jakenewmanbass

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='172105' date='Apr 8 2008, 11:07 AM']Kenny Wheeler's 'Music for Large and Small Ensembles' and the great 'Double, Double You'. Superb![/quote] one of my faves. some of the guys I play with in Manchester have performed that suite with Kenny.

I've come accross these meters in places where residential noise limits exist, the really stupid thing I've found is that they seem to be less sensitive to bass frequencies than higher register, due to the long wave length of bass notes they penetrate solids easily (hence cavers using long wave radio underground for rescues) so its the bass the residents will hear, and it seems (can't be categorical about it) that bass is the last thing to set them off.

I've said it in another thread but: James Taylor Live. Jimmy Johnson at his best IMO, totally nailed, understated but with flashes of musical brilliance, never in the way, every note adds something to the song. Phenomenal rhythm section with Carlos Vega, Don Grolnick (sadly both dead) and Michael Landau, Clifford Carter and of course JT on guitar and vox alongside four fabulous BVs.

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='171753' date='Apr 7 2008, 08:55 PM']Donny Hathaway Live, for Willie Weeks groovy p-bass solo on voices inside.[/quote] +infinity one of [i]the[/i] defining soul/jazz/improvisational masterpieces of the century

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='171355' date='Apr 7 2008, 12:49 PM']I'm gonna record this weeks on both normal/stereo and HD/5.1 to see if the mix is different. I've not always been impressed with the mixing on Jools and I'm kinda curious how it is done, different mixes for the room/live broadcast/live HD broadcast/rerun broadcast/rerun HD broadcast/iPlayer etc.[/quote] It's an interesting question, my experience of TV/Radio engineers has always been that they are really impressive, and on the day make you feel like they are really on the ball. I think though that this is expedience as they are part of a larger animal than just the recording.... The Broadcast. So after doing live and pre recorded BBC and other companies on both TV and radio I've gone away thinking "that was great" then hear it or see it and think hmmmmm it seemed better on the day. Maybe that's partly why I was so keen to cut those guys a break.

[quote name='OldGit' post='171448' date='Apr 7 2008, 02:11 PM']Sure.. No argument from me... I like the way that the interweb has the potential to enable a good band to get on and get noticed. When bob Harris plays an unsigned band and gives out their website or myspace address they get a serious fillip. The relative ease of recording and making CD's and the various shops and websites that stock unsigned band's stuff is great as well ...[/quote] Now you see that's the future, and I'm here in my little lab trying to devise a plan that means artists control their output entirely and share audiences based on similarity via networking sites, I'll get back to you when i've got the corporate finance to launch it

How's your reading?

[quote name='synaesthesia' post='171261' date='Apr 7 2008, 11:24 AM']For nearfield monitors, don't get too hung up on bass extension, get monitors you can trust for accuracy & resolution of detail, image, dynamics, depth and placement. You can always get a sub to work with your nearfields to check you are not over extending your bass, or overcompensating. If you prefer you could leave the sub patched in all the time. The point of nearfields is not to give a full spectrum reproduction, but to give a simulation of home systems or commonly used systems. Auratones (fullrange single speakers) were common when people still had transistor radios or mono boomboxes, and later the NS10 became popular as a representation of a bookshelf speaker. The purpose of these speakers in the case of bass instruments is to check that the upper harmonics of the instrument, e.g. bass guitar still punches through and still sounds full or present particularly if it is important in the tune, e.g. bass line in Billie Jean. So your nearfields give you an opportuity to see if that sort of punch still translates, and comes through your tune. A full spectrum large monitoring system can deceive that critical parts translate to less than full spectrum reproduction systems. The big issue in the 21st century is whether people listen to music on bookshelf speakers anymore. You certainly don't see as many on sale and you see a lot of MP3 players. 10 years ago you would get laughed out by industry pros if you said that you did headphone monitoring; but frankly most music is listened to via ear pods, or in car stereos. Still nearfields have their place in studios, and the better ones allow you to be critical in passages where large studio monitors sometimes mask or fail; in accuracy and resolution, and not necessarily at chest thumping SPLs. For example checking a mix from infinity to 0db you can tell whether a particular instrument or voice will come through at low to moderate listening volumes.[/quote] Thats a fantastically informative post thanks very much, you've opened my eyes to lots that was not visible to me before.

