Skol303

If it involves any sort of 'inspiration' for the compositions, then we might as well stick with the existing monthly challenge as others have mentioned. There’s plenty of scope within the current format for people to enter bass only tracks (as Rob above has done^). Also, the production values of the entries don’t necessarily dictate their popularity with voters. We’ve had plenty of ‘winners’ whose tracks lacked polish but were packed with great ideas. So… I think this new challenge, if it’s going to be sufficiently different, needs to be much more simple and immediate: [list] [*]60 seconds maximum [*]Bass only, no additional instrumentation [*]But... FX, click tracks and metronomes are all fine [i](just don’t tell Jeff Berlin!)[/i] [*]Play whatever you like, from any genre you like [/list] No more complicated than that. Any other caveats and we’re better off just pointing people to the existing challenge with a bit of encouragement, as it’s already a sufficiently inclusive formula. I see this as being something for those times when you might be noodling at home, strike upon a catchy phrase/riff, and want to share it with others. No more complicated than that.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1453936961' post='2964558'] I just got Net Flix, lots to check out. Blue [/quote] Blue, having to got to know something about your taste in music, I heartily recommend the Keith Richards documentary, 'Under The Influence', and the Wrecking Crew film mentioned above. I think you'll enjoy them

[quote name='keefbaker' timestamp='1453971012' post='2964712'] 42 - meaning of life. [/quote] Ditto. Well... 42 in a couple of months. So nearly the meaning of life So far, so good.

In the interest of world peace… I say let’s give it a try. “What’s the worst that could happen?” If it proves popular, great! It could provide an easy outlet for people to ‘have a bash’ at recording and provide some cross-fertilisation with the regular Composition Challenge in terms of drumming up additional interest/votes. It it flops like Eric Pickles on a sun lounger, then we’ll cast the idea off into oblivion, scrub the decks down with bleach, delete all trace of this conversation, silence the witnesses and never speak of it again Personally, I’m for [i]anything[/i] that gets people listening to each other’s musical endeavours rather than just cooing over headstock shapes, or whatever. So let’s give it a whirl. I’ll kick-start the idea shortly; possibly this coming weekend. My currently working title is: [size=5]“60 Second Noodles”[/size] …other (ideally better) titles very welcome.

Happy to give this a run if enough people are interested Post below if it floats your boat and we can set something up for February.

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1449748426' post='2926429'] Saw The Wrecking Crew one last night. Well worth a look. [/quote] Yep, really good! I highly recommend it. Gives a good insight into the 60s/70s US music machine. Lots of input from Carol Kaye, as you’d expect Goes to show that a lot of rock’n’roll during that period was actually ‘manufactured’ to an even greater degree than modern music. Link here for anyone interested: http://www.wreckingcrewfilm.com

There are plenty of gigging opportunities here in Manchester. Sure, we’ve lost some venues over the years… but this has largely been due to pressure from city centre residential developments, rather than a lack of punters. I think the key consideration in discussions of this type is demographics - especially age. The market for older bands may indeed by drying up. That’s natural selection of sorts. The opportunities for young bands still seem reassuringly healthy where I live. I’m not speaking from personal experience as a young person (I’m 42), but I work with people in their 20s who are frequently attending performances by up-and-coming local bands and more famous names. For them, the live music scene is very much alive and kicking. And their musical tastes are very diverse - far more so than when I was their age. …and that’s not counting less ‘traditional’ performances (electronic/dance music). So in summary, if you want to know the future of gigging then don’t ask a bunch of ageing bass players. Ask someone who’s 21 years old and up for it. They’ll most likely have a very upbeat answer

I'm here daily, as are most of the Mod team, and have no plans to depart anytime soon [i](that goes for life in general!).[/i] What keeps me here is primarily the Recording forum and the monthly composition challenges, which for me are a great incentive to create new music on a regular basis. Otherwise, I tend to fall into the habit of having a lot of unfinished material cluttering up my computer. I browse other forums too, but nowhere near as actively as BC.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1453732774' post='2962223'] You can fool one of the people all of the time.[/quote] Well, I'm very glad you were 'fooled'... I wanted it to sound like an upright, so job done.

