51m0n

Flea - Soul To Squeeze and Sexy Mexican Maid

Oh man they got Coup by 23 Skidoo (originally FU G.I). Now thats a CLASS bassline(s).

MB FX500

[quote name='jakesbass' post='662643' date='Nov 23 2009, 01:37 PM']I think I must be weird. I love recording as I like to hear back what can be improved upon. I am driven to getting things just right for the song and always want to hear how I did, gigs don't often give you that chance.[/quote] Not so weird, I love the truth that recording gives you too. I also like the introverted nature of recording, its the polar opposite of gigging for me, yet I love both.

[quote name='gazhowe' post='662144' date='Nov 22 2009, 09:31 PM']I've just bought a MoMark amp and Bergantino AE410 cab from Bass Direct. I went there on Friday with the intention of comparing the LittleMark LMIII against the TC Electronic Rebelhead 450 but couldn't believe how good the MoMark sounded with a variety of cabs with the EQ on my bass and the amp set flat. I've gone for the 'no EQ' option as the VPF and VLE knobs give me all of the options I need. I must mention the great advice and service I received from Mark at Bass Direct who put up with my duff playing for a couple of hours and made the whole buying experience very enjoyable. I bought none of the gear that I thought I would before I arrived but left feeling 100% convinced that this amp and cab is the perfect combination for me and am really looking forward to it's first gig on Friday. Gaz[/quote] +1 for that set up and for Mark. You'll probably find it takes an hour or so to get used to how 'fast' that ae410 'speaks' in a band setting (I dont care to try and explain it in terms of physics, but Alex C reckoned it was to do with the slight peak in the upper mids). But once you do you'll also realise its simply the best sounding thing you can buy if you like 410s that punch Enjoy it!

Its down to the way you slap. If you are all about the Flea level of slap intensity then you would probably need a slightly higher action (assuming you have a low action now), if you are after slapping like Alain Caron (sp?) then as low as you like will be fine. On the other hand if you play like Ped the strings can be resting a hairs breadth from the frets at all times (I've never seen anyone play that gently when slapping before, the guy's a complete freak )

No P&P if I pop on over and pick em up meself though I hope That way you can show me all your lovely new ideas, mad inventions and naked wood (errr, maybe not the naked wood... ) How many would be required for my Berg + rack??

Lovely mate, super feel from all of you as it goes

[quote name='markdavid' post='658879' date='Nov 19 2009, 08:46 AM']One of my g*itar playin gfriends had a boss compressor pedal like that , I spent ages playing with the pedal to find out if it actually did anything , the most useless compressor ive ever used.[/quote] Or the best if it turns out it is compressing the signal, but its so transparent you cant hear it, and what you are after is in fact a transparent levelling device. Hence my issue with compressors of any kind that dont have any real metering on them, they are just about useless. The Joe Meek pedal I mentioned above is basically one side of a TwinQ's compressor section in a pedal. Now I know from extensive use that its a super compressor if you want that squished fat punchy sound. It gives up that sound really easily even with very light compression (that you know is happening because it has good metering). People are likely to love this pedal if they want that kind of thing. If you want ultra transparent then its not the best comp for the job. Here's the rub though, a lot of people on the web are saying it (the pedal version) is very transparent, and that it doesnt color the sound. But the TwinQ is not trnsparent when its actually compressing signa IME!! I would think that difference is as much because the settings they are using are doing next to nothing, but no one really knows since there is absolutely no metering on the device. I'd still love to have the Joe Meek FloorQ for getting that ultra squished sound at the drop of a hat, but I would use the metering on my focusrite to help me understand how much compression I was using, and even more importantly, whether or not the make-up gain was applied correctly. Yes I know ears are really important for all things sound related, but the human ear/brain combination is one of the most powerful levelling amps ever, way beyond any device you can buy, and it is therefore useless for discerning volume differences, it constantly adjusts for them! Its not so bad in context (obviously) but on its own a compressor can be very very hard to perceive exactly what it is doing to the final output volume - hence the need for metering.

Damn, forgot just how good some of their stuff was. Thought it was a really nicely done program too, great fun hearing the bass parts and the overdubs etc. Didnt see it all, hope its on iplayer!

