Skol303

I know it always gets said… but the standard of entries this month is superb! Really good work everyone. And nice to see some old friends back amongst us (welcome back Mr Stone - a very fine track indeed). Cheers all

[color=#b22222][b][size=5]Voting has now started on June’s Composition Challenge![/size][/b][/color] [size=5]Here's the inspiration for this month's music, chosen by last month’s winner [b]Stephen Houghton:[/b][/size] [size=5]And here are the compositions. Please listen to each track and pick your favourite:[/size] [b]Dad3353[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/dad3353/from-nothing-to-all"]‘From Nothing to All…’[/url] [b]stu g[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/stuartgeary/cities-by-night"]‘Citadels of the Night’[/url] [b]lurksalot[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/lurksalot/above-and-beyond"]‘Above and Beyond’[/url] [b]Leonard Smalls[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/dredd-and-the-badass-weed/one-moon-circles"]‘One Moon Circles’[/url] [b]Bilbo[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/the-final-frontier"]‘The Final Frontier’[/url] [b]RockfordStone[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/robslusarmusic/flight-of-apollo"]‘Flight of Apollo’[/url] [b]Skol303[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/skollob/they-came-in-peace"]‘They Came in Peace’[/url] [i][CONTAINS SWEARING! NSFW][/i] [b][color=#b22222][size=5]Voting ends at midnight on Monday 30th June.[/size][/color][/b] Enjoy

OK, I just got mine done! Phew. Very much the sci-fi soundtrack route for me this month. I had in mind the opening credits of some space horror blockbuster, but just didn’t find the time this month to quite capture what I was imagining. But never mind. [b]PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS TRACK CONTAINS SWEARING![/b] There’s a smattering of F-bombs at the very need of the track [i](no spoilers).[/i] I know it’s neither big nor clever, but it is occasionally funny and made me chuckle when I discovered the sample. This and the other radio chatter is all copyright-free (non commercial); I’ll let you work out which bits are authentic NASA and which aren’t… it’s not difficult Anyway, here it is: http://soundcloud.com/skollob/they-came-in-peace Feedback gratefully received, as always. I’ll boot up the voting thread in a second…

[color=#B22222][b]Deadline for entries is this evening at midnight![/b][/color] Latecomers are always welcome, but the voting won't wait up [size=3][i]...says he planning to finish something hastily tonight.[/i][/size]

Brilliant! Chalk me up as being an 80s 'home computer' kid. My old man worked as a satellite engineer for BT, so he was always bringing home the latest 'puters to tinker about on. He still has a big collection of them in his loft at home. We definitely had a ZX81, ZX Spectrum, C64 and of course the BBC Micro, which was probably my favourite. I spent many hours/days/months (?) playing Elite on that machine. As well as typing in game code from magazines, line-by-line, and then trying to de-bug them and get them working. A valuable lesson in dealing with disappointment. Happy days I first started making music using tracker software on the old Commodore 64, which had a surprisingly good soundcard if memory serves. In fact this was one of my all times favourites... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFgXGw_kXpc

[quote name='megallica' timestamp='1403510643' post='2483252'] Seriously though a 16 year old at an all night rave, am I being naive here or should his parents be investigated by social services? [/quote] Well I couldn't possibly comment about what I was doing myself at that age, but I think the tactful thing is to say that some children grow up more quickly than others and develop cunning ways of keeping their parents misinformed I do, however, still have all of my fingers intact. Clearly I wasn't skanking hard enough. EDIT: I've pretty much said exactly the same thing as Mark! Maybe we went to the same parties...

It's an odd compromise for me. I used to spend [i]ages[/i] working on each track - three months wasn't uncommon - and I'd end up obsessing over tiny details (that only I would really notice) for far too long. Now, in fact since the start of the Basschat monthly challenge, I tend to produce things more quickly, maybe even more slapdash, but I'm actually enjoying the process more and don't get so hung up on the details. I've compared my more recent stuff to things produced a year or more ago and there's not a huge difference in 'quality'. That's either disappointing, in that I perhaps haven't improved as much as I'd like - or heartening, in that I'm achieving the same standard of results, only much more quickly. But yeah. I always think it's best to finish each project as 'properly' as you can and not leave things half baked. Although to paraphrase: [i]"A composition is never truly finished, only abandoned"[/i] PS: good luck with the ditty, Rob. As you know, Gary (lowdown) is the person to contact on here for any advice on jingle-writing, should you need it.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1403176064' post='2480448']I worked out a long time ago that you shoudl buy what you want because then the GAS stops. If you buy nearly but not quite, the GAS remains. [/quote] Ditto. Within reason (or specifically, within budget) I now save up for the gear I actually want, rather than buying things along the way for the more immediate 'consumer satisfaction', but knowing deep down that it'll be shortlived. I've since gone from owning 4-5 "ok" instruments to two that I really like, and I'm slowly but surely applying the same logic to other things. Good things come to those who wait, and other cliches

