Dad3353

It's better now, even back to normal. Whatever has been done, keep doing it, please. Thanks for the rapid reaction; have a splendid day.

Good evening... Both BC and GC are very sluggish, slow to respond and refresh, today, where all my other sites browsed are not (PC, Windows 11, Chrome or Brave browsers...). Anything going on, or just unlucky..? Either way, have a great day. Douglas

This is very easy to do using Reaper on a PC. It should be possible to talk you through it, too. Download and install it (it's free, fully functioning, to trial...) and see how it inspires you.

I'm of the opposite persuasion; if it ain't broken, don't fix it. I don't 'tweak' my hifi when listening to stuff; I wouldn't 'tweak' a band mix, once it's been set right. I might compensate for a venue filling up, for example, but would certainly not be 'riding the EQ faders' all night. Vocal Fx, or 'special Fx' on the drums for 'riddim' stuff, is different, maybe.

Arbiter Flats ...

I asked for help, moving a bass I'd bought from 'A' to 'B'. Steve stepped up to the plate, and made the connections in a timely and fuss-free manner, earning my thanks and this Positive Feedback post. A Trooper, and an all-round Good Egg. Thanks, Steve.

Latest (and last..?) Update : The Eagle Has Landed; I repeat, The Eagle Has Landed..! I drove over to a nearby bar to meet my 'mule', who handed over a very large cardboard box which, once unpacked at home, revealed my new (to me...) HB50 bass guitar, in a splendid, and very well padded, soft case/gig bag. It's as new, plus the improvements made by the Seller, and it certainly packs a punch when plugged into my Fender Bassman 50w valve amp. The whole journey has taken three months, with the splendid cooperation of BC members (you know who you are...), family and friends. My thanks to all involved; I'll post a couple of NBD photos once I sort out my camera and stuff. Yippee..!

Here is my contribution to the October 2024 Basschat Composition Challenge, illustrated with a picture chosen by Wolfram. It's tempting, to tuck in, taste the Turkish Tavuk göğsü, try the Tulumba, but... What's that, lurking in the shadows..? The instruments are Vst Darbuka drums programmed in 9/4 with MIDI, and a hypnotic Arabian orchestra and singer (Kontakt...) holding our attention (Stare at the picture; did the snake just move..?). All in Reaper, of course, with only a spot of Ozone 8 on the orchestra and the Master track. There is no AI used anywhere in this production. Thanks for listening, if you already have; if you're about to, enjoy.

Yes, we've noticed.

These exemptions apply to instruments etc taken out of the country for one's professional use, ie : to play a gig. If, outgoing to a continental gig, there is no instrument, but there is one when returning, it would be cheating, of course, but could pass, as there's no record, or list, of outgoings and incoming. If it's just returning after a weekend jaunt to Europe, though, with no gig, it wouldn't apply at all, and should be declared.

Yes, quite a trek. Lower Normandy, really, halfway between Rennes and Le Mans. Worth it, though, and we played further afield than that occasionally, too. One memorable Saturday playing near Marseilles, with an overnight dash back for a couple of us for a 'freebie' gig on the Sunday, near home..! Over a thousand kms clocked up, that weekend. At another festival, south Brittany, I fell ill (sunstroke...), got taken to hospital, so missed the tour bus, and had to walk and hitch-hike home, 400 kms, in the early hours of the next dawn. I couldn't do it now, of course.

Very happy to be contradicted in such a fashion..! Good News; thanks for all that.

That's what happens when you set as a password 'TrumpIsAFoolAndCriminal'. ...

Voltaire : “The best is the enemy of the good.” Confucius : “Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.” Shakespeare : “Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.”

Bourges..? Happy Daze. Anecdote related a few years ago now, here... Mis-Matched Disaster Gigs... Note to bar owners : be careful what you wish for...

This won't be covered by the 'portable musical instrument' exemption, so be prepared to either forego it, get the 'carnet' paperwork done for it, or chance your luck by just driving through, and claim ignorance if it gets spotted. I've not been back and forth much since BreaksIt, so I don't know how strict things are; I think it depends on which port quite a lot. I've never had any Customs issues returning to France via Caen, Le Havre or Dieppe, but that may not still be relevant.

Hmm... Not bad, but I'm a drummer, composing in an classical orchestral style. What is this 'bassline' of which you speak..? ...

Don't forget the 'Report' feature (behind those three little dots, top-right corner of every post...) is there to alert Mods and Admin of any untoward comments, especially insults.

Yes, I'm sure you do, as do we. ...

Just to be clear... This is in no way a 'dig' at your winning entry last month, nor of any other entries, at all. Pure coincidence, and I've not made any such connection until your post above^^. No, Sir, this is just my knee-jerk reaction to another Topic posted recently, show-casing a couple of AI pieces, which triggered my own experiment, which just happened to be created as the October picture came up on my screen. I have always used many methods, more or less self-orchestrated, but also (and more and more of late...) in exactly the same way as yourself, with a mix of 'live' instruments, Vst's, samples and loops; anything that comes to hand and mind that fits the mood of the composition I'm working on. This AI experiment was so quick and easy, I wanted to see what it could mean for the BC Challenge, ie: should it be admitted, or is it best excluded..? Is it just the final result that counts, however the piece is conceived, as that's the way the World is heading..? How could one tell, anyway..? Is it OK as long as it's declared as being wholly or partly AI..? Does it matter in a purely-for-fun nonsense Challenge such as ours..? Personally, I found no satisfaction from posting my offering, and will be composing (I hope...) by more traditional methods another piece, as that's the challenge for me; not the result, but the path towards the result (this explains why my efforts are so weak, of course..! ). It's just to open the debate, with absolutely no aspersions cast on anyone. Just to be clear...

Hmm... That's as may be. ...

I've put one up for the BC Composition Challenge, to see what, if any, guide-lines need to be put in place. I managed to produce something, but to retrieve the stems of the AI stuff, it needs payment, which I'm not willing to do (yet...). Not bad as an exercise, but nowhere near as satisfying as my 'home-grown' stuff.

Yes, I just put this one up to stimulate that debate. The 'musical input' is ticking a couple of boxes, waiting a couple of minutes for the cogs to whirr, and choosing what and how to string together the downloaded results in Reaper. The whole thing took about ten minutes. At least, when I use Band In A Box (BIAB...), I choose the chords and sequence, and what instruments and style I want. I then spend one or two 'nuits blanches' wrestling with it all, until either it or I wins. I often abandon it all and pick up a guitar instead. Where to draw the line..? Ever since virtual instruments, and sampling, the lines have become very fuzzy. This ^^ doesn't have to be a 'test case'; I can quite easily do another or several (as I do, most months...), but it may serve to illustrate the increasing difficulties in the IT era. Back to clashing rocks together..? All is fair in love, war, and BC Composition Challenges..? I don't know; the floor is all yours, folk.

This is NOT my contribution to the October 2024 Basschat Composition Challenge, illustrated with a picture chosen by Wolfram. No, really. I just happened to finish this just as the new picture arrived, so here it is. Yes, it's composed entirely, from end to end, by AI; I just strung it together. Is this 'cheating'..? Yes, I think it is. It is, however, probably better than what I'll compose by myself. Food for thought : should AI efforts be aloud, or not..? Hmm... Thanks for listening, if you already have; if you're about to, enjoy. Not suitable as Challenge material; my real, human 'intelligence' entry is below ...