Skol303

[b][size=5]Don't forget... if you're the 500th clicker then drop me a PM to claim your special prize![/size][/b] [size=3]DISCLAIMER: 'special' is a [i]very[/i] subjective word and open to interpretation.[/size]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1386027984' post='2294923'] Here we go, folks, the ball is now rolling (and in your court..!). Here's my offering for this months Challenge... [url="https://soundcloud.com/dad3353/dreams-of-a-patchy-dormeur"]Dreams of a patchy dormeur...[/url] Let me know if there's any problems with the link, or whatever... Enjoy... [/quote] Haha, superb!! That's the most inspired use of snoring I've ever heard. In fact it's the [i]only[/i] use of snoring I've heard... which makes it even more inspired Very cool composition, Douglas. And a very nice mix too. I've left various comments on SoundCloud as I listened through it. PS: you're becoming on par with Bilbo in the early bird stakes!

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1386083498' post='2295484']I see where you're coming from with the 'leave the battery in the bass' thing, but IMHO that's a false economy. It takes 60 seconds tops to take the battery out of any active bass I've ever owned (and yes, that does include those where a screwdriver is needed) and testing the battery properly buys you three hours of peace of mind on stage in front of an audience ... one less thing to worry about.[/quote] Very true! [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1386083705' post='2295486'] So the fact that most pedals run on CMOS technology at 3.5v means you're throwing batteries away when they've still got plenty of life in them. To make best use of the multimeter you need to take regular readings of the battery and take note of the voltage. Then when the device stops working you'll know the minimum voltage it works at and plan your replacement stratedgy.[/quote] Good point. I think this is all pointing me towards getting a trusty multimeter! Thanks for the advice on this folks. The main reason I'm concerned about monitoring battery voltage is paranoia over leakage, which I can probably address by just keeping my basses in a cool room away from things like radiators (which I do) and generally not worrying about it too much A multimeter would be a handy gadget to have around the house regardless, so that would seem like money well spent. Thanks again, Paul

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1386081893' post='2295449']Multimeter. You can use it for all sorts of other stuff too. Depending on the battery connectors you should be able to get the probes on the battery contacts without taking it out..[/quote] Good point. I could use a multimeter to test them without needing to remove them (in my basses at least). That could well be the lazyboy solution I'm looking for [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1386082046' post='2295454']How does it know what voltage is the minimum required for that particular device. Actually how do you know? I think most devices have led indication on them don't they. I'm not sure how the voltage left in them relates to the likelihood that they will leak. I thought they just leaked.[/quote] I think the Batt-O-Meter thingy just shows the voltage remaining in the batteries. So anything up to 9v or 18v if it's an instrument running two in parallel (or series, whichever is it). It's basically a voltmeter with a 1/4" jack cable. As for leakage relating to voltage...the general consensus I've read online is that batteries are much more likely to leak when running low (i.e. just before or after they go flat). Hot conditions, like the boot of a car on a sunny day, are also prime contributors to leakage. Allegedly. [quote name='vsmith1' timestamp='1386083118' post='2295477']Multimeter - not only can it check for batteries but you can also use it to check leads, connections, bulbs, etc. Simple multimeter see: [url="http://cpc.farnell.com/_/in06139/digital-multimeter/dp/IN06139"]http://cpc.farnell.c...eter/dp/IN06139[/url] Less than £6 delivered for free.[/quote] Nice one! That's a bargain

It doesn't make me feel physically ill, but I do find the whole 'smash my gear up' thing very tired and passe. I suppose everyone wants to be Hendrix. Or as others have mentioned, Townsend... et al. [i]"I'm so in the zone I'm gonna stick it to The Man and bust up my stuff!"[/i] Yawn. But then I have a two year-old son who puts on this act whenever he doesn't get his own way. So maybe my perception of it is a little coloured

