wear underneath to spare people a glimpse of my pale hairy legs. Sometimes you have to live dangerously if the weather demands it...

What big leather coat? I haven't worn leather since the end of The Terrortones.

Next two gigs for Hurtsfall: Supporting Miranda Sex Garden at Rough Trade in Nottingham on Thursday 10th July. Opening will be the excellent Modern Coven. Then on Saturday 12th July we'll be playing second to last on the second day of Goths On A Field: We'll be playing at around 8.30 in the evening just before headliners Attrition.

I'd be reluctant to buy anything from Modal until the new owners have demonstrated that they are in for the long haul and will be supporting all the current models.