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1403035856' post='2479151'] Well although this started out as a Precision Test, the real deal on this is the Precision pickup isn`t it. So I`m quite happy for non-Precision looking basses, so long as they`ve a Precision pickup that can be soloed/played passive. [/quote] Just to mirror Happy Jack's message above: Nooooooooo!!!! [i](mine has one extra 'o' and exclamation mark).[/i] Just stick to Precisions, at least that's my suggestion. Otherwise you're introducing too many variables and it just ends being a test of 'which bass sounds best'? Rather than 'which Precision sounds best', which is a more interesting outcome IMO. But it sounds like a fun experiment, regardless

Nice one Rik, I like it. It's quite a departure from your older stuff I've heard (different band, of course) and I actually prefer it. Catchy song, well played and although I'm only listening on my phone it sounds well produced... but then the phone test is perhaps the ultimate test! Video looks professional and well composed/shot. The singer could do with a bit less of the surprised/scary eyes routine (I really don't mean any offence by that!!); maybe a little bit over-acted on his part in a few places but that's always better than a 'wooden' performance, which this isn't. Seems like a great outfit. And the keys player more than compensates for a guitarist. Very impressive mate! Keep us updated on this... Paul

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1403014787' post='2478854']Only if you set the threshold too low![/quote] Very true! I'd still use a compressor myself... only because limiters, by definition, usually have a high compression ratio (10:1 or more). I'd rather achieve the same result by chaining a couple of compressors together: typically one that's set super-quick and agressive, to flatten the spikes, and another more gentle to smooth things over. It tends to result in a more 'natural' sound... but maybe that's not always the desired result. It's all horses for courses, innit And I work with software, not hardware, so I effectively have as many compressors at my disposal as my CPU will allow. If I was working with outboard gear then sure, I might consider a limiter as a better 'general purpose' device for live recording.

[quote name='PeteS' timestamp='1403009959' post='2478786']During a recent recording I realised that I occasionally get a massive spike - or clank as I've heard it described. I am sure it's a combination of my playing style and bass (Fender Jazz Special from '89). It never really bothered me until I heard it recorded and saw the size of the spike on the screen. My action is fairly high, playing style - finger picking, a bit John Paul Jones/Entwistle, but it's difficult to change my style. So - would I benifit from a Limiter - if so what type is best? Cheers Pete[/quote] I wouldn't recommend a limiter - they're fairly brutal devices and can pummel any sense of human 'dynamics' out of your sound. IMO you'd be better off using a compressor (same principle, but less like slamming your sound into a brick wall) or better still, work on your playing style to help even out the spikes naturally. If it's any consolation, my own recordings always contain such spikes, which I 'tame' by applying a compressor to the recorded track. I prefer to apply things like compression and EQ post-recording (rather than during the recording), as it allows me to adjust the recording however I like, rather than being stuck with the recording 'as is'. But that's me [quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1403011771' post='2478820']Can someone expelling to me the term "noise gate"? Is that similar to a noise limiter?[/quote] No, they're quite different. A limiter sets a maximum level (volume) for a sound and prevents any noise louder than this level from passing through it (by effectively 'squishing' such louder sounds back down to the maximum level that's been set). Heavy limiting can cause all sorts of weird 'artefacts' in the outputted sound, typically distortion, so it should be used carefully. A noise gate is a device that allows sound to pass through it once the sound reaches a certain level (volume), which can be set by the user. For example: noise gates are commonly used when mixing drums, when you're trying to remove the unwanted sounds (aka 'spill') from a particular drum mic recording. So you might use a noise gate on a snare drum recording, so that the gate 'opens' when the snare drum sounds, but remains 'shut' the rest of the time, keeping out any noises that have spilled over from other drum mics (such as hi hats and overheads). Hope that helps

[quote name='Bassassin' timestamp='1403003278' post='2478692']...it's mostly music journalists & marketing chimps trying to define/promote something fundamentally unremarkable & retrospective as the Next Big Thing, and these labels tend to stick.[/quote] True... I used to be one such journalist! I remember using the term 'folkstep' once as a joke. That's now a recognised genre I'm still waiting for 'Klezmer-core' to take hold, but give it time, give it time. On a more serious note, all of these various genres and sub-genres don't just serve the purpose of keeping journalists and PR people happy. They're also an important part of fans' own identity - especially during teenage years, when identity is everything. I used to like metal as a youngster (still do), but had you asked me at the time I'd have specified it as being 'thrash metal', just to make sure you didn't think I was busy listening to Poison, or whatever. Rock is a BIG genre, so dividing it up in to little 'realms' helps people identify with it in different ways. ...but that's not to say I know what 'Alternative Rock' really means! I know it's meant to be alternative to mainstream rock, but I think alt-rock has [i]become[/i] mainstream rock, so I have no idea where that leaves us. But I'm no longer a teenage dirtbag, so I don't care

Good to hear you're all being busy! I managed to make a brief start on mine at the weekend. It's a sci-fi inspired, soundtrack-ish, electronic ambient number with very little sense of melody. So that's me set to win the [i]'Toe-Tapper of the Year'[/i] award, for sure

[quote name='Stephen Houghton' timestamp='1402705559' post='2476263']Remember Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to [b]look beyond the imperfections,[/b][/quote] Each and every morning in the bathroom mirror [quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1402731002' post='2476318']this one always make me smile.[/quote] Haha, love it!

