Skol303

Ok, all of the mixes are in I'll be posting up the voting thread later on this evening. I'm working late today (deadlines!) so this might not be until after more sensible people's bedtimes.

Evening all. It's looking like it might be tomorrow now... I'm still having technical difficulties getting hold of one of the mixes. Normal service will resume ASAP!

Well done to everyone who's entered a track for the mixing challange! We have some VERY good submissions this time round I'm currently waiting on one of the files to be re-sent due a technical hitch - and I don't want to kick-start the voting without everyone being onboard - so we may need to postpone the voting until tomorrow. Hope you're all cool with that. To make things fair I'm happy to accept further submissions in the meantime. Some of you have used the K-14 metering, others haven't. Not a big deal. I'm going to post up a step-by-step walkthrough on how to do this for the next one. If time permits, I may K-meter those tracks that haven't been processed to create a level playing field. Although I'm sure that listeners are able to work their volume controls just fine Again, well done. It's going to be a good one! Paul

Well done Doug! I haven't listened to it yet but top marks for speed. Coming back to Lurks comment on a daily challenge.... Actually a 'Weekend Challenge', maybe with a prize of some sort if we can arrange one, might be a nice idea sometime, assuming we give ourselves enough notice of when it would happen. I've also been thinking about running a charity challenge one month. We could package the entries up as an 'album' on Bandcamp (say for £3) and give the proceeds to a good cause. In fact, there's no reason why we couldn't do that every month. Something to consider

[quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1399042250' post='2440386']can work with this one i think, lets do it[/quote] Nice one Rob! Go for it mate. [quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1399056586' post='2440622']HOLY SCHMOLEY My heart felt it dropped like a stone when I saw that picc, in a physical sense , that is soooooo uncomfortable to look at its untrue.[/quote] I'm with you on that Lurks! I'm terrible with heights myself. If you want a real scare, search under 'Mustang Wanted' on YouTube and watch some of his videos. They make me feel faint!! [quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1399057407' post='2440632']Well, my view on that picture..... Just some yob, lying on the roof of the entrance lobby of some high rise in Peckham, With an Alien attack going on behind him.[/quote] Haha, brilliant Gary! Now you've mentioned it that's all I can see

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1399032671' post='2440210']I've seen this guy before. He's a nutter. I'm in.[/quote] He is indeed! Mustang Wanted... total lunatic. I watched a Channel 4 documentary about urban free-climbing a few weeks and ago and he featured prominently. I suffer from vertigo and some of the stuff he was going left me feeling queazy Incredibly brave [i]and[/i] stupid. [quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1399032978' post='2440221']Once again, food for the imagination. Vertigo..? Hang on in..? Beanie hats..? Finger style..? Cliffhanger..? Small trees..? Hmm... Not as easy-peasy as one would think. I'll be back...[/quote] Nice one Doug, some interesting ideas there. [quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1399037677' post='2440317']Got something. Like a contrast thing. Got something down already![/quote] Bloomin' 'eck, that was quick!

Thanks again guys. Always a pleasure to get positive feedback from such good company [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/235949-may-composition-challenge-get-recording/"][size=6]May's challenge is now up![/size][/url] Get to it...

[b][color=#800000][size=5]May's Composition Challenge is now underway.[/size][/color][/b] [size=5]Here's the image for your inspiration…[/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. [color=#800000][b][size=5]The deadline for entries is midnight on Sunday 25th May.[/size][/b][/color] Don't hang around...!

Cheers Bilbo! Yours got my vote this month. I'm always a sucker for a well-played upright I'll get a picture posted for May sometime this morning...

[color=#800000][size=6][b]VOTING ENDS TONIGHT![/b][/size][/color] Get busy...

This has more to do with psychology than economics. It comes down to whether you consider the postage to have been truly "free" in the original purchase (eg. a £100 product sold for £100 with the postage for gratis), or whether you consider it to have been "included" (eg. an £80 product sold for £100 with the difference covering the shipping fee). Only the person who originally sold you the product knows whether the postage was truly "free" or simply "included", and they'll always claim it was the former So weirdly... if you're a glass half full kinda guy and think the original postage really was free, then you'll feel out of pocket if you sell it on for the same amount and have to pay postage on top. Whereas if you're a cynic like me, then you'll think the original postage was actually paid for in the initial deal and won't mind selling it on for the same amount. And now my head hurts!!

I attempted to carve a career in music during my early 20s (as a club DJ), when I was younger and generally more 'up for it'. I gave up because I found that a lot of the success factors were out of my control (the old "who you know, not what you know" scenario) and it was starting to poison why I ventured into music in the first place - because I loved music. So I stopped and became a music journalist instead... and then set up my own business in 2002. All of which is another story My point is, there's no shame in trying and equally there's no shame in doing something else. Music (in fact all creative arts) is a difficult scene to make a living from. And it can sap your creative passion, just as quickly as it can your bank account. So by all means give it a crack. You'll regret it if you don't. But know when to pull the plug if it doesn't work out.