I pick up new music from all over the shop, sometimes in the most unlikely of places (TV adverts have led me to a few gems over the years). This place is also a nice eye-opener... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/277622-january-composition-challenge-voting/"]New music for free[/url]

Lots of good ones posted already Two more from me would be... Half Man Half Biscuit ‘Back in the DHSS’ Nomeansno ‘Wrong’

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1453721716' post='2962045'] [color=#000000][font=Arial]... and this 'Play of the Day' here …[/font][/color] [url="http://soundcloud.com/skollob/dont-rain-on-my-parade"][color=#0000ff][font=Arial]'Don't Rain On My Parade', from Skol303 ...[/font][/color][/url] [color=#000000][font=Arial]A plaintive, 'blues' acoustic double bass steps boldly forward...[/font][/color][/quote] Thanks as always Doug! A very kind review, gratefully received. PS: I'm flattered that you think it's a double bass. It's actually a plain ol' acoustic (5 string), fitted with tape wounds to sound as close to an upright as possible. I'd love to own an upright... but I need to wait until the kids have left home before finding space for one

[color=#800000][b]VOTING IS UP![/b][/color] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/277622-january-composition-challenge-voting/"][size=6]Flutter yonder...[/size][/url]

[color=#b22222][size=5][b]Voting has now started on January’s Composition Challenge.[/b][/size][/color] [size=5]Here’s the inspiration for this month's music, chosen by our previous winners [b]Alibabu[/b] and [b]Bleat[/b]…[/size] [size=5]…and here are the compositions. Please vote for your top [b]THREE[/b] favourites:[/size] [b]Bilbo[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/wind-and-rain-a-brass-trio-1"]‘Wind and Rain - a brass trio’[/url] [b]Leonard Smalls[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/dredd-and-the-badass-weed/eruption"]‘Eruption’[/url] [b]Dad3353[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/dad3353/wrecks-and-rex"]‘Wrecks, Rex’[/url] [b]christofloffer[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/christofloffer/butterfly-hurricane"]‘Butterfly Hurricane’[/url] [b]Rikki1984[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/rikki-boyes/rainy-day"]‘Rainy Day’[/url] [b]the boy[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/theboysings/my-boat-of-butterflies"]‘My boat of Butterflies….’[/url] [b]xgsjx[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/gxmix/butterflies-in-the-rain-gx"]‘Butterflies In The Rain’[/url] [b]Mornats[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/mornats/drops"]‘Drops’[/url] [b]lurksalot[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/lurksalot/boaterfly-blues"]‘Boaterfly Blues’[/url] [b]Doctor J[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/doctor_j_bass/exit-splashtown"]‘Exit Splashtown’[/url] [b]Skol303[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/skollob/dont-rain-on-my-parade"]‘Don’t Rain On My Parade’[/url] [b]RalphDWilson[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/torturedsaints/wings-of-a-butterfly"]‘Wings Of A Butterfly’[/url] [b][size=5][color=#800000]Voting ends at midnight on Sunday 31st January [/color][/size][/b]

I've recently acquired a Warwick Alien fretless acoustic (their cheapest model: the Rockbass Standard). I love it! Can't really say whether it's "the perfect acoustic bass" (I doubt it) and I'm [i]certainly[/i] not a "perfect player" by any stretch of the imagination. But it plays lovely and sounds nice, to my ears. Here's a recording if you're interested - strung with LaBella tape wound flats and recorded DI with a smidgen of compression: [url="http://soundcloud.com/skollob/dont-rain-on-my-parade"]http://soundcloud.co...in-on-my-parade[/url] Got mine second hand. New they're around £400-£500 I think.

Done. http://soundcloud.com/skollob/dont-rain-on-my-parade [b]Deadline for entries is tomorrow (Sunday) at midnight. if you're still writing and recording, then get busy[/b]

I'm tempted... The reviews seem very positive. Although I might wait until the price drops a little. Yes, I am a tight-fisted resident of the North.

[quote name='rushbo' timestamp='1453246942' post='2957901'] Apple Pie and Ice Cream is the greatest dessert detected by science. I respectfully counter your statement. [/quote] NOOOO, IT SHOULD [i]ALWAYS[/i] BE CUSTARD!!!

My guess would be that most people, whose exposure to music is limited to daytime radio, would rather attend a festival where they can sing along to familiar songs than one where the bands playing are unknown to them. It's all about expectations - and a lot of people are conservative (small 'c') in their expectations when it comes to entertainment. Everyone else is free to seek out original music as they wish. The market for summer music festivals has never been healthier in the UK. So clearly, lots of people are doing just that. That's the beauty of it - choice. The covers/tribute/originals scenes aren't mutually exclusive. I personally have no interest in tribute acts - I'd rather just dig out the original recordings and save my gigs for new music. But I certainly don't get irked by people having different preferences to me. No more than I get angry at people choosing ice cream over custard (it should, of course, ALWAYS be custard). Peace, etc.

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1453207691' post='2957359'] These are great for humidity \moisture control. Cheap too. [url="https://www.wilcodirect.co.uk/product/home/compact-dehumidifier-moisture-absorber"]https://www.wilcodir...isture-absorber[/url] [/quote] Which is [i]definitely[/i] something you need to consider if you intend to clad or otherwise panel the walls. PS: those are very cheap! Cheers for the heads up. We use something similar in a few rooms at home, but are paying a few quid more.

