skankdelvar

That looks a lot more convincing. ↑ Very much this ↑ There's nothing more irritating than faked-up wear around pristine wood. Well, obviously, there are things that are more irritating, like spilling a mug of freshly made tea, but that's outwith the parameters of the debate.

At one time Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and the Tygers of Pan-Tang were spoken of in the same breath, particularly if it were Geoff Barton doing the breathing.

Google 'guitar finger protectors'. Loads on eBay and Amazon, most of 'em cheap as chips

The issue of horizontal dispersion is well known but few dwell upon the very particular problem associated with vertical dispersion rigs, namely, that in order to hear what the bass player is hearing the audience has to be the same height as said bass player. Should the bass player be - let us say - six feet tall and be performing on a stage three feet high - the audience members would have to be nine feet tall. If the band is a glam rock tribute and the bass player is wearing period-correct platform shoes then we can add another three or four inches to that. Of course, no audience is going to be exactly and uniformly nine foot three inches tall. Some audience members will be shorter and others will be taller. Some might suggest that this is a trivial issue. Not so. The last time I gigged a vertical dispersion rig I was accosted afterwards by two very angry and very short gentlemen. Tempers flared, a brawl ensued and that's how I died.

This is just so outstanding. Thanks, @neilmurraybass. You're a gent.

I've used welding nozzle filters as slot files for guitars and they're OK. In the end I spotted two sets of Hosco s/h for £30. Better.

Excellent work, men. As infiltration exercises go, I think we can say this one went off swimmingly. Now, back to the barracks for a hot shower. I'll be standing drinks in the Mess at 19:00 Zulu time. Carry on.

If you want to stay with Audacity for a while there's a way (not exactly easy but not difficult either) to generate a BPM click track and a very basic grid into which you can import free drum loops off the web and keep them in time. Once you've built up a satisfactory sequence of drum parts for your song you can mute the click but leave the grid in place while you commence to play your guitars and bass 'into' this project. Alternatively you could export the drum sequence (sans click) as an audio file then re-import it into a new project, play along to the drum audio then save the whole thing. Slightly rambling bloke show you how to do it below (but omits to mention usefulness of starting with two bars of sticks count-in), also how to apply effects to drums, etc

to the forum, Bassosaku.

It's rubbish. I used one at an open mic night and it made everything really mushy.

Text from the BBC news web site / PMQ's feed: Labour's Kevin Brennan asks about visas for British musicians to perform in the EU and vice versa, saying it is disappointing that a reciprocal deal has yet to be agreed. He says the issue is fixable but needs leadership from the top. He urges a cross-party approach to sort this out as soon as possible, given the damage he says it will do to the UK's reputation as one of the leading cultural centres in Europe. The PM agrees, saying he expects the EU will want to do more to facilitate easy travel for musicians and other professionals across a range of sectors, saying there is a "mutual benefit".

As a facetious postscript, one might suggest that doing things at a national level might be less time-restrictive than the (reportedly) proposed and rejected 90 day supranational EU window.. You could do 90 days in Germany and 90 days in France = 180 days in Europe. Stack all the countries up and you might be away for 12 months.

Indeed, that's a separate issue I think that remains to be seen. ETIAS is apparently both a work in progress and - at this stage - an unknown quantity even for some industry experts. The early signs seem to be that ETIAS makes general travel a bit more difficult for citizens of countries which currently enjoy visa-free travel (which is, I suppose the idea, ETIAS being a response to global instability, terrorism, etc). But it may help to ease a situation where bands will (in the short term) be constrained by the requirements of observing national rules.

'Clear' might be a bit optimistic but there's a structure at a national level with which musos can engage. I suspect that notionally 'bigger' bands with management, etc., will find it easier than smaller bands with fewer professional resources. In any event, nothing much will be happening anywhere until the summer. Covid control is managed at a national level so some countries may still be locking out foreign travellers into the autumn. Any return to normality may not occur until 2022, at which time ETIAS will be on the horizon with its 90 day window.

