Dad3353

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1465367743' post='3067517'] Thanks Dad I'm honored... ... think I need to come up with better names for my noodles Also, what is the bloke in the top right of the certificate doing with his other hand... [/quote] He (Danny Thompson, surely not just 'that bloke'..!?) is turning the page on his music stand; what else..?

Too late, mate. You'll have to start another Convention for that. You can't call it the Noodle Bar, though; that's already sacrosanct. Try something like 'Lowlander: there can be but one..!' or such. It doesn't have to have Scottish connotations, but could do. Good luck with it.

[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial, sans-serif]And the winners are... CamdenRob and Asambique..! Well done, gents.[/font][/color][/size] [size=4][color="#222222"][font="Arial, sans-serif"][sharedmedia=core:attachments:167486] Here, then, is your Winner's Certificate (download and save as pdf file, then proudly print and frame...) ...[/font][/color][/size] [size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial, sans-serif][url="http://basschat.co.uk/uploads/monthly_07_2014/post-11876-0-59270200-1406229226.gif"][attachment=221030:BC_Nood_Cert_2016_05.pdf][/url] [color=#222222][font=Arial, sans-serif]... which looks like this (but bigger, of course..!)...[/font][/color] [color=#222222][font=Arial, sans-serif][/font][/color][/font][/color][/size]

I gave it 1m14. I listen to nobody using language like that, unless they have a recognised medical condition. There are ways of expressing oneself other than constant profanities, whatever the grievances.

[quote name='Zombie1965' timestamp='1465331526' post='3067323']... [color=#141414]So, comments / criticism welcome. Just be gentle.[/color] [/quote] I'll take you at your word. Gentle..? You may want to skip to the next post now... ... Still here..? OK, firstly, a disclaimer; this is not my genre de predilection. I'm not a 'grunge' specialist at all, despite listening to (and, on occasion, playing...) some Nirvana stuff. That being said... If you're aiming at a LoFi, grunge, garage sound, you're not far off, and maybe too far gone is some respects. In general, and as a broad brush statement, the mix is not so bad; all the principal elements come through, we can hear the singer (not always a good thing, of course...), although I couldn't transcribe all of her lyrics, and the overall 'beat' and 'drive' show enthusiasm. Clean, it ain't, though. Most distracting is an almost constant extraneous parasite drone panned left. Especially at the start, after the count-in; strangely absent (or much less prominent during the 'hush' section, it sound to me something like wind in the telegraph wires, or an open guitar leaning against the wall. Is it intentional..? Maybe. There is also a fair dose of tinkling, discordant guitar plicks and plocks. I used to get this sort of effect when recording on a tape reel that had been badly erased, allowing leakage from a preceding tune-up session. As I don't think you're using tape (yes, I'm even older than that..!), I can only imagine that someone in the room (a guitarist..? Surely not..?) is making these sounds. Again, is it part of the composition..? Maybe. I'd chuck the bland organ chord drone, which added nothing, I found, and get the guitarist's pedal mended, as it sounds more like a broken lead more than a convincing bitcrusher. Still here..? Sorry; I shan't prolong the agony much further. On a positive note (yes, there is yet hope...), the raw nature of the performance comes across, there is a certain projection of energy; that's a Good Thing. The drumming not bad at all; extra marks for not trying to fit 'blast beats' in there. The bass, too, fulfils its purpose. I don't think much of my comments concern the recording environment (unless there's a UFO factory working on the floor below..?), it's down to the sounds produced by the group. Don't ask me for a note out of ten, please, as I'm not clued up enough with any current trends which may take this as the next Mozart, or something. I'll definitely heartily and sincerely congratulate all involved for their sterling effort (yes, even the plinky guitarist has merit, and some nerve...). The concept needs work, I'd say, but there's matter to be worked on. Gentle enough..? Maybe not; sorry.

Here's the best I could render in mp3 320, very highly compressed, just for fun... [attachment=220955:untitled_2.mp3] It's got a bit more 'air', maybe; a touch more assertive, 'in your face'..? It would sound better through a car radio than a hifi unit, I reckon.

