51m0n

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.

[quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1316695252' post='1381566'] ^ Cheers 51m0n, thanks for your comments (as always!). Gives me some confidence to know that you and 'Airsoft think it's not too shabby... That's a really good point about varying the mood of the track and making it "grow" - I'll have a go at adding more variation to it tonight. Will also have a play with the drums too - must admit I haven't revisited the drum samples since I loaded them originally (other than some EQ/compression), so I might audition some other sounds and see how they fit. Just a quick question: did the overall mix sound ok on your system - particularly the sub bass? I'm working with 'phones only at the moment, so it's very much a case of trial and error! (with emphasis on the error...). Thanks again mate. [/quote] I'm at work - sounds fine on sennheiser hd575s but they are cans and therefore not the best thing for measuring sub bass...

Nice effort! It is better than the original. Which is too pop dance for my liking by a long way. However it doesnt really grow much. It seems to be an idea all the way through, and I think you could look for some more light and dark. I'd smash the hell out of those drums too, think NIN maybe? But I dont know the genre nearly well enough to be able to tell whether that could kill you chances or not....

Hoping to be there in the flesh....

Zoom H1 or H2 Tip top for that they are...

In terms of boring people to death about compression and recording I'd say I rate quite highly, in terms of bass playing I'd say significantly lower (oh so significantly), I'm not going to enter any conversation about ranking my ranking though, that would be perverse....

I'm seriously hoping to get a jam going to, been far far too long since I bashed out a groove with a drummer and a guitarist....

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1316516026' post='1378963'] Get in the Jam Room, say hello to me and Paul, and we'll support you all the way [/quote] Nige will be the one dressed as Mrs Slocombe, I'm not sure but I suspect Paul will be (Miss) Brahms all day...

[quote name='WalMan' timestamp='1316504043' post='1378781'] plus probably the Nova Dynamics compressor (51m0n...got a mo? ) [/quote] Yup

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1316446919' post='1378098'] Ok, not a band as such, but I have shared a stage (and a dressing room ) with this lady who's a mate of Krupa's and performs with her once in a while. She's lovely and extremely talented. Miss Polly Rae .. [/quote] Holy cow.....

Plastic sheeting, check Zip ties, check Beretta 9mm, check Blowtorch, check Pliers, check Shovel, check Right, good to go I'd say ear plugs, but somehow I think I'd enjoy hearing what I had in mind.....