Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
h_double
Jul 27, 2001
I think we used to have one of these threads a while ago, but haven't seen one in a while and figured it could be useful to have a catch-all thread for questions about instruments/styles/techniques that don't neatly fit into one of the other megathreads for guitar, bass, recording, synths/VSTs, DJing, etc.

I'll start.



1) Can somebody offer some pointers on programming/sequencing a go-go beat? I get the basic feel of the syncopation, the use of junior congas, etc. but I'd appreciate any specific tips, or if anybody knows any drum notation or maybe a MIDI file or two that I could look at.


2) I have been noodling around recording some trad folk standards, and dug out my old recorder (the wind instrument) to play some of the melody lines. It's a plastic recorder I've had since I was around 10, and as much as I love those inexpensive music class recorders (they are fun to play and well nigh indestructible), the tone just isn't cutting it as a recorded lead instrument. I've been thinking about maybe stepping up to a wooden recorder at some point, but have heard that the embouchure and breath control are a lot more finnicky and demanding on wooden recorders. And given the drool-intensive nature of the instrument, I don't know how feasible it would be to try before I buy, or return an instrument I was unhappy with. So, can any recorder players comment on the playability of wooden recorders?

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Mad Eddy
Jul 22, 2007
What loving electric drumset should I buy.

CareGuy69
Oct 22, 2006

If I learn to play a string instrument (violin, viola etc.) and can play it well, then I want to learn a second one, is it better to go from bigger to smaller or smaller to bigger?

h_double
Jul 27, 2001
I'm not exactly sure how you'd qualify "better", but I think the larger instruments are a lot easier to learn the basics of. I played (orchestral) bass for a year in school and found it a pretty easy instrument to pick up, while violin is a fairly challenging instrument to get a good tone out of.

Vanmani
Jul 2, 2007
Who needs title text, anyway?

Mad Eddy posted:

What loving electric drumset should I buy.

Roland TD series are widely regarded as the bestest.

Mad Eddy
Jul 22, 2007

Vanmani posted:

Roland TD series are widely regarded as the bestest.

Do you know about the sound quality on those? Something like the TD-4sx. I only want to spend around 1500 on a set.

Edit: also how viable of a solution is getting an acoustic drumset with silencers? Are they still loud as gently caress or do they just garble the sound to hell in back.

The Cleaner
Jul 18, 2008

I WILL DEVOUR YOUR BALLS!
:quagmire:
Ok so exactly what is "wall of sound"?

-"The guitarist of Staind utilizes a wall-of-sound for the guitar on all their albums"
-"Trent Reznor is always producing everything in a wall of sound"
and so on...

Schlieren
Jan 7, 2005

LEZZZZZZZZZBIAN CRUSH

The Cleaner posted:

Ok so exactly what is "wall of sound"?

-"The guitarist of Staind utilizes a wall-of-sound for the guitar on all their albums"
-"Trent Reznor is always producing everything in a wall of sound"
and so on...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_of_Sound

Tigernamus
Sep 9, 2005

And here you are, my glowing sun...
What makes a good musician? :(

DEUCE SLUICE
Feb 6, 2004

I dreamt I was an old dog, stuck in a honeypot. It was horrifying.

Tigernamus posted:

What makes a good musician? :(

good clothes and expensive gear

Seventh Arrow
Jan 26, 2005

I'm looking for a vst guitar effects plugin that I used to use (with cubase). However, like a dummy, I forgot to backup the files before a reformat.

All I can remember is that it was free, that the webpage had a handful of different vst's and that this one in particular had an interface that looked like a bunch of guitar stomp pedals - there might have even been some knobs and switches from a combo amp on their interface. It's not much to go on, but...any ideas?

edit: aha! found it! it's called Fretted Synth

Seventh Arrow fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Nov 15, 2009

Alizee
Mar 2, 2006

"Heaven"

Tigernamus posted:

What makes a good musician? :(

Instinct and ability.

Schlieren
Jan 7, 2005

LEZZZZZZZZZBIAN CRUSH

Tigernamus posted:

What makes a good musician? :(

listen to a lot of music and be an opinionated control freak

pg2011
Feb 23, 2008

I can see clearly now
The brain is gone...

What is the best live looping program for Mac? Preferably something that can loop midi input (for drums) and audio inputs (for guitars). Ableton is hard.

Pocket Billiards
Aug 29, 2007
.
I want to play mp3s at half speed, what is a good program to do this in a reasonably simple way? Windows or linux.

scuz
Aug 29, 2003

You can't be angry ALL the time!




Fun Shoe
I want to know how grills are mounted to guitar and bass cabinets without having any visible screws/mounting hardware. It's driving me nuts.

Thumposaurus
Jul 24, 2007

Friction, I have an Ampeg 4x12 that the grill is a frame that the cloth is stretched over and fits very tightly into the front of the cabinet.
A simple pull and it comes right out, but it's tight enough that it won't fall out all by itself.

