Skol303

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1423530960' post='2686099'] ... I should have my first entry in a looking time [/quote] Excellent!! Good work Paul.

[quote name='stuckinthepod' timestamp='1423573883' post='2686459'] ...visit Great British Bass Lounge? [/quote] Good call! Well worth a visit.

[quote name='zero9' timestamp='1423314197' post='2683390'] +1 Use your Markbass as a preamp or a separate preamp. This should liven up your tone, although there was nothing much wrong with your tone, it will give it more oomph. [/quote] Yep, another +1 to this. I have a little EBS combo that I often run the bass through (DI'd from the amp into my computer) and use a cheap condenser mic to simultaneously record what comes out of the speaker. Works well.

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1423316884' post='2683435'] This month Lurksalittle has gone one better and filmed .........the making of TRAIN... [/quote] That is BRILLIANT! Love it.

A great hotel if you want to treat yourselves whilst in Brighton: http://www.hotelpelirocco.co.uk

[font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]As Ben has said above, amp sims are your friend! They typically offer a huge range of tones and IMO are a lot more versatile than the real thing [i](I’m probably committing some kind of heresy by saying that on this forum…).[/i][/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]Lots of free ones available. One of my own favourite commercial sims is the Softube Bass Amp Room, now bundled free with Reason but available as a standalone plug-in:[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]http://www.softube.com/index.php?id=bar[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]A touch of distortion or saturation can also be very useful. It creates additional upper harmonics that can help to ‘fatten up’ your tone (a useful trick for mixing bass in busy tracks with guitars).[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]Other than that, EQ. This is always dependant on the context of the track - and as with any EQ’ing, it’s usually better to cut frequencies than boost them to get the tone you want. That said, a wee nudge around 1Khz can be really useful when mixing bass in some tracks. Again, especially noisy songs with lots of greedy guitars.[/size][/size][/font]

[quote name='pfretrock' timestamp='1423127046' post='2680982'] "Driving that train, high on cocaine" I thought this. No Grateful Dead heads on the forum? [/quote] I'll see your Grateful Dead and raise you a Half Man Half Biscuit... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpx7uM-5Y3Q

I think it's quite simply someone whose primary income is from playing music. Someone who has 'musician' written on their tax return, or their passport. [i]EDIT: are professions written on passports?? I'll have to check... [/i]

[quote name='Old_Ben' timestamp='1422957851' post='2678729'] Waiting for my new interface to arrive before starting recording! [/quote] [i]"Sooo.... the coal goes in here. But where the heck is the MIDI out?"[/i]

[size=4][quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1422994661' post='2679338'] ...what do you think we would learn from them that is not available from other sources, including each other as members? [/quote][/size] [size=4]I think we'd learn that gear is probably nowhere near as important as we like to think it is.[/size] [size=4]But nobody wants to hear that, right?? [/size]

Some good points above about the difference between "composing" and "recording". I think it's an issue of semantics... and to be honest, the word "composition" probably isn't the best choice for the monthly challenge - I've often considered simplifying it to "New Music Challenge", but for tradition's sake the word composition has stuck You [i]do[/i] need at east some basic skills in recording and producing music to take part. But you don't need to be an expert. We've had people submit YouTube videos of themselves playing 'live' with a looper pedal (CamdenRob submitted some great entries using this method!), and all that took was being able to operate a mobile phone and upload the result to YouTube. No recording skills required. And it's not always the most 'produced' tracks that get the votes. I'm as guilty as anyone for geeking around with production - it's what I enjoy doing, even moreso than playing bass - but we've had numerous winners who've 'just' written great material. I say 'just', because a good composition generally translates well, no mater how well it's been recorded (I have plenty of old Jamaican ska records that are terribly produced, but still sound "great"). But whatever. The challenge isn't just about composition and it's not just about recording. It's a blend of different skills and we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. People tend to discuss the recording aspect a little more than playing and composing because for a lot of people (myself included), it's the piece of the jigsaw that often has the steepest learning curve. It's the skill that allows you to take the tune you have playing in your head and make it real. So let's not get hung up on the word "composition". I've always thought it to be a little too grandiose myself. I'm certainly not a composer. But I occasionally write a catchy tune