It’s been a long week, despite the sunshine… Too much work. House moving paperwork. Mrs Skol neck deep in exam board marking. Skol Jnr’s nursery failing its Ofsted. Stress. Remedy? Fire up Happy by Pharrell and jam along. Genuinely made me grin from ear to ear Corny, eh, but who cares. I like this guy’s version of it too… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g5_J0Kske8

In a word: no, you don't need a sampler [i](ok, that's six words).[/i] You need something like an [url="http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/irig/"]iRig[/url] to connect your bass to an iPad; or you need an audio interface to connect to your computer ([url="http://uk.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/scarlett-2i2"]this one[/url] is cheap and very cheerful). You can then record your bass playing using an iPad app (such as [url="http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/amplitubeipad/"]Amplitube[/url]) or using software on your Mac (such as GarageBand). Don't write-off GarageBand as being complicated. It's actually very easy, you just need to spend about an hour getting used to it. YouTube tutorials are a great help in that regard. Once you have your loop recorded, you can play it and add drums / other instruments using whatever app or software you choose, including Maschine. I think you can actually sample your bass playing directly into Maschine... but you'll need an audio interface to do that. It's not uncommon to suffer from mild technophobia But I assure that what you're trying to achieve is very straightforward. It only seems complicated because it's unfamiliar. And it'll only become familiar through investing a little time in learning the ropes. People advertise 'plug an play' solutions, but whatever route you choose it's unavoidable that you're going to have to learn something new. Personally, I'd recommend buying an audio interface and using GarageBand, unless portability is a big issue. Apps are great for noodling around (I have Amplitube myself), but you'll soon run into limitations that you won't find with desktop software. If you need help, drop me a message.

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1402499125' post='2474165'] OK, I don't know any electronica Christians.[/quote] Moby

Lots of good and honest opinions here. I've sent you a message with mine

[quote name='tinyd' timestamp='1402397814' post='2472964'] Excuse my ignorance, but I have a couple of questions about how this works - I'm assuming that you receive the other part(s) as an audio file, then record your own part and send it back, then they listen to it, maybe suggest changes etc, and then incorporate it into the final mix. What about a click track to maintain tempo, or is that a no-no? Sorry for the questions, but I'm genuinely interested in how this process works (I'd like to do something similar). Thanks! [/quote] Yep, that's about the sum of it! Either a click track, or just an agreed bpm, or if working with a live drummer, they occasionally lay down their part first for everyone else to play to. The different parts then get brought together by one member of the team into a full mix (this is usually my job), which everyone then comments on until a final copy is agreed. It's a lot more straightforward than it might seem.

Opinions are great. It's how they're expressed that sometimes sucks This has been true since the dawn of human existence. So I wouldn't be too surprised or alarmed at it applying to this little community, as it does to all others.

I don't have one myself... although I use Reason software... but it gets very positive reviews and can be used with any DAW, just like any other interface. One of its best features appears to be a 'no clip' feature, which helps to ensure you don't record things too loud and distort (aka clip) the signal. Comes with Reason Essentials, which allows you start recording stuff and writing tracks 'straight out of the box' (and is very easy to use). Definitely worth a look. But again, I'm biased

Well they haven't yet caught Evgeniy Bogachev... http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/02/us-russian-hacker-evgeniy-bogachev-100m-fraud

[quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1401897741' post='2468041']I want to do something like this, but wouldn't know where to get the contacts haha[/quote] SoundCloud has always worked for me. I search within a relevant genre of music (normally for vocalists, so I add that as a search term) and then spend some time listening to what turns up. There are always a few diamonds in the rough When I find something I like, I send the person a quick message setting out what I'm looking for, with a link to my own SC page for reference. I've never yet had anyone say no! Although I've had plenty of non-replies. I think SoundCloud is a good platform for finding collaborators as it's pretty much focussed solely on the music itself, rather than fussing around with artist biographies and photo galleries, etc, so you can get straight to the point.

Well done Rob! This is exactly how I operate... and it's a lot of fun That said, I'd always swap it for recording in the same room as other people, given the choice. But when that's not possible it's a very workable alternative. Plus, it's perhaps a little less 'pressured', which can have its advantages. The world certainly is an increasingly small place. PS: if you get opportunity/permission, then post up the finished track here. I'm currently dabbling in something with Nigel (xilddx) that involves a nice kora part. It's a fantastic instrument. Paul