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Playing in Church.


Sardonicus

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This guide to how a whole range of effects work from the now, sad.y defunct “Monkey FX” is brilliant and hilarious - well worth a read…

 

http://www.monkeyfx.co.uk/fxguide.html

 

How a compressor works explained through the medium of tiny monkeys..

 

Compression

Picture the scene. Sicily, 1947. A monkey. With a volume pedal. He has tinnitus, so he doesn't like loud noises, but needs things to be a certain volume level in order to hear them, poor little mite. He is wearing headphones. When you play, if it's too loud, he turns the volume down a little. If it's too quiet, he turns it up. He can do this quite quickly if he wants, but there's a big dial in front of him, telling him how fast he's allowed to turn the volume control. There's another control that determines how loud his headphones are compared to your guitar.

 

Pop the little chap in a box and paint it (traditionally) blue and off you go. Oh, it might be a good idea to replace him with some sort of electronics gubbins, to save his poor hearing.

 

Some compressors allow you to have a little effect loop in between your guitar and his headphones, so that you could (for instance) have him only listen to the bass part of your guitar sound, but work the volume control according to that.

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9 hours ago, TrevorR said:

This guide to how a whole range of effects work from the now, sad.y defunct “Monkey FX” is brilliant and hilarious - well worth a read…

 

http://www.monkeyfx.co.uk/fxguide.html

 

How a compressor works explained through the medium of tiny monkeys..

 

Compression

Picture the scene. Sicily, 1947. A monkey. With a volume pedal. He has tinnitus, so he doesn't like loud noises, but needs things to be a certain volume level in order to hear them, poor little mite……..

Love this !! - brilliant !

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1 minute ago, Richard R said:

 

https://songselect.ccli.com/Songs/4785835/hosanna/viewchordsheet

 

CCLI  number 4785835 on Song Select

 

But you'll need a login to download the chords and music.

 

 

Thank you so much I cant log in without the church number but I know people who are in the church that will have that

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12 minutes ago, Richard R said:

It's a good song that we've done a few times and the congregation seem to like. Not the funkiest, though 😅

 

 

Can you not feel that rhythm hidden in the the bass line with the drums already hinting at it? ba ba ba ba ba bo bom bo bom bom bom sorry best I can do. Cant read and write notation. But if they like it and we are there to lead them into his presence what do we care? Job Done.

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3 minutes ago, Richard R said:

I probably could funk it up, but I would more likely f--k it up, so best not to try...

Sorry did you mean you are not the funkiest though. I thought you meant the song.oops

If I can help I will try but not now. Takes recording and stuff I only have a zoom H1

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Reminds me of something that happened a few years ago in the worship team. The (very young) WL came back from a conference enthusing about this powerful new song they’d sung there and how she’d love to introduce it to the team. Sounded great! Love a good new song! She said that she’d recorded it on her phone and she and her drummer/keyboard player boyfriend  had worked it out. They would sing and play it so we could get an idea. Great idea! Love a new song!

 

She started… “Because He lives, I can face to morrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone…” The more superannuated members of the team (like me) kinda looked at each other, shrugged and just joined in, singing and playing - much to her confusion! She was stunned at how we could know this new tune just introduced at the conference. Had to break it to her that I’d been singing that tune since I first joined a youth gospel choir back in 1979! I guess that there really is nothing new under the sun and what goes around comes around eventually. She did look so stunned when we joined in, though! Lol

 

Here’s a nice modern Celtic version of it. We did it more straight rock/hymn fusion…

 

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9 hours ago, TrevorR said:

Reminds me of something that happened a few years ago in the worship team. The (very young) WL came back from a conference enthusing about this powerful new song they’d sung there and how she’d love to introduce it to the team. Sounded great! Love a good new song! She said that she’d recorded it on her phone and she and her drummer/keyboard player boyfriend  had worked it out. They would sing and play it so we could get an idea. Great idea! Love a new song!

 

She started… “Because He lives, I can face to morrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone…” The more superannuated members of the team (like me) kinda looked at each other, shrugged and just joined in, singing and playing - much to her confusion! She was stunned at how we could know this new tune just introduced at the conference. Had to break it to her that I’d been singing that tune since I first joined a youth gospel choir back in 1979! I guess that there really is nothing new under the sun and what goes around comes around eventually. She did look so stunned when we joined in, though! Lol

 

Here’s a nice modern Celtic version of it. We did it more straight rock/hymn fusion…

 

watched that and was like "I know that bass player" ... he did some stuff with a friend of mine that I helped a tiny tiny amount with the visuals ... it's very 2020 

 

 

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@Matt P @TrevorR Cool to see the EHX Bass Soul Food on your boards. I need to give this pedal some more time. I had one before, only played around at home, and can’t recall why I never actually tried it on a Sunday. I bought another a while back as wanted to give it another try, this time during a service. Guess what, I still haven’t done! I’m not really an effects guy, but I am on a bit of a wild goose chase to find an overdrive I like, for that bit of extra grit / mild breakup / crunch, thats not too nasty / fizzy / ‘wasp in a tin can’ like. Something fairly transparent and not too dark / coloured / baked-in (Darkglass style). 
 

