51m0n

[quote name='mcgraham' timestamp='1317040201' post='1385755'] I wish I'd brought (or had the space to bring) my Berg IP112 and EX112 stack to compare against some rigs. I used it in anger twice on Sunday and it was fantastic. I asked the FOH team if the rig was too loud and they said 'no, definitely not.... that said, it was VERY loud, but it sounded so good we couldn't bring ourselves to have you turn down' this = winning in my book. ...Next bass bash, it'll come along. [/quote] That IP stack is a killer rig, I wish you'd brought it along too!

[quote name='gemdids' timestamp='1317051509' post='1386002'] Thumbs up for the above. I'll be looking to buy a laptop at the back end of this week so in the meantime I'll do some research to effectivly get the most for my money. The M Audio interfaces are fairly cheap on ebay, I'll probably end up getting one although I did have a bit of a drool over the RME's. I do love having two kidneys though I'm really taken with the idea of Reaper at the moment, a friend has been raving on about it for a while. I'm going to give the 30 day trial a whirl when I get set up and see what it's like, it'll either be that or Cubase 5. Does Reaper come with preloaded VSTs or are these an additional purchase?[/quote] Reaper comes with one some great vsts, and a bunch of other scripted effects (you can learn the programming and add more if you like). They are superb, the EQ in there is exceptional, the compressor is too, there are a mass of other great tools that come with it. On top of those I regularly use free VSTs from:- Bootsy, Variety of Sound (the best free vsts on the net IMO, get them all!) TAL series (assorted, great delays and a lovely plate reverb) TLS series (lovely compressors) Molot (a very tasty compressor) SIR (a convolution reverb player - download the Bricasti Impulses that are free on the web, best reverbs you will get to use in the box) Fishfillets (compressor, de-esser, noise-gate - the de-esser and compressor are superb) G series (assorted, I use the brickwall limiter GMax for mastering) PushTec and SonEQ (eqs) Voxengo (Span for metering,. GEQ for a linear phase EQ) Audio damage ROugh Rider compressor Beta Bugs (Monsta Chorus, Phase Bug) Jeroen Breebart (barricade, broadcast, ferox, PC2 etc)

Come on chaps. This is a server side load related intermittent issue. Give the guys a break, it will resolve when the migration is complete.

I knew a drummer who had a kit set up for quiet gigs, smallest shells he could get hold of, he put a pillow inside the snare drum, took the bottom skin off the toms, replaced the batter skin with the heaviest oil filled heads he could, and put a single (actually it might have been a double duvet) duvet in the kick drum. Halved the volume of the kit, sure it didnt sound as nice, but it was really quiet, meant he coul dplay with sticks, and in a mix didnt sound too bad at all.... He was a really really busy drummer too.

And if grindy bass rocks your world, then this is the ees knees:- [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xugTdAwhUAY[/media] (still the best version of SOYL ever....)

And this one:- [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToxmbOr00co[/media]

For me these are right up there:- [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53IAhyQSKmQ[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feeVAo-3SNg&feature=relmfu[/media] ANd I dont even play with a pick

[quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1317040248' post='1385757'] For me, this next track is the holy grail of overdriven bass tone. It's played by the legendary Tony Butler. I love the fact that the bass sounds so powerful and grindy, yet so articulate and even. The bass tone is only complimented by the bright, sharp guitar sounds. The playing is absolutely sublime too. Check out the tone and playing from 01:48 to 02:30. Absolutely incredible. If I ever chase an overdriven tone, I'd be quite happy to end up sounding like Tony! [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF5t4FH5B4Y&feature=related[/media] This next track also has some amazing bass tone. Check out picky growl at 01:26 and 02:56 for the amazing chorused sound. If you're a fan of tight playing you'll love the lock up between the drums and the bass at 02:56. It's absolutely outrageous. I often play my ACG with a pick going for those big Tony Butler sounds. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqmXR4St3cc[/media] [/quote] Tony was running two enormous Trace stacks when he was in reheasal with BC in the late 90's at Stainbridge Farm Studios, a brite box on top of a big 410 on top of a 118 all twice over. Two heads running them (both eq'ed the same. It was a monumental rig, and absolutely gut wrenchingly loud. The most obvious part of his tone that I hear in those clips, other than a bright attack (pick?) is the two anf a half tonnes of deep chorus he's using. Totally in keeping with the era mind!