...apart from using my tongue! So, the basses I now own (a grand total of two) are all active and I have half a dozen pedals - all of them using 9v batteries. I'm not currently gigging and find that I can usually get away with changing the batteries on everything once a year or thereabouts. I tend to do this without checking the batteries with a meter ('cos a don't own one) or before I begin getting audible clues that the batteries are fading (distortion) because I'm concerned about leakage. I'm starting to think that it would be more practical/economical/sustainable for me to check each battery before I discard it. I could of course buy a voltmeter - plenty of them going cheap - but I'd rather the convenience of something that plugs into the 1/4" jack socket of my gear, avoiding the faff of removing each battery individually. I've found this online, the Bat-O-Meter... http://www.keithmcmillen.com/batt-o-meter/overview ...but the reviews of it are poor. Can anybody recommend something similar? Or am I just being lazy and should buy a voltmeter or rely on the traditional 'buzzing tongue' / 'when it stops working, change it' approach?

475 Only 25 to go until the 500th clicker gets an [i]extra special[/i] gift from my own collection of...err... special gifts!

Well I've finally decided to re-finish this guitar. I'm going to remove the emulsion paint using Fairy Power Spray (thanks to Mr Foxen for the tip) and then spray it a vintage Taos Turquoise colour: one can each of undercoat, colour coat and clear lacquer. The end result I'm aiming for is this: http://www.vintageandrare.com/product/Fender-Custom-Shop-Vintage-Stratocaster-56-Relic-Taos-Turquoise-Limited-Edition-Sold-29749 I'll update this thread when I get round to it - most likely over the Xmas holiday

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1385923205' post='2293698'] we've just hit the classic English football formation: 442. [/quote] Now 449... the formation needed by the English team to have a hope in the next World Cup

^ Nice picture, I like it December's thread is now up... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/223733-december-composition-competition/"][b]GO, [size=5]GO[/size], [size=6]GO![/size][/b][/url]

[b][color=#B22222][size=5]The December Composition Competition is now underway - WIN A BASSCHAT POLO SHIRT![/size][/color][/b] Here's the image for your inspiration, chosen by last month's winner [url="https://soundcloud.com/spoombung/slow-glow"][b]Spoombung[/b][/url]: By entering the competition you agree to the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules"]Basschat Terms & Conditions[/url] and [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/3178-forum-guidelines/"]Forum Guidelines[/url], which are designed to help ensure the forum remains free of offensive and/or illegal behaviour and material. In a nutshell: [b]1) Please avoid any content that other forum users may find offensive.[/b] If your track contains explicit lyrics, for example, then please warn other forum users so they can choose for themselves whether to listen to it. [b]2) Please make sure you have permission to use any 3rd party sounds included in your track[/b] (ie. sounds that you have not recorded yourself, such as samples of other people's music). The owners of Basschat except no responsibility for infringements of copyright or other forms of legal ownership, which are solely the responsibility of competition entrants. If we spot any breaches of copyright then your track will be removed from the competition. For reference: here's a great source of copyright-free material, all available under Creative Commons license: [url="http://www.freesound.org/"]http://www.freesound.org/[/url] [b]3) Entries should be written and produced during the month of the competition[/b], taking inspiration from the photo provided. No cheating! If you have any questions about the competition rules then please get in touch [b][size=5][color=#B22222]The deadline for entries is midnight on Tuesday 24th December [/color][/size][/b] [color=#B22222][b]In keeping with the festive spirit, we're offering a Basschat polo shirt to this month's winner! [/b](size/design/colour of their choosing).[/color] Ho, ho, ho, etc.

433

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1385852400' post='2292966'] b3ta.com, anyone?[/quote] Oh yes!! I love b3ta. Other than Basschat my regular bookmarks are SoundCloud, BBC News, eBay, Sound On Sound and Music Radar.

I seem to have bagsied another vote - thanks for that, whoever you are! But I'm pretty sure that at midnight Spoombung was in the lead. So... [b]Spoombung is this month's winner!![/b] Well done on an excellent track, and also to everyone else who entered. I'll be posting up some feedback on each ASAP. December's competition will be launching soon. Check press for details, etc

Now on 414. Don't forget there's a... ahem... "extra special" prize on offer for whoever hits 500!!

