Skol303

More cheesy than a TUC Cheese Sandwich... but I sort of liked it - in a strange way - for exactly that reason! Maybe it's the ****-eating grins that do it for me, I dunno. Made me laugh anyway. I'll just get my coat...

[quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1319630046' post='1416580'] I'm really rubbish with anything technical,and to program the Miniak you have to go into menus and edit things like attack,envelope and that kind of thing. I'm just quite impatient and don't get along with that kind of programming and editing...[/quote] Ha ha, I know what you mean here! But I'm actually the opposite - I can't play keyboards to any kind of standard, but I'm ok when it comes to creating bass sounds/patches from scratch using modular synths and such like. I probably spend more time doing this at the moment than I do playing bass, but that's just where my head is currently at musically...

It's "Bass Week" on the Music Rader website, in case anyone is interested... http://www.musicradar.com/news/bass/its-bass-week-on-musicradar-508239/1#!1 ... I haven't had chance to properly check it out myself, so if it's a load of pants then don't shoot the messenger, eh!? But at first glance there seems to be a few interesting articles on there.

Absolutely superb, Bilbo. I started listening to Dave Holland after he was mentioned somewhere on Basschat a while ago - most likely by you! - and have since become a fan. This is a great version of Mr PC. I know you play professionally, so what you deem to be good playing is probably different to how I perceive it - but damn, this is good! Made me smile anyway

Wow Mike, that's some amazing playing! Way out of my league... so I really can't offer any constructive criticism - or any criticism for that matter! Other than to say it would take more than a few espressos to make me able to play like that in the morning Great stuff mate. Love it.

Ha ha, yeah that's a corker! See also this thread: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/145835-star-wars-bass/page__hl__star+wars+bass__fromsearch__1 ... and these beauties right here: http://www.musicradar.com/news/bass/the-mo...t-198301#!1

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1319051215' post='1409415'] Hell yea, Soundcloud is the place for finding interesting music rather than the type of dross that's in the charts (you know the stuff, anything remotely related to X-Factor and the like). I'll hear a track on there that will spark something in me and will inspire me to record something in a similar vein. For example, Skol's remix of Haitian Fight Song ([url="http://soundcloud.com/skollob/haitian-fight-song-youtube"]http://soundcloud.co...ht-song-youtube[/url]) inspired this: [url="http://soundcloud.com/mornats/in-a-small-and-smokey-club"]http://soundcloud.co...and-smokey-club[/url]. Thanks for the sticky by the way [/quote] Ha ha! Cheers Mornats... that could well be the first time my music has ever inspired anything other than a powercut! Nice track you've done there, btw. And I should also pass on thanks for setting up this thread in the first place. Good job mate; you seem to have started something positive here!

Yup, all credit to Mrs Skol for her unfailing patience in dealing with my musical obsession! And pretending to like what I produce

I use a Tascam US-144MKII... had it for a good while and never had any problems with it. Surprisingly, they seem to keep their value second-hand, but you can pick them up for around £70 if you shop about a bit (or £140ish new). Very reliable and zero latency, so might be worth a look. However... if I bought a new interface I'd probably opt for a Focusrite as others have mentioned. I've never used one myself, but I see them recommended everywhere and have never heard a bad word against them. So they sound like a very safe bet to me.

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1318872808' post='1407256'] Some great stuff on here. Thanks for making it a sticky. [/quote] Yup, I agree. Really enjoying all the various tracks that are being added to this group... I've said it before, but I've been really surprised by how varied and eclectic our musical tastes are. Great stuff Cheers to Urb for pinning this sucka! Keep 'em coming folks...

Funny Part Rocky Horror, part Benny Hill. Love that quiff too. Certainly original and err... eye-catching!

It all depends on what genre of music you're playing, the demographics of your target audience and ultimately the scale of your ambitions - eg. getting more local pub gigs or wanting to be on a world tour of major arenas in 2012? Generally speaking, if you're playing rock/pop/dance music aimed at a younger crowd then the way to go at the moment is (allegedly) social media and what's known as a "Direct-to-Fan" business model: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-to-Fan I used to work as a music journalist during the '90s and had friends in A&R... back then it was all about bands trying to get coverage in traditional print media (NME, etc). Times have since changed and although such media are still important, they're less important than they used to be. Why? Because "kids" nowadays get more and more of their information from online sources - and increasingly, from their own friends and social networks. Here are a few videos that touch on this subject and might be useful (or not...): Direct-to-Fan http://www.propellerheads.se/mmm/index.cfm?fuseaction=eventinfo&EID=34 Promoting your music via SoundCloud http://www.propellerheads.se/mmm/index.cfm?fuseaction=eventinfo&EID=7 Getting your music in TV/film/games http://www.propellerheads.se/mmm/index.cfm?fuseaction=eventinfo&EID=15 The big 'thing' you need is - and I hate to say it - a "unique selling point" or USP. Something that sets you apart from the mass of other bands trying to do the same thing. That's much easier said than done. But as someone who used to read dozens of press releases from bands each week, I know for sure that it can be the difference between getting noticed and not. Avoid over-selling yourselves ("The best new band of 2011" = bad); try not to under-sell yourselves too much either ("Johnny and his mates like pubs and eating pizza" = bad) and if appropriate, try to inject an element of humour... unless, of course, you're a gothcore/doom outfit, in which case humour might also = bad. Hope that helps and good luck!

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1318541805' post='1403663'] ... I'm also not sure whether it counts me as a listen when I'm logged in and listening to my own stuff. And +1 for this being a sticky [/quote] Yeah, I think it counts all plays in the total, even your own. And another +1 for a sticky!

