HairyScaryMark

The string and orchestral sounds on my Korg XD5 are good although could do with more variations. I am not an expert with keyboards but I have a feeling that this keyboard might be the best value around at the moment, second hand. I heard less than 80 for the module on ebay. My feelings about it generally is that it has good sounds but could do with more different samples. By this I mean, There is a great choir sound but only really one choir sound (with adjustable paramaters), the string sound is great also but yet again there is only one of them as an arco string group. You can combine various of these together but I haven't got that far with using it. I have a feeling it may rely on algorhthmns and DSP type stuff.. meaning, I am not sure if it possible to combine every type of sound. You are probably better off getting a stage piano such as Roland RD700 if you want a very realistic piano sounds. This has not been mentioned so I assume it probably wont be a problem.

It depends how much you are willing to spend. I would highly recommend the Korg Triton Extreme as a synth. Some people reckon it is the best synth around. Most of the sounds on it are amazing, the piano sounds aren't as good as on Kurzweil or Roland RD700 but are still infinately better than on the previous korg keyboards. The valveforce feature also means you can get amazing hammond sounds and nice warmth on other sounds. There is a nice promotional video at http://www.korg.co.uk/products/workstations/triton_ex/ws_triton_ex.asp Yamaha also do the Motif ES as their pro keyboard http://www.yamaha-europe.com/yamaha_europe/uk/10_musical_instruments/70_synthesizer/10_synthesizer/10_synthesizer/10_no_series/010_MOTIF_ES_6_7_8/index.html There is a rack module version of the Motif ES but not the Triton Extreme, the originakl Triton is done as a rack but it doesn't have any of the expansion cards built in (like the extreme does). The Kurzweil K2600 is still probably the best sampler and has the best real instrument sounds around but it is probably far beyond what you are willing to pay and far beyond your requirements. Failing that the Korg XD5 as a module can be picked up fairly cheap on ebay. I have one of these. The piano sound is a bit pants (sounds like a slightly better version of the M1 keyboard), the strings, choir and pad type sounds are fairly good. The Pipe Organ sound is also amazing. If that is all you are going to use it for, that would maybe be your thing. There is only one useable lead sound on it but if you don't normally play keyboards, I doubt you would play keyboard solos. Software synths amy also be another thing to concider for recordings. These things vary in quality immensely.

I don't believe she did her job correctly. I thought it was fair enough asking for a passport or driving licence but asking for a document which had been sent to the college, meaning I couldn't show it to her, is fundamentally flawed. I was mainly trying to dispell the myth that Aberdeen College give out I.Ds too easily. As Ally said, most people who dealt with her found her to be very unhelpful and somtimes nasty. Whenever I (or other peopel) spoke to her in relation to student I.D's, she always seemed intent to get rid of me as soon as possible. As for 15 year olds having condoms... I do not really view it as appropriate for an educational institution (Aberdeen College) to be handing out condoms and certainly not to people as young as 15. A Doctor or Pharmacist would have been more appropriate as they would have training and experience in speaking to people about these issues. The point I was trying to make was that the student president has a fairly bizarre range of duties. This is very off topic by now.

LIES LIES LIES.

Where did it go? Was it previously a wig?

Guitars Ibanez RG7620 (DiMarzio Blaze II pickups) Ibanez GRX70 Schetcher Jazz Elite Ovation Acoustic (borrowed) Amps etc. Tech 21 - Sansamp psa-1 pre amp Alesis Midiverb 4 effects processor Omniphonics Footprint 2x75Wpower amp 4 unit rack Marshall 1936 2x"12 cabinet Keyboards Korg X5D module I want to get a Korg Triton Extreme 88 but haven't got funds yet. Other Various flightcases (I can fit all my gear in flightcases apart from speaker cabinet) 2 Volumes Pedals which I rarely use for anything Old Digitech RP10 which I use to control my rack gear via midi. Mics Shure SM57 and SM58

I have an Ibanez RG7620. It is a great guitar, a pain to setup though. You should be aware that you have an extra strings to stop from ringing while playing the high ones. When I attempt to cross over my arms while doing some tapping part, i can never stop the lower strings from rining at some point. I guess I will have to practice this more. It also isn't specific to 7 strings but as I said, there is an extra one. In my opinion you should go for the highest quality instrument which you can afford. Do not go for more features (i.e more strings) if you could otherwise get a better guitar for the same price. Unbranded pickups are usually worth avoiding, unless the guitar is otherwise good and the price difference over one with good pickups is enough that you still have money left to buy some DiMarzios, EMGs or Duncan's etc. Low Tunings are all very well but I guess you might want another guitar for playing non-dropped tuning. I have had absoluetely no ambition to use differnet tunings on guitars since I got my 7 string. Low tunings are also not really what you want for shred of sweep picking. Point of fanned frets? Notice how bass guitars usaully have bigger frets than regular guitars. Bass instruments are built to a larger scale so the bottom end is more substancial. A Multi Scale guitar (in theory) allows the optimal tone and power from the differnet points in the range of your gutiar.

There was a HD147 in Bruce Millers for quite a long time. I tried out quite a few guitars through it. I failed to get a good tone from any of them other than on the 'jazz' setting with jazz guitars. It didn't sound at all realistic and sounded quite brittle. I tried on many different settings and none really did it for me. I find it hard to believe that it really needs to cranked, concidering it is a digital, solid state amplifier. Some of the guitars I tried were, mexican strats, Ibanez RG550, Ibanez Artcore, amongst others. I know these guitars produce far better tones through other amps which cost less. I am not against amp modellers in the slighest. I have got fairly nice tones through a Line6 POD before. I also use a Sansamp psa-1 amp modeller, Which i reckon is amonst the best out there for amp modelling. www.tech21nyc.com/psa.htm

http://www.conklinguitars.com/ do a selection of weird and wonderful instruments. Including an 8 string, multi scale, 3 octave guitar.