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1465294881' post='3066800'] what sample rate mp3 are you encoding Dad?... [/quote] My trial was 128, as I wanted a fairly lightweight file to post back to this topic. T'wasn't worth it, in the end; I didn't want to post a WAV, and 128 is usually good enough for Soundcloud, I find. Maybe I'll do another version, 'hiking' the bitrate, just to see...

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1465292879' post='3066766']... I'd whack a big dollop of master compression on there first, to see how it all sounds when it's loud. [/quote] I did exactly this, through Reaper and EZMix, and it 'improved' the 'punch' quite well; all was lost when I rendered to MP3; I could no longer distinguish between the treated and raw tracks..! Mastering to the selected medium, and choice of final format will determine the final sound more than any tiny touches, or even the quite extreme 'wash' that I gave it (I was trying to bring up the 'snap' of the snare but couldn't, without isolation of the drum track...). I think the panning will do enough; it's really not bad at all, especially, as you mention if it's not going to be listened to on monitors..!

[quote name='ChrisJaxon' timestamp='1465246742' post='3066536']...any comments much appreciated! [/quote] Not much wrong with that, especially if it was (I assume..?) a 'live' take, all together..? It's got an authentic 'live' sound to it, with a nice (to me...) '70s feel. If you want to adjust, it's micro-measures, not tablespoonfuls. A tad (1-2 db..?) less keys..? Why not, but there's a healthy Al Kooper vibe in there. Snap on the snare..? Yes, maybe a tad, but it mustn't distract from the rest. If I wanted to improve things, I'd go for a slightly wider stereo spread each side of the vocal. Frankly, I'd say there was more lost in porting it to mp3 than much else. It's difficult to be more specific from that source; the mastering will make all the difference. If that's done correctly, that's not just a demo; it's good for release. If it's still being mixed, I'd say you're nearly there. Maybe give it a couple of day's rest and come back with fresh ears..? I was comparing with Youtubes of Butterfield Blues Band, Al Kooper, Mike Bloomfield etc; for sound quality your lot came out winners. Micro-measures, not spoonfuls.

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1465217530' post='3066175'] That doesn't really tell us anything about transmission frequency balance, or more importantly, how something is mixed for transmission whether it's music or drama or docs... Bear in mind that the mixing for transmission, as opposed to the sound in the studio, is done in a (mostly!) soundproofed room with (relatively!) full-range monitors. So frequency extremes aren't going to feature very much on a 2" speaker on your telly - unless the mix has been compressed in a frequency-dependent way. And the audio in the mixing room will be full-range and not (digitally) - compressed. So it may sound perfect to them - after all they want max quality - but after being MPEG encoded then compressed to between 128 and 320kbps (depending on what else is going on in the transmission multiplex), who knows what the balance is going to be like! [/quote] ... and then the adverts come on, and the mix is perfect..! S'magic, I reckon.

In the small diaphragm category, these are very highly rated, at £83 or so, and would serve in any studio for years... [url="http://www.lineaudio.se/CM3.html"]Line Audio Design CM3 ...[/url] For sheer versatility, it's hard to beat a decent large-diaphragm condenser mic, though.

[quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1464983936' post='3064484']... taking up knitting. Bright ideas appreciated :-) [/quote] Top tip: don't start out on gloves. Do a scarf or two, then a bobble hat. You'll end up with G.A.S just the same, though... ... or worse...

Ah yes, I'd forgotten that one..! Never mind, they'll be other Challenges (and I still have music to compose for my RPG game; it all serves...). I'll be away this week-end, and have some more examinations towards the end of the month, so thought I'd better just bite my lip and get it done. It's not that I particularly [i]like [/i]doing things, rather I like it when stuff gets done. In this case (and it's rare...) I can't really delegate, so, if it's to be done at all, I just have to do it..! Simple, really. Now that's enough; I'm tired. Nowt on t'box, so time for (another...) nap... Zzzzzzzz...

