bass_dinger

@Hellzero is right. I want to use the UMC1820 interface as the hub. I have an electric piano (stereo), synth module (stereo), bass guitar input, and a microphone, two midi channels, plus the PC, all plugged into the UMC1820. Moreover, I still have two spare input channels too. The UMC1820 acts as a midi device for the purpose of Musescore too (Cubase was too complicated for me).

See how times, and Christmas traditions, have changed over the years. 50 years ago, an Orange amp in our stocking. Now, an Elf on the shelf.

That's a lot of good advice, both for me, and for anyone else who wants to connect USB-midi to midi-din - thank you. Interesting to see that a USB B to A adapter is necessary, and available. That was, quite literally, the missing link I will contact you directly, regarding the your offer of the Cakewalk connector. Robert

Right now!? You are Santa Claus, and I claim my £5. No rush, indeed. I plan to order the piano after Christmas (but before the 2026 Gear Abstinence Challenge starts...). Even then, I can forego midi connectivity, until the right bit of kit comes up. I am puzzled by the Roland/Cakewalk MIDI to USB devices - that cable will only plug into the FP-30X's USB Memory slot (rather than the USB Computer output, which the guy in the Roland shop said I should use. However, he admitted that it was not his area of expertise). Also, the guy in the Roland shop didn't recommend the Roland/Cakewalk MIDI to USB device - odd. Hence, my question about connectivity, here.

Change of plan .... I now want to be able to connect a Roland FP30X electric piano to a Behringer UMC1820, via midi. The Midi (out and in) on the Roland FP30X is the USB B-type ("USB Computer") The UMC1820 has midi-DIN in and out (and the USB is to connect it to the PC). There is no such thing as a midi-B to midi-DIN cable. So, I was instead advised that I need a Midi junction box with a USB-A (for the Midi port). Can anyone advise, or recommend a suitable Midi junction box? Ideally, with a separate power supply input (no combined USB power). https://www.cme-pro.com/h4midi-wc-usb-host-midi-interface/ (4 midi DIN ports) https://www.cme-pro.com/h2midi-pro/?srsltid=AfmBOorC_nVwHWECm7l27q92lOgEx6S5tJUkpTkhHHTngMOImr7B2XkI (2 midi DIN ports) https://www.thomann.co.uk/behringer_go_midi_host.htm (a very simple box - but will it work for my set-up?) https://www.doremidi.cn/h-pd-2.html (a box from the USA, but available in the UK) I also want to run an EMU Classic Keys (midi DIN in, out and thru), but I can probably use the Midi out from my UMC1820. Help!!!

Gone!

I knew that the Dual 505 was a highly-rated turntable back in the early 80s. In fact, it was the only budget option at the time (with the Rega Planars 2 and 3 being the more expensive options). However, I had not realised that the 505 is still a contender. The idea of an cartridge upgrade feels too complex right now - but maybe later. For now, I have ordered the stylus from Audio Affair, and will be shopping for belts from Thakker: (my Dual 505, my sister's Pioneer PL Z94, and my Yamaha KX580 cassette deck). I was grateful for the advice, to avoid cheaper copies of the stylus and risk damaging the record collection.

Putting it that way, £200 is expensive to me. However, both of my current basses are more expensive than that, because they are special, or rare, or hard to get hold of in the UK. So, I paid more for them, because I knew that that was the going rate for such instruments.

@Hellzero and @Dan Dare are my HiFi butlers - very helpful and practical advice on what I need to do next. Thanks After 40-plus years, my then-£109 turntable is probably due some maintenance. So, my next project will be the turntable. As opposed to my next turntable being a ProJect https://www.project-audio.com/en/turntables/#primary-line

Could you instead look at older machines, built when cassettes were a viable option for music? I have an excellent Yamaha KX580, which are still available on eBay etc. Dolby B C and S, plus MPX.

I was wondering what to do with this 5 metre long Midi cable, used to join a midi footswitch to an effects unit. Mrs Dinger suggested that I should offer on basschat, for free. So, I have!

A wise man once didn't bother to say "An expensive bass is one that is bought, but never played."

Over 40 years ago, I bought a Dual CS505 turntable, which I have used, off and on, over that time. Mrs Dinger rediscovered her record collection, and we played a few discs. Unfortunately, the needle in the cartridge (or the stylus?) is now misaligned - instead of facing downwards, it rotated by 45 degrees to the right, and the sound is distorted. Not sure how it happened (it worked when we started playing our vinyl), but it now clearly needs adjusting or replacing. Can anyone recommend a solution? The stylus reads "Ortofon", "DUAL" and "DN165E" , here: I have found a few possible replacements, each for £20: https://www.recordstylus.co.uk/shop/Record-Stylus-Needle-for-Dual-505-CS505-DN165E-DN166E-DN167-OM5-p610017647 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/303287394628?_skw=505&itmmeta=01KCYT9ENV70KJKZ5E0X8J919Q&hash=item469d566144:g:ZaMAAOxyx-BSb~bt Oddly, https://www.dualfred.de/ sells everything for Dual turntables, apart from styli Before I invest, can Basschatters advise? Do I just need the stylus, or a cartridge, or a new turntable? Might I need new belts? Do the bearings need maintenance?

