Dad3353

Alex was gentleman enough to pass on a chorus pedal he'd won in a raffle, for simply the cost of postage (to France...). True BC spirit. Excellent communications, well packed, fast postage; top quality all round. This bloke is, in my opinion and experience, a Good Egg. Thanks again, Alex.

[sharedmedia=core:attachments:167485] [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1460726025' post='3028222']... What strings have you got on the Verithin? tapes? ... it really does sound very DB like. [/quote] Yes indeed; Rotosound Trubass RS88M (Black Nylon...). They've been on this bass for almost a decade, now, and I only changed 'em then on a whim..! I've other basses, but the weight (or rather, lack of...) and the playing ease (no blisters here..!) make this my 'go to' bass. No, I don't do 'slap', and have use for neither picks nor tweeters..!

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1460712775' post='3028029'] Not too shabby at all. [/quote] [sharedmedia=core:attachments:167485]

Here we go, then; not the baritone, but my Verithin trying out a newly-received EHX 'The Clone Theory' pedal (Thanks, Ratman...)... [url="http://soundcloud.com/dad3353/bc-noodle-2016-04"]BC Noodle April 2016 ...[/url]

Maybe a dumb question (probably..!), but why do your detach them..? If there's a loose fit, would a bit of gaffer tape hold 'em together..? My Superlux are detachable, but there's a clip keeping a positive connection. Makes it simple if the cable becomes damaged, but can't just 'fall out'. Do you deliberately unplug yours, and, if so, why..? Just curious, really.

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1460652230' post='3027652'] Yes, but it's no good for metal [/quote] What, not even brushed aluminium, or hand-beaten bronze..?

If you're going to tour with that, I think I'd recommend having the wiring re-done, maybe with slightly thicker gauge wire..? Those solder joints look very flimsy to me; the copper should be wrapped around the lug, through the hole, before soldering. One should ideally have firstly a good mechanical joint, which the solder then reinforces. Those present joints look like candidates for failure by vibration in the quite short term. Whilst it's open, it's the right occasion to get that beefed up. Just sayin'.

Has Feng Shui replaced Rock'n'Roll..?

[quote name='IanA' timestamp='1460628738' post='3027337']... I used to love driving my TR6 but compared to my SMax it was uncomfortable... [/quote] ...

[quote name='IanA' timestamp='1460554558' post='3026758']...Like it or not live sound is evolving. [/quote] On the other hand, there are still enthusiasts for steam trains and vintage motorcycles. Modern progress does not [i]have [/i]to sweep quite so clean; there is a place for sentiment and nostalgia.

Makes [i]us [/i]look good 'n tight..! http://youtu.be/nM_u1XEOPbY

Try an opposite approach, perhaps..? Hang a suitable 100g weight from a tuner key,and see if any difference can be felt..? A muslin bag with rice in it, or whatever can be cobbled up. If there's a noticeable negative effect, it could be assumed there'd be an equivalent positive effect upon changing the set..?

Whatever made that speaker go duff could well do the same for any other speakers in, potentially, the same condition. I'd not count on the original, new, power handling specification to be a certainty, and treat the whole cab as doubtful until it's had a chance to prove itself. Be prepared for further 'surprises', perhaps..?

Of all the gear I've accumulated over the decades, be it for drums, guitar, bass or whatever, I really can't think of one single piece that has [i]any [/i]aesthetic appeal to me in any way or form. It's much more subtle than mere looks, to me; I wouldn't spend any time at all just [i]looking [/i]at my Hiwatt amp or HH cab. It's the overall impression, maybe from my early, formative years browsing through catalogues and music magasines, and going to concerts. I've a fair selection of all sorts, from Vox Amplugs, through Danelectro Hodad, HA 3500 and Fender Bassman. What do they look like..? A heteroclite assembly of vintage gear, more or less road-worn, some with a bit of dust. Looks..? Not really my thing. Disclaimer: It's not that I have [i]bad [/i]taste; rather that I have [i]none[/i].

I'll admit to never having felt comfortable with the very word 'competition', which is why a adhere strictly to the use of 'Challenge'. To me, the very fact of entering (either the Noodle Bar or the Basschat Challenge...) is challenge enough, and the voting and stuff is just to give some recognition. 'Winning' is having posted a file; the rest is (again, to me...) just dressing. That's really why I started doing my 'Play Of The Day', as I find it slightly odd (old duffer that I am...) that all the music seems to to not get its full share of encouragement. I understand the notion of keeping it short and simple, and quite recognise the difference with the more elaborate compositions in the Challenge (many of which have no bass at all, or have never been physically played by human hands...). Just sayin'; I may fetch our ESP Baritone guitar to have a bash. Does that count as a bass; that's how it's strung and tuned at the moment..?

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1460480087' post='3026096'] ShotCut... [/quote] I'm downloading it now to try it out; thanks for the info.

