Skol303

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1374579559' post='2150347']Now I just do the quickest possible mix... you often miss the wood for the trees when you get involved at the forensic level. Remember that no-one will be listening to it that way! [/quote] +1 to all that. I tend to mix as I go along, then once everything is in place I quickly knock together an initial rough mix - which is nearly always 90% of the way there in terms of balancing everything. The final 10% then involves tweaking little details - rather than making broad strokes. That said it's very easy to get completely obsessed and spend hours/days/weeks (!) with the little details. Generally speaking once any changes I make to the mix cause it to sound worse, not better, I know it's time to stop. Other than that I stand by the old adage that [i]"mixes are never finished; only abandoned"[/i]

Love it mate! Have left babbling, excitable comments on SoundCloud...

I've got loads of very rare electronic dance music on vinyl, most of which few people here would have heard of judging by what's been posted [i](that's not meant to sound snobby!... eg. original dub-plate of 'We Are IE' by Lenny D Ice, reputedly the track that kicked off the drum'n'bass movement, limited to 50 pressings... anyone? Nah, didn't think so ).[/i] So to fit with a more recognisable 'cool' vibe, maybe Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (original copy, 1973). Or a Nirvana 10" interview picture disc ([url="http://www.gemm.com/store/MAMMA/item/NIRVANA-INTERVIEW-UK-LTD-INTERVIEW-10-PICTURE-DISC-10-LP/1432530095"]this one[/url]). But ultimately, my all time coolest of the cool is my Camberwick Green / Trumpton LP ([url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAMBERWICK-GREEN-TRUMPTON-2-x-1960s-LPs-Freddie-Phillips-Brian-Cant-/380573602628"]this one[/url]). Had it since I was knee high; still in mint condition and chock full of nostalgia. Well, I think it's cool anyway

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1374419429' post='2148493']I am nearly ready to put mine up...[/quote] Likewise! I'll be uploading mine and Rob's effort tomorrow night... probably quite late (as is tradition). Very pleased with it so far. It's got some solid guitar playing and a great vocal by Rob. I'm now hoping to do it justice in the final mix. After which I'll finally get round to listening to everyone's entries. Looking forward to that

[quote name='JamesFlashG' timestamp='1374243148' post='2146828'] =just read through whole topic its nice! excites me i'm very interested in building basses - I have 0 experience at it or working with wood though =[ would love to try and get involved some how =[/quote] Cheers James! It's giving me the bug too. Very interesting to see each stage of the build taking shape. I tinker around fixing up basses/guitars at home, but nothing on this sort of skill level (most I've managed is a de-fret and re-spray!). All credit to Paul at 13 Guitar Co... he knows his onions. And more importantly, his basses [b]PS: mini update... the fretboard has now been glued.[/b]

[quote name='JamesFlashG' timestamp='1374228531' post='2146598']we need a studio porn topic in the gear porn thread I would like to see peoples home set ups they are making compositions on[/quote] Good idea! Not much point in posting mine however... it's literally just an iMac, a pair of headphones and a Tascam interface. All quite underwhelming, so I'm keen for some inspiration. I'm planning on setting up a 'music room' when we move house. My current space doubles as our two year-old son's play room, so there are toys everywhere and pictures of zoo animals on the walls. Not quite the 'junglist massive' vibe I have in mind...

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1374231807' post='2146659']Thanks for that, but Skol beat you to it, I'm afraid [/quote] I've already PM'd this to Milty, but this is the one that'd caught my eye... Rhythm Guitar (RG) by Rob Papen. Not something I'd invest in myself - I'd rather work with a real guitarist than try to rely on emulation - but out of all the various guitar sims, this one captures my the attention the most. But then I'm a huge fan of Papen's stuff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ktx1WzGmkvk

No probs Garry.Typically Reason is the last to catch up with most things... we've only just got MIDI out! Yeah ReWiring into Reaper is a good suggestion. Cheers mate

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1374214188' post='2146441']Pretty much all do[/quote] ...apart from Reason. Folks have been lobbying Propellerhead for video support for some time, but there's no way of integrating it at present. Still, no matter. I'm likely a minority in this regard and I'll find a workaround

Hi Tom. The Recording forum here on Basschat (below) is your best port of call for all things music-making: http://basschat.co.uk/forum/10-recording/ In essence what you'll need is... 1) An audio interface for connecting your instruments directly into computer. The Focusrite Saffire 6 is a good option: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B002R9ILOY 2) Perhaps a general purpose condenser mic for recording acoustic instruments. This one is cheap and cheerful: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B000CZ0RLK 3) A digital audio workstation (DAW) - software - for arranging your recordings and adding MIDI tracks for drums and suchlike. If you use a Mac you'll probably already have GarageBand installed which is a great place to start. If not have a look at Reaper, which offers great value for money (and an unlimited free demo for you to test it out): http://www.reaper.fm/ 4) A pair of 'studio' headphones. We have a recent thread about that here: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/212370-headphones-for-mixing/page__pid__2143655#entry2143655 5) A MIDI controller keyboard is useful (but not essential). Lots of options to choose from - this one is a good starter: http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Oxygen25.html 6) Patience... by the bucketload Hope that helps. We have a fairly lively music-making community on here with monthly 'challenges' and other stuff going on, so get stuck in and share your ideas! Paul