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1453200716' post='2957262'] Doh... Busted. [/quote] Dammit I do at least have a brush kit backing track, which sounds [i]"like the patter of rain on a January day, whilst contemplating the Butterfly Effect of cause and consequence at the start of a New Year".[/i] Honest. That's exactly what's been going through my head.

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1453194729' post='2957186'] I quite like the idea of external cladding as I really don't want to reduce the room size further, but then again I'd rather everything goes into the desk and we do things at moderate levels (hence my questions re electronic drum kits elsewhere on BC.....). [/quote] External cladding will dampen some of the noise… but the kick drum and bass will still travel far and wide across your neighbourhood. I looked into this myself when I converted our garage at home into a music room. The two options for soundproofing boil down to: 1) Mass: thick layers of dense stuff. Like, several feet thick if possible. Or… 2) Suspension: creating a suspended ‘room within a room’. And then surrounding that with more layers of dense stuff. The average cost for properly soundproofing a typical domestic garage is around £10K (to do it properly). Hence I abandoned the idea. Everything else: cladding, acoustic plasterboard (which I used), duvets nailed to the walls… will do something to reduce the external noise level, but not markedly so. Certainly not sufficient to justify the extra cost (acoustic plasterboard does however make a great heat insulator, hence my decision to use it). So your best option for ‘soundproofing’ is probably a social one: talk to the neighbours and ply them with alcohol PS: this is a useful book... albeit quite technical in places: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Recording-Studio-Build-Like-Pros/dp/143545717X

Really good tracks in already! Good work everyone. Mine is finally underway. I acquired a new bass over Christmas (a fretless acoustic, now strung with tape wounds) and I’ve been plucking away with various jazzy, walking basslines since I got it. Love the tone - it’s as close as I’ll probably get to an upright without actually owning one, which is good enough for me [size=2](for now…).[/size] Anyway, the ‘water spatter’ photo made me think of a brush kit so I’ve been jamming some ideas along those lines. I pretty much have the bassline recorded and now need to add some other instruments - ideally some horns and perhaps a Rhodes if I can find the time to do so convincingly. We’ll see! I must admit that what I have so far doesn’t ‘sound’ much like the photos. If I’m honest it’s been more heavily inspired by my newly acquired acoustic… but maybe if I include the word 'fluttery' in the description I can blag it

Great project! Really looking forward to seeing how this develops You'll likely need at least some acoustic treatment if you want to record in there, all depending on personal taste, priorities, etc. Some corner bass traps would certainly help to tame the low end in what is a fairly small space. If/when the time comes, contact these guys: http://www.bluefrogaudio.co.uk ...very friendly and knowledgable, with expertise in kitting out home studios/ practice rooms as well as professional set ups. I have no affiliation! I used them for my own (very humble) music room and got great results on a modest budget. PS: forget soundproofing. Virtually impossible in a space like that unless you want to build a suspended 'room within a room'.

[quote name='Musashimonkey' timestamp='1452430655' post='2949825'] Not looking to derail, hope you don't mind these questions; Is the bass room soft tube plug in worth the money? Are there more bass effects and cab sims available when upgrading from garage band to Logic? Does that make it worth the upgrade? [/quote] Depends! Just like ‘real world’ gear choices, software is a very personal thing. I like the Softube amp room, but then I’m a sucker for their products generally. I find it very quick and easy to dial-in usable tones for just about any mix, with useful pre-sets to get me started. As with all Softube products it’s certainly not the cheapest, but as a company they do make superb emulations - especially of vintage analogue gear (most of them endorsed by the hardware manufacturers). Their compressors are especially good. But …every DAW has its own collection of amp sims, EQs, compressors and other dynamic effects. All of which tend to be very good and perfectly usable. There’s really no “better or worse” when you compare them all, just the odd nuances that might be more suited to your own tastes and workflow. Logic is certainly a very good progression from GarageBand and well worth the money. I used it myself for a short while (borrowed from a friend on a laptop) and found the built-in effects to be very good quality, certainly on par with (or better than) most 3rd party products. I didn’t make the switch from my DAW of choice (Propellerhead Reason) as I found Logic slightly more cumbersome for certain tasks - but that’s probably down to my own lack of familiarity more than anything else. If I ever did decide to switch DAWs I’d probably plump for Ableton, as it’s by far the market leader in many ways. But I’ll probably just stick to what I know. If it ain't broken, etc... PS: You can download a demo of the Softube Amp Room if you have an iLok key. Link here: http://www.softube.com/index.php?id=bar