SumOne

I sold a pedal to Matt, and all was good.

Pete Bruntnell and the Cousins feat. Robbie Macintosh. They played a small pub, it wasn't a well advertised or particularly well attended, they are great musicians though and I think were playing it due to a local connection and general love of playing.

Funnily enough, I'm just half way through writing a 'join my band' advert to form a Reggae backing band. I figured other than Pama International, Upper Cut Band, Friendly Fire Band I'm not aware of other active UK ones - and none on the South coast. I suppose it is because there isn't the market for it but I like the idea of a Roots Radics style band that supports different vocalists. It probably is ambitious for the limited Portsmouth/Chichester/Brighton reggae scene though!

Sone good stuff on this new Dubmatix page, including this Joe Gibbs mix: https://bassculture.substack.com/p/the-mighty-joe-gibbs-hits-legends

Cheers all to a long weekend. Sun is shining, rum and ginger is icy cold, reggae is playing (Handsworth Revolution as this thread reminded me I should. Disk 2 with the dub versions ♨️). The cat knows the score:

Excellent retirement gift! I had an MPC One, and then an MPC Key 67, both were great and I kinda regret selling them. A bit of a learning curve as they have different ways of doing things to DAWs, but is mostly quite straightforward. I never did get any good at finger drumming though!

Thanks @Quatschmacher all of this this tech support is much appreciated (and hopefully could be useful to someone else reading this thread one day). Via midimonitor it confirms PC messages are being sent from FI to Laptop when clicking the FI switch: And changing sliders on the FI editor changes the FI number to the hoizontal lines - so that confirms that signals are going from Laptop into the FI. - Both in and out Midi ports are selected (via editor and when using the updater). - Cables have been swopped around and re-checked. - I've tried the two usb ports (well, now tried four: via two Midi devices - one uses usb C tried 2x different ports, the other is type A tried in 2x different ports, not via a hub - all direct to Laptop) - All FI v3 Editor etc has been deleted (and I've uninstalled/re-installed v4 Editor). - Same results with the Volt unplugged and virtually disconnected, and just using the new Digiflex interface. (I can tell when it is doing the single Midi conncection thing as if using midimonitor the device doesn't show up on the FI editor, go out of that and it re-appears). - Everything on the Laptop is updated. It doesn't seem an issue with the FI as such, or the Midi interface - as the FI it sends and receives Midi from the Laptop. It's the data for the firmware update or via the editor that for some reason are not going back and forth - I assume somewhere buried in my Laptop is something selected that isn't allowing that type of Midi data transfer? ....but with this new Midi interface there isn't even any app to make any changes and Windows has no control pannel settings for Midi (aparently it was removed a few years ago). Some seem to have a problem with things like 'Intel Smart sound for USB audio' driver needing to be disabled, but that isn't something on my Laptop, I assume something similar buried somewhere.

Sorry to say, but my patience with the FI v4 has just about ran out and I think it will be for sale tomorrow. I got a new Midi interface (Digiflex), and on the FI updater it recognises it, select it, go into update mode, click update..... 'FI not present of communication error'. Go onto the FI editor and go out of update mode on the FI, select Midi in/out (it recognises the device), go to editor and move some sliders and the FI display changes from number to two horizontal lines (so the Midi device must be working - it is connecting to the FI and making a change in display). But go to 'manager' tab and 'download from FI' and ......'the FI not present of communication error' message pops up. There are no other virtual or physical devices connected to the laptop, no other usb ports used, not using a usb hub, no other programmes running, the new Midi device seems to have no sortware - no option of thru functionality, and as far as anything I can access - no other virtual Midi is being used. It probably is something to do with my Laptop settings, but this is such a ballache to figure out that I'm gonna give up.

I think there is a difference between the worst offenders of planned obsolescence (e.g. companies deliberately designing things to not be fixable, or to not last as long as they could for the same production cost) and companies not continuing to spend on software updates to keep up with modern operating systems years after the pedal production finished. A digital pedal from 20 years ago not working with a modern operating system is akin to not being able to get replacement parts for an analogue pedal from 20 years ago, I don't think either are long-game consumerism plots by the pedal companies.

Perhaps, but right now (after days of faff, vs all those other products that work fine), I'm not sold on that! The UA Volt 2 is one of the most popular Midi interfaces, probably only second to Focusrite. It is about £130 so should be decent enough to do this. I dunno, I don't think I have anything too unusual going on with my setup. The FI updater recognised the UA Volt but then does not connect and does not give any reason for it/sollution/check list. I've used DAWs etc for about 25 years, and like I mentioned - lots of digital pedals and Midi etc but this one connection seems impenetrable to figure out, I've just about given up. If there is a second 'virtual Midi' running or something, well - nothing online or from hours of searching seems to show how I can see it/turn it off.