That's great news Wooks! Well done

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1422885480' post='2677857'] Fixed, at the heavy expense of loosing the kind comments already collected on Soundcloud. That'll teach me to be more careful in future months (unless, of course, the lifelong ban is already in force... ). [/quote] Ah Dad, you didn't need to do that!! What's a measly second between friends? [size=2] [/size][size=2]...You're still banned though [/size]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1422837855' post='2677494'] I don't surf the net with headphones on. I surf silently.[/quote]

[size=4][quote name='bobbass4k' timestamp='1422822347' post='2677235'] I'm thinking 5/4 too (well, 5/8), although there's also a 13/8 thing that I might try and work in. [/quote] [font=Arial]Hi Bob. It’s not like [i]you[/i] to be thinking about unusual time signatures… are you feeling alright?? [/font] [font=Arial]I might be tempted to try something other than my usual 4/4 this month. Maybe.[/font][/size] [size=4][quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1422871633' post='2677639'][/size] [size=4]Nice work - surely will break the duck this month (unless Skol bans you for being one second over the 5 minutes) [/quote][/size] [size=4]One whole second over you say? Definitely banned. FOR LIFE [/size]

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1422789206' post='2676707'] Something bad lurking there, a run away train with a nasty missile on board - James Bond material. [/quote] That's more like it!

...and now I'm seeing a big smiley face with a cartoon red nose. Damn you Lurks!!

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1422787742' post='2676678'] ... not quite Thomas the tank , more Vlad the exhaler [/quote] Haha! All I can hear presently is the theme tune to Thomas the Tank Engine. That's no fault of the photo (which is great) and has everything to do with our four-year old and me sitting through, ooh, probably around a million episodes of Thomas just this last week. At least a million Beautiful colors in the image. The light on the front of the train is a great focal point (reminds me a bit of Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey!).

[size=4][color=#800000][b][size=5]February’s Composition Challenge is now underway[/size]![/b][/color][/size] [size=5]Here’s the image for your inspiration, chosen by last month's winner [b]Old_Ben[/b]…[/size] [size=5]And here are the rules 'n' stuff…[/size] [size=4]By entering the competition you agree to the [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules"]Basschat Terms & Conditions[/url] and [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/3178-forum-guidelines/"]Forum Guidelines[/url], which are designed to help ensure the forum remains free of offensive and/or illegal behaviour and material. In a nutshell:[/size] [size=4][b]1) Please avoid any content that other forum users may find offensive.[/b] If your track contains explicit lyrics, for example, then please warn other forum users so they can choose for themselves whether to listen to it.[/size] [size=4][b]2) Please make sure you have permission to use any 3rd party sounds included in your track[/b] (ie. sounds that you have not recorded yourself, such as samples of other people's music). The owners of Basschat accept no responsibility for infringements of copyright or other forms of legal ownership, which are solely the responsibility of competition entrants. If we spot any breaches of copyright then your track will be removed from the competition.[/size] [size=4]For reference: here's a great source of copyright-free material, all available under Creative Commons license: [url="http://www.freesound.org/"]http://www.freesound.org/[/url][/size] [size=4][b]3) Entries should be no more than five minutes long and written/produced during the month of the competition[/b], taking inspiration from the photo provided. No cheating![/size] [size=4]If you have any questions about the competition rules, just ask.[/size] [color=#800000][size=5][b]The deadline for entries is midnight on Saturday 21st February.[/b][/size][/color]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1422749684' post='2676523'] Congratulations, Old_Ben, on your win this month. Ol' Skol is green..! [/quote] [size=4][url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/254715-february-composition-challenge-get-recording/"][b]FEBRUARY'S CHALLENGE IS NOW ON![/b][/url] [size=3]<CLICK HERE[/size][/size]

[quote name='paul h' timestamp='1422749447' post='2676519'] Yay! Congrats Ben! I warn you all though, I'm entering in February...and I play to lose! [/quote] Good on ya Paul! Get stuck in.