[quote name='OldGit' post='171403' date='Apr 7 2008, 01:38 PM']I know how business works and spend a lot of time on here reminding people of the need to play the game to get on. But, behind the pragmatism and acceptance of the situation sometime I just wish it was a little different.[/quote] To a certain extent I'm with you that the machinery of business often compromises and erodes the soul of products, especially when they are art based, although as I've got older I have swum more with the tide having seen some really great talent get nowhere for various reasons (often attitude) or because they were unable to allow their product be moulded into something that makes corporate investment viable, which lets face it, is what record companies are, corporate investors. I have come to the thinking that it's better to get something through that has a vestige of its original energy, than to see an artist trolling round doing pub gigs into their 50s not paying the rent and getting all f***ed up over it. I have seen that happen, and it's really sad. And before anyone mis-reads and responds I am talking about specific personal witness experiences, and am in no way denigrating the hundreds of 50 plus musicians that have a good time playing. All power to their collective elbow.

[quote name='Huge Hands' post='171277' date='Apr 7 2008, 11:43 AM']About two years ago, I bought a live JT DVD. Was expecting greatness, and to a lot of people it probably was. This is a purely subjective point of course. For the one of me that hates ultimate noise free production, there will be many of you that love it and flame me right out of here. As Jamerson said, "..the dirt keeps the funk.." For me, that goes in the production as well![/quote] It is subjective, personally I am impressed by guys that can turn out an album quality performance at gigs. Although they [i]know[/i] they are being recorded and many of those top players will (I have heard this first hand) rip it up on gigs that aren't being recorded, and have two different temperements if you like live/recorded. If you are a person that gets recorded (I do quite a bit) you have to remember that you will be judged on that for time eternal, so playing safe and solid is often the code word.

[quote name='OldGit' post='171276' date='Apr 7 2008, 11:42 AM']Sure, I appreciate the marketing angle too but with the very limited availability of air time for anyone at all, James getting [i]so much[/i] BBC time at the expense of some edgy upstarts just seems excessive, especially when its on Jools ..[/quote] It's about clout, and to that extent I suppose your comments about the corporate nature of it all are valid. You have to remember (like it or not) that all TV/Radio/media in general are at the same time vying for ratings, so they want the biggest selling, most popular, most hip, most celebritised etc etc

[quote name='OldGit' post='171260' date='Apr 7 2008, 11:23 AM']For my money James Taylor was the worst thing on there. Let me explain. He has been a hero of mine since 1803 when Fire and Rain first moved me to tears, How Sweet It Is got my hips shaking and You've Got a Friend left me reassured. But the guy is now corperate America, 150 years old and is polished up beyond gleaming. I like the hairy troubled folkie he used to be. This slick media savvy guy is someone else. His management and publicist also have him all over the BBC like a rash right now - enough, already.[/quote] I have to spring to James' defence a little there, you have a point about the shinyness, but I saw his one man band tour last year and he is everything but corporate IMO, he is just a guy who likes to play his music to people, again IMO. When it comes to TV as publicity, we have to shake hands with the devil to a certain extent in this business, I have worked closely on the management side with some very large concerns in British TV and its as simple as (and this relates to some of your earlier posts on self promo) if you don't do it (promote) you won't pay the bills. It's exactly what you say to young bands but on a national or international scale.

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='171231' date='Apr 7 2008, 10:52 AM']The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses. also, The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses Mani claimed to be the best bass player in the world at the time of recording. It very difficult to define "best", but I probably agree with him.[/quote] BBC I had no idea you were such a fan, I've met Mani a few times, bizarrely in a civilian context as when I lived in Manchester my neighbour was a friend of his, so seeing me carry a bass in and out he made a point of introducing me when Mani was around

[quote name='Cantdosleepy' post='171221' date='Apr 7 2008, 10:42 AM']You see personally I'd sort of (dis)agree with you on this point.[/quote] Of course it's horses for courses. [quote name='Cantdosleepy' post='171221' date='Apr 7 2008, 10:42 AM']General question to the assembled: Do you think the show would be better if everybody on it was a consummate musician with X years of session work on their back? I'd be interested to hear your responses.[/quote] For me, it's less to do with this much vaunted notion of "session musicians" I do sessions but I'm not a "session musician" I'm just a musician. I think the same of the guys on the shows I mentioned, they make me sit up in my seat and say "fuuuuuuuck, listen to that!!!!" the only reason that the concept of session musicians exist is that there are a limited number of people who have the temperement, broad skill base, feel and technical facility to reliably carry out performance after performance in a studio costing the production team as little time as possible. Most of the people who are considered "session musicians" are just mutha f***ers. And its a funny world, I was working in a studio the other day, on some pop stuff that will be out on itunes this year, one of the tracks was on double bass, the producer got me in early one morning to play some arco (with bow) on another pop session he was producing. Now he didn't get me because I'm renowned for my superb arco (cos I'm not, and it isn't) he got me cos I was there. The thing about recording is it's there forever and a lot (not all) of the shambolic stuff you mention just doesn't do it for me (probably because I'm a specialist I admit) although I'm not foolish enough to think that my opinion invalidates that type of music. An interesting question, thanks. Jake

