Skol303

Some very nice home studios in this thread! Here's mine... ...well, this is where it's [i]going[/i] to be. We're curently moving house and while I'm going to miss the hubub of central Manchester, one perk of suburbia is a little more space to sprawl, which in our case includes this integral garage that I'm planning on converting into a 'music room'. The deal is that Mrs Skol has the rest of the house and this is mine. Seems fair. It won't be for a good while yet - we need to actually move in first (currently packing), let the dust settle and importantly, give time for my wallet to recover. I'm planning on hiring a specialist company for the job - brick up the doorway with an acoustic-treated window, fit the usual damp-proofing and an insulating layer of rockwool (for soundproofing) and then add acoustic treatment. Excitingly, a friend of ours is donating an upright piano! I can't play whatsoever, but as serendipity would have it our new neighbour is a retired music teacher who enjoys tinkling the ivories, so I'm planning on some lessons. Should be fun

Yeah it sucks! I always just use the standard mobile version (via my phone browser) which seems to work much better.

I like it! But it does look quite 'conventional' to me. I say that as someone who loves, for example, traditonal Precision and Jazz basses... but not because of how they look ('cos let's face it, they all look the same - there, I said it! ) but because of how they [u]sound[/u]. There are more unusual and beautiful basses out there, to my taste, but it's all in the eye of the beholder, innit

^ Nice one! Please message me with your email address and I'll send over the mix stems tonight.

[size=5][color=#B22222][b]NEWSFLASH: The deadline for entries is now midnight on Saturday 2nd August.[/b][/color][/size] As mentioned in the Composition Competition thread, I'm moving house next week [i](it's been a long time coming but Mrs Skol and I are now finally Oscar Mike to suburbia). [/i]This means I'll have patchy internet access and a boxed-up computer for a little while, so I'm pushing back the deadline to compensate. If you haven't submitted a mix, but were toying with the idea, then now's your chance!

[color=#b22222][size=5][b]NEWSFLASH: The deadline for entries is now midnight on Monday 28th July.[/b][/size][/color] It turns out I'm moving house next week! [i](this is a good thing that's been a long time coming, rather than an unexpected turn of events).[/i] But it does mean I'll have patchy internet access and a boxed-up computer until Mrs Skol and I have finished settling in to our new abode. So I'm pushing back the deadline for a few days to compensate. As you were

Deftones 'Swerve City' (2013)? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ3w2s3UxO4&feature=kp

I've never played a Stingray, so my own experience is more limited. I must get round to trying one... but not before my wallet can cope with the GAS that will most likely follow

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1404926137' post='2497091'] It's funny how a stingray five compares to a P bass five when their construction is so similar, I'm not knocking fender but I've yet to try a good fender five. [/quote] Like I said, the Deluxe Jazz V I played was superb - best fiver I've ever tried - but I haven't played a 5 string Precision. Do I perhaps detect a hint of bias in your username?

The best 'post-hoc' Fender 5 string I've played is an American Deluxe Jazz V. Really good instruments with a great B string... but that might just have been the one I played They're not cheap, however.

…now newly cleaned, oiled and strung thru the body with DR Neon strings [i](I couldn’t resist the day-glo orange)[/i] I’ve also been recording some more noodlings on it this evening, messing around with the pre-amp. The sample below contains three quick’n’dirty clips, all recorded DI’d - just straight out of the bass with no F-ing around:[list] [*]The first clip is ‘lean and skinny’: tone on full - bridge pickup - mids dialled up about half way. [*]The second is ‘full fat’: tone rolled off - neck pickup - bass boosted. [*]The third is ‘fair to middling’: tone on full - both/even pickups - both mids and bass dialled up a little. [/list] [url="http://soundcloud.com/skol-mixes/more-13-guitar-co-bass"][size=5][b]CLICK TO LISTEN[/b][/size][/url] And yes. I am happy

Looks like a great gig Mike! Nice tone on your Star Bass and I do love a bit of Theremin abuse

[quote name='JazzBassfreak' timestamp='1404760207' post='2495511'] So "Lil Wayne" has talent after all? [/quote] Well he's not my cup of tea, but he has a talent for selling more records than most of us will ever do. And I doubt he'd lose any sleep over our opinions of him either