[quote name='tanuki' timestamp='1464947957' post='3063981']... Which two mics would people suggest? [/quote] I'd recommend a large-capsule condenser mic; there are several at Thomann, not too expensive, and useful for very many tasks in any studio, including mic'ing a bass cab. I'd add another top favourite for all-round usefulness; an SM57 (a clone will do if your budget is very tight...). Again, Thomann have several in that category. This will be for close-mic'ing a cab (bass, guitar...) or for snare etc... The D112, whilst being a fine mic, and widely used, has a very specific response, tailored for close-mic'ing a bass drum. It will work for bass (any mic will...), but it will be more difficult to separate the bass drum from the bass, as they will have been recorded with the same 'curve'. A flatter response would be much more useful when recording, rather than having to have always the same 'baked in' sound of the mic to fight against. Fine for one or two takes, but not very flexible, long term. Hope this helps.

Still not well, so a bit laboured this month, and it shows. Here's mine, however; a bit shorter than sometimes (shouts of "No bad thing..!" from the more rowdy amongst you, of course..!). I give you ... [url="http://soundcloud.com/dad3353/gear-acquisition-syndrome"]Gear Acquisition Syndrome ...[/url] Enjoy.

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1464431276' post='3059396']... The overal tone of the bass does seem to change when the band start playing. I've heard really good bass tones when bands are sound checking just the bass, yet it becomes more generic in the mix and they lose some of the nicer points... [/quote] I think it's less 'lose some of the nicer points' as all that. We only have one pair of ears, and they can't pick out, in isolation, anything at all. Our brain does that, to a great extent, but the sound waves coming in are much more complex with the whole band than the bass alone. Think of a symphony orchestra. A solo trombone is clearly heard, at appropriate moments. When the hole lot are wading in, however, it's almost impossible to single out their 'solo' contribution. If it wasn't there, though, something would be missing. Same with bass; take away that refined, honed, tone and the whole texture is changed. It's not the same as in isolation, but adding a good tone to the mix must surely be better than adding a duff one, no..?

[quote name='luckydog' timestamp='1464947006' post='3063962']...Actually it's not that heavy, despite it's appearance... [/quote] Indeed, here's a photo of our's; if you look carefully you can see the unique handle placed in the centre of the side... It's a clumsy lift for anyone, mostly by its bulk, and goodness knows what this does to one's back, if not balanced by something in the other hand, but it's not filled with concrete like Trace cabs. Our HH, on the other hand...

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1464945462' post='3063938'] For the rockers... [/quote]

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1464885883' post='3063557']...Does your set list reflect where you are based? [/quote] It used to, decades ago with the variety band. Only a few US-UK hits, for the Rock segue and twist stuff; most of the rest was Le Sud, Amsterdam, Eddy Mitchell, Sardou songs, and a couple of Musette sessions (La Paloma, tangos, polkas...). Later, for weddings and such, the duo I played in had a slightly more eclectic set, including 10cc, and even finishing the evening with Court of the Crimson King and A Saucerful of Secrets..! Now finishing off as best as I can with our two lads and a couple of chums, the Pop/Rock repertoire is more modern still, featuring Radiohead, Bashung, RATM, Muse, Smashing Pumpkins, Noir Désir and more still. The 'Frenchies' in there are because they're good, not because they're French. If we knew of a decent Bolivian number (we don't..!), we'd do it. We're not particularly concerned with what folks want; we just do as best we can with what we want to play to them. We've never been chucked out, and often asked back. Disclaimer: we're not interested in becoming a band to dance to (although folks do...). We could handle a seated concert just as well as an open-air village fête; folks seem to like it, where- and whenever. It's the ambiance created that works, where we're concerned. Maybe just lucky, but what numbers we play seems to matter little; we do 'em all well.

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1464886614' post='3063572']...[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]you've tried it Andy, how does it feel/play??[/font][/color] [/quote] "Rotten, so I burned it. " ... ...

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1464809915' post='3062848'] How about a heft acronym competition? I'll start. Habitually Expressed Facile Technophilia. [/quote] Heavy Equipment Flapping Trousers.