Huw Foster

1. matt_citizenbass, I do believe.

Hey all, another myspace page for you to look at: [url="http://www.myspace.com/whobert"]myspace.com/whobert[/url] It's some electronic stuff I come up with every once in a while, mostly using Logic and a bit of Ableton Live (think Four Tet, Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, UNKLE, The Cinematic Orchestra). The three tracks currently on the player have all been submitted as coursework for college assignments. Convenient. So... I haven't actually played any live bass on these tracks (I've got a few in the pipeline that will possibly require it though). You could always give me some feedback about the compositional and production elements (to name but a few) or something. Oh yeah, the first track is currently a rough mix. Also, the myspace player destroyed the quality when encoding it. So bear that in mind. Ta Huw

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='421945' date='Feb 28 2009, 08:23 PM']I don't give a toss what other players use though. They could hit the strings with sardines for all I care.[/quote] I think I know what to do in my final recital now.

I'm not entirely sure if this warrants a new topic, but I'll go ahead anyway. Not so long ago I acquired a Schecter Stiletto Custom 5, which is a 5 string as the name suggests. I bought a set of long scale d'Addario Pro Steels to replace what I assume were the stock strings (I bought it nearly new off eBay). Now here's the problem - the B string, and to a lesser extent the E string doesn't quite reach over the nut before the thicker wrap of the string ends... It's still playable, but there's a hint of rattle when it's played open. This has led me to believe that I need a super long scale set, or at least the lower strings. However, according to d'Addario, this current set [i]should[/i] be fine. The tech specs for this bass claim the scale length to be 35". Long scale d'Addarios apparently account for 34"-36". Can anyone help me out? Will I have to fork out that little extra for super long scale strings (perhaps the bass is slightly longer scale than listed), or is the problem due to a slight lack in quality control at d'Addario? Ta Huw

( Wow, I didn't know I sounded like suck a pillock!)

[quote name='Soulfinger' post='417630' date='Feb 23 2009, 05:42 PM']Stuart Zender[/quote] I quite enjoy Zender's playing, but I hate his tone at times. His legion of fanboys (mostly posting on youtube videos it seems) also annoy me to no end - they treat him like some sort of deity, and make every effort to undermine the accomplished players who have replaced him in Jamiroquai. The phrase 'get over it' springs to mind. Well, I'm going to say something downright blasphemous - Paul Turner is far and away my favourite Jamiroquai bassist for his impeccable groove and tasteful playing. Yes, Zender was great in that band, but you must admit the current incarnation are tight as hell, and no doubt plenty of that is to do with Paul. Actually, can he do no wrong? I'd say so!

Colin Greenwood of Radiohead anyone?

I've only discovered his channel recently, but his videos seem to be very informative. I don't mind the face pulling - at the least it's a visual element for entertainment's sake. He appears to be passionate about music and bass playing anyway. I was particularly impressed with his performance of a live Earth, Wind & Fire track I saw today. So yeah, in summary... I rate him.

Dreaming in Metaphors by Seal has an awesome 7/8 groove. There's some ridiculous modulation going on in some of the tracks off Letter From Home by the Pat Metheny Group.

I've been having fun with flat tuning at the moment, but I've not tried BEAD. I have quite small hands, but the string spacing on my 5 is actually quite comfortable. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Tim Commerford use BEAD for some of the Audioslave stuff? I'm pretty sure some of the tracks on the first album (Cochise and Show Me How to Live spring to mind) include a low B without the use of a 5 string or a whammy pedal.

Thanks for the positive comments! Re our setlist - yeah it is pretty cool, but we don't do nearly enough Prince for my liking!

Hah, yeah I'd heard of them. I thought the name was a bit daft until I realised 'w' is like our 'v' in Swedish, so it's actually pronounced 'voodoo'. To me they look like very good value, but then again as suggested above they might be a bit characterless. I have read a couple of good reviews though.

Ey oop. My function band's website went live today, and it includes new recordings in the media section. [url="http://www.thewhitekeys.com/"]http://www.thewhitekeys.com/[/url] Incidentally, the new tunes are Pick Up the Pieces, Ain't Nobody, Workin' Day and Night and I Wish. The other tracks there are a fair bit older and not as tight... just so you know! My 'Ray is featured on all of them, although there's a fair bit more compression on it than I would apply myself. It still sexy in a way that only a Stingray can be though.

The White Keys' website went live today, new tracks in the media section and all! [url="http://www.thewhitekeys.com/"]http://www.thewhitekeys.com/[/url]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='401953' date='Feb 6 2009, 12:54 PM']Sorry, I don't know. Assuming it is a fault, I don't even know who (aside from EHX themselves) could fix it for you. There might be someone in the UK who could do it, or maybe not... I take it the warranty has expired?[/quote] Yeah it's no longer under warranty... Argh, this is so frustrating! I'm a bit at a loss as to what to do. Thanks for the suggestions though... at least I'd be able to describe the problem effectively if I was to find someone who can repair it.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='401769' date='Feb 6 2009, 09:20 AM']If he's hearing the tone set at the start freq. slider then it sounds to me like the filter sweep is triggering, it's just not sweeping. The BMS won't output that frequency unless you pass the trigger threshold.[/quote] That sounds like it might be the problem... only thing is, how the hell is it fixed?! I have a bad feeling about the answer (Thanks for the help though!)

Well, I assume it's getting enough signal to trigger the sweep, as the rest of the pedal is working fine - the voice mix (sub octave, guitar, square wave etc) is unaffected, as is the attack delay and resonance. I'll try to describe the problem further - I'm pretty sure the issue is with the 'stop freq' fader. If I set 'start freq' to minimum and 'stop freq' to maximum, the filter gets 'stuck' at the low frequency - if that makes any sense? I can also manually sweep by adjusting the 'start freq' fader, but moving the 'stop freq' fader has no effect whatsoever.

Seems my micro synth is a bit temperamental. More often than not the filter sweep stops working while I'm using it - that is, it doesn't sweep from 'start freq' to 'stop freq'. It'll occasionally sort itself out if I switch it off and on again, but that's not a permanent solution and it doesn't always work. Has anyone else had this problem, or something similar? I got it new just over a year ago, and I only just got away with using it at a gig once! It's incredibly frustrating - I'd love to be able to use it more, as it's spent most of the time gathering dust. Any help would be much appreciated! Huw

Damn, I'm always in Leeds at the wrong time. Is that Simon Carter as in ex-Jamiroquai? He seems to play Boaters a fair bit these days!

Eh?! Is it me, or is that a different drummer in the band shots? Anyway, that's a nicely done for a live in the studio recording.

[quote name='mathewsanchez' post='400384' date='Feb 4 2009, 08:20 PM']Don't know if you heard but Prince's purple lower horn is bigger than yours. [/quote] Haha, yeah was gonna say actually... I've been watching Rave un2 the year 2000 today, and Prince's guitar reminded me of this. Perhaps it's short man syndrome?

Damnit, I have a gig that night!

[quote name='ogri' post='395791' date='Jan 30 2009, 10:06 PM']been playing with the same drummer(blanty) for last 12 years and three bands, which is a godsend because he is bloody brilliant and makes me sound far better than i actually am.[/quote] I play with one drummer quite a lot, and I know exactly what you mean! And welcome!

I haven't used Rotos in years... I think the first set of strings I bought were Swing Bass 66... I don't remember them being amazing, but if I was being offered free ones, I think I'd accept! *crosses fingers and hopes for a D'Addario endorsement*