My 0.02 you're not going to like it, but I've yet to find a comp or limiter [b]pedal[/b] that can really do the job right. They dont have all the relevant controls for fine tuning the device, they are therefore always a compromise (there was a tantalisiung piccie of a Joe Meek floor unit with all the right knobs, but I've not seen another). EDIT:- maybe the JoeMeek floorQ is available now:- [url="http://www.buyanalogman.com/JoeMeek_FloorQ_compressor_Pedal_p/joemeekfloorq.htm"]http://www.buyanalogman.com/JoeMeek_FloorQ...emeekfloorq.htm[/url] If so, having used the TwinQ alot for recording, this is an absolute KILLER pedal! /EDIT They tend to be set also to sound more like the marketing blurb says they are going to so that they stand out in the shop. Thats not all of them, mind but there are some classic cases, like the Aphex pedal that is supposed to be really clean and not change your sound, until you check out what it is doing more closely and find out it is nt really doing much of anything really. To this end IMO you need to get a good quality rack comp and learn how to use it to do what you want. You also have to realise that even then its a compromise unless you are setting it up for a very specific track, or you only need the one compression for your gig. Another issue with pedals is they have nothing to really signify how what they are doing, you need metering with a compressor, ideally of input, output and compression, but always of compression, and not just that its happening, you need to know how much too! And remember a compressor IS a limiter, just set up differently (a limiter being a compressor with near instant attack, theshold around 0 db, infinite ratio blah blah blah). A limiter prevents signal going OVER the limit. Unless signal gets to that limit it does nothing. Set the limit lower and it never stops doing stuff. At which point it will be very noticeable. In the normal case where it is just taming extreme peaks you shouldnt notice it. It is possible to set up a compressor with a low ratio and a very very low threshold that you also hardly notice, but is always compressing, and therefore also taming the peaks as well, and quite often the too control peaks by about the same amount (since lowering the threshold on the limiter makes it too obvious). So either can be used to control peaks and to be unnoticeably transparent. On the other hand heavy handed use of the threshold and or ratio (on a compressor) with either makes them very noticeable. If you want punch use a short release time, if you want some attack to get through use a longer attack (note this may then require the use of a limiter to tame the initial transient after makeup gain). Dual compressors are more of the same really. To do it properly I run signal through an active crossover and then onto each side of the Compounder. But having played around with this I find it isnt really necessary for almost all applications (certainly live), YMMV though. What do you consider uber high end??? You can pick up a Compounder for £200 - £300 sh on ebay if you look hard enough. And that is about the bottom end of really useful compressors for bass to my mind (although the FMR RNC is very nice for other applications). Compressors go up into the thousands and thousands of pounds worth, I wouldnt suggest you need spend that much, but anything under £150 is unlikely to perform the basic functions very well (believe me I have tried to find one that does). Have a read here for more specific reviews:- [url="http://www.ovnilab.com/index.shtml"]http://www.ovnilab.com/index.shtml[/url]

I love these, highly recommended especially for ladies and beginners. They are so ergonomically friendly to the new player! They electronics can be improved, although I dont think the sound is awful by any means.

[quote name='TimR' post='656413' date='Nov 16 2009, 09:01 PM']Thanks for your replies, some good comments from all. The MySapce pages I've seen seem to have every Tom, Dick and Harry as friends. I'm hoping to keep my friends list low to people I'm realistically going to network with in real life or have played with. For instance, I know a lot of musicians and would like to link to their pages so that if they are approached and asked if they know a bass player (or need one themselves), they don't need to remember any of my contact details, they just say "Oh yes hes a freind of mine on myspace." and give out their address. Simple. Hopefully?[/quote] I tried this to begin with, and whilst it seems like a great idea, the fact is that a lot of the 'friends' are nothing more than an indication to others of what you're about (more even than any examples you might put up). Of course, in my case thats not true at all, and I hang out with Bootsy and Aaron Neville most weekends (errr, nope). Be careful to go and friend up the sort of people you want to be associated with for sure, but if you restrict that list, then you seriously limit who will look for your page at all, and the likelihood of someone stumbling over it. Also you need to be seen on as many other pages as possible if you really want this to work as a networking tool. So go looking for people to friend up, about once every two months I go for a myspace trawl looking for people doing music that sounds interesting. They neednt be local, just stuff that appeals, the fact is that you'll see why this is a good plan as soon as you start, its the friends of friends of friends that are the resource you need to appeal to. Its quite a strange thing. Then you start watching the listens on your playlist going up and that can get pretty entertaining in itself. As for does this work? In short it can get you more interest, once I got some sounds on mine I got a regular little flow of interest, nothing much has really come of any of the leads, but they were leads I wouldnt have had if it werent for myspace, and I've met some nice people too, so all in all it does what I expect. And who knows if one of those leads might not turn into something really really good at some point. And you cannot underestimate the power of being able to say 'my myspace addy is <blah> check it out and contact me if its what you want from a bassist'. It sends out a message that you are prepared, you have organised to a certain extent at least, a little showcase of the kind of thing you like doing. Its all good.