OK, after a bit of digging, this seems to be the position as compiled by the Incorporated Society of Musicans (who they?): * There is currently no supranational EU scheme covering UK musicians. It's now all at the national level. * UK musicians will be permitted to perform in 30 EEA countries (EU27 plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein), and Switzerland, subject to each nation's specific requirements and laws. Some countries offer a fixed number of visa / permit free days (e.g. France). Others require a short term work permit (e.g. Netherlands). Some countries place more onerous conditions than others but these tend to be the smaller countries * The total number of 'free' days varies from 14 days over 12 months (e.g., Norway, Latvia) up to 90 days over 12 months (e.g., France, Germany) * Most countries seem to be agnostic about a musician's status whereas a few stipulate that the artist must be 'well renowned' and invited by a 'renowned' institution' (e.g. Italy). Iceland stipulates that musicians are welcome but there are different rules if you're performing in catering establishments (!) * Due to the historic Common Travel Area, Ireland is completely open to UK musos. Conclusion UK musicians are not barred from Europe. For the next 12-18 months bands will have to piece their tours together at a national level. Some countries will be more difficult to get into than others. Future Visas (as opposed to work permits) will only be an issue in the short term. In 2022 the EU will introduce a new, supervening programme known as ETIAS. This will become the over-arching visa / entry scheme for the EU countries and replaces the national 'Schengen' visas. Citizens of 62 countries which previously enjoyed visa-free travel (e.g. USA, Australia, UK) will from next year be required to apply for an ETIAS before they will be permitted to enter the EU. The UK is already an approved member of the ETIAS programme. As citizens of a 'third country' UK travellers (whether for business or pleasure) must apply for an ETIAS. The proposed cost of an ETIAS is €7 versus the current €60 Schengen visa. An ETIAS will be more flexible than the current Schengen visa. A Schengen visa is valid for a period of up to 90 days in any given 180 day period of time. An approved ETIAS, on the other hand, will be valid for three years or the date of passport expiry (whichever comes first), and can be used for stays of up to 90 days in a 180 day period. National work permit requirements may still apply.

Well, couple of things: * I couldn't find anything else in the last month or so (go further back and it's mostly predictions rather than outcomes) but feel free to read the article then search for stats that contradict the points the FT advances. * The FT contacted 24 of the biggest City institutions. Many other articles on the subject seem to have been based on predictions by recruitment companies that may or may not have a commercial imperative behind their pronouncements. * The FT's historic position has been extremely hostile to Brexit so I'm relaxed in respect of any partiality vs accuracy issues. If there'd been a jobs bloodbath the FT would been all over it. Some reports I've read suggest that the increase in headcount has been driven by developments such as the fast-growing Fintech sector. Moreover, it's entirely possible that a bank might have laid off 50 EU-related staff but hired 150 for other projects. As with all predictions involving matters with a tinge of controversy, it's fairly safe to assume that the outcomes will be neither as bad as some predict nor as good as predicted by others. Any unwinding or strengthening of the City's position as a financial hot spot may take place over years rather than months while other factors come into play. In any case, once they can find an AI that can do the jobs the banks will sack everyone they can.

Dec 2020 article in the FT (£ paywall) reports that: Brexit has failed to deliver a big hit to financial services employment in London, Financial Times research has shown, with international banks maintaining most of their staff since the vote to leave the EU and big asset managers hiring in the UK capital. Initial warnings that tens of thousands of jobs would leave the City as a result of the 2016 Brexit vote have been drastically scaled back. An FT survey of 24 large international banks and asset managers found that the majority had increased their London headcount over the past five years. Twelve overseas-based banks, which employed about 71,000 people in London five years ago, now have a reduced headcount of about 65,000. But most of the decline came from group-wide restructurings at Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Nomura. Nine of the world’s largest asset managers have ramped up hiring in the UK since the vote, with their total combined headcount rising 35 per cent to more than 10,000 employees over the period. The article also notes that (over the period in question) new financial services jobs have been created in the EU and that further changes may occur. If anything, it is suggested elsewhere that Covid may have more of an impact on the City than Brexit. Some institutions are planning to permanently disperse office-based staff to home or shared-office locations and one such major company (whose name escapes me) has announced its firm intention to do so. Should this occur to any great extent a decline in concentrated work population might cause a negative impact on local businesses such as eateries, dry cleaners, etc. as well as public transport. (Also at @Al Krow to save you having to dig up any stats)

My immediate reactions in chronological order were: Why now? Cui bono? A creeping sense of mortality A desire for a nice cup of tea The view that such revelations as might be presented will not match those to be found in Mr Frank Harris's My Life and Loves

Thank you, everyone. It's an honour to be here tonight among so many gifted practitioners who produced such amazing work. I'm going to try not to cry. (Produces raw onion and waves it under nose). I'd like to thank my agent Mr Maury Sline, my stylist Mrs Gladys Twist and my personal trainer Beppo. Huge props to the great Mr John Fogarty for writing the song, the Saul Zaentz Company for not issuing a copyright takedown order and most all of to my darling wife Brünnhilde and our amazing kids Jonquil, Moonflower and Trixiebelle Vendingmachine. I will treasure this award forever. Thank you. (Falls off stage).

Happy Birthday, Jack

OK, here's Have You Ever Seen The Rain, an old CCR number, its title subtly modified for SoundCloud's cover regs. In case they get snarky here's an MP3 as well: have you ever seen the rain.mp3

FTFY

Good point, well made. For stereo recording Huw Price suggests using two mics, one over each shoulder. I've never tried it but it sounds like fun.

Forgot: Really good article by Mike Senior here https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/recording-acoustic-guitar