I am not sure how up to date my information is but last I heard, there was 4 pubs in Aberdeen up for sale. One of which was O'Donnohughs. The advantage of purchasing one of these pubs is it currently already has a crowd who go along regularly and has a much larger capacity than the likes of of Drakes. You must adress the reasons they became unprofitable if your pub/venue is to have any chance of surviving. I am sure many people would go along to whatever comes of Drakes and I realise I am no buisness expert but I would like to point out having 110 people maximum in a pub while about 3 members of staff, 2 bouncers and a band seems a bit too many people you have to pay vs too few paying customers. Somewhere like Moshulu, has about 4-6 bar staff and 2 bouncers at the door (4 if you count the ones downstairs also). I believe it is also 650 capacity. So you have a staff:customer ratio of about 10:650 (1:65) with Moshulu and 5:110 (1:22) with 69 Shiprow. I realise this is hugely oversimplified (as these places will not often run at capacity and a number of other factors come into play in the real world) but the odds do seem to favour larger pubs and clubs.

The British government currently plans to give police powers to detain people for 90 days without being charged of any crimel under the new terrorism act (if approved by parliament)l. Anti-terror legislation was used against an 80 year old man at the Labour party Conference who shouted "that's a lie". These are real civil liberties issues. The right to smoke around non-smokers in pubs and clubs is not a human right. I believe you are infringing other people's human rights when you force others' to breath in your smoke. If someone was held down and force fed harmful substances. This would widely concidered an infringement of human rights. I don't see how public smoking is any differnet.

A number of my family members have been sent to their graves early as a direct result of smoking (and passive smoking). I have never smoked a cigerette in my life and I am sick and tired of coming back, completely stinking of everyone else's smoke everytime I go out. I feel it is a basic human right not to be forced to breath in everyone else's smoke. I would describe myself as a Civil Libertarian and I do not see public smoking as a civil liberty. It is a civil liberty to be able to go to pubs and clubs without being forced to inhale everyone else smoke. The public smoking ban in Ireland has widely been declared a complete sucess and 1 in 12 smokers have given up since the ban. Pubs have often became more pleasant places as a result. The smoking ban will help protect bar staff and enterainers who work in the bar. As a musician I am concerned that I will spend my life performing in enclosed smokey spaces and recieve a similar fate to Roy Castle.

You complete turds. Stop ruining the suprise for the likes of me. I appreciate that you didn't post the exact details but rumouring such information is clearly worthy of a moan.

That was insane today. Too many things happened and it is funny how nobody likes Paul Robinson anymore. I want to be a bad guy in neighbours at some point during my life. Not old enough yet, need to be at least 40. What was the cliff hanger? I have forgotten already.

My conversation with Herman went sometime along the lines of: My friend*: "how long did it take you to master the art of shred?" Herman: "about 10 years" Me: "I am a guitar player and I am studying music at college ... so I will eventaully be good" Herman: "so you will be better than me Me: "Unlikely" Herman: " .... i never had any of that" * Can't remember who it was, exactly. I think it was my friend but it might have actually been another person standing next to me at the time. Dragonforce are official endorsees of Ibanez, Korg and Miller.

I know I look like a muppet. p.s Thanks Milner

Haha, that made me laugh. You obviously have never had any real experiences of Glasweigens. I am unaware of any extreme old firm supporters in Westhill. Having lived in Westhill for the past 14 years I have never came across any extreme old firm fans here apart from one, who I believe has a Union Jack outside his house. Westhill is a posh area and there does not appear to be enough Rangers fans here for them to really become a problem. However, if you were to go to the True Blue's Club in Keith. I believe anyone who wore Green there would be unlikely to come out alive. This is what I heard from a musican who played there and had to play 'Simply The Best' about 6 times. The experience was described as something to the degree 'the worst and scariest gig of my life'. It seems somewhat ironic that people are being deported from the UK for supposedly 'preaching hate' while the Orange Lodge goes unscaved.

It's great that the old firm aren't winning. Although football is not within my main interests I would like to see the smile wiped off the scumbags which give Scotland a bad name. Any team winning is preferable over the old firm clubs. ........... I find it quite frankly absurd to see the sectarian hatred between old firm supporters compared with the reaction of Aberdeen fans against the old firm. The old firm is a force of pure evil and biiggotry, particularly Rangers. I know some Rangers fans who don't hate the other side but they are within the minority. Although there are some extreme views held by Aberdeen fans, it tends not to equate into religious hate or any act of violence. Weegies (and people further afield) often fall victim to sectarian-motivated assaults and even murders. It is a widespread problem. Here are some examples of Sectarian troubles. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4365657.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3012613.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4679275.stm I understand that is is perfectly possible to support the old firm and not be a biggot. This usually however, does not happen.

I think I have achieved another possible sighting. Were you on the bus between Summerhill and Westhill on Monday 15th August (i think). Around 5:30 pm ? I maybe mistook you for the wrong person.

If you already have 8 guitars why not get something custom built, especially for you? There is a number of companies who do this. I know that Chris McIntyre makes great axes in London. http://www.mcintyreguitars.com/ Or there is the likes of http://www.warmoth.com/ where you can select each part of the guitar individually then built it yourself. Everyone seems to say it is great. --Mark--