...rather than stepping up, with a plate. What a dreadful accident, @zbd1960. So sorry to hear your news.

I opened up the back of my fretless bass, to change the battery, and was reminded that the preamp includes some kind of midrange boost-cut device. The diagram: The fretless settings (1 2 and 3 off): The fretted settings (1 2 and 3 on): It appears that nothing is boosted on the fretless. Perhaps that accounts for the thinner sound, compared to my fretted bass (which has the same system, but different switch settings). However, before I start randomly flipping the switches, can anyone tell me how (say) a 270hz 10db boost, or everything on, might sound? Robert

I watched a video of her once, and got increasingly annoyed with the camera angles - not once did they show the brilliant and sensitive Double Bass player. About five minutes in, I realised that the bassist was her left foot... Truly awesome playing. The Cat. Seems to be something of a standard, and often covered by YouTubers.

Before I made my final decision, I wanted to try the Casio pianos. The website did not have a ĺist of dealers, so I called Casio. They explained that the dealer list page had been taken down, as it needed constant updates during Covid. They also told me that when they sell their pianos to a company, Casio don't know what shops hold specific stock. It was suggested that I call round nearby music shops, and ask what Casio pianos they have in stock. I will therefore be buying the Roland FP-30X. I am reminded of the advert for Yellow Pages: "Hello. Do you have a copy of The Casio Piano, by J R Hartley? No? Okay, thank you..."

"If that buffoon @bass_dinger can do it, then surely i can, too!" If you elect to put yourself through the small Hell that is the face-to-face exam, then the timetable is April and October/November. So, Grade 2 by the end of 2026 is entirely achievable. And the really good news is that you can spend the price of a nice bass amplifier on lessons and exams, yet not exclude yourself from the 2026 Gear Abstinence Challenge! However, if it is focus, purpose and a direction that your want, then the ABRSM grades and lessons will give you that. From reading your musical biography, we both had the same background - playing chords, but nothing much of the fancy stuff (so, just like an acoustic guitarist, then....). You may find that you can teach yourself a lot of the stuff - with fingering annotations for the scales, it's just a case of working through them, and having a lesson every other week to help you play the pieces. Well done for taking the leap! Robert

You are right - a good reminder. I think that I wanted to have the complete story, not just for me, but for others who find this thread in the future. However, in gathering the details together, I had forgotten that my goal was to get a piano which worked for me, both now and in the future.

So....let's see if the Kawai ES60 would work for me: • I want to be able to listen to myself play, along with a YouTube track. • I want to be able to listen to myself play, alongside a midi track, and to record additional midi tracks, into Musescore. • I want to use the keyboard to send midi to my EMU Classic Keys Module (which has Midi In, Midi Out and Midi Thru. I have a Behringer UMC1820 interface with midi in and midi out (and 8 channels of line-in), plus a Kurzweil SP76 with "traditional" midi (two 5-pin DIN). Currently, the Behringer UMC1820 is doing everything that I require, and which I listed above.

It is fitting that those who have remained Abstinent for 50 weeks, should now find themselves battling at Boss Level. For those of us who were defeated in Round 1 by Mario's banana skin, I give you @Bass Direct, the Bowser of Bass Temptation...

So, will you be keeping the ES-60, or would this be a deal-breaker for you? Is it working as a home piano, for you and your family?

I have developed a new habit since I retired 18 months ago. I say yes. Someone invites me for a walk? Come to a concert? Visit a friend? Go shopping in Asda with Mrs Dinger? Go to a meal with 30 people that i don't know? Yes. At most, it is 2 hours out of my life, and it makes people happy. And often, it makes me happy too! As Steve Cropper reminded us, Time is Tight.

So, I played my own bassline to the song, and the band leader was content. On reflection, a tune in 4/4 which has a chord change on every beat of the bar, can't then shoehorn another 4 notes and rests into those beats, and expect it to be both lucid and funky. We ended up with one note per bar, and a few ghost and staccato notes. That's plenty funky enough for me. Thanks, all, for the advice.

So, in less than three months, you have progressed from absolute beginner, to performance. That is impressive, not just for you, but also for the brass band. They clearly have a training and teaching route for new musicians.