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1404752979' post='2495431'] Just noticed it seems to have got quite distorted going over to Soundcloud... Shame as I took lots of time making sure nowt went above 0dB[/quote] The SoundCloud player notoriously squishes the living daylights out of any audio that gets fed into it. It compresses the file and probably 're-samples' it to a lower quality - basically a way of streamlining the playback system - and there's not much that can be done to remedy this (downloaded files do however retain their original quality). I have read somewhere that the best approach is to: 1) Upload the best quality files you're able to (I use a minimum 48kHz/24-bit resolution), the theory being that the better quality audio you upload, the better it will sound despite the SoundCloud player's attempts to the contrary. 2) Leave some headroom in your mix - ie. don't squish it right up to 0db but leave a few db or more 'spare'. This apparently means that the SoundCloud player won't compress your audio as vigorously as if your mix is set right up to 0db. ...I personally don't abide by point 2), but it might be worth a try if your mix sounds like it's being put through the mangler when played on SoundCloud.

This might be old news to some of you, but I stumbled across bassist Scott Reeder whilst watching some Warwick videos on YouTube. He's a leftie who plays 'upside down' - in that he developed his style by just literally turning the bass over, so that the E string is where the G string would be in a 'conventional' set up. I thought it was interesting how this influenced his playing style. Well, I thought it was interesting... and I'm a rightie Here's the video if you want a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdb1c1RgSmk

[quote name='JazzBassfreak' timestamp='1404683122' post='2494756']From all I've listened to, it's better than the rubbish that's coming out these days.[/quote] It's all a matter of personal taste, innit. I happen to love Motown... or Nothern Soul, which is the name I know it by. Catchy, dancefloor-friendly songs and some fantastic basslines. What's not to like? My father in law has a huge collection of original Northern Soul on vinyl, which is always a lot of fun to rifle through. I'm sure much of it is indeed "[i]better than the rubbish that's coming out these days"[/i]. But by contrast, that doesn't necessarily make it better than the [i]good[/i] music that's coming out these days. That's the beauty of music... it's always evolving, there's always good and bad, and each generation will always swear that[i] 'their' [/i]music is better than that of the generations before and after them. And so it will always be

^ Cheers guys! It's a very positive outcome and thanks again to Paul at 13 Guitar Co for coming up with an excellent 'Plan B' to the original build. It has pretty much the same electronics and materials as the original 5 string, so the tone is very much what I had in mind. The Nordstrand pre-amp is a beast! It has a really nice saturation when dialed up, so it's possible to get a wide range of tones out of it - even an almost 'tube-like' distortion when fully cranked. Plenty of fun to be had

Ok folks... the deadline has passed and so far we have only two entries! (in addition to my own). I know that some of you regulars are very busy at the moment - that's totally understandable. So I'm going to leave the deadline open for a little while, to give opportunity to anyone who might want to submit a mix but needs more time to work on it. [b]Please message me if you're planning on entering a mix[/b] - and when you might have it finished by - and I'll extend the deadline accordingly. After which, we'll start the voting as per usual. It's a great track, so it would be a shame for it to get lost amidst the usual summer 'haze' of busyness Cheers, Paul

[color=#b22222][size=6][b]New bass day![/b][/size][/color] As you all know the original build project met a painful end, but Paul has been very kind in offering up another bass he had already built. This weekend I met up with him to collect it. And here it is... It looks crazy. It plays superbly. It sounds [i]immense.[/i] I'm very happy! The bass is an early prototype of Paul's that has been fitted with the pre-amp from the original build project (which I got to see - sadly broken, but it looked fantastic!). The specifications of the bass are as follows:[list] [*]4 string singlecut [*]34" scale / 24 fret [*]Body: Cuban mahogany with a wenge top [*]Neck: maple, American black walnut and purpleheart [*]Fingerboard: purpleheart [*]Nordstrand 3b pre-amp [*]Nordstrand Dual Coil humbucking pickups (x2) [*]Hipshot A-Style bridge and tuners [/list] [b]Here's a quick demo of how it sounds.[/b] Nothing special - just something I recorded to give you all a quick listen. This is with the bass set to passive mode and an even balance between the pickups, played finger style. There's no post-production other than some gentle compression. So you're basically hearing the 'raw' instrument: [url="http://soundcloud.com/skol-mixes/13-guitar-co-bass"]http://soundcloud.co...-guitar-co-bass[/url] ...it really growls when the pre-amp is activated! I'll try to record another sample of it this evening, or failing that, I'll be aiming to use it as part of this month's Composition Challenge. A [size=6]HUGE THANKS[/size] to Paul for his generosity and being an all-round nice chap. Cheers

