The Funk

[quote name='The Funk' post='459021' date='Apr 10 2009, 03:34 AM']If they're the tiny, piddly little AKG ones then they'll distort on the kick[/quote] [quote name='slaphappygarry' post='459198' date='Apr 10 2009, 12:27 PM']Clip on mics will handle quite loud sources as they are used to being 1" away from the drum that is being hit[/quote] Garry's right, thinking about it - they might handle the level of the kick drum but I'd still be a bit worried about the sound you'd get.

I have an EBS MicroBass II preamp/DI. It has two channels (with tone controls - so you [i]might[/i] find it colours your tone even when set flat), a footswitch for switching between the two, effects loop, DI etc. It's a much more expensive option than a simple line-switcher. I like the Lehle products for switching. The Little Lehle would do it, although again it's more expensive than the Boss. The advantage of the MicroBass is that you can adjust the gain for each channel so that the levels of each bass are more or less matched, meaning you don't have to mess around with your amp in between songs.

Those sound like 3 dynamic mics, suitable only for snare and toms. If they're the tiny, piddly little AKG ones then they'll distort on the kick and be useless for an overhead. If they're the slightly bigger Shure, Sennheiser or Audix mics, I'd try Ray's way. If the signal from the kick distorts with the mic inside the kick, put it slightly outside the skin on the opposite side from the pedal.

[quote name='urb' post='458468' date='Apr 9 2009, 02:41 PM']Funny thing is I just got asked if I'd do a gig/tour with ahem - an ex-Sugerbabe/Big Brother contestant - but sadly I'm a. not into the music and b. too damn busy with other stuff - not that the bloke who asked me seemed to give a sh*t - according to him I would really regret it... we'll see [/quote] My friend works at her label. Apparently she's unreliable as f*ck. You're right to skip it. She routinely doesn't show up for things. And then there's the music! Butchering a Lenny Kravitz tune and a Ronettes classic. Incidentally, I was sworn at by a different Sugababe once.

That's what made me realise how incredible a bassist he was.

[quote name='Ray' post='458677' date='Apr 9 2009, 06:30 PM']I find the best way to record a drum kit is to have one mic for the kick, one for the snare and one overhead (probably placed just above and in front of the drummers head).[/quote] Depending on what types of mics you have, I'd be tempted to go for two overheads and a kick. But Ray's way also works (if you don't mind mono drums).

[quote name='Zoe_BillySheehan' post='458579' date='Apr 9 2009, 04:53 PM']the only problem is..is that the 'inter nation'? (spelling..eek) on my bass at the dusty end is out![/quote] Intonation (literally meaning something like 'in tune -ness'). I'll check it out when I get home.

[quote name='EskimoBassist' post='458276' date='Apr 9 2009, 12:25 PM']Get yourself an EHX Nano Small Stone, or a Boss CEB-3 chorus, or maybe a Boss OC-2, all cheap and great pedals. If I was you though I'd probably just use the BSW as an octave down and instead get myself a nice pre amp/DI, such as an MXR M-80 or a SansAmp .[/quote] [quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='458281' date='Apr 9 2009, 12:27 PM']I'd make a 'producer placebo box' using bits from maplin. - aluminium box, pots, footswitch, jack sockets etc. The input will be connected directly to the output and there'd be at least one footswitch and pot not connected to anything. Go crazy with painting it and give it a suitably funky name. With that on your board, anytime a bandmate asks you to make a change to your sound (including a request to turn the volume down) you'll have some controls to adjust to make them happy without actually messing up your sound. [/quote] Both brilliant ideas! A decent DI is so useful but the Producer Placebo Box is pure genius.

[quote name='SteveO' post='458266' date='Apr 9 2009, 12:19 PM']in 5/4 it's a tenth...[/quote] [quote name='SteveO' post='458317' date='Apr 9 2009, 12:55 PM']No, wait a bit, you're using misdirection to confuse me. 5/4 may mean 5 quarters of a 4/4 bar, but an eighth note is still not an eighth of a 5/4 bar. Ha! [/quote] You're kind of right both times. There are 10 eighth notes in a bar of 5/4. I find it useful because it refers to - excuse my ignorance of the correct terminology here - the second number in a time signature, ie. the 4 in 5/4. If it was meant to refer to a fraction of the bar, I'd find it confusing as hell.

[quote name='SteveO' post='458266' date='Apr 9 2009, 12:19 PM']It only makes sense if you're playing 4/4. In 6/8 an 'Eighth' note is a sixth of the bar[/quote] Still makes sense there. There are six 'eighth' notes in the bar.

