Nicko

I'm totally lost with how the download process works. I get an authorisation code and download the IK multimedia authorisation program, and now have an IK account. So now I have a code to authorise the software and the authorisation program, but how do I actually get the software in order to authorise it? If I try I can only download by buying it. I know I'm being thick!

I recently bought an Alesis Q25, and I'm already regretting getting one with so few keys. Its fine for sketching out ideas and programming, but if you want to play "live" it needs more range. I think as long as its velocity sensitive and USB powered you probably can't go wrong.

Paradors are Spain's best kept secret. Wonderful places. My favourite was Parador de Santa Estevo.

OK here is my entry. As promised it's inspired by the time I was stuck in a lift just off Boulevard Clichy. Not my usual style, and it was quite a challenge to get the reasonably happy sound at the start and the darkness in the middle - if my theory is correct it starts in A flat major and modulates to C Phrygian. All recorded in Ableton Live Lite. All the instruments are Xpand2 multitimbral synth, except the choral voicing which is an Ableton standard instrument. There are better voice options in Xpand, but I ran out of slots. If you don't have the VST check it out.

IME an audition should not just focus on the technical ability of the people you invite, If you didn't discuss what sort of material they want to play, how often they want to gig, transport arrangements, availability for practice (if you do that), whether they are rabid racists or similar, you have missed an opportunity to see if they're going to work out. I had one bloke who turned up to audition for an alternative rock covers band and wanted to play Clapton and Bryan Adams songs. And an excellent drummer that wanted to play two gigs a week minimum as a side project to his function work. Needless to say neither got the gig.

I feel your pain. I did a couple of demos during lockdown and sent them to the band, Nothing as frustrating as your singist has come back, in fact nothing has come back except the guitarist saying "I prefer this one, its a bit like the Strokes" No comment at all from the others in the band. I'd actually have preferred them to tell me they hated them than just blank it.

Yes they were. It's a pretty well timed booking for the venue as the first single came out a week later, and Ultravox had just released Vienna. I suspect most bands planning a release would have played for nowt

't remember which was first, but I played a gig a couple of weeks after first playing bass in a band (I'd been playing guitar for years and agreed to fill in on bass). The set included: Proud Mary (CCR) Cocaine (Clapton) Hey Joe (Hendrix) Hotel California (Eagles) Long Train Running (Doobie Brothers) Light My Fire (Doors) Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple) Wonderful Tonight (Clapton) What's Up (4 Non Blondes) Bubbly (Colbie Collait) The Thrill is Gone (BB King) and erm, Can't Get You out of My Head (Kylie) We were the house band on a construction camp, playing for drinks which were plentiful. I still have the video somewhere, but I'm mostly obscured by (horror of horrors) a music stand. I don't think I played any of them correctly, but the band seemed to think I was better than their old bass player and I played with them until I left the project and came home.

Righto, time to brush up on Charles Aznavour then. Not sure where we're going with this. Edit: The poster has the feeling of the glory days of the Paris cabaret, so I think the inspiration may be the time I got stuck in a very small lift in my hotel which was halfway between Gare St Lazarre and The Moulin Rouge.

I prefer the look of rosewood boards, but both my precisions have maple boards because when I tried them in the shop they felt better to play. Tonally I'm sure it makes a difference but I'm not sure why, and my cloth ears probably wouldn't be able to tell playing the kind of music I like. FWIW my basses are basswood and maple and alder and maple, The basswood sounds better to me although I'd be hard pushed to describe the difference and I doubt its due to the wood rather than the other components. The one I prefer is a chinese Squier, the other is a US Fender which cost a whole lot more.

It's a difficult one. but I think my inclination would be I would want to support the venue if, and only if, i really thought that it was in danger of going to the wall. I'd probably politely suggest we look at the diary and schedule in a few paid gigs as part of the deal.

Edward Lorentz might disagree with this, of course.

In a thread about incorrect lyrics this is unacceptable. If he was on the M3 in the queue approaching the M25 he was on the road from Basingstoke.

On the subject of Chris Rea, in Driving Home for Christmas he makes reference to the freeway, but as far as I know he's never lived in the US so he should have used the motorway.

I have an old Boss DR 5 which is not a traditional drum machine and I've never really managed to programme it. I now use VST drums and the DR5 is redundant. It has midi out but I don't know whether you can sync it in the way that you want. You're welcome to give it a go, or look up the manual on line and see if it will do what you want, but my understanding is that you can use it as a midi controller to play a virtual set in the DAW while playing it like a drum machine. The pads are really small though.

^ generally this, although I'm planning on an experiment using my Markbass line out connection to see whether this adds anything I cant get from the plugin effects (I'm a cheapskate and at the moment I only have the plugins that came with the 2i2 and Cubase LE. The reason I might try is that I get better sounds on my guitar by recording through the amp as the plugins can't generate the distortions that I can get from the amp.

When Springsteen sang "You can't start a fire without a spark" he was displaying an absolute lack of understanding of auto-ignition temperature, pyrophoric substances and the basic mechanism of lighting a match. Non safety matches ignite due to the friction generated overcoming the activation energy of the highly unstable phosphorous which then spontaneously combusts, and its this that creates the spark. It isn't the spark causing the flame.

I told him not to say anything 😞

I cheat. Theres two ways to get a bass line to fit an unknown chord sequence. One is to play passing notes until you actually hot a chord tone - its a bit risky but if your ear is good you can get away with it. Essentially you make the non chord tones seem like you meant them until you get to the right place. Normally you need some idea of the key to do it. The other much easier way is to watch the guitarist and follow his chords. I don't necessarily know instantly what notes are in the chord but I imagine the chord overlaid on my bass and pick notes from it.

Two slightly newer bands that received critical acclaim and some success with albums but never really broke the singles charts or airwaves in any way were Gomes (Mercury prize winners in the late 90s) and Editors (Nominated for the same prize in the mid 00s). I appreciate these aren't to everyone's taste but put it in contecxt next to say the Stone Roses and Oasis. I've rarely heard anything from these bands on the radio, although Gomez did used to get played on BBC London sometimes. Both albums get regular airings chez Nicko and both bands are great live too.

Well, actually I'm an accidental bassist, don't tell anyone here but my real love is guitar. The only reason I play bass is because it's difficult to find a band that wants a rhythm guitarist playing the kind of music I like and lack the chops to play lead in a covers band. I have rediscovered home recording and that's probably going to be my outlet from now on.

That's the thing - I might have lost my appetite for it. That's what the current situation has cost me.

As a weekend warrior, I have never declared my gigging income as being in a band definitely costs me more than I have earned through gigging (none of the bands I've been in gigged more than around 10 times a year). I've lost out on three gigs through lockdown so around £180 but saved around 10 practice sessions at £10 a go, plus a tank of fuel. I'm fairly convinced the band won't ever get back together and I'm not sure whether I'm sad or relieved.

I'm in. Just wish they came attached to two large bottles of beer.

Quick question: how do you embed the Soundcloud player here? I tried copying the embed code in the link but with no joy.