PlanetZ forums - scopeusers.com

I am going to suggest something in hopes that some of our developers, or Creamware 4 that matter pick up on it.

Ya'll know that I am a player who has struggled to convert my hardware touring rig, to a hybrid DAW based rig. I have had lots of help from you guys, and sucsess is coming @ a snails pace, but fortunately I can afforfd to fly GaryB up here every other month 4 customization, and learning DIY techniques. Scope has helped me financially be in 2 places @ once, therfore making multiple incomes.

I have had custom DVD's 4 learning applications made 4 me that I just got up and running today. I downloaded a free DVD encoder from www.ivivo.com that was hassle free and looks great as far as visual quality goes. I even have the audio playing through Scope Wave drivers and have added the Lexicon Ambience algo. to liven it up, so I will enjoy it more. I have added reverb to click tracks 4 years so drummers and FOH guys don't cry too much.

The DVD's are viewed on my DAWs so I can create quick examples while I pause the video 4 faster learning. These are invaluable as I quickly learn Cubase 4 / Gigastudio 3 Orchestra / and their newest GVI virtual instrument which is Gigastudio VST. I already have GS3 down but was surprised to have the guys who invented it showing me stuff I never knew about. As manuals are insufficient IMHO, no matter what app. they are written 4. I shall be re-recording all of my compositions as I do not trust the conversion of SMF files, and this process will only make my learning more thorough. I only wish that I could retire temporarily and just jam @ the crib 4 the summer. Reality will not allow that. But I will be making tracks feverishly in my spare time.

If only developers w/ really deep stuff, and Creamware could provide such videos, it could only increase sales, making our community larger and more recordings will emerge as the staring @ the LCD syndrome could be vastly diminished. I hope no one takes offense @ this but I can hardly use much of the stuff I purchased. I wanted to help developers by supporting them as much as I could, but could you imagine a SpaceF video, or an Adern Flexor II , Modular, ProWave Modular, Solaris Modular, Wolf MTB, videos? I know it would be a hassle for 3rd party guys. But I 4 one would buy every video they made. As I don't have manuals 4 much of this stuff, and since it is a visual thing that we use, i.e. the routing window, this would only make things a breeze. Many people here do not need this help as they are astute w/ this app. But I know that many of us are barely scratching the surface of Scope as it is extremely deep. Gigastudio 3 also has a steep learning curve, but I maintain that this would only make us a much stronger group. Besides I always wanted to see what John Bowen looks like. The Cubase / Giga guys all look like your basic rebels from the 60's and 70's w/ their unconventional, long hair. Perfect. I don't trust clean cut musicians anyway, as they usually are the least talented, and become booking agents, or country western singers. BLAH !!

This set-up is great w/ a KVM switcher and 2 DAW's. It allows you immediate access to the topic, and the application you are studying @ the moment. I have just realised how much I didn't know about an app which I have used live and in the studio for years. So only the creators can provide such detailed information.

This Is My Wish,

Yes Yes Yes. Great idea and for us who are too busy or have reading disabilities and learn by example that would be perfect. Maybe all the knowledge base could be collected together from input from this forum and then the most common issues could be made into a video available on download? Great idea Jimmy!

Brotha' Man Crickstone,
Have you seen any of Larry Seyer's or David Govett's instruction videos? They really are the creators of the app., plus the GigaPulse convolution reverb is so much better than Waves IR, and the rest of those static sounding programs. Learning the mic placements, and mic modelling, that fit inside that program are awesome. They are currently creating more mic models such as the tube mics of yore and even listen to our suggestions of custom polar patterns for overhead mic emulations. It is quite deep. Larry Seyers Acoustic Drums are the ultimate sample library. They all have embedded impulses that can be changed to your liking. The new GVI app is awesome, and I am glad that it is isn't popular, as it gives me the extra edge in sound sculpting. Plus the Mac version is coming out, and 64 bit for Vista.
SFP needs warriors like that ! Even a fellow member here could provide a basic install video that surely would help out new guys.
GaryB would be the best candidate 4 that. Plus his unique look would make it a seller too. Custom photo cases w/ him towering above my rack. Not many people have to bend over to see my LCD except him!! The NBA should draft him. Hell his hair alone is longer than my heigth, and I'm 6'0 tall !!

I'll have the Gary B. Install Basic, Intermediate and Advanced thank you.

Ah, I see my suggestion to Jimmy about making him a video tutorial has been taken to the next level!

Some years ago, this topic was discussed, but there was no real backing from anyone, as far as I knew. I've seen some great online examples (with fairly short segments), and I would love to do something like this, as I have said before.

I don't know about making it extremely professional - it would probably be pretty 'home brew' style, but I'll see what I can do about it in the coming months.

Cheers,
John B.

p.s. if you really want to see me blabbing away, you can look at one of the many video segments of my talk at the Pacific Northwest Synth meeting (Jimmy, sorry - not much 'unconventional long hair' left!):
http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/2006/10 ... about.html

What cruel agony to play so little with all those beautiful devices begging to make music...

I'm not too sure I understand what you mean. I feel like my system is getting a pretty good workout lately, I have a few projects on the go and am having great fun getting results. Having said that, I don't feel like it is a bad idea to get advice, particularly visual help with the equipment you love to use but are still maybe a little mystified by. I like to learn, also I love to create, anyone who can help me do both, well, I'm prepared to pay for expertise I don't have. Good onya if you don't need this type of help, but to me it would be very good to have and worth the price.

I force myself daily to practice, and compose. But staring @ the DAW like the Geico caveman is quite frustrating, forgive me.

