Skol303

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1410856590' post='2553809'] Love it - it brings together old school electro and electronica in a potassium-rich package. Yummy. You are a skilful blender ;-) [/quote] Cheers Chris! Thanks a bunch

So… I’ve been a busy bee lately, tying up lots of unfinished projects since moving house. Well it beats varnishing the shed, that's for sure. Here’s another remix that I’ve just finished working on. This time it’s at the request of my pal Donnie Ozone, a Brooklyn-based rapper with whom I’ve collaborated on several other tracks (alongside Basschatter ‘Urb’ - aka Mike Flynn). This one is a short, fruity hip hop number with a dollop of straight-faced humour, as is typical of Donnie. Tuck in and make this one of your five a day! Link here: https://soundcloud.com/skollob/banana-run-remix-feat-donnie-ozone Critical feedback very welcome and appreciated, as always. Cheers, Paul

...also, it's important to note that there's really no such thing as truly 'flat' monitors - well, not at the price range you, I and most other people here would be prepared to pay. Each set of monitors will add its own colour and character to the sound - and so whatever set you choose, your ears will need to adjust and you'll still need to check reference material and make judgements on what you're hearing, rather than accepting it as a Gospel truth, so to speak. But I'm sure you know all that. Equally as important is whether you've applied acoustic treatment to the room you're working in. If not, then your choice of monitors is largely irrelevant as the room itself will have an equal (if not greater) impact on the sound reaching your ears. A lot of textbooks on the subject suggest spending as much on acoustic treatment as on monitors. Bear in mind this is all coming from someone who a) has his monitors in boxes because he doesn't currently have space to set them up; b ) works in a room with absolutely zero acoustic treatment; and consequently c) mixes solely on headphones!

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1410790299' post='2553142'] Thank you. Now I'm confused. I wouldn't mind something secondhand, so I was thinking £300ish should get me an awesome set in the secondhand market. However there seems to be a lot of quality sets new in the £200-£300 range. Mmmmmmmmmm..., [/quote] You can some great deals secondhand... and also some with knackered cones that have been ragged by previous owners It's one area of audio where I myself decided to buy new and do the 'breaking in' myself. But you can get some great bargains, so don't overlook the second hand market. PS: as an aside, I did consider a pair of secondhand NS10s, as they're often cited as being the 'industry standard' - but a long conversation with an engineer mate of mine talked me out of it as he considered them "overrated" in comparison to modern equivalents. Just something to bear in mind if you opt for secondhand.

Go for it!! I stopped smoking four years ago using my own Patented [i]'Get frickin' angry with yourself and get it done!®'[/i] method (™Skol Industries. All rights reserved. Cheques to the usual address). It was just before I became a father. I figured that if I ended up dying of lung caner or heart failure, then I'd give ANYTHING for a few extra years - even days - spent with my wife and son. And it scared me how selfish I might feel on that hospital bed, saying sorry to them for not quitting earlier. Of course I might [i]yet[/i] die of lung cancer or heart failure... but if that's the case, I'll at least know I did my best to level the odds. So yeah... not the most positive and uplifting method! In fact I took a very dark and downward route, but in doing so I found my 'fighting spirit' and came out swinging with gritted teeth Worked for me. So if it helps, forget all that 'softly softly' stuff. Just picture it as a gnarly, weatherbeaten mountain and start scrambling. The view from the top is spectacular

Good question! And one that always ends up being answered by: [i]"Spend as much as you can afford"[/i] I did some window shopping around this subject recently. I didn't want to re-mortgage the house (I'm just a hobbyist, after all) and so set myself a budget of around £300-£400 maximum. I ended up with a pair of Mackie 'MR' Mk2 series, which I found on sale (they come in 5" or 8" size - the latter obviously recommended for larger rooms). Review here: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct11/articles/mackie-mr-mk2.htm They get consistently positive reviews and can currently be found on the cheap as the newer - but not substantially better - Mackie Mark 3 (Mk3) series are now available. To be honest, it's all 'much of a muchness' unless you're spending upwards of £1000 on a pair of properly sealed (i.e. non-ported) monitors. Everyone will have their own preference - which 99% of the time is going to based on what they themselves have at home (the old 'brand loyalty' effect, which I'm guilty of myself!). But you can't go wrong with any of the examples listed in this thread, which all offer a good bang for your buck$.

[i]Only[/i] 1 in 20... actually, I think that's a fairly healthy proportion myself! Seems fairly comparable to when I first picked up a bass in the late 80s. I had 20+ friends and I was the only bass player amongst them. There are perhaps even more distractions around today - certainly more avenues for getting involved in music - and perhaps more competition for picking up a guitar from aspects of music such as DJing and software-based songwriting. So yeah, 5% sounds healthy to me.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1410579276' post='2550989']Here we go, to get the ball rock'n'rollin... [url="https://soundcloud.com/dad3353/miles-bach-in-london"]Miles Bach in London...[/url] Enjoy.[/quote] [quote name='VasDim' timestamp='1410679913' post='2551779'] Hi, This is my attempt: [url="https://soundcloud.com/vassildim/hoshe-mamba-vasdims-mix"]https://soundcloud.c...mba-vasdims-mix[/url] [/quote] Nice work guys! And quick too!! A good start to the challenge

[quote name='kristinaelias' timestamp='1410558085' post='2550892'] I learned a HUGE amount about setups from a youtube channel called 'Dave's world of fun stuff'[/quote] Dave is a legend I do most basic set up stuff myself. But there are occasions when I take an instrument to a 'pro' guitar tech - I use Jack's Instrument Services in Manchester. I always learn new things from Jack and he does a superb job. So I wouldn't totally discount hiring a professional tech - I just wouldn't use one ALL the time.

'Kinell, what a gig!! Thoroughly enjoyed that from start to finish. Looks and sounds great. And the band are superb - those practice sessions clearly paid off as you all made it look as though you've been playing together for years. I especially like 'SitSka' and 'Mrs Moo'. Sheema comes across as being lovely - I warmed to her immediately - and wow, what a musician. Very good indeed mate!

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1410454685' post='2549642'] And you proved that beautifully mate [/quote] Thanks bud

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1410388608' post='2549038']...thanks and congratulations to the 'Zulu' team, firstly for the toe-tapping piece they've come up with, and secondly, for giving us the opportunity to mess it all up..! Back later. Don't wait up, it could take a while... [/quote] Nice one Douglas, good to hear that you're having a go at this! Take your time... no rush [quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1410432932' post='2549346']Looking forward to hearing these ones - love the idea of a remix challenge. Assuming this is the same song that Skol remixed recently, there should be plenty of scope for variation for this great track.[/quote] Indeed! It's a great little track and open to lots of different approaches for remixing. I started off with a number of different directions myself and ended up settling on what felt natural to me. I think that's an important thing to bear in mind when remixing - you can get caught up in trying to cater for what you think the band (or a specific audience) want to hear, when it's best to just go with your gut feeling and create something that sounds good to [u]you[/u], the remixer.

Charlie Brooker's 'Dawn of the Dumb' (non-fictional ranting) has had me laughing out loud on public transport, but it's probably not everyone's cup of tea.

[b][size=5][color=#800000]The mixing challenge is back on in the Recording forum - with a slight twist![/color][/size][/b] As a one off, we’re inviting you to [i]remix [/i]the super-excellent track ‘Hoshe Mamba’ by London Zulu (an outfit featuring Basschat member xilddx on bass). [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/244967-remixing-challenge-now-on/"]Head over to the Recording Forum for details…[/url]

[color=#800000][size=6][b]The votes are in and the winner is... [/b][/size][/color][size=6][b]ironside1966![/b][/size] Very well done A highly inventive and superbly produced take on the original track. Top marks as usual! And a hearty slap on the back to [i]everyone[/i] who took part in this challenge. Each one of you made the track your own and it was really good listening to them all and hearing your different musical 'personalities' come through. Great stuff guys. These challanges don't get anywhere near the recognition they deserve in terms of votes, but for a small cadre of hobbyist mix engineers, we do ourselves proud I hope you've enjoyed this remixing challenge. We'll revert back to the usual format of a straight-up 'mixing' challenge for the next one... but let me know in the comments here if you'd like to try another remix in future, and we'll sort that out if so. Cheers. Paul [size=4]Here are the entries:[/size] [url="http://soundcloud.com/dad3353/miles-bach-in-london"][b][size=5]Dad3353[/size][/b][/url] [url="http://soundcloud.com/vassildim/hoshe-mamba-vasdims-mix"][size=5][b]VasDim[/b][/size][/url] [b][url="http://soundcloud.com/lurksalot/london-zulu-lurks-remix"][size=5]lurksalot[/size][/url][/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/is1966/hoshe-mamba-london-zulu-ironside1966-mix"][b][size=5]ironside1966[/size][/b][/url] [url="http://soundcloud.com/ian-sherlock-1/hoshe-mamba-bc-mix-final"][b][size=5]Bottle[/size][/b][/url] [url="http://soundcloud.com/simplexsounds/october-remix-bc"][size=5][b]JamesFlashG[/b][/size][/url] [url="http://soundcloud.com/miltyg565/hoshe-mambe-basschat-remix-competition"][b][size=5]MiltyG565[/size][/b][/url] Big thanks to Nigel and Tim from London Zulu for offering up the track for this challenge. Cheers guys! And big [b]well done[/b] to everyone who took part. A sterling effort all round.