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1460473017' post='3026016'] So, what's the difference between free/home/master editions? Commercial use? [url="https://secure.nch.com.au/cgi-bin/register.exe?software=videopad"]https://secure.nch.c...ftware=videopad[/url] [/quote] Free/home: 2 audio track maximum Master: unlimited audio tracks. I don't need, for the dummy that I am, more than 2 audio tracks; if I did, I'd pre-mix (with Reaper or the like...). For what I do, the free edition is fine. It's not expensive if more is required, but then one has to start comparing with other software. I had tried other free (or low cost...) stuff; only VideoPad has stayed on my PC.

How different we all are (a Good Thing...)..! I took the video as a starting point, and could 'hear' the rhythm (on drums, basically...) as I watched, so I started there. I often get my kick-start from the percu in my head. From there I took a chord sequence, popped it into EZKeys; that brought out the bass line, transferred to analogue synth. Once those 'bare bones' were in place, the rest was 'fleshing out', with a 'bone theme for my recurring 'Jono' incrustations, and a rather wild shred guitar to ensure a 'modern' sound. A bit of solo work from BIAB saxes, and the rest is just a case of mixing the whole soup into something approaching palatability. Often overdone; I should obey my own 'minimalist' principles more, but it seems like a good idea at the time. I'd have had more difficulty, I'd say, from the still photo alone; it was the two together that brought on the notion. Just lucky, I guess (but is it 'art'..? ).

[quote name='Lardy' timestamp='1460469392' post='3025958']... I've been practising until 1.30am (with headphones), or until my fingers nearly bleed (whichever is the sooner) - I take it that's what you really mean. [/quote] What do you mean, 'nearly'..? Get back in there at once..! Down to the bone, then you won't need a plectrum..! No, seriously, the old adage 'Dont run before you can walk' makes sense, here. By doing stuff slowly, but correctly, speed will come of its own accord. By not skipping the steps, the foundations are laid for a solid future. A trick I used, decades ago (and still do..!) is to periodically (every couple of weeks, maybe..?) go back over all the stuff, from the very beginning. I'm a drummer, but the principles are the same. I open my newbie rudiments books and go over the same old, same old, slowly, page by page. I found it surprising at first that I could have overlooked so much, first, second, even third time through. I spend less time now on each, but it helps me progress when I attack the later stuff. To each his/her own, of course, but slowly is the fastest way forward, in my experience. And yes, resting, both the fingers and the mind, gives one the time necessary to really assimilate. Going at it hammer and tongs is counter-productive, except for one's ego. A question of character, perhaps, although the British Worker's Rule may be a bit [i]too [/i]much: A 15-minute break every 10 minutes..!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1460460091' post='3025871'] Well the P Bass was around in the 50s, so I hope not... [/quote] Around, yes, but frowned upon.

[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1460462124' post='3025894'] That's all very well, but surely the point of a good production is for the music to sound good on the sorts of systems that people will be using to listen, and isn't this the biggest challenge about the whole process? [/quote] If I may use a rather loose analogy, it's like taking uber-high resolution photos, knowing that they'll be seen on a domestic monitor. One starts off with the absolute best, and can then 'reduce' to whatever the target is (that's part of what 'mastering' is all about...). Many studios, including home studios, will have not one, but several pairs (or sets..?) of monitors, exactly for that purpose, ie: listening in 'real life' conditions to the result. The high-end monitors are there to hear what 'ordinary' stuff won't show up, but the final result will greatly depend on the top-end ones being as good as possible, far 'better' than domestic ones. The big challenge (amongst many...) is translating between these different environments, so that corrections made at the top sound good on the target. Not helped by needing to cater for several different targets, of course (Hi-fi buffs..? Car radio..? FM transmission..? iPod..? Web..? All different results needed from the same source...).

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1460444698' post='3025674']... (some would say my dad rap could be tweaked out altogether!). [/quote] What's all this 'ere 'some' nonsense..? I have a name, y'know..! Harrumph..! ... (I use 'VideoPad' for simple video editing; it's free for home use...) [url="http://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad/"]VideoPad ...[/url]

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1460413368' post='3025599'] Hang on a minute, I thought that looping or other forms of layering was NOT acceptable... [/quote] Well, it used to be accepted to conk ladies on the head and drag 'em into caves. It's called evolution, I think. No, seriously, though, if some folks 'noodle' with loopers, I'd say that's still in the spirit of the thing. As long as the result is really sh*te as per the original concept, I'd say the 'no looper' rule could be relaxed, at least as a trial. If whole MIDI concertos start popping up disguised as 'noodles', there's still time to back-pedal and ban'em, ban'em fer good, and nail the culprits to their cab. Give it a try, I say; given enough rope they'll sure as heck hang themselves, won't they..?