Sounds good! I couldn't commit to this in the short-term (insanely busy in and outside of work) but I'd be interested once I have a bit more time on my hands... hopefully in a month or so. Where's the rehearsal space you have in mind?

[quote name='Kinder' timestamp='1404293175' post='2491136'] I went this year for the first time and had the best weekend I've possibly ever had in my life![/quote] Nice one Kinder! You've given me the itch to go again That's the thing about Glastonbury. People who've never been just read about the mud and the toilets, and watch the TV coverage that depicts it as being all about standing in a field in front of a big stage. But there's so much more to the festival that doesn't get reported - and that's always where the real magic can be found. Each time I've been, we probably spend less than 10% of our time stood at the main stage, and the vast bulk of it exploring the smaller, weirder acts on the other stages. The Circus Field, the Comedy Tent, the Sacred Space late at night... etc. I know the festival has lost much of its former anarchic charm. But it's also lost a lot of the crime and anti-social stuff too (I was there the year before it closed down, before the big fence got put up, and it was hell with people getting robbed and beat up all over the shop). So yeah, I'm looking forward to going again some time and introducing our wee lad to the sights and sounds of it all

I'm looking forward to having a stab at some psychedelia this month. That said we are hoping to be moving house (fingers firmly crossed), so this could be the one time I don't get to submit a track. We shall see. I'm too young (40 yrs!) or more likely uncultured to pretend that Jefferson Airplane had any influence on my musical upbringing. But I am a big fan of Butthole Surfers, Mercury Rev and other 80s acts of that ilk. Plus I enjoyed a misspent youth kicking open the doors of perception. So there's plenty to draw upon right there Should be a good one - and a suitable soundtrack for the summer. Nice choice, Doug!

Guitars typically need overdubs because they are more 'forward' in a mix than bass parts, and so even minor mistakes get exaggerated. It might also be because overdubs are needed to add to interest/dynamics to certain parts of the song, and that the need for these overdubs wasn't apparent until the first takes had been recorded. Same goes for percussion. Bass generally requires fewer (if any) overdubs unless a) The bass is poorly played and out of time; or b ) The song is being revised while in the studio and a new bass part is needed to fit the new composition. Getting your part down without the need for overdubs is - as a bass player - a GOOD THING If you want more involvement in the production then you need to spend time in the studio when the track is being mixed. These are two separate issues. How much studio time/cost you spend to record each part of a song is something only you as a band can agree upon. Ultimately, it's the finished product that matters - the sum of the parts, more than the parts themselves. However, if you think you're spending too much time/money recording a certain part then it might be time to think 'is this necessary?' or perhaps even 'is this musician up to the task??'. But that's for you to decide

[size=5][color=#b22222][b]July's challenge is now up![/b][/color][/size] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/240144-july-composition-challenge-get-recording/"][size=5]GO HERE[/size][/url] Again, well done to Dad3353 and everyone else who entered in June. Sterling work, as always

[color=#b22222][b][size=5]July’s Composition Challenge is now underway.[/size][/b][/color] [size=5]Here's the image for your inspiration, chosen by last month's winner [b]Dad3353[/b]…[/size] [size=5]And here are the rules 'n' stuff…[/size] By entering the competition you agree to the Basschat [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?app=forums&module=extras&section=boardrules"]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: [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. [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. For reference: here's a great source of copyright-free material, all available under Creative Commons license:http://www.freesound.org/ [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! If you have any questions about the competition rules, just ask. [b][color=#b22222][size=5]The deadline for entries is midnight on Monday 28th July.[/size][/color][/b] Get busy!