AndyB01

Sooo, after far too many years of messing around with multiple DAWs and VSTs, owning a MIDI controller that thinks it's a digital piano (but isn't) and becoming increasingly frustrated by my inability to turn musical ideas and ambition into reality (due to a lack of chops); I've decided it's time to unplug for a while and cut out the distractions. So I've sold my old Roland A-88 Mk 1 MIDI controller and some other gear, and at some point in the next few months I'll purchase a decent digital/ stage piano. My intention is to spend more time concentrating on becoming a better musician and less time being distracted by the tinsel and baubles of VSTs, or recording half-baked projects that never get completed. I will still be able to use the new piano for some MIDI work if I get the urge, but I'm really looking forward to the shift in focus. But in the short term I've got a gorgeous new grandson to spend some time with and a whole heap of home improvements to do, so music is going to take a back seat for a while. As a result of all this, you'll see me around on here less often. In the meantime, here's wishing all of you all the best in your personal and musical endeavours. Signing off for now. Andy

Nice work - great groove - very enjoyable listen. Andy

Wow - fabulous track - really enjoyed this. 👍 Great job. Andy

I was around 15 when punk first arrived in the UK. I thought it was universally crap (but I was into prog so I would say that), and I also thought those who covered themselves in safety pins and zips - with their pink mohicans - were eejits (surprising quite how much of a narrow-minded, opinionated little sh!t you can be at the tender age of 15). 😂 However the mainstream music scene was pretty stagnant and something like punk was desperately needed as a disruptive element. Ultimately punk evolved of course, as all genres do, and gave rise to some really good musicians and bands. I doubt a lot of the great music that has been recorded since 1977 would have been made without it. We have much to thank it for. Andy

Great vibe - nice work on the nylon acoustic (and on the flute). Andy

Pretty good comeback after six years - you did a good job on this. Terrific guitar solo. Enjoyed the listen. Andy

Great job - compliments to the band and the music/ video production folks - brilliant work. Loved it Andy

No crits from me Keith - what a great tribute. Thanks for sharing. Andy

New version sounds great, I'm with @Jesse Screed on the sync between the drums and the rest of the track - it is out by a hair here and there but - don't stress it - not enough to detract from what is already a great song. Vocal is just a killer - brilliant. Andy

My sincere condolences on your losses @Wookiee - this is a lovely melancholy piece. You've been through a lot, I hope you are starting to heal, both physically and emotionally. It will be a long road, I hope that music can help play a part. Andy

Yep could've been a wire - who knows - I'm still pinching myself, trying to get used to two whole days without a single shutdown - unbelievable. Shame my home studio is out of action at the moment (we're doing some decorating and room re-configuration) so everything is in boxes or cases and disconnected. I actually have my old MIDI controller on eBay at present, as I'd like to upgrade to a stage piano but it seems there's not much of a market for an 88-key, hammer-action midi controller unfortunately. Still, I'm in no rush... Andy

It's all been said above - this sounds great to me - cello really adds to an already great track. Andy

Lovely guitar and vocal - great storyline too. Agree on the drums - have you had a listen to it without them? Just a thought... 🤔 Enjoyed it. Andy

Very smooth sax - definitely hits that '70s funk vibe. Nice job. Andy

The vocal tone on this is sweet - and the vocal performance is understated, yet perfect. The piano, guitar and percussion are beautifully balanced. This is is really very good - well done. Minor crit - I too would have welcomed a longer fade. Andy

What an inventive and well-crafted song - wonderfully executed too, I may add. Fabulous. Andy

