Norris

If you're struggling with the whole concept of recording and like to read books then this is quite a good one Guerilla Home Recording: How to Get Great Sound from Any Studio - (No Matter How Weird or Cheap Your Gear Is) (Hal Leonard Music Pro Guides) https://amzn.eu/d/9beaxjr As others have suggested Reaper is a great product, but you may need to watch a few videos to learn how to fly it The Focusrite Scarlett is a great interface for the money but is really just that - an interface that lets you get your analogue signal into the computer. What you do with the signal is down to your other software i.e. such as Reaper, Ableton, etc.

The main problem with AI right now is the blind trust that people place in a technology that is still in its infancy. I've been using AI related to software development for quite some time now and I don't trust it at all. It is far too quick to "hallucinate" (i.e. make stuff up) and to assert that it is correct until you give it evidence that it is wrong. A good example of this is to ask ChatGPT (version 4o) how many "r"s there are in the word "strawberry" - it will insist there are only 2 until you tell it to actually count them! It's still a great tool for doing a lot of grunt work, but you need to keep a close eye on it and don't blindly trust what it comes up with

Heating the old frets will soften any glue that may have been used, and also releases natural oils from the fretboard wood, helping to avoid tearout

Pickups tend to either work or not. There's not usually any middle ground. The first thing to check is the jack socket. Give it a squirt of electrical contact cleaner and then insert/remove a jack plug several times. Similarly rotate each knob fully both ways many times. Those are places where you can get a dodgy contact, especially if the bass hasn't been used for a while The circuitry is very simple

As a coda to my update I now have some photos forwarded to me. So here is the lesser spotted Norris in DJ and DMs The organiser decided to do the countdown to midnight, so we missed out on doing Auld Lang Syne. It's a shame because I rather enjoy playing it - we do a straight/reggae/punk version with a big rallentando at the end. Oh well, maybe next year 😃 Oh, and he also cocked up the countdown 😬. No excuse when everyone's mobile phone has the correct time these days! He's still a lovely chap though - we've known him since the 80s

I can't help there as I'm all fingers 😂

This. Keep the relative tuning consistent If you're new to 5-string give yourself a chance and immerse yourself in the experience. Don't touch your old 4-string basses for now. Keep to the E-G strings at first and just get used to having the B string there, until you can confidently hit the correct string. It will take a while. You will hit the wrong string a lot. You may well end up changing your plucking technique, especially if you tend to anchor your thumb. Eventually it will come and you will feel comfortable playing it. It will probably take months. But hey, bass playing is a journey not a destination 😃

Just got in from our NYE gig. It was ok-ish. An Oscars theme night (🤷‍♂️) meant sweating my balls off in dinner jacket and bow tie. Doing 30 minutes on/off seemed even more tiring than the 2 hour set from last night. The night really seemed to drag. The crowd were quite hard work until they were sufficiently lubricated too. It didn't help that the stage in this village hall is about 5 feet high and very large: excellent for am-dram productions, but can disconnect the band from the crowd. I was playing the Sterling again and was initially struggling to get a nice sound. As the first set went on it got progressively worse, sounding weak, farty and distorted. Yep, the battery had run out! Luckily changing it took a couple of seconds thanks to the battery holder, and out came a "GP Cell" brand battery! Rookie error - I'd not changed it since I bought the bass, and who in their right mind would use anything but a Duracell?! Later on, my amp started distorting quite badly on certain notes, and after a song or two of a horrible sinking feeling I eventually realised it was actually the tiny plastic "Oscar" I'd been awarded, and placed on top of my Fender Rumble - phew! Anyway, ker-ching! Happy New Year. We all agreed we'd actually rather earn less and have a good night rocking out a pub next time! I forgot to take any photos, so instead here's my mini Oscar next to a rather nice bottle of Cuban rum

Just back from our New Year's Eve Eve gig. It was a sold out ticket-only event in a village hall that holds 130, organised by the woman that used to own the village pub and who still owns a catering company. Nice little stage, not too high. However the venue has the typical village hall reverberation due to all the hard surfaces. The Sterling Sub Ray5 was lovely and clear through my Rumble (Retrovibe Stinger preamp) though. Slightly slow start, but didn't take long to pack the dance floor. We ended the night with a 2 hour set to keep the party going. Boy was it hot! I have the day off work tomorrow to rest up for NYE. That's an "Oscar" theme night, so it's going to be even hotter in the dinner suit and bow tie. Good money though - kerching!