[quote name='Craigmartini' post='656156' date='Nov 16 2009, 05:36 PM']Thank you! I went and checked out your page too. Your page is set up very well, and I like the bass and drum grooves you have put up. Nice playing man! I couldn't agree more on not having a 1 minute long synth intro! I laughed when I read that because I have seen it done before. Most of the songs on my player were done at home by myself as well. I did put a couple "band" tunes up too if someone looks/listens long enough to get to them. My videos are just random finds from youtube. I have but one complaint on your page though, I can not locate your "Add to friends" link. When I visited your page, I wanted to add you to my friends list but I couldn't find it. If it is there somewhere, it is to hard to find in my opinion. Otherwise I think you have a spot on representation of you and your playing. Nice simple layout, easy to look at, loads quickly and sounds good! Great job. Again, thank you for the kind words! Craig[/quote] Cheers for the compliments Craig , that's made my day I'll look into the Friend Button thing, thanks for pointing that out!

Take a long hard look and listen to Craig's site, I think its spot on. He covers a huge amount of stylistic ground on it and doesnt over egg the pudding as it were. I have taken a slightly different route I think (see link in sig below), I've got a couple 'working on' tracks, the first being one that I know should interest the people interested in the (sub)genre I'm most interested in (wow, thats a tongue teaser!). I've followed that up with a potted history of (as often as not) live recordings over the past 20 years showing different things I can do and have enjoyed doing, which shows diversity in a band situation (I hope ). I think you have to look at it like this, it is highly unliekly that you will get more than 30 seconds of anyone's time. So the track that is ready to go better be the one to capture most people's ears who you want to capture. So dont have a 1 minute long synth intro. I wanted to get straight to the point so my first and second track s are all bass and drums. Didnt use any other musicians, all recorded DI into a lappie with a Tascam interface. Anything that might put someone off will, so keep it easy on the eye too.

Absolutely, I do that so that I can use the DTR mute switch. Better yet if it's DTR2000 (1000 may be the same) if the tuner fails, or you dont switch it on, the signal path is still good How cool is that!

Lo Rider is a cracker that a lot of people have heard and know, but dont know they know, if you see what I mean. Tarantino sound tracks have some great stuff that have the same effect, people know it from the soundtrck but if you asked them it by name they wouldn't have a clue. Funky as opposed to pure funk (P-Funk y'all) is a HUGE area, how about something a little more Soul like Mr Big Stuff by Beverly Knight?

To hell with it. Each to his own, blah blah blah..... Laters

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='653924' date='Nov 13 2009, 06:31 PM']Hmmm... I can't imagine many clarinetists, oboeists, tuba players, etc. do solo gigs or recordings...![/quote] That sir, is absurd. I take it you dont go looking for that kind of concert at all then, because believe me they do exist, and clearly a lot more than you think. I cant imagine how you could be that sheltered from solo musicians and music written for solo musicians, honestly! Do you stick to a few styles of music generally, in both your listening and your playing, and keep it at that? I'm not trying to poke you with a stick, but I am genuinely intrigued as to why you cant see this for what it is. Are you a 'meat and potatoes' bassist and proud of it, and thats the be all and end all? What do you think of the other 'greats', Jamerson, Clarke, Jaco, Pino, King, Miller, Wooten et al? Just trying to figure if you are just ante bass virtuosos completely, or not, and if not, where do you draw the line?

