BassTractor

As many other bands, Yes now is corporate bizniz - - a bizniz that will try to survive and will try and maximise profit. If my impression is correct that it was mainly Chris Squire who couldn't muster Jon Anderson anymore, I think there's no chance at all that the others are not thinking that they must at least do their very best to try and incorporate Jon Anderson again. Nobody knows if that will happen, of course, but my bet in that case is they will at least have talks with him, and I do feel we'll see "with special guest star" concerts rather soon.

Same story here: my very first regular wages went to "Fragile", and I was floored both by the music and by the bass parts and bass sound. "Close to the Edge" kinda repeated that feat, and especially the bass part of "Total Mass Retain" was a personal eyeopener to me as to what was possible in popular music. I see Chris Squire as a visionary bass player within rock music, and I understand he had a great influence on other bass players. Thanks, Chris! R.I.P. Here's the "Total Mass Retain" part from the "Close to the Edge" track: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3Z3IKLl3cE[/media]

[quote name='Spoombung' timestamp='1435478009' post='2809041'] on the subject of correct intonation, I do think it's the most overrated aspect of music. [/quote] That explains a lot. . . . . Sorry, I just could not resist. In real life, I do love Spoombung's stuff.

I never knew Cliff died in a plane accident, and that he was found whilst his bass or even the Orion plane itself was not. I'm happy Metallica's Orion with Cliff's bass have turned up again, but I do feel stupid for having believed those stories about the bus accident in Sweden. The plane was just rented probably? Just like Maiden's?

She's obviously a shallow one, she. I think the best thing to do is not responding directly, but to just continue your little inbetween-songs banter about the development of Weltschmerz as a direct result of Sturm und Drang thinking, and Kierkegaard's criticism of it all. Enlightened, she'll turn around! I'm sure.

Thanks for this thread. JG is one of the guys who pulled me towards the bass, and you guys inspired me to pull out Stormwatch again after a long hiatus. "Hunting Girl", yes! Also "Songs from the Wood" is a personal fave. Luvverly song AND bass playing. Me too, I'm grateful I caught him live twice. The first time I was unaware of him, and disappointed Jeffrey H. wasn't there, but JG quickly won me over. Dunno if it was mentioned yet, but apart from his parts and his playing prowess, for me personally the SOUND of it all was something unheardly new and hugely inspiring. RIP

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1434886348' post='2803548'] A quick Google tells me that formant relates to human speech. [/quote] Not exclusively, and at any rate it doesn't detract from my point that an instrument has a physical DNA: the part that does not change on a per note basis, whilst timbre simply is about the resulting sound you get when combining the instrument's "formant" (or what one calls it) with one's playing and with all the settings etc. Though not strictly true scientifically, I think one can well say that the formant is those capacities of the instrument that make that one can recognise a Precision or a StingRay even when played with different techniques and different equipment settings. [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1434886348' post='2803548'] I think an instrument's timbre is what differentiates a piano from a trumpet etc. [/quote] Yes, but since "timbre" is about the resulting sound, many tones emitted from that trumpet will have wildly different timbres as well. In some cases different instrument tones are so similar in timbre that one is hard pressed to decide which instrument is responsible, like the famed voice-like qualities of the cello. E.g. a slightly smaller violin with thinner walls probably has a different formant than a slightly larger one with thicker walls, and most of the time one might be able to hear which of them is being played. The moment however they emit tones with identical timbre, the human ears stops being able to differentiate those two violins.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1434868633' post='2803354'] That's timbre. [...] The fingers won't affect the timbre. [/quote] I'm not sure, but I think you're talking about formant - the instrument's physical DNA as it were. Timbre is the sounding result, and very much so affected by the fingers.

