Skol303

[size=5]Aaaaaaaand.... we're off![/size] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/254191-january-composition-challenge-voting/"][b][size=5]GO LISTEN AND VOTE[/size][/b][/url]

[color=#800000][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…[/size] [size=5]…and here are the compositions. Please listen to each track and pick your favourite:[/size] [b][size=4]Dad3353[/size][/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/dad3353/rag-tag-and-judy"][size=4]Rag, Tag And Judy[/size][/url] [b][size=4]Leonard Smalls[/size][/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/dredd-and-the-badass-weed/disturbing-the-peace"][size=4]Disturbing The Peace[/size][/url] [b][size=4]Bilbo[/size][/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/run-rabid-run-reprise"][size=4]Run Rabid Run Reprise[/size][/url] [b][size=4]alibabu[/size][/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/alibabu/no-happy-bunny"][size=4]No Happy Bunny[/size][/url] [b][size=4]Stephen Houghton[/size][/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/9thaspect/rave-bunny"][size=4]Rave Bunny[/size][/url] [b][size=4]Old_Ben[/size][/b] [size=4][url="http://soundcloud.com/ben-webb-15/puppets-of-the-revolution-master"]Puppets Of The Revolution Maste[/url]r[/size] [b][size=4]lurksalot[/size][/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/lurksalot/riot-bunny"][size=4]Riot Bunny[/size][/url] [b][size=4]Skol303[/size][/b] [size=4][url="http://soundcloud.com/skollob/bankers-got-a-shotgun"]Banker's Got A Shotgun[/url][color=#ff0000] [WARNING: CONTAINS EXPLICIT LYRICS THAT MAY OFFEND][/color][/size] [b][size=4]alittlebitrobot[/size][/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/alittlebitrobot/space-rabbits"][size=4]Space Rabbits[/size][/url] [color=#800000][b][size=5]Voting ends at midnight on Saturday 31st January.[/size][/b][/color] [size=4]Well done to everyone who got stuck in and helped us get off to a flying start this year. Great work, comrades [/size]

[font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]Right, I’m done![/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]An angsty, political, potty-mouthed protest song from me this month. Not a fluffy bunny in sight.[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [color=#800000][b][size=4]I have to warn you that:[/size][/b][/color][/size][/font] [list] [*][size=4]This track contains slap bass.[/size] [*][size=4]It also contains quite a lot of swearing. So please [i]don’t[/i] to listen to it within earshot of anyone who might be offended, young or old. If it doubt, just give it a miss![/size] [/list] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]So to be clear…[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]With that disclaimer out of the way, here it is:[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]https://soundcloud.com/skollob/bankers-got-a-shotgun[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]Bass, guitars and croaky vocal by yours truly. The drums have been put together using the Factory Soundbank in Reason (DAW).[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]Feedback very welcome, as always.[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]I’ll be posting up the voting thread sometime after midnight this evening.[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]Cheers all! A great start to the new year [/size][/size][/font]

^ Cheers Si! Good advice, as usual

Well we've got a ruddy good turnout for January already! Well done all If your work is still 'in progress' (like mine...) then you have until midnight on Saturday to knock it into shape. Or just say hell with it, and post it up anyway! [i]"Art is never finished, only abandoned"[/i], and all that.

Yep! Moog is always in vogue

[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1421698839' post='2664135'] I feel your pain there , but it only takes more time to get it right and that is practice , and it has done my playing no harm at all , at first it does seem quite pressured to get a good take , but the concentration when put towards the creative works better than when worrying about the negative , just do it again ....and again in my case , I think I would fall to bits in a proper studio with ......people there and everything . [/quote] Me too mate! It often takes me numerous attempts to 'nail' what I'm trying to record. Sometimes it's just plain frustrating. Other times I don't mind and quite enjoy the repetition. But it's all good, solid practice

[font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]I managed to get the vocals down over the weekend and finish recording some guitars, so now I need to bring everything together and apply some polish. [/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]It’s all turned out rather angry, political and potty-mouthed …so I’m definitely going to need a 'Parental Advisory' notice on my track this month . Just don’t tell Mary Whitehouse! Is she even still alive? [i](Googled: no).[/i][/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]In other news I’ve started on some new material with Mike Flynn (Basschat’s ‘urb’), which is going to keep me happily busy for a few months More on that in due course.[/size][/size][/font]

When you're dead and gone, your nearest and dearest will most likely sell it for whatever price you quoted when lying to them about its true cost. So if you can afford it, just buy it, enjoy it and play the damn thing

Yep! The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and 2i4 are very good quality 'budget' interfaces. I use a 2i4 myself, as it has the additional output sockets I need. Dead easy to use. No latency (on my system) and the recording quality is good for the money. There will always be better, more expensive options if you want to spend money. But for £100-£150 the Focusrite Scarlett products are great.

[quote name='Mr Arkadin' timestamp='1421339059' post='2660101'] I like that one, although i think it is somewhat 'inspired by' Cliff Martinez's Solaris soundtrack [/quote] Yes! I've seen Solaris and the soundtrack is great, good call Two others that have sprung to mind: 'Escape from New York' and 'Assault on Precinct 13'... and pretty much everything else that John Carpenter has scored. But those two films in particular. Brilliantly atmospheric yet catchy at the same time. He's the daddy!

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1421332938' post='2659996'] Sorry, I bagged that one earlier [/quote] Dammit!