... just chipping in here with a blatant plug for the Basschat SoundCloud group, which you guys could use as a way of uploading and sharing your takes: http://soundcloud.com/groups/basschat Or you could even set up a separate group just for this purpose - which could be made 'private' and by invite only if you're feeling shy! PS: looking forward to hearing what you get up to... I won't be volunteering to take part myself as this level of playing is way beyond me, but I'm a keen listener.

Another Bjork fan here! [****ER ALERT!] ...I actually interviewed her sometime in the late 90s; got a scoop as I was one of the first UK journos at the time to hear about her then upcoming role in the film "Dancer in the Dark" (not a Friday night popcorn film, in case you're wondering). I did the interview with her - only via telephone unfortunately - and the same day some stalker-type burgled her mum's home, which meant she cancelled all further interviews - hence the scoop. Anyway, she was great. Exactly how I'd imagined her to be and certainly one of the few musicians I ever interviewed that was genuinely interesting to talk with. I hadn't yet received a copy of her album to review at the time (Homogenic I think it was), so we ended up chewing the fat about her experience growing up in Iceland, getting drunk on jam-jars full of fruit and vodka, and long walks where she'd sing to herself... I think she was just happy to talk about something other than her latest album. I might still have the interview on tape somewhere; if so I'll digitise and upload it - there are a few gems in there for the Bjork fans among us. I also used to have Keith Chegwin on my answerphone, but that's another story. Anyway, I'll shut up now.

I can't say I know much about this myself, but you might find this video interview useful: http://www.propellerheads.se/mmm/index.cfm?fuseaction=eventinfo&EID=15 ... or not?! The general gist of it is... 1. The people you need to be reaching typically have the job title of Music Supervisor and/or Post-Production Supervisor. These people are usually listed in the credits of TV programmes, films, relevant forums and so on, who are responsible for deciding what music gets used where. You can contact them directly if you choose. But... 2. There's recently been a big increase in such people being contacted directly by musicians, so competition can be tough. While you'll get a better cut of revenue by dealing with them directly, it might help to partner with a 'pitching house' or publisher/agent to build these relationships on your behalf. Publishers and agents normally specialise in a specific genre of music and are trusted by Music Supervisors; so this can be a good (albeit less profitable) route to take. ^ Not particularly useful I'll admit, but I'll think you'll agree that this contractually entitles me to a 10% cut of your future profits! Good luck with it.

Sorry Bilbo, I can't add anything useful here, I just wanted to chip in and say that I have Edgar Meyer's Bach suites and love 'em! I started learning these myself but never got any further than No. 1 (the one that everyone tends to learn). Reminds me I must get round to learning the rest...

^^ Nice one gents, good to have you on board! I've been [i]very[/i] surprised by how eclectic all of our musical tastes are. There's some really great stuff on there already; keep 'em coming.

Now this I like. Upright bass + DnB = happy me every time My only comment would be to lose the vocal - that's not meant to be a harsh criticism of the vocalist - but it doesn't quite fit the track in my opinion, and was the only element that seemed out of place. But that's just my tuppenceworth. That aside, I really enjoyed it and look forward to hearing any future mixes. Great job!

[quote name='Nibody' timestamp='1317912540' post='1396150'] ...I just want to play this time round, not end up blowing toilets and Telly's out of Holiday Inn windows whilst suckling on a bottle of Wild Turkey and "entertaining" two ladies of the night, dressed in Leiderhosen... [/quote] Welcome to Basschat, Max Mosley!

[quote name='Noah Deere' timestamp='1317837668' post='1395259'] On another note has anyone used Soundcloud to record, or is everyone uploading tracks they have recorded on software or at a studio? [/quote] ^ Very interesting point... [i]has[/i] anyone here used SoundCloud to record? It's always something I've overlooked to be honest - I personally use it as a way to share finished (or more like abandoned!) tracks, and have never really thought of it as a way to record music, although it can of course be used for this purpose. As Mornats mentioned, it might hold good potential for recording and sharing live music, and very quickly too. I'm going to try this myself next time I'm at a gig I have a friend who sometimes uses it as a platform for field recordings, so this is definitely worth looking into. [quote name='urb' timestamp='1317888694' post='1395716'] Here's mine - a mix of recent live recordings with my funk band and some new solo recordings from me: [/quote] ^ Cheers Mike, that's some very nice music you have going on there! If you want to join up with the group it's at: http://soundcloud.com/groups/basschat

Peeps, The SoundCloud website appears to be down at the moment. Perhaps it's buckled under the weight of our new Basschat group?? I'm sure it'll be up and running again soon... I'll keep an eye on it.

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1317771237' post='1394501'] Yup, pop music has only been around for....what?...2 years, something like that?! Si [/quote] ^ Aww, you know what I'm saying! Not pop music itself, but [i]her[/i] music... I mean, I don't dislike her at all and she comes across well interviews. But I don't think she's original or memorable enough to create a real legacy for herself and become one of pop music's 'greats'. I mean, I can't hum a single one of her songs right now. And of course that doesn't mean a damn thing - I might just be a dullard! - but I can hum a number of songs from Madonna, Lady GaGa and so on. Let's maybe check back in a year and see how she's doing... in the meantime, good luck to her.

Here today, gone tomorrow... Good luck to her and all who sail with her. But it's not music that has any longevity to it, IMHO.

It all depends on the genre of music - surely? - but there are always exceptions to the rule... Seasick Steve attracts crowds of younger listeners. There are numerous young classic musicians who entertain mainly older audiences. DJs Pete Tong, John Digweed, Rob Da Bank et al continue to pack clubs in Ibiza, despite being older than the fathers of most punters. In pop music, sure, age is nearly always a factor. Elsewhere, less so...