flyfisher

I didn't know George played bass on this song. it's always interesting hearing how scrappy early 'drafts' can evolve into great songs. I've got loads of scrappy snippets but they all stubbornly resist any form of evolution. Anyway, just in case anyone hasn't heard the final version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wp91YPGnLw

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1367440468' post='2065781'] I have a recording on tape of a band I was in in 1987. I copied onto CD. It's a piece of my history. I can't recreate that music in any other way. The 'musicians' who made the recording are either pro, semi-pro, or have given up entirely. I would have to splash out some serious money to get a band to spend time transcribing and learning what are probably half decent songs. There's thousands of us like that. How many family photos do you have around? For £100 you could get someone to multi-track record a gig, take it away and produce a good 'warts an all' recording. [/quote] That's all true, but I guess it all depends what level of importance you put on your personal history. Who, other than a few close family and friends will honestly care? The photos point is an interesting one though, along with video and emails and all the other aspects of our modern digital lives. I have an old photo and a few medals of my great grandfather who was killed in WW1. They are a nice family heirloom and a sobering reminder of how things were back then. But would I value them quite so much if I had a few terabytes of all the photos he ever took, videos of all the gigs he might have done, all the emails he ever wrote, all the forum posts he ever made . . . . in short, his entire life? Would I really be prepared to spend a large portion of my own life wading through gigbytes of his old stuff? What would be the point? I've got my own life to lead and I don't want to waste it simply reading, watching and listening to someone else's life - and I certainly don't want to burden my descendents with terabytes of my life when they've got their own lives to carve out for themselves. I realise that's a bit extreme and I'm sure there's a middle way that just involves a few nice photos and maybe a bit of home video, but I'm sure most people would prefer to be out there making their own memories than trawling through other people's ones.

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1367506580' post='2066128'] Diago sell 9v - 18v adaptor tips. [b]They can introduce some high pitched background noise though and are prone to burning out if the device attached to it tries to draw too much current. [/b]Gigrig make one too, 'The Doubler' but it's ridiculously expensive, about twice the price of the Dunlop 18v power supply I eventually ended up with! [/quote] The high-pitched backghround noise is one of the hazards of voltage increasing circuits and the cheaper ones will likely skimp on the required filtering and smoothing circuitry to completely eliminate it. Burning out due to over current demands is really not acceptable though - all PSUs really should be protected against such things, even complete short-circuits, which can easily happen in the stress of connecting up everything before a gig. If possible, it's generally best to start with a well regulated high-ish voltage supply (18, 20, 24V etc) and regulate it down to the required voltages using linear regulators. These are not as electrically efficient as switching regulators (meaning they burn off the extra power and so get hot) but they are very electrically-quiet in operation and won't introduce noise on the audio signals. That's not to say switching regulators are no good, but they do need a bit more care in their design for a noise-free result and this usually means additional circuitry at additional cost, so beware of the really, really cheap ones and test them before buying if possible.

You wake up with the melody in your head but no words so you make up some nonsense words like "scrambled eggs" until you can figure out something better and the rest is history.

[quote name='mike257' timestamp='1367433973' post='2065654'] . . . . so I'm on a mission to get my personal gear setup as simplified and fast as possible! [/quote] I certainly subscribe to that. I'm amazed when I see guitarists (it always seem to be guitarists) setting up their gear with half a dozen separate pedals, trying to remember the daisy-chaining order, pulling knotted cables out of a carrier bang, plugging in half a dozen 'wall warts', etc etc.

As gazm points out above, there are many ways of doing such a thing and it's not even very complicated IF you're handy with a soldering iron and know enough basic theory to read a data sheet to ensure you've got the various ratings sorted out. Otherwise, is an extra mains socket such a big deal? How about one of these? [attachment=133931:mainsadapter.jpg]

Indeed. There's more to fishing than catching fish. [i] "I fish because I love to; because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly; because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted social posturing I thus escape; because in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing things they hate, my fishing is at once and endless source of delight and a small act of rebellion; because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and patience; because I suspect that men are going along this way for the last time and I don't want to waste the trip; because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters; because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness; because bourbon out of an old tin cup always tastes better out there; because maybe one day I will catch a mermaid; and, finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns of men are equally unimportant--and not nearly so much fun."[/i] Robert Traver (1903-1991)

[attachment=133928:prickwithafork.jpg]

. . . . and perfect example of why variety is the spice of life.