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='458234' date='Apr 9 2009, 11:57 AM']Reading this thread, I have just realised that, whilst I know the theory, I refer to the interval in question as a whole tone above or below and don't start talking about intervals numerically until its a minor third or greater - major or minor seconds are not generally in my vocabulary. Flattened ninths, yes, but not minor seconds. Odd that.[/quote] Could that be a jazz thing? You guys sometimes play flat 9ths on V7 chords, don't ya?

That's how I prefer to think of it too!

Nah, that's a minor 2nd below.

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='457953' date='Apr 8 2009, 11:28 PM']He keeps sayin i should go on tour with them sometime!! that would be amazing!!![/quote] Dude, not wanting to tell you how to live your life or anything but you have to do it! Texan girls are something else, man, seriously! Bloody well done.

[quote name='lowdown' post='457063' date='Apr 8 2009, 08:31 AM']Its not theoretical to me... Not so long ago - i was given 48 hours notice to go to Japan for 4 weeks. [ 6 hours of the 48 was spent in town getting my visa sorted] It ment packing bags, sorting out family stuff, oh and sorting out deps. I was met at Heathrow airport with a copy pad of music for the show and a couple of mini discs and a load of batteries. I then spent 10 hours on the flight learning the show. Plus side of this - i got to meet and chat to Paul Jackson in a Music shop... EDIT... tip, always bring back presents. I managed to get hold of a Bamboo hoover. Garry[/quote] Paul Jackson is the don! That must have been great. Go on, tell us - who was the gig with? You've played with some serious names before - drop some here.

Thanks. I think what confused me was that [url="http://www.eminence-bass.de/index_e.html"]this[/url] was the first site I saw for Eminence Basses.

And here I was thinking they're a German company!

[quote name='OldGit' post='457075' date='Apr 8 2009, 08:46 AM'].... and us Ceilidh guys?[/quote] I would have thought 4s for the most part - but then I don't know much about Ceilidh. Might check out one of the jams in town and skulk at the back.

Natural. A slab of walnut, bubinga, zebrano or macasser ebony looks great!

[quote name='acidbass' post='457021' date='Apr 8 2009, 03:03 AM']Wow, it sounds like London really is the place to be for session work![/quote] My keyboard player's excellent and got the offer based on his skills. I got the offer because my friend was the MD and he didn't think she would get anywhere.

[quote name='AM1' post='456971' date='Apr 7 2009, 11:50 PM']How many people are in a position to say yes straight away? If not, what would you have to sacrifice in order to say yes?[/quote] Not in a position to say yes until August, which is when I stop being a pupil barrister and become a fully fledged barrister. (If I said yes, I'd miss out on ever being a fully qualified barrister.) After July, so long as I have £400-odd per month for Chambers' rent and £350-odd for bills and another £250-odd for the service charge on my flat, I should be fine. Realistically, I'd probably make more money with the day job. My keyboard player turned down the Kelly Rowland gig because he can't gig Friday night/Saturday daytime because it's his Sabbath (he's a Seventh Day Adventist). I turned down the Corinne Bailey Rae gig (before her record came out) because my friend (her guitarist and MD of her band at the time) didn't think it was going to go anywhere and I didn't want to get into proper session work. (I wouldn't have been good enough to keep the gig anyway!) I'm sure everyone on here has a sad story or two but the saddest story I've heard is of Binky McKenzie, who was a real cutting edge jazz/rock/blues/r&b bassist from the London scene in the late '60s. Just when he was about to get the call from Miles Davis for his jazz-rock fusion supergroup together with friend and bandmate John McLaughlin, he went mad and murdered his mum. Was locked up in an asylum for the rest of his life (afaik). McLaughlin dedicated a song to him on [i]Extrapolations[/i].

[quote name='51m0n' post='456877' date='Apr 7 2009, 10:06 PM']Does that help???[/quote] I get what you're saying now. If you're playing swing or swing-funk, you have to able to play smoothly and consistently in triplets not crotchets. Now I'm trying to work out why you said that. I think Garry's right and maybe you're overanalysing it.

I agree with you but if you ignore D'angelo, Angie Stone and t'other dude (Anthony Hamilton?), then you have a proper funk rhythm section in the guitar player (James Poyser?), Pino and ?uestlove laying down grooves that are an important extension of the funk vocabulary. I think the guitar and drums on that are outstanding even if there's not much of a song going on there.

[quote name='51m0n' post='456820' date='Apr 7 2009, 09:22 PM'][...] On the other hand, 'stretchy' time (swingyness) between crotchets requires you to be absolutely comfortable playing straight at the tempo of the quick part of the swing. For instance if you are swinging then the second quaver is actually as long as a triplet, thats significantly quicker than straight time, and to swing comfortably you need to be very happy at the straight tempo of that shorter quaver. Not really explaining this too well I know, did anyone follow what I meant? [/quote] Not really - and I did try.