Skol303

^^ Nice work Garry. Genuinely moving and atmospheric; really well composed and played. I wish I had the keyboard/piano skills of you guys! Not going to have mine finished until the last minute on Sunday (I assume the deadline is midnight??)... I've got the bare bones of it laid out, I just need to spend some time mixing it.

[quote name='derrenleepoole' timestamp='1347894298' post='1806268'] A bit of old skool [Stakker Humanoid][/quote] ^ Good call! One of my all time favourites of 80s dance music. I've got an original 12" of this somewhere. They went on to become The Future Sound of London. Another class act of the era.

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1347914834' post='1806684'] Might not be able to get my tune done in time... will try though. It has banjos, so counts as practice.... [/quote] Bring on the banjos! Seriously. In my teens I was in a band that featured a banjo player. He could only manage to play open E, so we had to write songs around that. We sounded like the bastard child of NoMeansNo, Half Man Half Biscuit and Napalm Death. With a banjo. True story

[quote name='arsenic' timestamp='1347806190' post='1805206'] You are probably right about the EQ/mix/panning - it sound OKish on the cheap monitors I use. I have just built a new PC, and need to get software sorted out. It's only got Reason and the Live freebie that came with the keyboard on it at the moment. [/quote] Like it! Very cinematic as folks here have mentioned. Nice playing too; the synth line makes me think of the French band Air - in fact I was picturing a cool continental film the minute it kicked in Mix-wise it just needs a little panning to help 'widen' the sound (I'm listening on headphones). But no big deal. Very impressive if that was a couple of hours! Would have taken me days of tedious sequencing to put that together.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1347741288' post='1804612'] OK here's my entry. I haven't got monitors to master on, so it was done using a set of earphones. The bass was played & recorded live & no editing done (what you hear is how it came out the amp). [url="http://soundcloud.com/xgsjx/late-summer"]http://soundcloud.co...sjx/late-summer[/url] [/quote] Really nice! Sounds like an authentic early dubstep track (i.e. pre-Skrillex and 'brostep'). Nice lazy rhythm. The low end sounds great - very rich, although perhaps a little overly so (maybe roll it off below 40Hz? I'm listening and mix on headphones too, so I normally over-compensate when EQ'ing the very bottom end… force of habit…. so by all means ignore that comment!). The 'live' bass blends in very well and the lead synth cuts through the mix like a proverbial hot knife. Like I said, I'm listening on cans but it sounds great to me :-) PS: nice to hear everyone's different styles so far! I'm still cooking something up myself, but should hopefully meet the deadline next Sunday…

I love NoMeansNo. Although there's no denying that is one helluva unnecessarily grubby bass. I mean for god's sake Rob, JUST GIVE IT A WIPE!

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1347459122' post='1801096'] [/quote] John Coltrane Nicely done!

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1347396709' post='1800355'] I think I MAY have been playing too much Skyrim recently [/quote] Nice orchestral piece! Very epic and certainly with a hint of fantasy soundtrack as you mention (I used to play Oblivion ). Impressive that you keyed it in live. It's nicely paced, it's got a great atmosphere and the crescendo at the end is superb. Good work!

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1347278035' post='1798675']I didn't want to do anything 'pretty' because that was not how I saw the image. I went for a minor feel...[/quote] Interesting... that's how I interpreted the picture too. Not quite to the extent of floating dead bodies (!), but melancholic nonetheless [note to self: never go fishing with Bilbo]. Made a start on my entry over the weekend and it's going to be a slow process. Not so much the bass playing - which is likely to be very simple (as I'm quite frankly rubbish), but a lot of messing around with field recordings. I'm trying something very different to my usual noisy stuff, which can only be a good thing I guess. [quote name='Peaty' timestamp='1347307112' post='1799199'] Yes you can. Try to imagine it from the carps point of view [/quote] Very good point

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1347116794' post='1797147'] I did one! [/quote] You're full of surprises, Bilbo! This is definitely not something I'd have put in your pigeonhole. You say the production is 'low brow' but I actually think it fits the mood of the track. I especially like the tone of your bass. The vocals are suitably eerie and combined with that sustained low note sound like Tuvan throat singing, or something… nice effect. In all it reminds me of both Vangelis (esp. Blade Runner soundtrack) and John Carpenter - it has a certain soundtrack feel to it. And not the kooky romcom kind ;-) Like it.