I've just taken delivery of Soul Speak by Michael McDonald. As a revue of lots of old soul material, like his two motown albums it's great, he has avoided being compared as a poor cousin to the originals and used mostly the same players so all three have a continuity. It's Nathan East on bass and he is the epitome of interesting yet unobtrusive solid and very groovy. I would highly recommend them. This could be a chance to be a long running thread, I can think of loads of albums that I would strongly recommend to anyone who is taking bass playing seriously (or for fun), there are real greats that should just not be missed. I'm sure that fellow BCers will have as many recommendations. Jake

[quote name='lowdown' post='171203' date='Apr 7 2008, 10:25 AM'] See what happens on JHL this week.... I am sure there will be another 'Lions Vs The Christians' on the cards... Garry[/quote] more like church mouse versus pussies.... no?

When I was in college I did one on the evolution of the role of the bass in popular music, from early jazz (yes it was the popular music of its day) to current times, incorporating the switch to electric bass and covering the main differences (ie rhythmic structures and variances) and which elements in particular could be traced right through its history. The research turned out to be fascinating, and it means that I can be a pompous twat when giving it large on here Seriously though everybody found it fascinating and I got really good marks for it.

[quote name='lowdown' post='171068' date='Apr 6 2008, 11:23 PM']Blimey.... 6 pages of carnage... And now we are off down the Road of back slapping Garry[/quote] Cheers Garry, bit of rigour never harmed anyone. Jake

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='170976' date='Apr 6 2008, 09:14 PM']Just watched it on iPlayer and it sounds like I am talking bollocks. It sounded different on HD with a 5.1 mix through my Arcam/Naim system but I guess i'll just STFU.[/quote] It takes strength to reconsider ones position, and even more to say so. Cheers

[quote name='mcgraham' post='170858' date='Apr 6 2008, 07:01 PM']With regard to the rest of show, did anyone else find most of the artists quite painful to listen to? I was genuinely vocalising 'ooo, that's painful' throughout all the other acts. The only two I could actually listen to were James Taylor and Adele. Mark[/quote] We have a long way to go to catch up with our American cousins when it comes to live performance. If you consider Letterman, American Idol, Jay Leno and just about any live studio performances you find on American TV they are leaps and bounds ahead of what we accept over here. Hence James Taylor putting in a good performance, BTW if anybody here has not heard the live JT Album from the early nineties then they should, to my ears one of the best live albums around. Some of our TV bands are pretty good eg Laurie Holloway but those American bands kick ass, groove, time, feel, play anything, read anything, attitude, badass muthas.

Hi Urb, I've used various pre amps from basic studio kit like my focusrite octopre (a good all rounder) through my bass pre, an Alembic F1-X very nice, tubey, quite transient with bright highs, the TLA stuff in various studios right up to the hand made channel strip pre amps for the Neve desk at Air Lyndhurst (studio 1). In their own way each of them has done something beneficial to the tone even if it's just heating the signal. I have to say that the only one that really stands up to the obvious outstanding quality of the Air studios stuff is the Alembic, I've done side by side comparisons with a few in house (some good kit too) gear and every time the producer has said "we'll go with yours" (that doesn't include Air as I didn't have the Alembic last time I had a session there) I'm not at all surprised at your SWR revelation though, their pre amps are great. Jake

[quote name='bassmandan' post='170778' date='Apr 6 2008, 04:45 PM']+1 let's not forget it was all live, my experience of these things (not actually appearing on L with JH btw) is such that it may take one or two numbers to really get into the pocket,[/quote] +1 I've done plenty of TV, live and pre recorded, It is for sure a pressure situation and bass players suffer more than many as their role relies so heavily on steadiness, which is easily undermined if one does not feel comfortable.

+1 to what Urb said really, if its just for listening back and you don't need to mix it then get the best stereo mic you can for a reasonable price and experiment with where to site it in the room. As long as no-one over does it with volume you should find a happy medium. Plug it into any reasonable standard digital recording device (as mentioned) and you should get good results.