[color=#a52a2a][size=5][b]It's voting time in April's Composition Competition.[/b][/size][/color] Nine tracks for your delectation, all written around the theme of 'funk'[i] (that being the musical variety, not a "strong offensive smell"... well, it wasn't me anyway, I've been eating salad all day. Honest).[/i] Have a listen and pick your favourite. [size=5][url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/235400-april-composition-challenge-voting/"]CLICK HERE - DO IT NOW![/url][/size] Cheers

[color=#b22222][b]VOTING THREAD IS UP[/b][/color] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/235400-april-composition-challenge-voting/"][size=6]Go, go, go![/size][/url]

[color=#b22222][b][size=5]Voting has now started on April's Composition Challenge![/size][/b][/color] [size=5]Here's the inspiration for this month's music, chosen by last month's winner [b]AL-the-Bassman[/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/find-your-destiny"]Find Your Destiny[/url] [b]lurksalot[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/lurksalot/funky-cow"]Funky Cow[/url] [b]Bilbo[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/robert-palmer-1/improvisation-on-a-funk-motif"]Improvisation On A Funk Motif[/url] [b]AL-the-Bassman[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/al-the-bassman/what-on-earth-is-funk"]What On Earth Is Funk?[/url] [b]Lord Sausage[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/dreaded-ted/04a"]Dekhop[/url] [i][unfinished, but still up for it!][/i] [b]the boy[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/theboysings/aint-nobody-hurtin-2"]Ain't Nobody Hurtin....[/url] [b]MikeBass[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/collm2002/funkingreen"]FunkinGreen[/url] [b]Skol303[/b] [url="https://soundcloud.com/skollob/never"]Never[/url] [b]timhiggins[/b] [url="http://soundcloud.com/timothy-terrence-higgins-iv/sunshine-serenade"]Sunshine Serenade[/url] [color=#b22222][b][size=5]Voting ends at midnight on Thursday 1st May.[/size][/b][/color] Well done to everyone who submitted a track. Sterling work, as always

Just on my way back from a work trip... The voting thread will be posted up later tonight

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1398235009' post='2431820'] Ah bloody hell! I really need to keep a closer eye on this forum! How long have I got? 10/11 days? Best get to it! [/quote] Plenty of time Milty! It's a very mix-friendly set of stems, so you should have no problems.

[quote name='moonbass' timestamp='1398071172' post='2429995'] Just about ready to submit this one. Are we K-metering this month? [/quote] Yup, K-14 please! I'll K-meter any mixes we receive that aren't... but it's always best if you can make the adjustment yourselves

[quote name='AL-the-Bassman' timestamp='1398204193' post='2431735']Very Good Track Paul. love it[/quote] [quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1398205951' post='2431758']My oh my, the source hasn't dried up; yet another chef d'oeuvre for the collection. I really don't know how all these will be received. The voting is going to be a real lottery, I think. Another potential winner, Paul; well done.[/quote] Thanks guys! Glad you dig it I'll post up some feedback on everyone's tracks once we get to the voting. Hopefully I'll have the voting thread pinned up later tonight...

Ok, I’m done. Enjoyed it this month. I can’t really say that what I’ve come up with is funk. Maybe more like soul, or RnB, or well, I don’t bloody know… it’s funkish. That’s as good as I get Bass and guitars are my own (Fender P with flats and an old Strat copy). Drums were written in MIDI using a sampled kit (one of several I’ve nerdily put together over the years). Rhodes piano and strings are from the default Reason factory sound bank, again written in MIDI but with some automation to help make them sound ‘played’. The vocal is unsurprisingly not my own. It's a royalty-free acapella sung by a lady called Patricia Edwards, who from her SoundCloud seems to put out a lot of soul and Gospel. Nice voice. Well it was until I dropped the pitch, fooled around with it and turned her into something sounding like Gnarls Barkley It sort of fitted… so it stayed. Here’s the link: http://soundcloud.com/skollob/never Comments and criticism very welcome, as always. As mentioned, I’ll try to post up the voting thread tomorrow night. Failing that (due to work travels) it’ll be on Thursday. Cheers all. Paul

[color=#800000][size=5][b]>>> UPDATE <<<[/b][/size][/color] Firstly, wow! I've only had a very brief listen to some of the entries and from what I've heard they sound great. Well done guys, you've all clearly got the [i]fonk[/i]. I'm planning to launch the voting tomorrow night, as stated in the original post, but... I'm away on a work trip to the depths of mid-Wales [i](you've all read Heart of Darkness, right?)[/i] where I might not have a WiFi connection. So if you don't see the voting thread get pinned tomorrow night, then don't panic. In which case I'll post it up late on Thursday and allow an extra day of voting to compensate. Which reminds me, I need to get my own track finished Cheers all, Paul

[quote name='timhiggins' timestamp='1397578784' post='2425355'] I have always found funk to be present in all genres of music so competition seems wide open to me ! looking forward to it [/quote] Welcome Tim! Don't be a stranger... if you ever fancy rolling up your sleeves and having a go at the monthly challenge then dive right in, the water is... err... funky!? Actually that sounds quite unappealing in that context. But you get what I mean