Last orders everyone! Voting ends at midnight (wooo, spooky....).

Voting ends tonight at midnight. If you haven't already done so, please wander on over and have a listen... Cheers!

[quote name='Donnyboy' timestamp='1385630540' post='2290346']Can we make claims for repetitive strain injury?[/quote] No harm in trying!

This is great guys! I had no idea you were all so well acquainted. And there's me trying to be like Cilla Black and set y'all up on a blind date... I'll be keeping an eye on that Facebook page and looking out for the EP once it's finished. Cheers, Paul

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1385622201' post='2290286'] Wow, that sounds like a lot of work mate. [/quote] Yeah it does look like a lot of work in writing! In practice it's a five minute job on autopilot once you're familiar with whichever plug- ins you're using. The most fiddly bit for me is getting the level of fuzz/distortion right (something I always do with the full mix playing - rather than having the bass solo'd). After that it's easy peasy

I've had a question from AL-the-Bassman on SoundCloud about how I got the tone on my bass in this month's track (during the Heavy Bit™). Thought I might as well reply here because a) the SoundCloud comment boxes are too titchy for the necessary waffle and b ) in case anyone else wants to know. So here's how: - It's a 5-string bass played with a pick. - The bass was DI'd (plugged directly into) my audio interface and recorded dry with no effects - just some gentle EQ'ing: a slight boost in the mid-range. - Once recorded, I normalised the track and fed it into an amp simulator (the Line 6 Pod that comes bundled with my DAW software: Reason). For anyone who has it, I chose the 'Fuzz Comp' preset as a starting point. For everyone else I basically added a mild 'fuzz/distortion' effect to the sound. I then dialled in a further boost in the low mids (around 300Hz) and high-mids/treble around 1kHz. The fuzz effect helps to kick up lots of new harmonics, which helps the bass cut through in a busy mix like this one. - I then added a saturation effect (in essence warming up the previous fuzz tone and reducing its 'brittleness'). - Then I added a compressor: vital in this case for giving a nice, even signal to mix with. - Finally, I added a second compressor - with its side chain input to linked to the kick drum, making the volume of the bassline duck a little every time the kick hits (around -2db), which just helps the kick stay punchy with all that low end going on. Et voila! PS: for plug-ins I highly rate [url="http://www.softube.com/"]Softube[/url]. They're fairly pricey, but if you're patient there are some real bargains to be had from time to time.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1385431461' post='2288301']Bring it on..! [/quote] It is now brought! Go this-a-way... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/223452-mixing-challenge-its-back/"][b][size=6]>>>[/size][/b][/url]

[b][color=#b22222][size=5]Voting has now finished. And the results are…[/size][/color][/b] MIX 01: Dad3353 [b][3][/b] MIX 02: lurksalot [b][0]
[/b] MIX 03: Ironside1966 [b][10]
[/b] MIX 04: VasDim [b][3][/b] [size=5]Well done to Ironside for his winning mix![/size] [size=5]And likewise to Dad, Lurks and VasDim for their entries. Great stuff guys[/size] ---------- The track this time round was the excellent [i]'To Sam Rawfers'[/i] by Triviul. You can listen to the entries here: [b][size=5][url="https://soundcloud.com/basschat-mix-challenge"]TAKE ME TO THE MIXES![/url][/size][/b]

[quote name='paulflan0151' timestamp='1385576822' post='2289904'] Nice one Paul![/quote] No problem mate! We'll do our best to give you a fighting chance of a win

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1385569214' post='2289770'] ...but I have family and friends in the UK still..! (...[i]or, at least, I thought I had. Haven't I..? Surely..?[/i] ) [/quote] Well in that case, you're in! Just don't go banking on this as a potential Christmas present ticked off somebody's list... Not unless you have any family members in the UK whom you're keen to be disowned by.