[quote name='gemdids' timestamp='1317042085' post='1385806'] Hi 51m0n, Thanks for the advice, you've given me lots to think about. The ones that I've seen in my price range second hand have been i3 or i5 dual core (quad core models at a push). I'm only going to be using this laptop for music making so will probably take off all the unessesary guff and will at some point invest in an external hard drive for additional storage and backing up. The majority of the music that I want to record will be guitar/bass/vocals and a few VST's over the top unless I get really giddy. I've always used digital and tape 8 track recorders and like building songs up track by track and given that this is for my solo stuff, I don't anticipate multi tracking a lot of things at once. Budget wise, the £350 is just for the laptop, I'll get an interface seperately. (I've seen that they range from next to nothing to hunderds of pounds.... this may start a whole new topic unless you can recommend a decent bog standard one) [/quote] Definitely go for as many cores as you can afford, decent modern software (ie Reaper, yes pushing Reaper again, I am that boring!) will make the most of every one of them, older software may not, trouble is CPUs are now all going to be more and more multithreaded/multicored as its the only way to get the CPU cycle count up without needing hovercraft style cooling systems. As for interface you really get what you pay for, its not just the hardware that counts, the drivers have to be rock solid and ultra efficient. The best of the best are RME IMO, best drivers, superb hardware. Not cheap I am afraid (more than your laptop budget for a babyface) but the hassle free nature of their kit makes them definitely worth looking in to IMO if ther is any way to stretch to it (who needs two kidneys anyway!). M-Audio have been very good for some of my friends for small rigs at home, MOTU gear is also good. USB2 is a perfectly good interface (fast enough for 16 trqacks oif audio, so fine for you), firewire less good, there are very very few (if any ) laptops with decent firewire chips in, you go that route at your peril these days....

Most rock covers bands are massively too loud Most other bands are too loud IMO & IME You do not need a 2K PA for a pub, 300w a side 'vocal' PA will do it, then use the smallest guitar rig known to man and spill a little into the PA to aid dispersion to the punters. If punters cant hold a conversation at the bar, or order a drink easily, you are not helping the landlord.

With recording you need three things, fastest CPU you can afford, fastest hard drive you can afford, lots of RAM (Over about 3GB and you need a 64 bit OS to make the most of it). A big screen is a huge bonus too, and bizarely a dedicated number pad can really really help with a lot of recording software. So big fat widescreen laptops are a really good idea, failing that you get a lot more for your money with a desktop, performance wise IME (latest work machine was significantly less expensive than my lappie and is about twice as fast!). In laptop terms £350 will get you something that can do basic recording (with an efficient interface), but you may well struggle if you multitrack a lot of stuff at once, or if you want to get clever at mixdown (unless you run off stems to save on CPU power). My last lappie cost nearly a grand, and I managed to just about hit the limit on what it can manage (although I havent done anything to make it a truy audio machine yet, its pretty much shop spec in terms of setup of services etc). If you can get an i5 then do it, if you can get over 3GB of RAM in there, then do it, if the hardrive is slowish now then if it has an eSata port you can always use a super fast external drive connected via eSata for your audio work (which I intend to do as soon as I have the money). Have you budgeted for an interface at all though?

Joe Meek FloorQ TwinQ ThreeQ Choose the one that has a form factor that fits the bill for you the best (I like serious metering soi the FloorQ doesnt do it so well for me). Beautiful squishy opto compression that just sounds fantastic on bass IME.

Damn too slow, Alex beat me to it!

Dont forget to add in the perceived iuncrease in volume you will get from the top cab being closer to ear level (esp vertically). Not only is it literally closer to your ear, but you are also more 'on axis' with the driver, meaing you will get the mid top and hi frequencies significantly better as they disperse less (higher frequencies are more directional). So you get more voume where youear hears best closer to you, you turn the entire rig down, so out front it sounds right to the audience, and up close for you it dominates the mix just how you need it to as a bassist.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHaNcHDgQfg[/media] Yup, miserable old git me....

Ive used three mics on a bass cab and a DI myself to get a really massive bass sound too. And phase is so important when you do this its ridiculous, otherwise you are just left with a hellishly comb filtered mix of the sounds at best, and at worst no bass. Damn fine effort though, especially given you desire to record what it sounds like live and make it so.