That's great John. Solaris manual is quite good 4 me, it is the concept of modular that still escapes me, especially as it crashes evey time I try to save the work I've completed. SpaceF, and Adern Flexor are the toughest IMHO. But I shall keep up w/ the ball breaking as I have time off from surgery to really enjoy. The 28U Main Battle Tank has given me a hernia. The top 16U SKB is now loaded in the back w/ goodies like the Alesis Q20 ADAT Reverb, perfect 4 SFP, the Lexicon MPX, and my old Oberheim Matrix 1000's are coming home once again. They sound awesome still.
John, any footage to trade from the Dick Cavett Show w/ the A&M label? I will trade you my Head East footage, or better yet my Rosie O'Donnell footage w/ Jerry Dorsey ( a.k.a. Englebert Humperdinck ).

As they say here in Vegas,...you ain't nobody 'till you've been fired from Englebert. I was fired 3 times. Once by his wardrobe manager who was Liberace's guy, and his son twice for various reasons. The Middle East tour was the clincher, as I had to be drug physically from every " cofee shop " on the Amstel. All the women in Lebanon were fully robed, and in Turkey the women had hairy armpits and mustaches, so by the time we hit Europe I kinda lost it I suppose. I was shocked to drive by a car lot in Lebanon where the buildings all had bullet holes still, and dozens of French Citreons, Puegots, etc. and around the other side of the building they had M60 Sherman Tanks w/ machine guns mounted on top, they also had price tags, what the hell was I doing there I thought !!

@ any rate I will continue to break SpaceF, and ReD_MuZeS balls as I now have time off. Of course I will not leave you alone either. The DVD's from the Giga guys are home brewed but very concise, I paid 60 USD apiece, and they were worth every dime !!

Somebody should warn that guy a tornedo is headed towards him

In the states we have our pubs 'round the corner w/ our own pool cues, and such. But these guys have their own bongs, and the weed / hash is quite strong. The dogs @ the border practically put our whole horn section in the pokey that year.

I'm usually a fan of the well made book, but this seems to have turned into the literal 'needle in a haystack', when you find yourself clueless in front of a shelf full of rubbish - at best 5% are worth considering imho.

But occasionally even I'm convinced by a video, as in this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXSB0yDlS54
don't laugh, but I had no idea how they actually do that slap thing on bass and the demonstration by a dude in the local music shop didn't really reveal the 'secrets'...
Which the video above did (and a bit more) in less than 10 minutes...

It's worth a look, even if bass isn't your (favourite) instrument, for the simple fact how it's made.
The techniques shown are all in context of a defined task - there's no blurb about abstract 'possibilities' you have '...for example...'
It's quick and systematic and leaves you some options to start your own practicing, either from the point you find most useful or which applies most to your personal taste.

Imho it's a pretty demanding task to transmit the essence of Scope in such a way, but well - if someone feels adressed, go for it

cheers, Tom

Tom,

You happened to pick one of the most unique and talented bass players out now, Victor Wooten! His style is a bit unusual, as you don't often see thumb plucking on the up stroke, as well as adding plucks from the other 4 fingers - it's something he's been doing since he was a youngster (he supposedly started playing bass parts in the family band when he was 5 years old). Another issue is the thumbnail - if you don't like to grow your nails long enough to act as plectrums (and I don't), you have one tone on the downstroke with the thumb, and a brighter tone on the way up, since most likely your thumbnail will hit the string.

I wouldn't be surprised, however, if a number of upcoming bassists have started to try emulating his style - it may become the 'standard' way of doing this in the next generation of players.

The normal thumb slap is more where the thumb is held somewhat rigidly, with the hand pivoting in a fixed position, sort of 'bouncing' the thumb against the strings. Another interesting thing I discovered when trying to do this (as I normally play only with 2 or 3 fingers, plucking) is that it is very much dependent on your dominant hand. I am left-handed, but learned to play bass right-handed, and when I tried to do the typical thumb slap, it was extremely clumsy feeling, and not very good. Out of frustration one day, I turned my bass over and tried it left-handed - and it was like magic! It worked so instantly, it was weird...and I immediately understood why all these guys were playing that way as right-handers.

cheers,
John b.

indeed, I consider myself lucky that this video was among the first hits for something like a 'bass slap technique lesson' entry - there are tons of solos in this style, some longwinded stuff and some teasers for commercial 'learnware'

but it wasn't Victor's excellent technique or his particular style that kept me watching - it was the simple way he worked out (and demonstrated) the principles that form the 'sound'.
I think I adapted it the 'standard' way (as you describe it), like 'bouncing' from a slightly tilted thumb position, but found the 'extra bright' upstroke quite useful, too.

That's also the reason why it's a good teaching video - it doesn't force you to mimick and repeat ad infinitum, but presents the basics in a form that allows you to apply them in a personal way.
An instrument is of course much more straight forward in this context, as there's an immediate physical response - you feel the string and you hear the sound...

It's also worth mentioning (one of the most common mistakes in any type of instruction), that while the instructor's enthusiasm and passion 'motivates' the session and it's 'atmosphere', it has to stand back completely when it comes to details of specific items.

For example - who cares that I find the routing of Scope a great and versatile feature ?
It might be much more interesting to adress how easy it is to integrate someone's favourite outboard device (say a reverb) into the workflow - then the impression '...oh, that's a pretty versatile routing ...' automatically follows - by experience
To be focussed on the audience and their needs is a crucial aspect.

cheers, Tom

Tom,

I agree completely! You couldn't have said it better.
(By the way, a few years ago I had the opportunity to see Victor's teaching clinic at a very intimate location - same approach and care of presentation that you see in the video, plus lots of personal anecdotes, etc. A humble, quiet, unassuming guy, and a fantastic musician.)

That's What I'm Talkin" Bout".