[quote name='grumble' timestamp='1367400456' post='2065044'] I would love to see a manufacturer attempt to create those bodies out of wood ! [/quote] Fair point, though why would they want to try when they could just use lego bricks or K-nex blocks and make something just as bad looking http://www.guitar-list.com/home-made-guitars/bass-guitars/home-made-bass-guitar/knex-bass

What's the point? Is it better than a bit of wood? Is it quicker to make than cutting out a bit of wood? Is it cheaper than a bit of wood? Etc, etc.

[quote name='apa' timestamp='1367153609' post='2061782'] If you tuned it high enough you could microwave it! [/quote] . . . . but would it still be a bass at such frequencies?

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1367331891' post='2064316'] I agree. I am consumed by music. But those who exclude all else are usually the ones making dull music with little or no life. You have to have a life, you have to be an observer of human behaviour, otherwise most of your music will have little relevance to anyone else. I do a lot of stuff and interested in a lot of things, but music is running through it all, even when I'm cooking or fishing. [/quote] That's a great way to sum it all up . . . for me anyway.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1367328401' post='2064234'] Not even fly fishing? [/quote] I admit I could spend a whole day fly-fishing, but I certainly couldn't spend [u]every[/u] day fly-fishing. It's just one thing on a long list.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1367327006' post='2064207'] In fact why do you even play music? Sometimes I get the impression it holds no more importance to you then watching the TV. It's simply a way to fill some of your time. That's not a criticism either. Simply an observation that your lifestyle priorities are different to mine. [/quote] Fair comment (well, except the about watching TV, of which I do very little) - different people, different priorities. Personally, making music is important to me but it's far from an all-consuming passion. There are far too many other interesting things to do and experience in our short lifetimes. I couldn't possibly imagine only having one interest consuming most of my time.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1367326130' post='2064181'] The X-Rated Man video was shot and edited in a single day and cost us nothing. [/quote] it cost you all a day of your lives, a day that could have been spent doing something else instead of creating a 3 minute record of a song that only a handful of people will ever watch. That's not a criticism and you clearly enjoyed doing it so all credit to you. I guess I don't have the 'performer' gene and therefore lack the desire to impress anyone. I'm not suggesting there are any rights and wrongs to all this, just trying to understand other people's motivations a bit more.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1367310472' post='2063890'] Because we want to and because we can. What other reason do you need? You could say this about anyone's hobby. Why do people waste their time playing golf? In the pub? Spend ridiculous amounts of money on cars when something much cheaper will get them from A to B just as well? And in fact most hobbies don't give you the opportunity to actually make some money back doing them like writing and playing music does. [/quote] Yep, I entirely get the "because we want to" thing, but it's interesting to compare making music to any other hobby as I think thats where there's a big difference. I don't understand why people waste time playing golf or sitting in the pub either - presumably it's that "because they want to" thing - but the big difference is that they don't (I think) tend to make videos of themselves playing golf and posting them on the web. They don't invite their mates along to watch them play golf. they don't encourage complete strangers to come along and watch them play golf. They are (in the main) perfectly happy to pursue their golf hobby with a few friends and without seeking the approval of unknown others.

[quote name='Jah Wibble' timestamp='1367270905' post='2063635'] ........just competent. [/quote] Ah, but there's the problem. Define 'competent' and how you can prove you qualify.

Interesting replies. I get that people enjoy making music (otherwise, what would be the point?) but what is it that drives them to want to perform (inflict?) it on an audience? Why is it not enough to just make music for themselves and the others in the band?

