lowdown

[quote name='lordfrog' post='1351738' date='Aug 25 2011, 08:42 PM']I can understand how an interface would benefit me - I'm not looking to spend a huge amount of money - but again, I've got to plug the interface into my Mac in some way? - I use the onboard sound card plugged through monitor speakers It sounds OK to me - I'm not looking for high end studio quality sound, (I've looked at your rather impressive and no doubt hugely expensive studio build) - most people never listen to music on high end hifi equipment, so that doesn't concern me too much So back to my original question - how would I connect an interface? - is firewire best? - or is a firewire mixer the way to go? I'm no sound engineer/ producer wannabe, but I would like a clean(ish) sound! A lot of my recording is midi guitar/ bass - so no noise issues at all - but I do like a "live" guitar/ bass sound too! thanks for your replies btw[/quote] Depends on your Budget. I too just record Bass & Guitar as Audio - Or basically just one instrument at a time, and lots of Midi stuff. I have just upgraded to this [Link below] and it is excellent.Incredibly stable with ultra low latency and rock solid midi at both 64 & 32 bit. And quite a good pre-amp, and does sound nice. Plenty of great reviews about. [url="http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=1166"]Roland Quad Capture[/url] Garry

This maybe ? - a track from the sound track album. Garry

[quote name='cheddatom' post='1351175' date='Aug 25 2011, 11:49 AM']I'd never actually heard of Sound Fonts. If I find I can write string parts then i'll start messing about with the sounds. My CPU usage is already at 80% on this particular song, so something "light" is what I need at the moment. Are Sound Fonts just as light as VSTis? I have used Reason in the past with ReWire but that dominates my CPU too.[/quote] The Sound font player is very very light on CPU, lighter than a Synth. And easy to use. Samples or Sound Fonts depend on RAM being Audio files, not CPU. So yep will be lighter on CPU. There are hundreds & hundreds of free SF's on the net, just google. You can build up quite an impressive library, And of course you can benefit from all the extra articulations, which will give you the authentic soundiing Orchestral sound. Another free Sound Font player on the link OldG supplied. It is Multi timbral with 16 midi channels. [url="http://freemusicsoftware.org/category/free-vst/soundfont"]Sound Font player[/url] I used to use sound fonts before going over to the Kontakt Sampler. Kontakt meant i could use the large Orchestral Sample Libraries now available. Garry

[quote name='cheddatom' post='1351009' date='Aug 25 2011, 08:58 AM']I'm looking for a VSTi for strings. I don't need the world's best sounds, just something better than the microsoft MIDI voices. Is there anything free?[/quote] Any VST'i Synth strings sound pretty awful. If you do not want to go down the sampler route, Sound fonts are your next good bet. They are Audio files and sound pretty decent, certainly better than Synth Strings. Just google free sound fonts, hundreds of them around. Try the link below for a start - you can download a free sound font player and a full bunch of Orchestral sounds, with a few articulations , Its dead easy to use. A free Convolution IR Reverb will help as well. [url="http://freesf2.com/"]Free SF & Sound fonts[/url] Garry

[quote name='chris_b' post='1349164' date='Aug 23 2011, 04:55 PM']Hit Parade songs released[/quote] Love that, Along with Popular Beat Combo's...Mi'Lud Garry

[quote name='51m0n' post='1349139' date='Aug 23 2011, 04:30 PM']Actually I think its the car stereo to blame, and the listening environment in general you live with in a car. For one you have immense noise in that environment, secondly it is highly possible that the bass response is highly tuned to the point of producing 'one note bass' and nothing else on that system. Both of these situations will cause you to only hear a single tone from the bass across a variety of material. You suggest that all bass tones in modern pop are the same, well depends on the modern pop really, but deep pillowy bass is easy to mix the rest of the track to, its underneath everything.[/quote] But the OP says the Bass on the older tunes still shone through with more detail ? And i have often thought that, when listening in the car. Garry

[quote name='GonzoBass' post='1347800' date='Aug 22 2011, 10:03 AM']This gave me the luxury of "making the score our own" in a few places which made my MD role a lot easier. A fun show! A lot of work, but a fun show!!![/quote] We had the " Bat Boy" Composer Larry O'Keefe as our Musical Supervisor for a two week rehearsal period, He pretty much wanted it note per note as the Broadway score version, but he was kinda flexible as well. For instance the tune "Mine all Mine", he wrote for the London show which i think is now in the Score, Was pretty much thrown together in the studio [apart from tune/lyrics and chord structure] Larry is a great guy and very talented. Yep a fun show, and a nightmare for deps.. Garry

I have this album, great playing all round. The band were at Ronnie Scotts last month but with Poogie Bell on drums, and Bob Franceschini on Sax. Great stuff. If you like Jeff Lorber you might want to check out some of his earlier albums. Wizard Island for one. Garry

I quite like these tunes [I thought i would not for some reason] May be my puter speakers - but it seems a bit light Bass end [Bass Gtr i mean] But saying that i can always hear the Bass end well on Commercial stuff on the puter speakers, so you [Bass Gtr] might be a bit light in the mix. Garry