I obtained a Hohner Rockwood off my brother for the price of a pint of beer. De-fretted it. It's still worth about a pint of beer. Maybe throw in a packet of nuts too. Does that count?

Got some 'cave time' coming up over the next few weekends, so I'm in! No ideas what I'm going to put together as yet. Probably some sort of ambient, watery number. We'll see. Suggest we set up a sticky thread in the Recording section as a 'go to' link for this and future monthly compos (assuming the whole thing takes off...).

Ok, so who's up for this? I reckon I've got time to sling something together, so I'm in If you're stuck for somewhere to upload your entry, then I recommend the Basschat group on SoundCloud. It's easy (and free) to join... and full of wholesome, bassy goodness: http://soundcloud.com/groups/basschat (Pro tip: upload a copy of the competition photo alongside your entry on SoundCloud, so it's easier for folks to notice amongst the other music on there).

Mrs Skol is loving this (and so to be honest am I)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1ySZ1M8Dfc ...while my inner nerd is also really digging this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJlbPXZEpRE&feature=related

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1346762130' post='1792766']...I'm unlikely to use it for anything much more complicated than mixing a few tracks of audio and applying a bit of compression and EQ, maybe the odd reverb plug-in. Probably no VSt instruments either, as I don't have a MIDI interface and I'm quite attached to my physical keyboards.[/quote] ^ If this is all you need then I'd save your beans and stick with Cubase LE. If you find yourself wanting to dabble further then I'd highly recommend Reaper as others have here. It's by far the best DAW in terms of bang-for-buck$. I personally use Reason - only because I've invested time and money in it over the years, and I'll be damned if I'm not going to squeeze every penny out of it! That said I do use Reaper from time to time and can't fault it. 'Tis a fantastic software and don't be fooled by the cheap price - it's certainly not a 'beginners' option and competes quite well with the most expensive softwares. Happy twiddling!

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1346758621' post='1792692']There is a legal amount you are able to sample (I think 10 seconds) but I can't find it atm. [/quote] Nah, there's no 'legal amount' I'm sorry to say... the rules are basically that you need formal approval from the copyright holder(s) if you want to include [u]any[/u] samples of other people's music in your own work. That's the legal standpoint and it obviously applies primarily to music you intend to release commercially. When it comes to remixes, mashups and music for 'personal consumption' the rules get a bit more hazy. Strictly-speaking it's still a breach of copyright, but it's not something that anybody would pursue through the courts (unless the sample is being used in a commercial project, as mentioned). The worst you'd face is a 'cease and desist' notice' or similar. But even that would be a very rare thing to happen. There's a gazillion amateur productions online that borrow samples from commercial releases (mine included) - sites like SoundCloud are chock full of 'em. However... while it's generally 'ok' for individuals to upload and share their own non-commercial works, I'm not sure where a site like Basschat would stand in essentially hosting such material. SoundCloud and others get away with it, but I wouldn't necessarily take that to mean all websites are safe in doing so. My advice would be to take a leaf out of the rulebook of most remix competitions and state that entrants must ensure they have copyright permission for use of all sounds/samples and that any breach of copyright is the responsibility of individual entrants, not Basschat. This obviously doesn't preclude non-copyrighted samples (e.g. those available under Creative Commons license), which are always fine even in commercial releases. PS: as a quick aside, it might be worth using the Basschat SoundCloud group as a place for people to upload their entries: http://soundcloud.com/groups/basschat ... or even set up a new group just for these competitions?

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1346678118' post='1791802'] I'll probably be using mostly reason as I've been a keyboard player for a lot longer than I've been a bass player.[/quote] I use Reason too; love it. Currently trying to avoid spending a fortune on the new Rack Extensions (virtual GAS!). [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1346679404' post='1791828'] This is about composition though and to my mind if it doesn't need bass there's no need to put it in. So go for it! [/quote] Good point sliddx! And there's me trying to wriggle out of it Can't promise anything but if I can squeeze the time in around juggling work and Skol Jnr (15 months old and a right handful) then I may well be tempted to have a go.

