Skol303

Does being a bit crap at lots of different instruments make someone a multi-instrumentalist? Ok, good In which case it's between bass and keys for me. Keys is the sensible choice but I'll say bass... simply because it's the first instrument I always reach for when writing material. I'd love to be fluent at guitar and am practicing (my composition entry this month is going to have lots of clunky acoustic playing on it). But gun to my head, at the present time, it'd be a bass.

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1366014281' post='2047146']Nice job Paul (I like your wallpaper) And I don't remember altern8 working for BT, still I don't remember a lot from back then...[/quote] [quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1366015616' post='2047175']That is beautiful!!!! [/quote] Cheers gents, I found it to be a [i]very[/i] satisfing job! The bass looks brand new. It still sounds a wee bit sh*t, but heh. What do you expect from an MDF body and £10 p'ups? PS: BT overalls were donated courtesy of my old man, who's a retired engineer and still a maestro with a soldering iron! Wallpaper is that of Skol Jnr's play room, which also doubles as my 'studio'. It's a very creative space, that's for sure...

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1365949936' post='2046336'] Yay ice cream! Are the new pics here yet? Are the new... [/quote] More pics as soon as I hear from Paul at 13 Guitar (not rushing him as he's being very generous). In the meantime: I'm calling social services and putting you up for adoption!!

[quote name='urb' timestamp='1365969260' post='2046761'] I know I should probably give this 24-hours before posting (as I usually don't) but I don't think I'm going to take this any further - I kind of like it as it is - hope you enjoy: [url="https://soundcloud.com/munkio/love-buggin"]https://soundcloud.c...kio/love-buggin[/url] NB - vocal samples used come from the Garage band expansion pack of voice samples... hope that's cool...eveything else played/made by me... [/quote] Nice one Mike, I look forward to listening to this (no headphones at work ). I can't see any problem at all with using samples bundled with Garage Band. I'm guessing they'll be copyright-free anyway, so all good.

I finally managed to get round to re-spraying the Hohner Rockwood bass this weekend, using [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/179199-refinishing-amateurishly-a-jazz-bass-body-capri-orange/page__hl__refinish%20jazz__st__60"]McNach's own patented "what's the worst that could happen?" method[/url] Here's how I got on… Stupidly, in my excitement to get started I forgot to take a photo of the bass in its original format (doh). But here's a low quality pic of the exact same bass from Google images: My weapons of choice. A can of white primer and Capri Orange from [url="http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/shop/category/nitrocellulose-lacquer/"]Manchester Guitar Tech[/url], plus a can of [url="http://www.patrolbase.co.uk/krylon-spray-paint/krylon-fusion-black.htm"]Krylon Fusion Black[/url] for spraying the plastic the pick guard (after removing the cellophane-style wrapping, which was a gigantic ball ache involving a heat gun, aluminium oxide sandpaper and a good dollop of elbow grease). Always wear protection! (my tribute to 90s rave act Altern-8: [i]"Watch yer bass bins, I'm telling' ya…"[/i]). Undercoat finished… …top coat finished. Re-sprayed scratch plate fitted along with new [url="http://www.entwistlepickups.com/pickup.php?puid=PBX"]Entwistle PBX pickups[/url] (only a tenner, but lots better than what it had originally). The finished ensemble! (I de-fretted the neck previously last year, Blue Peter style). [size=5]Really enjoyed this. Thanks again to y'all for the various hints and tips![/size]

^ Thanks dad. Nice eggs

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1365884691' post='2045724']Skol.... can you let me have next month's image so I can get an early start?[/quote] How about this? Although I'm not counting them myself just yet... [size=3][i][actually that doesn't make sense as it'd need to be a photo of eggs... "counting chickens [u]before[/u] they're hatched... but you get my gist][/i][/size]

I'm no 'songwriter' but when I do have a stab at it I use Dave's approach... it just depends on what hits me first: an idea for a lyric, or a melody, sometimes just a beat. One thing I've found is that helps to have something to hand to keep notes on (I use a smartphone for notes and humming melodies, but a trusty notepad and pen would do the job). Ideas tend to hit me at the strangest of times, and I tend to forget them if I don't scribble them down immediately. Anyway, let us know how you get on with it

I have to give a shout out here for Paul at [url="http://www.13guitarco.com/"]13 Guitar Co[/url]. Yes, I'm massively bias! But he's a great bloke, very knowledgeable and helpful, and moreover he makes some stunningly good basses (and guitars too).

[quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1365623946' post='2042085'] this one really is a case of 'less is more' [/quote] Indeed. I haven't checked the stems yet but I imagine it's going to involve some selective muting... mostly on the master bus PS: on the road with work and just referred to my office address as Dixie House instead of Ducie... damned country music!!

Change of tack for me this month... acoustic guitars and song-writy stuff instead of wobbly synths. Made a brief start on it last night. It's going to be slow going as I'm no guitarist. And my guitar is a difficult beast to tame - was bought for a tenner from a car boot and let's just say it has plenty of, erm, 'character'!

Funk You Very Much

Great thread! I want to go to New York... with LOTS of spending money

PS: just got your PM! All very do-able mate. I'll draft some step-by-step instructions for you ASAP - either after work tonight or tomorrow

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1365592082' post='2041417'] Through a PM conversation I think we may have a solution for Sir Fumps III and his way of wanting to work Reason (v2) : Create Drum Track Zoom : Import Stereo Drum Audio Zoom : Record bass tracks Reason : Playback recorded bass tracks using NN19 sampler Reason : Right additional Parts Fridge : Grab a beer [/quote] ^ That'll work! Where there's a will there's a way... and plenty of swearing... but a way nonetheless. I used to use similarly long workarounds myself in the past. Reason 2 is a bit of dinosaur by today's standards, but it works - and it's rock solid stable (come the apocalpyse there'll be cockroaches and a computer somewhere running Reason ). Fumps: don't hesitate to ask if you need any help. The Propellerhead website (www.propellerheads.se) also has lots of [url="http://www.propellerheads.se/substance/"]tutorials[/url] and the forum itself is generally friendly (if you have registered copy you can access the User Forum which is by far the friendliest).

I'm very familiar with Reason and happy to help out here. Reason started out life as essentially being a gigantic modular synth, rather than a digital audio workstation (DAW) in the true sense. A separate product - called Record - was developed by the software company behind it to cater for people who want to record audio, which is what you describe as being your goal. Reason and Record merged into a single product around a year ago, forming a fully fledge DAW in the form of Reason 6 (now on version 6.5.3). It contains everything you need - and a lot more - to record audio and make music. The interface is actually very easy to use once you get the hang of it, especially if you're familiar with using analogue hardware. Reason uses a very intuitive 'patch cable' system that allows you to seamlessly connect devices together (and use geeky stuff like control voltage routing, if that floats your boat) as though you were playing with real hardware. [b]But ... check what version of Reason you have and let us know. If it's an old version (pre version 6) then you [u]won't[/u] be able to record audio - so it'll be useless for what you want to do.[/b] I'm a big advocate of Reason, but there are much cheaper alternatives out there if you just want something for audio recording. You can pick up Reaper for around £50 as mentioned; you can also get hold of Logic (Mac only) for around £120 - both of which offer a lot of bang for your buck$. Hope this helps and don't hesitate to PM me if you want help using Reason. Paul

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1365445277' post='2039764']Are the new pics here yet? Are the new pics here yet? Are the new pics here yet? Are the new pics here yet? [/quote] Hehe, cheers Paul! This is all good coaching for future road trips with our 2 year-old I'll bribe you with an ice-cream until more pics become available...

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1365434691' post='2039564']I used to use the Korg on stage, and consequently every song had a 60 second long intro to allow me to frantically re-patch it for the next sound. I wasn't always successful and pressing the key for the first time in a song could produce complete silence, or even worse, some high-pitched out of tune warbling. [/quote] Now that's a seat-of-the-pants approach if ever there was one! Nice one. Sounds like you've owned and played some classic gear. I'm quite jealous. My knowledge of hardware synths is very limited, but I now know who to pester if I ever decide to venture into hardware and need some advice Cheers mate.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1365479490' post='2040108'] He's just teasing us; it'll be the pic for the May comp, once he's won April.[/quote] Actually my masterplan for May is an 'exclusive' photo of Beatrice Dalle in the altogether, playing a 60s Fender P. But if you'd rather a photo of a dog wearing sunglasses, or some such, then you can always vote for someone else...

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1365508146' post='2040401']I fell some really annoying country would seperate the men from the boys a bit this time, so I chose this lovely little ditty ([b]Uncle Dad: 'Who I Am'[/b]) from the Mixing Secrets website...[/quote] Nice one Si! You are evil This is going to be fun...