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='654033' date='Nov 13 2009, 09:02 PM']That's the point I'm trying to make... The fact it's played on a bass is irrelevant. [b]I dismissed it simply because it doesn't sound very good.[/b][/quote] You are entitled to your opinion WoT but this I cant disagree with more stongly. It does sound good, very very very good in fact. You may not like the sound, but thats not really the point, it is a great sound. Honestly mate you need to see it in the flesh, the tone of his main Zon fretless is the best fretless tone I have ever heard anywhere. The hyperbass is pushing the boundaries of what bass sounds like (though not as far as the brilliant Jeff Schmidt does), and so tonally you may find it hard to get into, but it nevertheless sounds glorious. I've never heard better harmonics than he produces when he tap/slaps natural harmonics on that thing, its beautifully pure. So if its not the tone its the composition you dont like. Again you are entitled to your opinion. We are going to disagree forever on this one, its so subjective. A large number of people love his work, and no they arent all bassists, at the gig I saw him at it was about 60/40 from what I could glean (not scientifically I grant you). And yes non-bassists were largely bassists' partners, but they were all appreciative too. If you dont like it you dont like it. But that doesnt mean it doesnt sound good really. I know it sounds fantastic, really beautiful, having heard it in the flesh. So I dispute your opinion in fact. There are some basses that I cant stand the sound of, a P bass with flats for instance. Dull thuddery of the most tedious kind IMO, but in the right context its a great sound. It just doesnt float my boat (and I love Motown, just not for the bass sound - I love it for the songwriting personally). But I can concede that it can be a great sound in exactly the right place. This may be a similar issue for you. You dont like the sound and you will not see the quality of the playing and composition as a result. So we arent going to agree. But please, refrain from saying it doesnt sound very good, cos that just isnt true. You may hate it, but actually for a lot of us it sounds very good and is very good.

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='653262' date='Nov 13 2009, 12:49 AM']Well, having watched that I'm astonished. What follows is [i]just my opinion [/i]and does not seek to deny in any way the pleasure some may experience from this piece. I was under the impression I was going to see some sort of musical God and hear the voices of angels. What's delivered seems little more than that which a moderately accomplished amateur six-string guitarist might knock up in their bedroom. Turgid tune, crude and predictable use of harmonics and drop-tuners. In one word - clunky. I cringed with embarrassment as I watched a grown man go gooey-faced while delivering something he does not realise is so comprehensively underwhelming. It seems to me that the approbation he garners is down to the fact he's doing it [i]on a bass[/i]! That's sad. I'm terrified to think that brains might well explode if anyone here happened to trip over some Adrian Legg or Pierre Bensusan or Jerry Donahue. Speaking of whom - This is how to use harmonics - Start to 1:02. Not a drop tuner in sight - and [i]musical[/i].[/quote] I cannot believe that you honestly consider that this:- is clunky and contrived and less musical use of harmonics than this:- Which appears to be a very standard (and contrived) bit of country picking, and although very very well played is definitely neither in any way exploring the limits of any instrument, or in any way played better, or in any way better (or even close) compositionally. IMO. It may be that that is really your opinion, but I'm afraid mine will always be very very diffrent to yours.... Ain't music great It's funny though, Manring haas been quoted many times with saying that the people who have the biggest issue with his music are more often than not bassists. I can't understand it at all myself. I rejoice in the fact that there are people out there who can compose and play music that is that beautiful for me to enjoy. Other people seem to wish to make out that it is flawed in some way, yet whenever I listen to it it absolutely blows me away with the beauty of the melody/harmony and emotional content. IMO it really is just simply your loss.

Over 14 years....

And for those of you who havent seen it, he gives some insight into the Hyperbass and where he's coming from in this:-

How about this side to his playing then??

[quote name='Rich' post='652495' date='Nov 12 2009, 11:56 AM']Watch him carefully -- that's [i]four[/i] detuners on the headstock and at least two at the bridge. Good luck in finding a 5-string (or in fact an anything-string) capable of all the different tuning combinations possible with that lot (I can't be arsed to do the maths) For anyone not put off by his tunings or his trousers, there's a good interview [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=121387"]here[/url].[/quote] Apparently its around about 10000 variations. I've no idea how he gets anywhere with it at all!