I'm with BRX and Garry on this... It's always best to learn how to use the tools you already have, squeeze every ounce of sound out of them (so to speak) and THEN go splashing out on plug-ins and upgrades once you know exactly what it is you really need. As I've said before, the software I use, Reason, was a 'closed environment' until very recently. This meant I only had its built-in tools at my disposal... and consequently I got to understand them well. It also helped me to learn about sound synthesis and signal chains, as I couldn't just buy a plug-in if I wanted a particular sound - I had to learn how to create it from scratch with what I had available. This experience proved invaluable in helping me better understand the ins and outs of music production. Reason has since opened its doors to 3rd party plug-ins, and I've since spent money snapping up plenty of them... But it's been money well spent, because I have a good understanding of what I'm looking for. Milty: my advice would be to take your time and not try to 'jump the gun' There is a technical side to music production that can only be learned through practice - there's no shortcut - and I'm still very much learning myself! Gradually, the techy stuff starts to become second nature, which leaves room for more creativity and 'fun' in general. But it doesn't happen overnight. Andy Barlow from Lamb once said that learning how to produce music is like learning a new language - it takes about the same amount of time to become 'fluent'. So don't rush it and 'enjoy the journey', corny as that expression always is. Your recent mixes and compositions on Basschat are steadily improving each time, so just keep on plugging at it mate! Rather than plug-in at it! Yeah, that's a terrible pun. I'll get me coat...

Dammit!! Just my luck I'm heading to Wales tonight with work... Cheers for the heads up anyway Mike. This would've been right up my street!

^ Wow! Dunno what happened there... A triple whammy

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1374056821' post='2144694']...anyone who takes part will definitely be doing something they have never done before as part of this competition [/quote] I knew it. F-king bagpipes!!

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1374056821' post='2144694']...anyone who takes part will definitely be doing something they have never done before as part of this competition [/quote] I knew it. F-king bagpipes!!

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1374056821' post='2144694']...anyone who takes part will definitely be doing something they have never done before as part of this competition [/quote] I knew it. F-king bagpipes!!

Strange... I don't see someone posting their life on the interweb. I see a guy sharing a video of himself playing bass. Probably because he thought it might be a good way to find an audience for his music. In much the same way as musicians traditionally do by playing gigs and putting out releases. Surely all performers are seeking some form of 'acceptance'... no? Anyone who says otherwise is probably fibbing

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1374013922' post='2144350']I can't find any of the mixes on my phone. It would be cool if they were all arranged in a list so you don't have to go looking for each mix.[/quote] Done! See original post for a handy list of links to each mix.

[b]Voting is now underway in the June/July mixing challenge (in the Recording forum).[/b] The track this time is a reggae number by Frigorifico - a former band of Basschat member xgsjx. Please take the time to listen and vote for your favourite. Cheers! [size=5][url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/210326-junejuly-mix-competition-vote-now/"][color=#FF0000][b]CLICK HERE TO VOTE[/b][/color][/url][/size]

[b]The voting is up (see first post)... GO, GO, GO![/b]

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1374000889' post='2144149']Enjoy that process old bean [/quote] That made me laugh mate. Jeez... it's like a textbook definition of tedious. Watching blue bars slowly creep their way across the screen. One after the other. Relentless. Punishing. For all eternity. So... who fancies being caretaker next month?? [PS: I have a newly-found love of MP3s and their dinky file sizes...]

Currently uploading everyone's mixes... I'll update the thread once everything is set up for the voting, which will be starting tonight. Watch this space. Or go do something less boring instead.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1373986815' post='2143882']Hmm... should I release next months early now that it's ready... or to make you wait... I wonder... Thoughts? It will be much more work for you all [/quote] It really [i]is[/i] the Bagpipe Special, innit?! [i]"Compose what you like using only the medium of Scotland's infamous instrument of wind".[/i] Personally I say wait until July's is done and dusted, but I'm happy to go with the flow. By the sound of it you have something dastardly in mind, so I'd rather some time to prepare [y'know, tantric meditation, fire walking, that sort of thing...].

[quote name='operative451' timestamp='1373971442' post='2143650']Bit of a question then?... how does one go about reverse-engineering bass tone?[/quote] Tone obviously has a formal definition, that being [i]"a steady periodic sound, characterized by its duration, pitch, intensity (or loudness), and timbre (or quality)"[/i] (Wikipedia). But that's not how most of us think of tone. It tends to be shorthand for "how we interpret the sounds reaching our ears" and as such is open to all kinds of subjectivity and personal opinion. It's like discussing "what's the best shade of red"? Generally speaking, to reverse-engineer a particular tone - bass or otherwise - you need to: 1) Train your ears (and brain!) to recognise the characteristics that make up a sound. For instance: which frequencies are dominant; what sort of waveform is it, etc? This comes with practice through lots of critical listening. 2) Understand the signal path of the sound you're trying to emulate. What devices has the sound passed through on its way to your ears? - from the instrument, to the amp, to any FX in the chain, to the room it was recording in, on what type of mic, etc, etc. Not to mention the variables imparted by whatever listening device you're using. There are no shortcuts to replicating a tone. Unfortunately it does come down to the *twiddle twiddle* you mention in your original post... so have fun twiddling! And twaddling!