Dankology

I popped into a music shop in Bolton yesterday as I happened to be in the area and thought I might be able to check a few of these things out in person. Not one on the premises... It's so sad - it used to be a family owned shop that I got my first guitar from almost 40 years ago but it has been taken over by a chain and clear is being allowed to wither and die. I would have probably slapped down the cash for a new one there and then too.

Cheers @Almost Simon - interestingly, I think I may have come to a similar solution. The Novation keyboard has got lots of pre-installed templates for integration with various DAWs (something I've not really looked into) - and I found that some of those templates allowed the MIDI data to be passed via the 5-pin output. Reading your post, I suspect this will be related to which channel the data is being transmitted on. Very happy now not to have the dreaded delay between initiating and hearing a note but it's definitely pushed me towards getting a bigger keyboard... Hope you're enjoying the Solina as much as I am.

Thanks for the replies. Am I right I thinking that the Akai doesn't have full sized keys? I'm guessing from the replies above that this isn't much of an issue though. I think I've got one of the Icon models on my Ebay watch list but wasn't sure what they were like so I might pull the trigger on that one. The Midiplus one sounds good too. Lots of options then - thank you once again.

On a whim, I've picked up the Behringer Solina recreation and I'd like to use it at gigs, using a cheap(ish) MIDI keyboard. I've currently got an old Novation Remote SL25, which is a bit too small (ideally want 3 octaves) and a Kawai electric piano (which isn't portable). I'm looking for a 37 key keyboard and I think it will need to have a traditional 5-pin MIDI output. The Solina has a 5-pin and a USB-B, the Kawai just has USB-B, the Novation has both but the 5-pin seems to be disabled when it's powered via the USB port... I'm also led to believe that connecting two USB-B ports together doesn't work. The module only arrived today so I've just been testing it out by plugging the keyboards and the Behringer itself into a laptop but this is causing terrible lag between hitting a note and the sound emerging (which doesn't happen when using the same keyboards via USB to trigger soft synths. So... am I looking for what appears to be a rare thing (a reasonably priced 37-key keyboard with 5-pin port) or is there some way of connecting two USB ports together without a laptop that will allow for latency-free live use? This is fairly new ground to me so please speak slowly and imagine you were speaking to someone far more at home twanging wires stretched over planks of wood.

Just reading the comments regarding the quality of old vinyl pressings... I've pretty much given up on new vinyl as I had a horrible run of really noisy, clicky records straight out of the shrinkwrap. Maybe things are better now but certainly around three years ago I got the impression that the records were very much being banged out safe in the knowledge that most of them were being framed rather than listened to. A Facebook reminder popped up this week: 9 years ago I apparently paid £25 on Gumtree for a stack of records that included Generation Terrorists, Last Splash, The Hounds of Love, Never For Ever, The Sensual World, Graceland, the Best of Smokey Robinson, Gold Mother, Stutter, REM's Out of Time, London 0 Hull 4, a Northside LP and a 12" of Voodoo Ray among a few other things. The last two nearly went straight to the charity shop but are apparently each worth twice what I paid for the whole lot. All in, probably one of my best buys ever and I can't imagine ever finding a similarly well-priced stash. But maybe those three original Nick Drake LPs are out there waiting for me in someone's sideboard. This has made me think of some of the best bargains I've had over the years - I really got into vinyl at the right time when the pressings were still pretty good and shops were selling off old and new stuff for pennies. I got to listen to so much music I wouldn't have otherwise been able to afford. Still haunted by some of the ones I didn't nab when I had the chance.

I love vinyl and 100% agree with the above comments pointing out its flaws and the slight perversity of preferring it as a format. Surely it's good to throw these ideas around once in a while, all the more so in a setting ostensibly aimed at discussion and debate? Another current thread here has seen some ill tempered comments that were prompted by people noting some uncomfortable but ultimately potentially valuable legal issues re replica instruments. I like being encouraged to challenge my established views and think about things I might not initially be comfortable doing - big stuff and the less consequential stuff too.

Do I have a signature sound? I do believe I do. It is the sound of a tepid pie being being flung against a sheet of plexiglass. Whether it's a passive P strung with flats, or the active Jazz with rounds, Bass VI, Aerodyne, Rick, Hofner violin or a semi-hollow bass, it is always the same soul crushing ill-defined thrum. Doesn't matter if it's through the big Trace rig, small TC combo, a borrowed amp, direct to the desk or through a myriad of effects it is always this way: it truly must be, as they say, all in the fingers. Apart from when I play with a pick - when it is, inexplicably, much the same. I hope this does not appear boastful to those still searching for their signature sound as it has taken many years of changes big and small to arrive at this lofty plateau. Weirdly, in the mix it always sounds ok. I am utterly convinced I hear with different ears when I'm playing versus when I'm listening back.

That's is a wonderfully pleasingly clean set-up.

Never even thought about this... We're literally teaching ourselves Logic as we go (and I don't think any of the four of us are particularly Mac savvy in general) so little pearls like this are much appreciated.

He played them all. And rather well too.

"Terrible piece", surely? I initially assumed it was some sort of bland AI thing but I'm pretty sure only a human could have written it. It reminds me of Bart Simpson's book report on Treasure Island...

I love Rega turntables and have had a P6 for a few years but mine has the well known issue of humming as the arm nears the centre of the record and I also resent the fact that the stylus and cart are one unit so a worn needle requires replacement (or refurbishment) of the cartridge too. Am thinking of getting an Audio Technica cart fitted via the RigB mount (check Facebook for this) to solve both issues. A secondhand P2 or P3 with this set up planned for the future could be a within budget option. It wouldn't help with Rega's poor grounding system or speed issues though 🤔 My brother and I both picked up old Pioneer PL12d decks too - still pretty cheap, look ace and are easy to refurbish at home, even for a chimp-fingered imbecile like myself. Sounds very different to the Rega - but in an attractive vintage way compared to the P6's very toppy clean sound. Get one of each, obviously.

As only recent Spotify user I'm happy to be corrected if I've got the wrong end of the stick here but would it be more helpful to have a series of playlists rather than one ever-growing one? Just thinking in terms of generating more streams per band and was thinking that a ?monthly 12-song playlist might have greater traction - but happy to be educated by more savvy people.

@AndyTravis we've been rumbled.

Mani was married to my partner's cousin and although I only met him a handful of times over the years he was always incredibly charming and humble. He was kind and indulgent both when I was a slightly awestruck fan and when I had my own brief foray into not-quite the big time. Such a fantastic musician, sharp dresser and hero to vertically challenged bassists the world over. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say a bad word about him. Just over two years ago the whole family was in the room next to me celebrating my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary - now Imelda, Mani and Imelda's mum are all gone. It's really sad here tonight.