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1365503935' post='2040349']It would be great to play Manchester! Any suitable venues and/or promoters you know of mate?[/quote] No probs Nige! I'm genuinely happy to show support. Not just as a fellow BC'er, but because I [i]really[/i] like what you're doing with this band - it's just what I look for in new music and Kit's voice is sublime. I used to be in the thick of Manchester's music scene - I wrote a weekly clubs/gigs column for the Manchester Evening News between around 1995-2000 (great times!). I've since lost touch with a lot of the promoters who used to be on the scene, so I can't recommend any specific people to speak with. But I still keep an ear to the ground, so to speak. Anyway, my recommendations for possible venues - thinking about the music you play and the types of punters who'll love it - are as follows (NB: all of these venues are located centrally, have great reputations for good music and are 99% certified d*ckhead free). [url="http://www.nightnday.org/"][b]Night & Day Cafe[/b][/url] A local institution. Always busy. THE place for new bands to get noticed (it was Elbow's regular haunt before they went stratospheric). Crowd very music-savvy. [url="http://www.thisisgorilla.com/"][b]Gorilla[/b][/url] Used to be called the Green Room, which itself was a popular venue for all kinds of live performance. It's recently re-opened and is doing very well - I walk past it nightly and it's always busy with a good roster of live music. I've yet to go to a gig there myself, but I'd wager the sound system is top notch [url="http://thecastlehotel.info/"][b]The Castle[/b][/url] Looks like a typical historic pub from the outside, but this little gem has long been a big feature on the Manchester live scene. Similar crowd to Night & Day Cafe (above) - a creative and open-minded crowd. Steeped in history and serves fantastic beer. Small and cosy but punches well above its size. [url="http://bandonthewall.org/"][b]Band on the Wall[/b][/url] One of my favourite places. A truly amazing sound system. Has a reputation as a home of jazz, reggae and world music, but you'll find all sorts of bands playing here. Might not be as ideally suited as those already mentioned, but well worth a look. [url="http://www.manchesteracademy.net/"][b]Manchester Academy[/b][/url] THE student gig venue in the city - the place where all of the major touring bands stop off. [i]However...[/i] there's a smaller venue upstairs called 'Academy 2' that might be well-suited, especially if you can coincide with a new bands showcase or maybe even pitch yourselves as a support act for the main venue. It's run (very successfully) by the University so the promoter should be fairly well organised. Hope that helps tempt you oop north sometime!

[quote name='urb' timestamp='1365446272' post='2039785']Er... Slaine? I'm old enough to be a former 2000AD subscriber*geek*[/quote] Spot on Mike! Good to know I'm not alone in my geekery. [quote name='bobbass4k' timestamp='1365446555' post='2039790']My entry now stands at [i]4 notes[/i], 4 excellent notes they are too. One's a D.[/quote] I've got a D in mine too! We have, like, [i]sooo[/i] much in common

I WANT TO HEAR MORE!!! Seriously. You massive tease, Nige Sounds frickin' brilliant from that clip. I've just played it about five times in a row. Can't make the gig. So I can simply ask - beg - that you someday bring this outfit up to Manchester. Pretty please. Sugar on top. The works. PS: have just plugged this on Twitter amongst various BC'ers and some mates of mine down south.

^ Wow, that looks like my kind of treasure trove! Some great gear you had back then. Although as you say, there's a lot of nostalgia around old tech that sometimes gets outweighed by the convenience of modern patch-recall, etc (interestingly the modular synth article in SOS makes a point of saying to record favourite sounds as they're created for exactly that reason). PS: Nord lead... very nice! I don't own one myself but have played on one (a 2X). Great synth - they look and sound 'the business'.

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1365425249' post='2039328']Skol303 returned to glory AGAIN last month with another excellent entry... Who's going to knock him off his high horse then eh.. eh?! (just kidding Skol, we love you really).[/quote] [size=5][i]"He didn't think it too many"[/i][/size] Bonus geek points if you can name the comic strip. The rewards of a more well-balanced life if you can't. PS: this month's picture is that of the 'romantic' beetles, [b][u]not[/u][/b] the guy with the axe. Just to be clear! (see, I'm trying to confuse y'all as part of my dastardly plan...mwahahahahaharrr!).