[font=Helvetica][size=3][color=#800000][b][size=5]WELL DONE BEN![/size][/b][/color][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3][size=4]A great track and a thoroughly deserving win [/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3][size=4]I’ll message you with details of how to claim your prize - [i]a BC Polo Shirt, no less![/i] - and how to submit your choice of image for next month’s challenge.[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3][size=4]Well done to everyone else who took part. Sterling work, as always.[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3][size=4]Cheers [/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3][size=4]Paul[/size][/size][/font]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1422707181' post='2675835'] I choose a different outlet other than the the BC competition in my quest for new music. Why is this frowned upon here on BC ? [/quote] To be clear, not wanting to listen to the monthly compositions really ISN'T frowned upon. Not by me anyway. People are just reacting to the view that the challenges are a 'tiresome minority interest' (I'm paraphrasing), when in fact we know that around 25% of our regular members are interested in them and the majority of people here don't feel pestered by their promotion. But as noted, some people feel otherwise - and they're perfectly entitled to do so. This thread is simply about discussing how we could improve the monthly Challenge for people who vote and those who take part. If you've got no interest in it, that's absolutely fine. In which case, take a cue from Why Don't You and go "do something less boring instead"

[quote name='timhiggins' timestamp='1422698195' post='2675689'] I stumbled about on here for a long time before i even became aware of the composition comp. there may be quite a few dummys like me out there ! would it be possible to have a little music player in the corner of the screen that has all the tracks[for that month] , so that whatever bit of the forum your on you can play them whilst window shopping Fodera bass's or whatever ? [/quote] ^ That is a damn fine idea! And I've seen it done on other forums. I can't promise anything, but I'll ask the site Admins about it. Cheers!

This is proving to be a really useful thread! Thanks everyone. Some talk about… …but several more comments from people not feeling quite so irked. I think Brian May can sleep easy tonight. The idea of scooping up all the monthly ‘spam’ about the Challenge and dumping it into a single, pinned thread in General Discussion is a good one. Nice and neat. More visible. I like it. I’ll have a chat with my fellow Mods about arranging this in future. [quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1422639513' post='2675081']It get pushed every month, people obviously aren't interested.[/quote] [quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1422652902' post='2675354']You'd imagine that people would have got the ..."we are simply not interested"...message, and leave it at that.[/quote] [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1422664653' post='2675528’]…it should be very obvious by now that nobody apart from a small group of people give a sh*t about it.[/quote] These are interesting perspectives… because the people who take part and vote in the Composition Challenge are certainly a minority - but perhaps not quite as small a minority as you chaps might believe. We have thousands of registered members in this community. But only a very small number are what we you might call ‘committed regulars’ - people who visit and post comments on Basschat every day (Hour? Minute!?). They’re the ones posting comments in this thread and they number around 150 people in total. The vast majority of members - over 95% - just like to swing by here every so often and very few of them post comments. Which is perfectly fine and very typical of [i]all[/i] forums. When you compare the number of people who vote in the Composition Challenge (and the Photo Challenge) against the total membership of thousands, the % of those who vote is indeed tiny. Probably less than 1%. However, when you compare the number of people who vote against the number of ‘regulars’ - the people who frequently contribute to the forum - then the results look a bit different. In fact, this month we’ve had:[list] [*]83% of regulars voting in the General Election poll [*]27% voting in the Composition Challenge [*]20% voting in the Photo Competition [/list] That still leaves a minority of people voting in the Composition Challenge (and that’s why I’d like more people to get involved in it). But it’s a minority of around 25%, or 1 in 4. Which is pretty darn good in my experience of music forums! And I’d wager it’s a larger % of our regular members than some of you might think. But anyway. Please keep the comments coming, as this is shaping up to be a very productive discussion