Nothing like resurrecting an old thread but here goes... This thread details the random shutdown problem with my old Clevo laptop. After many diagnostic checks, I finally decided it was heat related and could see core temps were running hot. I replaced the old spinner drives with SSDs and had it professionally stripped and cleaned, and a new thermal pad and heatsink fitted. I also sourced and fitted a new battery. The operating temps subsequently dropped back to within tolerance and the problem briefly stopped - happy days. Then it came back again... 🙈 I've been managing to limit the issue by cycling the fan at startup (using Fn-1) and about five cycles seems to stabilize the laptop - most of the time. I recently read in a very obscure forum that the fault was likely to be down to a faulty fan temp sensor - so the BIOS thinks the fan is not operating (even though it is) and orders an immediate shutdown. Impossible to say which of the two fans may be at fault. After much searching, I finally sourced two replacement fans off eBay and - since performing some minor open-laptop surgery earlier today - it appears to have finally fixed the issue. The only other thing it may need is a BIOS flash, I have the files for this, but I'm holding off on that because the odds of turning my laptop into a brick are higher than I would ideally like. Early days but no random shutdowns yet (touch wood) so for now at least, I can just delight in having finally solved such a long-standing and annoying problem that proved so difficult to correctly diagnose and yet remarkably simple to resolve. Just goes to prove that you can eventually fix some of these things if you stick at it. Posted for posterity in case it helps anyone else in future. If a mod would like to add [SOLVED] to the thread title I'd be grateful, as I don't seem to be able to. Andy

I use a 5m USB cable to connect my Roland A-88 MIDI controller to my laptop that is itself connected to a Focusrite 2i2 as audio interface. Works like a charm using an ASIO driver with as good as zero latency. Best to try and avoid using USB extension cables if at all possible. Andy

MFA, pass keys, biometrics and tokenless authentication are becoming mainstream across online services, regardless of the perceived or actual risk associated with the platform content. Most users will accept this for banking and financial services but balk at its use for the likes of Facebook, X, chat forums and other non-critical services (such as music hosting). I can understand why: extra steps, tied to specific devices, privacy concerns... the list goes on. However the reality is that passwords have had their day. As authentication goes, a simple username and password is a piss-poor security control - unless a really strong and unique password is used; even then you are still relying on a single authentication factor with no defence-in-depth. Password Manager apps make the set up and routine use of strong, unique passwords a breeze - and yet - research shows that only 34% of people going online routinely use a password manager (2024). As ever, in the IT and cyber world, a lack of standardisation creates a complex array of options that are neither well-integrated across platforms nor are they endearing to users, who often work across multiple devices, platforms, browsers and operating systems - so you end up having multiple solutions for what should only be one job. I don't see this situation improving in the short-term, but IT providers need to be turning users on to better cyber security rather than off it; through simplified delivery pathways, improved consistency and wider cross-device, cross-app and cross-platform integration. There's an old saying that adding technology to poorly designed systems and business processes simply speeds up the mess. Maybe a focus on systems and process needs to come before more technical innovation. We can but live in hope... Andy

It's a weird one - both my sisters can play piano better than me by sight-reading music - but ask them to busk 'Imagine' by John Lennon for example, or a basic twelve-bar blues and they are literally clueless. No knowledge or real understanding of chord theory or circle of fifths. Where as I - as a guitarist - can riff around on a piano by just putting chords together (embellished with a few inversions and arpeggios) to play simplified versions of loads of popular songs and original (ish) riffs and they think I'm some kind of musical genius. (Spoiler: I'm really not). Yet sight reading I am hopeless at - I can read it, just dead slow. I once worked out how to play Bach's Prelude in C, memorised the notes and haven't looked at the sheet music since. 😂 On balance however, I still think the ability to play and read from the score is the superior skill. Andy

Enjoyed that Keith - especially the old-school extended instrumental - nicely done. 👍 Andy

I tried it as an easy way of publishing some licensed covers but - although the process was pretty easy compared to some of the others that I am completely unable to get my head around - I found it not really the right solution for an occasional hobbyist like me. So I took down the tracks and canned the account. I've since worked out the simplest way to deal with covers is just not to do any. 😂 All that said, DK did what it said on the tin, it just wasn't for me. Andy

Impressive playing for sure - but that game face is a bit much. 😂 Andy

Great song - stripped back- everything you need and nothing you don't. Wonderful tribute Jesse, thanks for sharing and I'm sorry to hear Bob's situation., my condolences also. This is a lovely tribute you did for him. Andy

Welcome back online @Wookiee - just take it easy with the recovery, that fur ain't going to grow back in just a few days. 😉 Andy