Yup! Got my postcard this morning! He's earning a lot of money and wants to share with me, asking for my bank details 'n' stuff. I'm looking forward to writing in the boys toys thread.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1433503903' post='2791627'] People on here talk about TONE a lot, probably because their basses have "tone" controls Tone meaning something frequency-related isn't common in the UK, although it appears in terms like "tritone". More usually we'll talk about NOTEs (e.g. C, implicitly any C) and PITCHes (e.g. Middle C, a specific instance of a note). [/quote] Thanks again, Ras, and a general mea culpa sorry for the thread derailment. Tone controls! Why didn't I think of that? BTW; also in Dutch we can use the word tone for timbre++, as in an instrument or a player having a great tone. Great example with the tritone. Another thing I hadn't thought about. Then again, I'd forgotten about the word "pitch" too. [quote name='ras52' timestamp='1433503903' post='2791627'] but D##-E as a "diminished second" is a purely theoretical concept (with equal temperament): it would be a "zero interval" between identical frequencies. [/quote] Aye, but don't let that sound as something negative. It's not more theoretical than calling a C-C interval a "first" (which we do in Dutch calling it a prime), especially when talking about two different voices. It's just a tool to describe what we find. But yes, composers are divided, and whilst some would write down the D double-sharp as a D double-sharp indeed, on the basis of the formal construction of the piece, others would just not care on that nerd/geek level, and write it as an E. Anyway, thanks again.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1433456566' post='2791326'] In [i]equal temperament[/i], D double-sharp and E are alternative "spellings" of the same note. [/quote] Thanks for trying, Ras. As indicated in other words in my question, I'm aware of them giving the same frequency in equal temperament, and that is not what I'm asking about. I remember a BassChat post where a Brit stated that people use the word TONE when in reality they mean TIMBRE. So my guess was that the word TONE does exist is the meaning I tried to describe, and that that is what should have been used in the quiz. Not sure though - - hence the question.

14/15 because of the up bow/down bow thing - - something I've consistently erred on for decades. But I've got a nerdy/geeky question, and I don't know whether the answer lies in the language department or in the realm of musical styles or even in changes within theory. See, when I got my education, a D double sharp and and E are (in Dutch) not the same NOTE even if they give the same TONE on many instruments ("tone" here not meaning timbre but more like say frequency). IMS, in Dutch classical music in the seventies/eighties, we'd call the interval a diminished second (D - E would be a large second, D sharp - E would be a little second). In the quiz, I opted for "they're the same notes", not even looking at the other options, guessing this is what they wanted, and also guessing that in English this is a usual (and possibly even theoretically correct) way of looking at it. How say you? Is the quiz correct in its answer? Does it differ per musical style?

[quote name='tom skool' timestamp='1431367148' post='2770585'] you should have told them it wasnt there when you got home [/quote] I feel pretty certain the driver thought of this possibility, and produced hard evidence - - by filming the whole thing of faking the signature and tossing the box over the gate.

Congrats on the Miniak! I hope it serves you well. If you get annoyed with the display view angle, you may wish to look up a simple prism/mirror solution that is published on the web somewhere, which you can easily build yourself, and the dimensions of which are chosen exactly for the Miniak. PM me if you can't find it. I'm sure I have the instructions in an inbox somewhere.

It would surprise me mucho if you wouldn't be satisfied with the MicroKorg, both because it's a good machine and a lot for the money, and because many or most synths will do a rather good job in the bass range. A fantastic (IMO) dark horse in the field is the Akai Miniak, I think. Its 1,000 or so presets are better than the presets of its almost identical sibling Alesis Micron, and it comes with three mod wheels and three programmable mod knobs as well as the microphone for the vocoder. Annoying to program without a pc editor (three different ones exist), but very flexible and deep if one needs to go beyond the presets. If you decide for a keyless one, then a second hand Waldorf Blofeld IMO is virtually unsurpassable as to sound and programming depth. However it is unashamedly digital, and far from the travel through the history of synths that the Miniak is.

On the EDM forum Gearslutz, they love the Novation Bass Station II for its fantastic sound and great flexibility. Personally, I hate its keybed. Other recommended options: Arturia MicroBrute (the MiniBrute reportedly has quality issues) DSI Mopho Moog Minitaur Moog Slim Phatty Novation Super Bass Station Vermona Mono Lancet

I smell. I run like a girl. I wear gay clothes. But demn you, Mark! What a way to talk about fellow human beings of good will! Those gay clothes are [b]not weird[/b], fer cryin' out loud! I agree that us keyboardists are initially not used or trained to think like team players, or our place in a mix, but what's wrong with people who, upon starting in a band, don't quickly reorientate and change their playing? Also, what's wrong with bands where all these types of issues aren't talked through and solved routinely? The stories I read on BC are mindblowing, and I can't escape the impression people just dive into songs headlessly, wthout caring about the songs even.

