Oomo

I'm not much of a home recorder, but have been using an SSL2+ for recording bass and a powered mic (it's also useful for skype lessons). I'd like to also start adding some keyboard/synth to the mix, so would like something a bit like the SSL2+, but which also lets me record from a keyboard, and also have midi inputs. Some requirements I can think of: * phantom power for mic * bass input (obviously...) - I know some have impedance switches for this, but that's beyond my knowledge * keyboard/other audio input * midi input * USB-C connector (mostly connect to a Mac laptop which only has USB-C) * headphone output (I use the SSL2+'s headphone out for silent practice a lot) * gain controls for the different inputs No particular budget in mind, happy to pay more for something quality, but I don't need a top end studio quality interface. Any ideas/suggestions to look into? I'm pretty clueless when it comes to all this stuff I'm afraid (the SSL2+ was from a friend that wasn't using it, seems great, but only has 2 inputs). Maybe there's also some other approach that means I don't have to replace the SSL2+?

London feels pretty safe in general, a few areas a bit dodgier than others (like any city), but late night public transport is busy enough that you'll never feel isolated/alone. I know plenty of people that gig regularly and get trains/night buses late at night without any issues. Plus most thefts seem to be high value items that are easy to shift, laptops, phones, electric bikes etc., big heavy things like basses/amps are much less likely to be a target.

Well maybe I'm being a bit unfair. I'm just going by some friends that upgrade their iPhone pretty much every single time a new model is available, and they all look pretty much the same to me. I guess they get a bit faster and cameras get better, but I've never seen anything that looked massively different from the previous model. Though maybe there's not that much innovation left in phones...

That's also probably true For the record I'm still after a Fender jazz (as soon as I find the right one...), I'm probably mostly put off by their marketing spiel more than actual experience with their latest bass models.

To me they're similar to Apple phones after Steve Jobs passed away. What they produce is fine, and they'll keep churning out similar things each year with minor tweaks, lots of marketing, but no real new vision or innovation.

Though it crops up in a lot of Halloween playlists, Zombie by The Cranberries was written about two children killed by an IRA bomb. So might be worth avoiding depending on the audience...

I got the same at school for being into computers in the pre internet times... Careers advisor: "So what do you want to do a for career?" Me: "Work with computers, programming maybe." CA: "Well computers are just a fad, a waste of time and there'll be no money or jobs for them in future." 🙄 I'm pretty sure they're just trained to funnel everyone down some standard path.

Mine was a Dean Edge bass in black (20 years ago or so), no pickguard. I pretty much chose it because it was a) black, and b) left-handed, and c) all those Fender-style basses are only for old folks, right? It sounded and played horribly (I didn't know that setups were a thing back then...), and ditched it as soon as I tried a lefty Fender MIM Jazz bass and loved everything about it...

As a lefty, I guess I'll stop complaining about the choice of basses we have and grab this bargain while I can. Might pick up a cheap keyboard while I'm at it https://reverb.com/uk/item/48735698-yamaha-cs-80-synthesizer-1980

Just bought an HX Stomp from Frank, and couldn't be happier. Great communication from the start, and he was nice enough to deliver it in person too, despite the significant distance. The effects unit was in superb condition, clearly well looked after, and Frank was also nice enough to update it to the latest firmware and send me pics of it working just before him brought it round. A pleasure to buy from, would definitely do so again!

No idea whether the 10,000 hour thing is true or not, but regardless, I never see any mention of skill levels before that. E.g. are you meant to be awful at a mere 9900 hours, then mastery finally kicks in? Or maybe more weighted towards the lower end where you can make a professional living at something after say 3000 hours of practice, and the next 7000 are getting you from 95% mastery to 99% or something?

Not for bass, but I've used https://www.larkmusic.com/ for the last 10 years or so. Haven't had to make a claim yet, but their price/cover has been great.

I'd signed up for stock alerts waiting for this for a while, but ended up getting one elsewhere while waiting. In case anyone's been after this pedal, they've got 3 in stock the the time of posting this: https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/200916362124025--boss-oc-5-octave

Definitely goes both ways... Many many years ago I played in an alternative/indie/goth band. I was mocked for my Fender MIM for being a dad rock bass (it sounded fastastic). They loved the look of my awful £40 2nd hand Dean Edge bass in black though...there was nothing good about that bass.

Tiffany - I think we're alone now. As a kid I'd always thought the lyrics were "I think we're in gnome town" (I read a lot of fantasy/adventure books as a kid).

I can't comment on bass grades/exams, but did this for classical guitar some years ago (I think I jumped in and did an ABRSM grade 5 exam in my late 20s / early 30s). It was...ok? I remember the whole thing being very classically focused (which was fine for classical guitar, but might not be your thing if you're more into jazz for example). It also took quite a bit of prep work, a lot of which I felt was more geared towards passing the exam, than actually making me a better all round player. E.g. we focused a lot on keys/scales that were going to be in the exam, ignoring others temporarily. If I had the choice again, I probably wouldn't bother, but I would find a teacher that was more focused on music theory (and tell them to force me to learn it ).

That's true, I've seen some lefty electric uprights around the place. It's the never looking back I'd be scared of, it's hard enough improving on electric bass guitar without another distraction

Good to know there are affordable options out there! It's still a pretty big investment for me (more in terms of space in the house, and figuring out a place to play without driving the neighbours crazy with poor intonation...). If I was a righty, I'd probably try and find a local teacher whose instrument I could try out a bit, then rent one for a while to see how that went.

Thank you for this post - as a lefty that occasionally gets the urge to try DB (and then gets frustrated at being a lefty with no instruments to try out...), hearing about what a pain it is somehow makes me feel a little better

I remember Scott saying that he used the gloves as a workaround for focal dystonia, he talks about it a bit here: https://scottsbasslessons.com/blog/the-gloves. As to whether they help for other things, I have no idea

Thanks, that makes a ton of sense now. So sounds like something you'd use any time you're not using an actual physical amp - direct into house PA, headphone practice at home, recording direct etc. The IR thing is a lot clearer too - rather than being just a set of EQ applied uniformly, sounds like something more dynamic that responds to input.

I've never really tried any seriously (I've quickly tried some software ones, and they just made everything sound wooly/muffled), and confused about what they're for or how they work. If you've got a 1x8 speaker and run a 4x10 cab sim into it, it can't possibly sound like a real 4x10 - so what am I missing? Are they just something you'd maybe use for recording direct rather than for live sound? Or are they more like some EQ presets which are applied to get familiar sounds conveniently?

Yeah, not too bad at all really. Bit spoilt for choice at the moment - every time I think I've found a nice preamp/DI (was leaning towards the Trickfish Trilobite), then another one comes along (or will in September at least...).

Looks like Andertons have it on pre-order for £350: https://www.andertons.co.uk/brands/two-notes/two-notes-revolt-bass-analog-amp-sim-pedal But still not cheap

I'll be playing (just casually at their home) with a couple of friends that live about an hour from me, 30 minute walk plus 30 minutes train. Looking for a small super portable combo I can walk with without collapsing or pulling my arms off. The Phil Jones double four gets great reviews, so wondering if any of you can comment on whether it's light and ergonomic enough to carry on foot for a while? Otherwise any other suggestions for a small combo that'll fill the slot? Will be playing with guitar and keys, so nothing too loud/powerful needed.