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing - very useful. I'm about to start a similar project myself this year... I'll be in touch for tips!

Dammit, late to the party as usual and most of my favourites have already been bagged! Those would be Bladerunner, Harder They Come, Wicker Man and O' Brother Where Art Thou? So I'll add...[list] [*]Moon (the main theme is just beautifully simple) [*]Akira (classic Japanese manga with a stunning soundtrack that utilises human voices) [*]Easy Rider ([i]"Nick, nick, swamp!"[/i]) [/list]

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1421260293' post='2659121'] that makes no sense. The more you make the more uniform they should be. They produce a fraction of the number of normal consumer items, all of which would be expected to have much higher quality control and be more consistent. [/quote] I'd like to think that! But there are plenty of examples from other consumer products that suggest otherwise. Here's one from the world of car manufacture, where stuff is generally made to precise specifications by robots... http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/apr/09/toyota-recalls-over-6m-cars-worldwide It only takes one 'bug' in the system for problems to become amplified in mass production runs. The % of products with errors might be no different to that of a smaller manufacturer, but the quantity will be greater because of the greater number of items being produced. We notice this in the products we source at work. Smaller manufacturers tend to produce less faulty stuff by volume in comparison to larger firms - partly due to percentages, but also I think because it's easier to apply quality control if you're making less 'stuff'. But it also tends to mean you have smaller profit margins and need to charge more But whatever. The P-bass I own is a beauty, so I have no complaints about Fender.

The most commonly cited problem with Fenders - that of quality control - results from the scale of their operation and the sheer quantity of basses they churn out. That much is obvious. And it's a problem that smaller manufacturers can tackle more easily, simply because their output is lower and thus easier to monitor. It's also why they tend to be more expensive; economies of scale and all that. I've played some superb Fender basses and still own a P-bass that I'll never part with. But I have no doubt that there are plenty of shonky ones out there; I've just been lucky enough to avoid them But that's my personal experience of them. If yours is to the contrary then sure, sling out the Fenders and switch to another manufacturer. Why not? Blinkered brand loyalty is rarely a win-win.

Great stuff guys! Keep them coming. I've recorded some bits and pieces for mine... and have scribbled some very sweary lyrics that will require a 'parental advisory' notice should I go ahead with them. Or maybe I just need to wash my mouth out with soap and take the Watership Down approach. Nah, **** that! [quote name='alibabu' timestamp='1421132477' post='2657395'] Hehe, I am a Norwegian, we live under the spell of the Law of Jante: [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Jante"]http://en.wikipedia....ki/Law_of_Jante[/url] [/quote] Very interesting. This explains a few characteristics of some Norwegian colleagues of mine

[quote name='MatthiasBass' timestamp='1421069290' post='2656735'] @ No Lust in Jazz: maybe, but it's fun anyway @ Skol303: Thank you! [/quote] No problem, happy to oblige! And PS: I personally [i]love[/i] the sound of a Jazz... most of the time, I prefer Jazzes to Precisions - but the P-bass with pick just fits this particular track the best in my opinion. Although I have to say, there's not a lot separating any of these basses - they all sound great.

Lovely stuff Mike! Great playing from you, as always mate. And the two brothers are pretty damn nifty too. Now for the dubstep remix... Catch up soon. Paul

YAY, WELL DONE SHEP! That's excellent news mate and well deserved. Nice tunes too. But then you already know I'm a fan

Very nice indeed! Keep them coming. PS: [font="helvetica, arial, sans-serif"][color="#282828"]'Baraka' as mentioned above is well worth viewing. I watched it on the big screen at Glastonbury one year... amazing.[/color][/font]

Modded Precision with a pick wins this one for me. But they all sound very nice

I'm not much use here Steve as I work entirely 'in the box'. I did once look into adding outboard gear to my workflow (something I might try one day) and at the time the simplest option seemed to be using a 500-Series rack or an external mixer. Neither of which suggestions are much help, sorry!

Cold rooms are generally fine for storing guitars/basses. You don't want to leave them in the garage, attic or anywhere else where it gets properly cold in winter... but an unheated internal room of a house should be fine. I kept mine in an unheated spare room at our old address and never had any problems. ...unless I'm getting the wrong end of the stick and you're concerned about the temperature because you want to practice in the room and don't want to be cold yourself. In which case yeah, buy a heater!

[font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]I completely abandoned all interest in music at the end of the 1990s, after I’d been working as a music journalist and producing dance stuff at home (as a hobby). The journalism turned me into a cynic - “same old bands, same old music” - so I changed career, sold my gear and just stopped making/listening to music.[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]Ten years on I got the bug again after a pub conversation with an old mate, who mentioned that an old piece of music software I used to love, ReBirth, was available as a mobile App. I bought the App to have a mess around with for nostalgia’s sake. And all of my old passion for music came flooding back! It was very good day and I thank him for it still [/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]What I’m trying to say is… if you think you need to take a break from music, just do it. And try not to feel guilty about it. Trying to stubbornly push ahead will just make something you love feel like ‘work’ rather than ‘play’, and that’s a guaranteed passion-killer. Have a breather, keep some gear in stock, and chances are you’ll come back to it with gusto in due course.[/size][/size][/font] [font=Helvetica][size=3] [size=4]If not, there’s always the For Sale section on Basschat [/size][/size][/font]