Aye. Especially at this price point it may seem like the recipe for a crash: not interesting enough for pro players, and too expensive for the ones who're used to entering notes into sequencers through mini-keys, especially if people really believe that Behringer will soon come out with an Odyssey with full size keys, preset memories, advanced MIDI and three different filters at half that price. (FWIW, I'm not amongst those who believe this, and Uli Behringer has worded his texts around the theme very carefully - in such a way that one is led to believe it, but without him actually having expressed it.)

Here's an update: Korg will reveal the new ARP Odyssey officially on January 22 - presumably at NAMM. After that, it will be available to shops within 30 days. Functionality is roughly as described earlier, with duophonic capacity and all three different filters (one per Odyssey generation) available, as well as a Drive function (said to be a switch only - not a knob) Sadly (to my mind at least) they have decided on a compact build with short sliders and reduced size keys (they say "narrow" keys, but pictures seem to show mini-keys. Three colour schemes are available, but initially it's like this (in the US) : First, independent shops get the black/orange one (like a Mk. III) Then Guitar Center gets the black/gold one (like a Mk. II) Finally, Sweetwater gets the whiteface (like a Mk. I) US RRP is $999. Have no info yet about the European market. Will investigate.

Out: Bongo 4-HH In: Stingray 4-H Lesson learned: two Bongos and two Stingrays is better than three Bongos and one Stingray, but less good than three Bongos and two Stingrays.

Normally, I'd keep concentrated on Yamaha for electronic pianos (and have a look at Roland as well and totally forget Orla), because of everything you mention except weight maybe, and because of their legendary longevity, but... The new lead free solder mentioned in another thread may mean the legendary longevity is no more. At any rate, Yamaha seems to still be very good, and most probably a safe bet. However, in addition to the Yamahas, the Kawai ES7 might just be a dark horse in this market segment, and a viable alternative. I've tried out a range of Kawais lately, and must say I was initially positively surprised - especially by the keybed and "fake ivory" key feel, which incidentally is offered by other brands as well on some models. Have not done a thorough test yet. Another possible dark horse within your budget is the Korg SV-1. It's lauded, but I have no personal experience with it.

Depending on budget, and what you really want from the keybed ("semi-weighted" normally means the keys are not weighted at all, which might be exactly what you're after - or not), IMHO the M-Audio keybeds are not too bad. http://www.gear4music.com/Keyboards-and-Pianos/M-Audio-Keystation-88-USB-Controller/ZNM http://www.amazon.co.uk/M-Audio-9900-40832-00-Keystation-88es/dp/B0006676A0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1419265424&sr=8-2&keywords=audio+88es

For me, it's mostly about Vivid and Time's Up as well as about Vernon Reid. Without his, IMNTHO, extremely musical shredding, the band would be some sort of 24-7 Spyz, and far less interesting to me. The gig I attended in Oslo in '93 still stands as one of the best gigs (for me) I've been to. That said, Stain, Collideøscope and The Chair in the Doorway each provided me with some joy, but far from as much as the two aforementioned, and I'll probably not buy Shade.

Aye. I understood that, and was just expressing one way to (partly) understand some factories' reluctance to enter the custom market altogether. Once they've made that decision they'll normally not engage in any discussion about the reasonability of SOME requests. For them, "no custom shop" then means "no custom shop".

I don't get this. You don't want a SLO neck. You want a FAS neck! (Sorry for the bad pun. Couldn't resist.) Other than that, I can somewhat understand that they don't wanna make you a bass like that. In every stage of the path from before the production until it's in your hands, it has to be treated and tracked as one special individual, which takes both time and an administrative system. Also, to keep a certain price level, often factories are dependent on making a certain amount of each and every possible configuration (though of course in exactly your case this is a somewhat moot point - but it still points at a reason for factories being generally reluctant). Distributing kayaks in Norway, I've had some factories do custom orders for us, while others refused. For me as an importer it has given great joy in the process with the custom-customer, whilst also being a pain in the butt especially on the occasions when something went wring (yes, something went wring when I wrote that), and the custom product suddenly had to be sold to someone else, this demanding the need for a new page to be made on the website specifically for it, whilst most of my customers would already know the regular offerings, and they would not even visit the website but just pick up the phone and ask for what they knew existed. Also, in my personal experience, it's become a given that ANY custom order will be changed by the customer once every two weeks until the moment of production. Generally, it's a time thief of the first order.