[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1367263574' post='2063435'] Generally, if you are not being paid for something, your house insurance will cover it. If you are being paid or doing a work like activity then it won't and you'll need specific insurance. [/quote] There must be loads of people in the country who don't have house insurance. Are there separate general purpose PLI policies that they shoudl be seriously considering?

The world is awash with great music (and bad, but hey ho . . . ) and it has never been easier to access it all. So why do some of us bother to create our own new music? Actually, that not my real question, because I can easily understand the creative urge. My real question is why do some of us spend huge amounts of time and money on recording our original songs, making wonderfully crafted videos, creating elaborate websites and actively promoting our gigs when the vast majority of people will listen politely for the three minutes or so before politely saying 'yeah, very nice' and then carrying on with their lives as if nothing had happened? Three minutes for them, but days, weeks, months of minutely detailed effort for us. Do we do it because we're all aspiring rock stars dreaming of fame and fortune? I doubt it because I reckon the vast majority of musicians are more realistic than that and know, deep down, that it's bloody hard to make a good living out of music! I mention all this because the two mainly-originals bands I play with are often asked if we have a CD, or a website, or a video. We've thought about such things but when it comes to it we can't really be bothered. We basically play for our own enjoyment and would rather spend our time writing new songs than going through the recording process or making a band video. And given that we're not trying to set the music world alight with our unique talent ( ) we're happy to play for free. So, why do so many bands invest huge amounts of time and effort making 'throwaway' recordings and videos?

So, basically, everyone should have PLI cover to protect themselves for all the possible harm that their own activities and possessions could cause to someone else - and this is nothing to do with being in a band. Your PA-causing-brain-damage example could just as easily be someone accidentally dropping a camera from a bridge while taking a sightseeing photo and smashing the skull of someone below. Same with cyclists, who could quite easily cause a nasty injury to a pedestrian. I'm sure we could all think of other examples. So why isn;t the insurance industry pushing PLI cover to everyone in the country? As you say, house insurance usually includes PLI, but what about all those non-home owners out there?

The risk with that approach is that if a piece of your faulty equipment causes a problem and you don't have the PAT records to justify the stickers then you move into the realm of fraud as well as negligence, which won't look good in court if a frayed mains cable has just electrocuted someone. Just saying.

Fair point about it not being worth suing people who don't have any money but, as you've already pointed out, that wouldn't apply to anyone who has a house (or a car perhaps?). So, we take out insurance to cover ourselves against 'frivolous' claims, only to find that the very fact we have such insurance makes us a more attractive prospect for being sued! Which was sort of my earlier point about asking who had band PLI and had been claimed against, compared with those who didn't. Also, I understand that a band situation moves into a differrent situation if commercial considerations are involved (i.e. fees etc), but what about a band playing for free and effectvely by invitation?

[quote name='spacey' timestamp='1367240794' post='2062978'] Someone once tried to claim on ours a few years ago after a speaker was knocked over by two fighting drunks, it ended up in court with the judge ruling the hotels Public Liability was the one that had to pay out as it covered the same risk and where two policies exist that cover one risk the oldest policy is the one that takes precedent cancelling out any other policy, the hotel did not like it an appealed to the high court, lost again and ended up with 30k of legal bills. [/quote] Er, what about suing the "two fighting drunks" who were responsible for knocking over the speakers in the first place? The trouble with all this insurance is that it makes it too easy to sue people for stupid stuff like tripping over. [quote name='garyrob32' timestamp='1367227359' post='2062675'] Some venues insist on bands having their own cover and this is good enough to make most take out the appropriate cover but in my eyes you need to have this cover for every event you do regardless. [b]Simply putting your equipment on the floor and someone tripping over it could result in an injury that could cost thousands.[/b] [/quote] So what's the position if, say, you go out to a restaurant for a meal and leave a bag on the floor next to your table that someone trips over and breaks their wrist? Should we all have personal PLI to cover such potential incidents?