ambient

[quote name='AinsleyWalker' timestamp='1450987513' post='2937710'] Either I'm looking at the wrong thing but Session 1 includes two files. One is sheet music and one is a track... The whole point is that I can't read yet, so I'm not sure how I'm supposed to progress from there... [/quote] Lessons are a good idea. I good teacher should have a few different ways to explain something. It needn't be a bass teacher, I learned loads at uni from guys who were primarily pianists.

I played a few trad jazz gigs a couple of years ago. They were actually quite good fun.

[quote name='dood' timestamp='1450817344' post='2936199'] [url="https://www.instagram.com/p/979Ec4kbhH/"]https://www.instagra...m/p/979Ec4kbhH/[/url] [/quote] That's quite a nice one. Some try too hard to be 'different', and fail quite miserably.

There are lots of very ugly ones out there. Some look very, very strange.The only ones I like are the Fodera models.

What has going to grammar school got to do with being working class or otherwise ? I wouldn't personally describe McCartney as having had a middle class upbringing.

I don't write songs, only music. I also don't use real titles any more, but when I did, I used to use titles that the music reminded me of. One piece the melody seemed to be saying 'Such a lonely place', so that was the title. Sometimes I'd name them after what my influence for the track was. I did a piece last year, the idea came to me while sheltering from a storm, I called it 'A moment of peace, after the rain'. Others have been quotes from books that I've been reading, words that I've seen while travelling around.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1450703614' post='2934971'] Like other things some will always achieve their potential much quicker than others. Graham Gouldman was writing hits for other people when he was in his teens. Lennon & McCartney had a bit of an apprenticeship but still can't have been at it for all that long by the time they were knocking out stuff that topped the charts then and is still covered to this day. Sorry I'm derailing the thread a little here. I think I listed my xmas faves around this time last year anyway... [/quote] It's a derailment but an interesting one 😊.

Interesting to see others with similar DIY skills to myself 😊.

Unusually not featuring any bass whatsoever . The three tracks here are mostly synth based, with some treated electric guitar, and the odd bit of violin and cello. [url="https://soundcloud.com/an-ending-ascend/ambient3"]https://soundcloud.com/an-ending-ascend/ambient3[/url] [url="https://soundcloud.com/an-ending-ascend/ambient2"]https://soundcloud.com/an-ending-ascend/ambient2[/url] [url="https://soundcloud.com/an-ending-ascend/ambient1"]https://soundcloud.com/an-ending-ascend/ambient1[/url]

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[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1450466839' post='2933189'] Sorry, but I agree with BigRedX. It's a skill you can learn, like anything else. How good, really depends on much work you put in. Granted, some are better than others and learn quicker, reach greater heights etc. An awful lot of Film, TV and Media composers learn their art in collages and university. That goes for pop writing and Classical as well. Plenty of top writers over the past, who have not, of course, it was just plain hard work and practise and maybe for some, it is a thing that comes easy to them. But defiantly, it's there to be learned. Hundreds of these places exist around the world, and have done for a couple of hundred years. [url="http://www.rcm.ac.uk/composition/compositionforscreen/"]http://www.rcm.ac.uk...itionforscreen/[/url] [/quote] I totally agree. The university that I studied at for my BMus did a BA in songwriting. Hearing the evolution of the guys on that course is proof to me at least that it can be taught. That's not to say that there aren't individuals blessed with natural ability and talent, because there undoubtably is.

Try experimenting with the gain levels. The 2i2 is already a preamp, so it may just be the fact you're plugging a preamp into a preamp ? There's a very long thread that started a year or so ago here - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/230948-ios-for-the-gigging-bassist/page__st__270__p__2911852__hl__ios__fromsearch__1#entry2911852"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/230948-ios-for-the-gigging-bassist/page__st__270__p__2911852__hl__ios__fromsearch__1#entry2911852[/url]. Put your feet up and have a read through, it may answer some of your questions.

I was talking to a guy last week, he does a similar thing, using Ableton. You should just be able to use your 2i2. There's a guy on here with the user name Urb. Maybe message him ? I'm friends with him on Facebook, he's friends in real life with Matt Garrison. He was at the gig, and posted photos on Facebook. I'm sure he'll be able to tell you what the set-up was. In fact I'm pretty certain that he does a similar thing himself.

[quote name='ians' timestamp='1450390686' post='2932415'] I wonder how much cash Noddy Holder has made from Merry Xmas?..yeah we all hate it but its still an immense tune... I quite like the Mariah Carey tune with that beautifully played plodding bass... +1 on everything else that's been mentioned. [/quote] My brother was saying yesterday that he read that Roy Wood earns something like £30k every Christmas from 'I wish it could be Christmas'.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1450368933' post='2932124'] I think Larry Graham beats MK to that title by about 10 years. [/quote] What I've heard of him, he sounds like he's more influenced by Stanley Clarke than Larry Graham. From the albums that I've heard, I prefer the very early Level 42. That had a certain rawness and attitude to it, that was lost in the later, more polished and possibly over produced 'pop' albums.

[quote name='ras52' timestamp='1450356558' post='2931951'] "The production on that album is amazing..." [/quote] I've not heard the album, but the song just shouts 'class', something lacking in most recordings. It's maybe of a different age though, where the product was more important ?

I don't understand why his fans would be upset that you're suggesting he does sessions, or something different ?

Some of the old ones are rather nice too. When a child is born - I can't remember the guys name who sang that. David Bowie and another old guy did a nice one too.

You can't really escape them at the moment. So what's the best and worst of them ? Bear in mind that most are meant to be 'fun', rather than taken seriously. My personal favourite is Greg Lake's 'I believe in Father Christmas', it just somehow seems quite realistic. I like the bit at the end where he sings "they said there'd be snow at Christmas.....instead it just keeps on raining. I also like the bit he nicked from Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé Suite. I can't work out why Bruce Springsteen sings so out of tune on Santa Claus is coming to town ?

A lot of respected people I know use bandcamp, Steve Lawson for example, and there's an amazing guy who releases under the name Machinefabriek. It's a very professional, customisable sight, that works and it's free.