The original preamp in the Sterling Sub Ray5 is not much cop. Chuck a Retrovibe Stinger 2-band preamp in there and it becomes an awesome bass and probably still within your budget. Sire P7-5 is also an excellent choice. I personally don't mind the preamp but 3-band with sweepable mid needs a bit more thought. Again it's well within your budget.

I still miss my old 4001. My current 4003 just hasn't got the same mojo. Back in 1986 I couldn't afford more than one bass at a time. Yours looks a beauty!

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt 😂. It was a meal in a posh restaurant with my then-girlfriend's family. Then there was that other time when the drummer had been on a bender all day and we had to send a couple of audience members to his house to wake him up 😂

Norrisson the elder bought me a new Comfort Strapp. I bought him a new 5-string set of D'Addario Pro Steels

My old Databass combo is in the garage - it looks very similar to your 260c. I think it's likely to stay there though as I've aged a bit since I last carried it into a gig. Massive enough to have its own gravitational field!

Last gig before Christmas was at the "Piv" in Nuneaton. We love a Sunday evening there (4-6pm) as it's nice and relaxed, plus a great musically-aware crowd. The guitarist's voice had also recovered enough overnight to get through. It was a bit of a strange start though, because for the first half an hour it was rammed with guests for the wedding reception in the other room, all togged up. A bit strange for an allotment society social club. Anyway eventually they drifted off into the other room, but leaving the bride who lingered for another half hour or so... plus the crowd that we were being paid to entertain. It's such a great sounding room. The Sterling was out again after enjoying it so much on Saturday, and I (and the others) could hear absolutely everything I played (luckily not too many cock-ups!). It was a picture of clarity. Footwear: black Docs Favourite compliment: it's great to hear a band that can really play their instruments My response: let me know when you find one! One day I'll have to get someone to take a photo while we're playing 😂 Two more for the year - NYE and NYEE (the night before, because they really wanted us for NYE but we were already booked!). Anyway, time to put the feet up for a few days. Have a great Christmas one and all!

Still being folically well endowed I tend to flaunt it. Tie it up in a ponytail? Never! * * Unless I'm spannering or something, but then I'll probably wear a cap

Just back from Thurmaston Conny Club (it's more like a big social club than anything political). Good gig, although the git/vox was very croaky. That meant more singing for me and the drummer - I actually quite enjoy singing now. Nice and busy. A few dancers, but most people just appreciating the music. I took my Sire and was going to swap over to it later on, but had so much fun with my Sterling Sub Ray5 (upgraded with Retrovibe Stinger '77 preamp) that it stayed out all night. The 2-band preamp is great and a lot easier to tweak than the Sire's 3-band with swept mid. The usual Fender Rumble v3 500 combo goodness. Feet were rock steady in the Solovair boots. I forgot to take any photos though. Naughty McDonalds on the way home because Mrs Norris and younger Norrisson were feeling hungry (you can't beat a quarter pounder imho) Best compliment was from a chap in the loo, swaying rather a lot at the urinal next to me... "great hair" 😂

If you can, have a try of a Hofner violin bass. Ok, it won't sound like a P bass, but it's small, light and loud enough for noodling on the sofa. Plus they are great fun to play and the cheap ones are only about £300. You may not like it, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was when I bought one for my lad. (And I'm used to "proper" basses 😂) Shame he took it with him when he went off to university - I miss it

Try singing yourselves = no frontman issues + more money each

Very few "2" films are as good as the "1", and most are completely dreadful. I just hope it's a bit more Airplane and less Highlander in that respect. I do have a horrible feeling it's going to blight my favourite ever film though

Well done for having the same number of closing brackets as opening ones (even though they did get a bit (actually quite a lot) nested) in your update 👍

Great bass! Great shoes! 😂

The BL (keys) has been dead for many years now. His other half (vocals) is probably in her 90s by now. We had a bit of a falling out with the drummer in the 90s (we chat amicably when our paths cross, but wouldn't want to play with him again!). Last but not least I still play with the guitarist in my current band - it will be 40 years playing together in March next year

I bought a Retrovibe Stinger '77 preamp that transformed my Sterling Sub Ray5. That's the only bass-related gear I bought this year apart from a new set of strings. I've been pretty much GAS free for the last 2 years since I bought my Sire

😂