I've been promising to write a thread on this very subject for [i]AGES[/i]... so I really must get round to doing it In the meantime, as a basic shopping list I'd recommend: [size=5]ESSENTIALS[/size] [b]Software:[/b] GarageBand is a good place to start if you have a Mac, as it comes bundled for free. If not, grab a copy of [url="http://www.reaper.fm/"]Reaper[/url]. It has an unlimited free trial (with everything enabled) and is a great place to get started. In fact it's a great piece of software full stop. There are loads of tutorials on YouTube for getting started on using it. You might also want to grab a copy of [url="http://audacity.sourceforge.net/"]Audacity[/url]. Another free software - not a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) in the same sense as Reaper, but a useful tool for processing any audio you've recorded. Again, loads of tutorials available on YouTube and elsewhere. Oh, and of course there are loads of free VSTs (plug-ins) available online, covering FX, synths, drum machines, amp sims, etc. Some great ones listed in [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/77603-free-vsts/"]this thread[/url] on Basschat. [b]Audio Interface: [/b]This is the 'box' that allows you to connect your instruments, microphones, etc, to your computer for the purpose of recording. It's also where you can connect monitor speakers. I'd recommend a Focusrite interface. The [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/FOCUSRITE-SCARLETT-2I2-Audio-interfaces/dp/B005OZE9SA"]Focusrite Scarlett 2i2[/url] is a great one to start with at around £120. [b]Monitor speakers and/or headphones:[/b] It's always a good idea to use a set of dedicated monitor speakers - and this is one area where you certainly get what you pay for. As an 'ok yet cheap(ish)' set I'd recommend [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/MACKIE-MR5MK3-Monitoring-speakers-Active/dp/B00EZJ5FSO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397638076&sr=8-1&keywords=mackie+mr5"]Mackie MR5[/url], which retail at around £125 each. [i]BUT[/i]... you don't necessarily have to use monitors to begin with. If you're not setting out to produce studio-quality mixes, you could hook up a pair of HiFi speakers to your computer, or do what I did and just get yourself a reasonable set of headphones. I've been using headphones for a number of years now and while it's not ideal, it does allow you to produce reasonable quality mixes and importantly for me, work late at night when the rest of the household are fast asleep. Headphones are useful anyway. I use a pair of [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-K240-MKII-Circumaural-Headphones/dp/B0016MNBAM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397638303&sr=8-2&keywords=akg+k271+mk+ii"]AKG K240[/url] which I've had for a number of years. You can now pick them up quite 'cheaply' for around £100 (which is the minimum you'd want to pay for a good set of cans). [size=5]NICETIES[/size] The world of home studios is littered with gear, much of which you don't really need but you'll [i]want[/i] it sure enough! A few additions you might like to consider - but [u]aren't[/u] essential to start with - include... [b]MIDI keyboard:[/b] useful if you want to play around with software synths and tinkle on the virtual ivories. A good one to start with is the [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/M-Audio-Oxygen-25-Generation-Controller/dp/B002VYJDYW"]M-Audio Oxygen 25[/url]. [b]Condenser microphone:[/b] Can be used to record vocals, 'found sounds' around the house (pots and pans percussion!), or placed in front of your bass cab to record that low end rumble. I use a [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Behringer-C-1-Studio-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B000CZ0RLK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397639558&sr=8-1&keywords=microphone+behringer+C-1"]Behringer C-1[/url]. Cheap and cheerful. [b]Controller pad:[/b] useful if you want to unleash your 'inner drummer', work with samples, record original beats and/or produce music using a pattern sequencer. The [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/INSTRUMENTS-MASCHINE-Digital-Without-interface/dp/B00940TI0K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397639749&sr=8-1&keywords=maschine+mikro+mk2"]Maschine Mikro MkII[/url] is a great little tool for this, but perhaps a little pricey if you don't have a specific need for it. ...that should be enough to get you started on the road to recording. Just watch your wallet along the way If you have any questions, ask! Paul

Generally speaking, it would make sense to send a nice strong signal to the amp (i.e. have the volume turned up full on your bass) rather than leave some 'in reserve' by having the volume on your bass at less than maximum. Make the adjustments on the amp instead. If you need a 'quieter' signal for certain tracks, then I'd recommend adjusting your playing style (lighter touch) or instead of tweaking the volume, adjust the EQ - eg. try dialing down the low or high frequencies (depending on whether you normally play 'big and booming' or 'tight and twangy'). Leave the mids alone as that's where all the good stuff happens

[quote name='AL&#045;the&#045;Bassman' timestamp='1396359495' post='2412655'] thats going to be a funky looking Bass, does it have an extended range fretboard? when are 13 guitar Co going to sponsor the next comp ????? [/quote] Thanks Al. Yeah it's an extended range fretboard. Not sure whether Paul at 13 Guitar Co is planning another competition prize... It was a generous offer by him first time round. And for purely selfish reasons I'd like to him to finish this one before thinking about another