Hey Christian, good stuff dude. Really nice to hear some finished stuff that is well structured with some form - And some tunes! 'Bela' is a lovely theme. Garry

[quote name='GonzoBass' post='1344779' date='Aug 18 2011, 08:01 PM']MD/Conductor/Bassist for "Bat Boy, the Musical"[/quote] Hey - I Did "Bat Boy" in the West End London run about six years ago, also the Cast CD... That show is a read and half, and a great score. You must have had your hands full Gonzo - MD'ing and Bass playing, good one! Little Shop is not a hard read, but if you are new to shows its a good way to ease in and get used to the feel of Musical Theatre [If thats what you want to do] Garry

Just picked up a Pedal from Mark. Good friendly guy to do business with. Garry

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1340496' date='Aug 15 2011, 11:28 AM']Italian might be more helpful understanding what they're saying [/quote] There speaks the voice of the Don... And yep Bobby V is awesome. [Pick or no pick] Garry

Like.... Great stuff. Garry

[quote name='JTUK' post='1339460' date='Aug 14 2011, 11:33 AM']whilst trying to sell an amp. I found this whilst searching for something else.... and whilst he is going through all his tricks...he still can apply a few styles with a decent feel. I posted this as it has enough for most people...pickers, fingers, farty stuff. Might be something to provide inspiration ..??? and gets away from hammering away at the one technique which if that isn't your thing, can get pretty boring ....[/quote] And what are you trying to post? any clues...? need any help. Yep, agreed that Mr Vega does it all round. Garry

I think GP is a great player and top pro, a very funny geezer with some acid wit. Seen his stand up show, its real good fun. Not sure what all the bashing is about. Guy knows what he is doing and there [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iF47M3YDlg"]Aint no doubt[/url] ,superb in feel & tone and plenty of groove. Garry

[quote name='Chris2112' post='1338542' date='Aug 13 2011, 10:45 AM']Might as well just start playing like Victor Wooten...no keyboard player could copy that![/quote] Garry

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1338445' date='Aug 13 2011, 09:17 AM']Had this extensively with the first keyboard player in my current band. He was a VERY smart chap, psychiatrist specialising in criminal forensics (think [i][b]Cracker[/b][/i]), and a very capable musician. He was also into mind games and wind-ups and look-at-me-aren't-I-clever posturing. He doubled up on my basslines surreptitiously at rehearsals so that the bass always sounded too loud and really muddy. I kept changing my bass, my rig, my playing style in an effort to solve "my" problem .. it never occurred to me (or anyone else) that another band member might be deliberately sabotaging things. Eventually he got spotted of course. He tried to laugh it off and make out that it was all a great joke. He was out of the band after our next gig. When his replacement came in, I made it very clear on EVERY appropriate occasion who was responsible for supplying bottom end.[/quote] Funny how we all see things in a different way. In my business [Music] we see all that as not being a very smart chap, and an incapable Musician. Garry

[quote name='bethnalgreen' post='1338126' date='Aug 12 2011, 08:03 PM']I look forward to the day when someone plays the bass riff in the middle of You Can Call Me Al live ............ as the second half of it is the first half recording being played backwards is it not? :-) JJ[/quote] Yep, but all you do is play the first half as is.... Then again but with the notes in reverse order, last note first etc. Bassist Armand Sabal Lecco did all the touring gigs with PS after the single, and did a great fcuk of job with it. Plenty of him on Da tube. Garry

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' post='1337566' date='Aug 12 2011, 01:04 PM']I mean four and a half beats in a bar of 4/4, but only in the bass part, not in the other lines! It's an obvious cock up in the part writing. There are a few other things like that too.[/quote] To be honest from reading your posts, little thought has gone onto the charts, IE - like you say above and notes out of range, unclear directions etc. Well in my experience that always leads to one thing -[b] All [/b]the band charts will be like that, and time will be wasted sorting it all out on the job, And that includes the other Musicians. Oh and dont worry about string players being 'On it' they will be even more confused than you if it is not written out correctly.... You will all be in the same boat, so just enjoy it. Garry

Autumn Leaves is another one for getting your ears tuned into 2/5/1, and the circle of fifths (or circle of fourths) Garry

[quote name='gary mac' post='1332711' date='Aug 8 2011, 08:34 PM']Let's hope it was just a case of something getting lost in the translation [/quote] If not, he could get himself down to Croydon. There will be plenty of takers there... Garry

All very interesting, but how is this all a general Bass discussion...? Garry

[quote name='J.R.Bass' post='1263993' date='Jun 10 2011, 03:00 PM']Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, Jessie J, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake transcriptions & more......... [size=5] [b][url="http://jbbass.co.uk/transcriptions.aspx"]http://www.jbbass.co.uk/transcriptions.aspx[/url][/b][/size][/quote] Thanks matey... Garry

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='1330538' date='Aug 7 2011, 01:03 AM']When will they get the strings to line up with the fret markers?[/quote] Yer , not exactly Precision engineering is it? never has been. Thats why Fender put the blocks markers on the Jazz Bass, then it did not matter... I wonder if it comes complete with dead spots. Garry