Interested in suggestions, and I’ll have another fiddle with my Bass Soul Food, it seems that blend & drive fairly cranked & some taken off the treble are popular for getting the most out of this. It’s a real Marmite pedal on Talkbass, but its popularity there seems to have risen since it’s early days. I’ve had a go with the Darkglass VMT, which I know some love,  but I can’t seem to get past that ‘baked-in’ sound it has. Also playing around with a One Control Hookers Green Bass Machine, nice micro pedal with some good driven tones especially when digging in with a pick, but still not totally sold on it. 

Does anyone use a drive as an always / often on thing, or something you stomp on for a certain song / bridge, etc?

 

Edited by dmc79
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I use the drive setting on my Laney Digbeth preamp, but just to give some warmth and tubey feel.

Even with an enthusiastic drummer and overdriven guitarist I’ve never felt comfortable with very much distortion in church: I’m not sure it helps the congregation much.

Maybe the TC mojomojo might be right for you - it’s more subtle than most drive pedals?

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I went for the BSF because it’s a lower gain OD and a reasonably priced mainstream pedal. I have a suspicion that one (well three) reason(s) TB is sniffy about it is 1) it’s not all exclusive boutique and super expensive, 2) it’s not super super cheap so has inverted snob value and 3) it’s not what you’d choose for uber distorted Cliff Burton bass solo type stuff. These are, rather, all the reasons I DO like it! I have my VTBassDI set so it’s warm and clean but has a touch of hair when you really dig in. That’s my “always on” pedal. The BSF is used when a song needs a little more grit (rather than dirt) or to feed my envelope filter for a pseudo synth bass sound… But it seems like OD are a pedal where everyone has their personal preferences… and they’re all different.

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15 hours ago, dmc79 said:

for that bit of extra grit / mild breakup / crunch, thats not too nasty / fizzy / ‘wasp in a tin can’ like. Something fairly transparent and not too dark / coloured / baked-in (Darkglass style). 

The key to finding this on the BSF is the treble control. To my ears it’s less of just an EQ roll off control but seems to have an effect on how the break up works, changing its richness/bite - though no idea how it’s operating as part of the circuit electronically.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The time seems to have come to leave the church band.  I am not feeling it any more. 

 

There were various issues, but I am not here to publish the problems of others. However, I walked out mid rehearsal, while the band continued playing. 

 

Two WhatsApp messages said that I should not turn up for the Christmas service. I will be charitable, and say that was out of concern for the stress that I was suffering. 

 

After three weeks, I realise that I am not missing the music or the stress. 

 

Time to take a break, or move on, perhaps.

 

Last night and today, I was playing some new basslines - You Should Be Dancing, Killing Me Softly, for example- and very much enjoyed it.  So, I want to play, but right now, not at church. 

 

So long, and thanks for all the fish (and loaves).

 

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6 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

The time seems to have come to leave the church band.  I am not feeling it any more. 

 

There were various issues, but I am not here to publish the problems of others. However, I walked out mid rehearsal, while the band continued playing. 

 

Two WhatsApp messages said that I should not turn up for the Christmas service. I will be charitable, and say that was out of concern for the stress that I was suffering. 

 

After three weeks, I realise that I am not missing the music or the stress. 

 

Time to take a break, or move on, perhaps.

 

Last night and today, I was playing some new basslines - You Should Be Dancing, Killing Me Softly, for example- and very much enjoyed it.  So, I want to play, but right now, not at church. 

 

So long, and thanks for all the fish (and loaves).

 

Sometimes it's what we have to do. I have also walked away from my playing every week gospel church. Straight into a Vineyard church much closer to home with far less time demands and a healthier atmosphere.

Maybe you just need some time and another door  wil open when it's right.

Thanks for sharing

God bless.

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@bass_dinger sorry to hear this. Working with creatives (including us) can be tricky wherever we are. I would expect no difference with the Church. We are more than aware that we have so not got it together. I pray that you find a church where you can be in fellowship. If we are in the band or not in the band is secondary. 

 

While I am on this thread, can I ask a zoom question? We are still doing the zoom thing. When it is one speaker the feed is fine. As soon as the band kicks in it is glitch o'clock. This can be with original sound for musicians on or off. It could be our upload speed but that is hardwired so the wifi wobbliness is not an issue. I guess one speaker will not be providing the full spectrum info to hear glitching where it is or not happening. It can sound as if someone is riding the faders mischievously. Any thoughts? I will try a YT broadcast after church this morning to see what happens. 

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@Owen , this has helped me for remote jamming in Zoom so may help in your situation - in Zoom settings:

 

- Set "Suppress background noise to "Low"
- Check the option "Show in-meeting option to enable "Original Sound"
- Check the option "High-fidelity music mode"
- Check the option "Stereo audio"

 

 

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