DEUCE SLUICE
Feb 6, 2004

I dreamt I was an old dog, stuck in a honeypot. It was horrifying.
velcro too

Computer Jones
Jun 22, 2005

Pocket Billiards posted:

I want to play mp3s at half speed, what is a good program to do this in a reasonably simple way? Windows or linux.

Winamp + the Pacemaker plugin works pretty well.

edit: the Speed control only goes down to -43%, but if you set the Pitch control to -12 semitones you'll get half speed.

Computer Jones fucked around with this message at 11:14 on Nov 16, 2009

Arashikage
Sep 11, 2001

by Fistgrrl
Does anyone know why the note B is named H in parts of Europe ?

Computer Jones
Jun 22, 2005

Arashikage posted:

Does anyone know why the note B is named H in parts of Europe ?

To allow Bach to spell his name out with musical notes, obviously!

Concatenation
Jul 23, 2005

Your human mentality cries out for vengeance and thrives on the violence you say you can hardly endure.
But then it'd be Hach...

Computer Jones
Jun 22, 2005

Concatenation posted:

But then it'd be Hach...

it's something like B Flat = "B" and B Natural = "H"

heap
Jan 27, 2004

Wikipedia posted:

The remaining five notes of the chromatic scale (the black keys on a piano keyboard) were added gradually; the first being B which was flattened in certain modes to avoid the dissonant tritone interval. This change was not always shown in notation, but when written, B♭ (B-flat) was written as a Latin, round "b", and B♮ (B-natural) a Gothic b. These evolved into the modern flat and natural symbols respectively. The sharp symbol arose from a barred b, called the "cancelled b".

In parts of Europe, including Germany, Poland and Russia, the natural symbol transformed into the letter H: in German music notation, H is B♮ (B-natural) and B is B♭ (B-flat).

That's the way I've always heard it - it evolved from the way the letter b was written, and along with it came the symbols for accidentals.

twoday
May 4, 2005



C-SPAM Times best-selling author
When connected to a few pedals and an amp, what is the fundamental difference in sound between an electric guitar and an acoustic/electric?

scuz
Aug 29, 2003

You can't be angry ALL the time!




Fun Shoe

Thumposaurus posted:

Friction, I have an Ampeg 4x12 that the grill is a frame that the cloth is stretched over and fits very tightly into the front of the cabinet.
A simple pull and it comes right out, but it's tight enough that it won't fall out all by itself.

warwick5s posted:

velcro too
I believe I'll try both! Thanks dudes :)

CalvinDooglas
Dec 5, 2002

Watch For Fleeing Immigrants

twoday posted:

When connected to a few pedals and an amp, what is the fundamental difference in sound between an electric guitar and an acoustic/electric?

Acoustics lose all the low end through a normal amp and don't respond well to effects before the amp. The tinny buzzing sound that all acoustics get comes through much more than without amplification. The practical differences are that acoustics will feed back obnoxiously, especially with effects because they tend to boost the gain.

You can mitigate these with an amp made just for acoustics along with a decent pickup, but you may end up negating the hollow, resonant quality by plugging the hole. I think the most natural acoustic sound is gotten with a microphone and being mindful of where you can sit/stand without feedback (hint: nowhere, just be good with muting). Acoustic guitars become less and less useful the further away your audience is.

If the back of the room can't hear your acoustic without amplification, you should probably go with something like a hollow body that does much better through an amp. Even though you lose the "acoustic" sound and maybe can't do your full arm strums, the overall sound quality is better. Plus, people can stand within 10 feet of you without pain. Last thing you want to do is blow out a coffee shop with feedback and high notes that sound like rusty barbed wire.

CalvinDooglas fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Nov 16, 2009

Stabbing Spork
Apr 9, 2006
Anyone have a suggestion for a good 335 copy up to $600?
I've been considering the Agile AS-1000, Epiphone Dot, Hofner Verythin CT, and the Hagstrom viking.

scuz
Aug 29, 2003

You can't be angry ALL the time!




Fun Shoe

Stabbing Spork posted:

Anyone have a suggestion for a good 335 copy up to $600?
I've been considering the Agile AS-1000, Epiphone Dot, Hofner Verythin CT, and the Hagstrom viking.
Bandmate of mine has an Epiphone Dot and it sounded awesome. The wiring inside wasn't the best and had some issues, but a quick soldering job fixed it.

Gym Leader Barack
Oct 31, 2005

Grimey Drawer

Mad Eddy posted:

Do you know about the sound quality on those? Something like the TD-4sx. I only want to spend around 1500 on a set.

Edit: also how viable of a solution is getting an acoustic drumset with silencers? Are they still loud as gently caress or do they just garble the sound to hell in back.


The Roland TD series sound fantastic, they usually come with a bunch of different sounding kits and you can buy V-Expressions aftermarket patches to give you even more noises when you hit things.

Whichever kit you get, make sure it has at least one (preferably more) mesh head on the snare/toms, the mesh feels so much nicer than the rubber pads, and are quieter to play if reducing external sound levels is your ultimate goal. The TD4 SX you mentioned would probably be ideal and fit within your budget.