Had a really really lovely day. Super to see so many faces again, and so many new faces too! Hope my nonsensical ramblings about recording didn't put too many people off, sorry we didnt have more time, maybe next time we can should have a go at covering some more of the technicalities of tracking (gain structures, mic positions, DIs), mixing (eqing, compression, ambience, panning) and so on, after all getting the phase right is only a tiny bit of the story.... Never forget, it is in fact all a lie! Want to thank Shep for letting me have such a long noodle on his outstanding Rosoe fretless, I've never played a fretless that wants you to be in tune before, all the other ones i've played seem to argue with me, his just happily plays the note you think it will. Staggering instrument! This time I got to visit the jam room and make something groovey happen, thanks to all there for putting up with a woefully out of practice fat fella trying to be funky, was a real blast! Nigel, fabulous to see you and hand over the masters of Kit's EP, looking forward to the release party on the 9th!

I admit I've never grooved with a raffle before, it would have to be a particularly amazing raffle to be grooving in fact...

[quote name='pantherairsoft' timestamp='1316797340' post='1383144'] Glad you like it dude, and thanks for the nod regarding the venue! As for the bass sound and 'fatness', I agree and disagree. The bassist in me thinks the fatter the better - and when we play live I tend to beef up the OD a little more. It's quite hard to accurately reproduce what you hear live in a studio though as every amp and pair of speakers sound very different, so I tend to stick to a 'good' sounding medium. I like to keep my 'fatness' as a clean octave sound and my fuzzy/distortion tones quite high. More importantly though, where the recording is concerned I'm trying to NOT sound like a fat live bass, rather a synthesised bass-sound. After all we are trying to make programmed music - made live. A few tracks step out of this mould, but as a rule I try and keep the distorted/fuzz tones to be more biting/synthesised/bit crushy etc etc. If you ever get to see us live you'll see I use much more ZVEX Mastotron and less FreqBox though. That said, I am looking to pick up a fat overdrive to beef up a few sections for when we don't have an MC with us, and to be honest, for what I'm doing the old Boss ODB-3 seems and sounds most suitable due to the massive amount of bass you can add. [/quote] Interesting take on it. Live its way harder to control all that super low stuff, I'm surprised you dont let the madness out more when recording (accepting I can only imagine how hard it is to get this just so). How many tracks of bass do you have at mixdown? One all glued together or one for each 'branch' of the effects system and a clean, or who knows??? Fascinated to get an idea of your process, think we may have time for a good old chinwag tomorrow!

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1316774094' post='1382613'] Currently breaking in a Midget T, Compact, Super Twelve T and Big Twin T, which are all coming subject to fitting in the car! [/quote] Nice one ALex, cant wait to hear what the Big Twin can do! If it all looks in danger of not fitting I know you have a fine selection of power tools in the garage, just whip the roof off the car. I'm sure your wife will be very understanding

eerrrrrrr.............

[quote name='petercullenbassist' timestamp='1316716096' post='1381956'] I am in LOVE with that bass! just read your other topic and was really interesting. just bought a 60s czech bass to start with, but will most lightly invest in one in the new year. thanks!! [/quote] Listened to Plux playing it again tonight, it just gets warmer and warmer the more he plays it. Love the sound, both pizz and arco with those srtings on.

Thats very very cool....

[quote name='pantherairsoft' timestamp='1316701433' post='1381687'] I have no idea what 'Schmmgrooowwwsshhhzzhhhbppppphhhhhkkktzzz' means, but with your permission that will be a track name on the next EP!!!! Yeah, Tom's drum sound is lovely. We tune the kick drum up in pitch so it doesn't interfere with the bass or sub - effectively is fills more of the mid range in the absence of guitars and keys. The Roscoe's natural growl really helps beef up the Octave tones and fuzz as well - The love fuzz pedals! [/quote] Schmmgrooowwwsshhhzzhhhbppppphhhhhkkktzzz is a very bad attempt to phonetically spell some of the excellent layered clean/distorted/filtered/trememeloed bass sounds you're making there. Be my guest to use it as a track name! Ace banana I love the fact that you're using such a superb source sound (the Roscoe) and then just going at it with a wall of fx to make the final timbre. Like getting a superb camera then sticking loads of weird filters over a distorted lense and taking a portrait piccie of your mum. I think they call this art

Schmmgrooowwwsshhhzzhhhbppppphhhhhkkktzzz Yup, thats the sound of Roscoe goodness baby Love it mate, more more schhrwwoooowwwwwgghhhttzzz I say, more! Lovely kit recording as well, great kick sound.