Leonard Smalls

1st gig after 2 years (apart from internet ones). New drummer and guitarist too. Went reasonably well - everyone cocked up a little bit... Mine was due to not being able to see fret markers in poor lights. Must get some dayglo markers! But audience seemed very keen - 6th band out of 9 at Dollfest Abertillary....

Their website appears to be dead so not sure if they still exist... But my post above has a link to the MD Intelligent Box review by Henk and Marja at what is known as Six Loons. It's Quantum. So it's very clever!

Machina Dynamica make his tweaks look relatively sane!

To Jamaaladeen Tacuma's free download of a celebration of Coltrane: https://jamaaladeenmusic.com/album/44158/coltrane-configurations-progressions

And most important for digital playback, have the edges of the cd been highlighted green? CD also sounds appallingly unnatural unless you've put Shakti Stones on the CD player - you need to absorb that stray EMI! But the single best thing you can do to extract the most from cd playback is to buy an INTELLIGENT BOX 😎

1st actual live as opposed to streaming gig for 2 years! We're on at 7.10pm (6th on with 9 bands in total) at the Dollfest, Doll's House Abertillary. 1st time out for our new drummer and rhythm guitarist too...

Funnily enough my first taste of proper hifi was from cassette! I'd just blown my 1st term's grant in Superfi in Leeds on a Technics SU V5 amp and Kef Carina 2 loudspeakers. Got chatting to the salesman, we discovered we like similar music and both liked a little smoke (this was long ago, btw!). So I went to his house, we listened to Yello's "Claro Que Si" on cassette, and it sounded better than anything I'd ever heard before (the tootle probably helped!). However, this wasn't just a Waltham portable, twas a Nakamichi Dragon into Radford pre/power, into Tannoy 12" concentrics (Chatsworth, iirc).

An old Garard TT, going through an Ongaku phono and 10W SET amp into Tannoy Westminsters is a very pleasurable experience; for those who listen to breathy female vocal music this is audio nirvana. But at the opposite end of the spectrum, my Clearaudio Revolution with SME arm and Audionote cart de-phono-ed by an EAR 834 deluxe and amplified by a Bow Technology pre and Bryston 14bsst power into either my Leema Xaviers or Ditton 66/2s is capable of surprisingly accurate fidelity as well as extraordinary scale and power. I'd defy any listener to actually be able to spot any actual lack compared to my Advantage cd player (which is also a pretty serious piece of kit - a bit of a Wadia-beater!). Both do an excellent job - and comparing to the original tape master is a) absolutely irrelevant wot with it not being available b) absolutely irrelevant wot with it having been produced in a completely different acoustic environment from my listening room. What I really don't understand is folks who continually diss vinyl; after all it's great at producing music, as is digital! Ultimately listening to music is subjective - those who enjoy death metal will swear blind their choice is better than, say Scarlatti, and vice versa. Similarly, some will say that music sounds appalling unless its source is sitting on at least 14 layers of Mana tables. Others will violently uphold that this sucks out the life and you need a pneumatic platform. And among these sub-sects folks will fight about whether to stick a Linn LP12 on top of their Mana skyscraper, or an SME 10. But really, all those groups are just justifying purchases when they should just listen to their choice of music on whatever playback device they want to and not tell everyone else all their choices are sh!t!

It's a ridiculous argument... Both have merits, and both have problems. If you're looking for ultimate faithful-ness to the original recording, a 192KHz 24 bit digital medium is probably better than decent vinyl. But most folks are looking for what sounds nicest; that's why companies like Bosendorfer make speakers with sounding boards like their pianos in order to give a sound with pleasing resonances. And a good vinyl pressing played on a well-executed and set-up deck sounds at least as subjectively good and musical as any digital set-up. Some people may prefer one over the other, but to say vinyl doesn't sound good usually means that the person has never actually heard good vinyl, or is just reliving old memories of dirty crackly records humming with feedback and a filthy worn out cartridge. When I worked in BBC sound transfer one of our managers declared that "vinyl was not a broadcast medium". The entire department rounded on him, especially the two staff members who are now Trilogy Audio and Leema, made him listen to proper vinyl and as a result we actually got our knackered old Garard decks serviced ( or replaced with Technics), put into more isolating plinths, arms were set-up and Stanton DJ carts replaced. He didn't whinge about vinyl quality again, just made sure that decks were on the maintenance schedule...

Almost! It appears to be a MoFi Ultra Deck which they've replaced the plinth of with a bit of Fender Wood, then added $1200 to the price... And if I were spending $2200 on a US deck I'd buy a VPI Scout!

I do feel that these increasingly tenuous fish puns are inappropriate on a website dedicated to Bass!

Funnily enough I've not found that... Perhaps it's because I have it quite high and play right by the neck with thumb and fingers?

They are an interesting looking beast... I've got one and it's excellent in its oddness!

It's funny because I watched that video recently and really liked it. Three seriously musical improvements on a slightly dirge-y rock song. Still, it takes all sorts!

Pigeons? They're Funky! So here's a bit of Old Skool rap/rock to reflect this: For those that like that sort of thing, drums are 2x EZ Drummer drum sounds (one phased Phunk, one Jabo Sparks kit) using Jabo patterns with fills and extra cymbals programmed by me. Bass is an ACG through Bass Whammy and Future Impact. Guitar is a strat through Amplitube (double tracked), rappers from New York and edited from Loopmasters loops. Mastered via Ozone 9 in Ableton.

Thought 'd listen to some slightly adjusted klezmer too!

And much as I like my Abarth, I've also got a Subaru Legacy estate which fits a Markbass 2x10 and 4x10 plus 6u amp rack, 2 foot square pedal board and 2 basses in the boot with the boots cover on and rear seats up. So there's lots of motors that'll do it... I'd say get the coolest,like this Packard Pro-Street hearse!

I was always a bit disappointed that none of the bands I've been in wanted to do Derek Bailey and Jamaaladeen Tacuma's "Mirakle". I suspect it would have set the dancefloor alight at next Saturday's punk Dollfest! 😎

I do like a bit of Charles...

I once did a gig where I strapped a Markbass 2x10 plus 6u rack with amps to my ancient MotoGuzzi, bass in soft case was on my back. Couldn't bring the pedal board!

I've got an Abarth 500; the size of the boot is more suited to a singer with no more than 2 mics and a very small notebook of lyrics. With the seats down I can just about squeeze a bass amp and Markbass 4x10 in, but there's not much rear vision. However, it's such fun that: a) I don't care b) I've scared the other members of the band sufficiently that I don't need to worry about carrying a passenger as well...

Two wildly different options: Magazine - Play Steve Coleman & the 5 Elements - Tao of Mad Phat Both are equally awesome!

Might have gone commando that day! Otherwise, the only discipline I could cope with is a very mild spanking! However, I remember that day(was about 8 years ago) as it was hot, I led 5 routes at up to E2, leaving by Commando Ridge, driving home (200 miles) having drunk no water at all then scoffing a large pizza and bottle of red (no water still), then collapsing in the bathroom, banging my head on the bath. Had concussion for a week! Valuable lesson about hydration learned...

And while we're talking about all things climbing (The Real Rock!) here's me in an unusual situation, looking like a real climber! On Anzac Day at Bosigran Ridge:

I recently bought a lovely pair of their boots!