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1346313418' post='1787692'] What sort of picture is that?! I can't write an edgy song about carp fishing!! [/quote] Me neither! Love the idea of a monthly composition compo; I'm just not sure about using photography as a means of 'inspiration'. Although I suppose it's early days and future photos might be a little less serene (it is a nice photo, btw). I'll be listening intently to the entries, although doubt I'll submit anything myself. My own music is 99% electronic (i.e. bass synths, not guitars) so it probably wouldn't fit so well with the 'spirit' of the competition - this being primarily a forum for bass of the stringed variety, after all Competitions like this are very common on electronic music sites, so it's a great idea to introduce something similar here. Could perhaps even spice it up in future by arranging a few prizes donated by sponsors - ? Just an idea. Looking forward to hearing what folks come up with!

[quote name='Dr M' timestamp='1345726036' post='1780895'] I've always been somewhat fascinated by the impact of the 'Amen Break'... a 5.2 second sample from a fairly obscure B-Side that went on to become a fundamental part of a lot of 1980s popular music. [/quote] ... and it's still being sampled today! I must admit I'm very guilty of 'borrowing' the Amen break on numerous occasions. Love it. It's massively over-used, for sure, but there's something about it that's magically addictive, for me anyway. There's a superb documentary about it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac

No offence intended by this, but it's a bit naive to suggest that sampling is somehow a talentless art. Like anything musical, it can be done lazily and badly, or brilliantly and creatively. It's both a musical and technical process - it's certainly not as immediate and spontaneous as playing an instrument, but arguably it can lead to more innovation that can be achieved through a traditional band set up: it provided a bigger 'palette' of sounds to play with. Electronic music - and hip hop in particular - wouldn't exist without sampling. And you can of course dismiss such genres as 'talentless' if you wish, but there's a multi-billion$ industry surrounding them that says otherwise (talent being very much in the eye of the beholder, of course). Personally, I'd say that sampling is far more innovative than, say, playing in a covers band - which essentially involves 'borrowing' other people's musical ideas but doing very little in terms of creating something new with them. Obviously I'm bias, as electronic music is my 'thing', hence I'm quick quick on the defence

Couple of quick comments: 1. Check the quality of your background photos. Some of them look a bit blocky and pixelated, which makes the site looks a touch amateurish in places. To solve this start by using high resolution images - i.e. straight out of a good quality digital camera on a high setting (the file size needs to be [u]at least[/u] 1 or 2Mb if they're in jpeg format, ideally much larger). Re-size the images to fit your website's background template, which is probably something like 1280x768 pixels (or whatever size you chose to use)... and [i]then[/i] reduce the image resolution to 72dpi. This should ensure the images stay sharp when compressed. Hope that makes sense?! 2. Drop the line about being the "UK's most wanted function band". I used to work in the music press and statements like that never do you any favours. Other than that it looks good! I like the rogue's gallery in particular.

[quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1344183712' post='1760817'] +1 here, I didn't get the electronic scene for a long time but am totally there now! [/quote] + Another electronica fan here! To be honest, the bulk of my music is electronic with the odd touches of 'real' bass. I noodle around a lot to work out basslines that I then recreate using synths, but I'd like to start working more on guitar-based stuff for a change. Some of the things that certain folks here can do with electric bass and FX is mind-blowing (I'm thinking Our Helical Mind and other dubstep / bass music players).

Just finished a remix of "Wild Ones" by Flo Rida... http://soundcloud.com/skollob/wild-ones-furler-fat-remix Now to be clear I'm really not a fan of Flo Rida! But I do love the vocal hook of this track, as sung by Sia Furler. So I decided to remix it as some sort of "exorcism" in the hope that I might stop humming it… I'm fairly sure I over-cooked this one and ended up with way too much going on - the bassline alone is built up from approximately 20 separate synths towards the end (no joke) and it's mixed on headphones, so goodness knows what it sounds like through monitors (I dread to think...). Love it or loathe it? Let me know what you think. My wife described it as me "ruining a good song - again", which probably sums it up quite nicely

"Jesus was a black man, No Jesus was Batman" Shaun Ryder, Black Grape... deep and meaningful as ever ;-)

Hey Mike. Good to hear you're busy recording - and busy with family life! (I can empathize with the latter if not the former). You've always been a source of inspiration in the Recording forum so don't be a stranger and keep us posted on your new material - be great to hear it. All the best and happy bassing. Paul