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1410193847' post='2546996']Big thumbs up from me![/quote] [quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1410331745' post='2548157']I LOVE it! Fabulous work [/quote] ^ Thanks both! Really glad you like it and cheers for taking the time to have a listen - greatly appreciated [quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1410301466' post='2548090']You can download Skol's remix for free from the TGU website if you want. [url="http://www.reverbnation.com/transglobalunderground/song/21763873-hoshe-mamba-skol-remix?1336410755"]http://www.reverbnat...emix?1336410755[/url] [/quote] Cheers for the heads-up Nige Tim mentioned he was going to put it online in advance of your upcoming gig on the 19th. Hope that goes well mate - it looks like a really good night out.

Big thanks Nige! It was genuinely a pleasure

I’ve just finished working on a remix of the super-excellent [i]‘Hoshe Mamba’[/i] by London Zulu - an outfit comprising members of Transglobal Underground and featuring Basschat’s very own xilddx on bass! The brief was to turn the original into a “banging club track” and that’s hopefully what I’ve achieved. It was first aired about a week ago at Divan du Monde (nightclub) in Paris and went down very well with the crowd there, so mission accomplished on that front Have a listen, crank it up and I hope you enjoy it: http://soundcloud.com/skollob/hoshe-mamba-remix Thanks to Nige for putting this opportunity my way - hugely appreciated mate! It was a really fun track to work with and the original material top notch, which always makes things [i]sooo[/i] much easier. Critical feedback very welcome, as always. Cheers! Paul

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1409878478' post='2544320']I find Reaper [i]et al[/i] far too overwhelming and busy for what the OP is trying to achieve. Audacity makes perfect sense to me when I try to do such things (tack some of my bass onto a pre-existing recording then mix down). A DAW is crazy complicated looking thing for such a simple task - it might as well be the flight deck of an aeroplane to me and I'm not stupid or some kind of technophobe - I work in IT and I've been using computers since I was 8. But I just look at a DAW and go WTF? I have tried a few (Reaper, Ardour are the two I recall) and it's been the same reaction every time. Each to their own. When I hit the wall and can't do something in Audacity, I'll revisit DAWs and maybe make a better go of it because I have to. But right now, I don't have to, and I really don't want to [/quote] That's a totally understandable reaction! Pretty much all DAWs do look hideously complex when you first start using them (perhaps with the exception of [url="https://www.propellerheads.se/products/reason/"]Reason[/url], my own preference, but it's not the cheapest of the bunch). If you set aside, say, two hours to learn the basics of any DAW - using YouTube tutorials is a great way to do this - then you'll be over the initial technical hurdle and it just gets easier, quicker and more creative from thereon in. I promise. It's that initial [i]"WTF! Where the heck do I start!?"[/i] reaction that puts a lot of people off. I was no different when I started producing music. You just need to persevere a little - like I said, a couple of hours should do it - and after that you'll be well underway. The benefit of doing so is that you can achieve [i]much[/i] more with a DAW than you can with Audacity. And you can do what Audacity does much better once you've learnt the ropes (not that I'm knocking Audacity - as I said before, I use it frequently myself). But heh. If you know what you like and like what you know, then there's a strong argument for just sticking with that.

Audacity is a great piece of freeware (I use it frequently for cleaning up audio) but it's a little 'clumsy' for what you're trying to achieve. Have a look at Reaper, which is available for free on an unlimited trial basis or commercially for around £50. Bucketloads of tutorials for it on YouTube: http://www.reaper.fm And lots of Reaper users lurking around in the Recording forum on Basschat

I have a neat little app on my Apple phone, called Robick, that does exactly what you're looking for. Here's a link to it... but I'm not sure whether it's available as a desktop app to be run on your Macbook: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/robick/id417016186?mt=8 I'd also recommend having a look at Reaper - it's a full digital audio workstation (DAW), and so it will do a lot more in addition to what you're looking for! But that's no bad thing and you may even end up exploring the world of music production after having a dabble with it. Reaper is available under a free, unlimited trial license from here: http://www.reaper.fm Have fun

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1409741028' post='2542788']I know what I [i]want[/i] to do but will need to find some other musicians to make it happen as I cannot play any of the instruments involved to the required level.[/quote] Remember the unwritten yet golden rule: NO BAGPIPES! Please

Nice! Gotta love Warwick. They make superb instruments, whether Rockbass or German-made - they sound (and feel) consistently excellent. Nice No Means No poster too

[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1409570743' post='2540922']I'm off to Brainsavers......lol....[/quote] Been there... I misheard and thought they said "trains" instead of brains, so asked for a slow and leisurely one [quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1409575809' post='2541019']may have a crack when i get my honeymoon out of the way[/quote] Get your priorities straight Rob, the honeymoon can wait! Seriously though mate, congratulations and have a great time. ----- PS: a hasty submission last month and now a hasty choice of photo for this one... I need to get back to my usual, punctual self. Hope the choice of image is ok for y'all. I liked the simplicity of it and thought that the birds on the wire looked a little bit like notes on a stave (maybe Bilbo or Gary can transcribe it for us??). I also liked the lone bird beneath - clearly a rebel or an outcast, one of the two. Anyway, hope it inspires.