Kramden
Aug 11, 2007

by Tiny Fistpump
Where can I get a noise maker, either controllable by guitar or buttons or whatever?

And I don't want it all digital sounds. Just kind of like reverb and feedback and screeching and thumps and bumps and stuff.

I used to have one when I used this program Super Collider, but I don't use it anymore.

heap
Jan 27, 2004

Kramden posted:

Where can I get a noise maker, either controllable by guitar or buttons or whatever?

And I don't want it all digital sounds. Just kind of like reverb and feedback and screeching and thumps and bumps and stuff.

I used to have one when I used this program Super Collider, but I don't use it anymore.

You can get noise makers at General Store in your City Market District.

If you want manual control, General Store now has noise makers which operate by pushing, wildmoving or lungblowing. Screeching and reverb are standard but thumps and bumps are usually included in a separate package along with whizzes and hoots.

CalvinDooglas
Dec 5, 2002

Watch For Fleeing Immigrants

blustrat posted:

You can get noise makers at General Store in your City Market District.

If you want manual control, General Store now has noise makers which operate by pushing, wildmoving or lungblowing. Screeching and reverb are standard but thumps and bumps are usually included in a separate package along with whizzes and hoots.
You can also buy upgrades like Pots and Pans, Angry Cat, and Fart.

Or hold your guitar up to the amp with the overdrive on and start knocking on the neck and head.

Kramden
Aug 11, 2007

by Tiny Fistpump

CalvinDooglas posted:

You can also buy upgrades like Pots and Pans, Angry Cat, and Fart.

Or hold your guitar up to the amp with the overdrive on and start knocking on the neck and head.

Perhaps I should explain myself better -

I want a box where I can dial in all different kinds of wave forms at various frequencies, have white noise, and filters and modulators, and lots of cool stuff, all controllable at my finger tips.

So, I guess it is less like a noise box, and more like a sound box. For like drones and abrasive sounds and stuff like that.

I don't know how better to describe it, but if you have used Super Collider, you should know what I mean.

Ireneo Funes
Feb 29, 2008

I have two questions:

1. What do you guys with decent-sized pedal boards use to power all of your gear? I've been looking at the cheaper power supplies like the 1-Spot and Godlyke (what an awful name) but all the reviews I've read complain that they give off a ridiculous humming sound.

2. What's the general consensus on Lace Alumitones? They look awesome, but does anyone here actually have a set?

Gorilla Salsa
Dec 4, 2007

Post Post Post.

Ireneo Funes posted:

I have two questions:

1. What do you guys with decent-sized pedal boards use to power all of your gear? I've been looking at the cheaper power supplies like the 1-Spot and Godlyke (what an awful name) but all the reviews I've read complain that they give off a ridiculous humming sound.

I power something like 13 pedals with my 1spot, and there's no hum because I don't live in an 18th century crapshack. There are better power supplies, but not for anything nearly as cheap as the 1spot.

Try to stay away from places like Zzounds, musiciansfriend and Harmony Central for reviews. Zzounds and Musiciansfriend is full of teenagers bitching about why their Frontman 212 won't let them sound like Atreyu, and Harmony Central might as well change it's name to Hyperbole Central.

Ireneo Funes
Feb 29, 2008

Haha, right on. Thanks alot.

heap
Jan 27, 2004

Kramden posted:

Perhaps I should explain myself better -

I want a box where I can dial in all different kinds of wave forms at various frequencies, have white noise, and filters and modulators, and lots of cool stuff, all controllable at my finger tips.

So, I guess it is less like a noise box, and more like a sound box. For like drones and abrasive sounds and stuff like that.

I don't know how better to describe it, but if you have used Super Collider, you should know what I mean.
A box that allows you to create a waveform and control its fundamental frequency as well as timbral content, filters and modulation: a synthesizer.

Or you could use Reason (or any number of synth/sampling programs) to dial in whatever sound you can imagine, and control it externally via MIDI.

...Or if you're feeling a bit more obscure, you could buy or build an oscillator and run it through a bunch of effects.

...Or if you are a glutton for punishment, you could learn Csound and code your own sounds. But since you're saying you don't want to use SuperCollider, I guess you're not interested in more audio synthesis languages.

Hope this is the direction you're looking for.

breaks
May 12, 2001

He wants a modular synth in one form or another. In software form there are things like Reaktor (complicated, flexible) or Blok (simple, relatively inflexible). In hardware form there are many options but realistically for a decent setup you are looking at spending a couple grand.

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Chip McFuck
Jul 24, 2007

We droppin' like a comet and this Vulcan tried to Spock it/These Martians tried to do it, but knew they couldn't cop it

Anyone know any reputable luthiers in the Boston area? My Telecaster needs a fret leveling and I don't really want to take it to Guitar Center or Daddy's Junky Music where it will just get shipped off and four weeks later I'll get it back.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply