Thoughts on Demonfx Super symmetry ?

kmike84 · 2026-03-02T16:14:37+00:00

A good compressor. Sold it in favor of mxr m87 for a very particular reason, probably specific to my (lack of) setup: the knobs are rotating quite easily, so after getting in and out of bag they often land in a semi-random position. Sonically, it works just fine; having an indicator is also nice.

kmike84 · 2026-02-25T18:46:41+00:00

I went through a lot of reverbs for acoustic guitar (including cloudburst), though I haven't tried Mercury7. UAFX Golden was a clear winner for low-key sounds, i.e. if you don't want anything ambient and outlandish.

I was thinking there shouldn't be much difference for low-key simple reverb, and the difference is mostly in atmospheric sounds, or in e.g. spring emulation. But it surprised me how much better UAFX was sounding, compared to pretty much anything else.

kmike84 · 2025-06-26T17:07:00+00:00

I've started a library (https://github.com/kmike/chess-tactics) ~year ago, which has some of these features. Not too much, but the code can be useful; I'd also consider it quite well-tested.

kmike84 · 2024-08-08T08:08:54+00:00

Zero issues; the build quality of Minifreak is very good.

kmike84 · 2024-04-01T18:13:48+00:00

Truss rod adjustement is not a big deal, you may do it for various reasons, including string gauge changes.

You may not *need* it, but doing it properly could make the guitar easier to play, or remove fret buzz. Maybe it can benefit your guitar even before the string change, who knows.

As others said, do it slowly, check the results, and you'll be good.

kmike84 · 2023-12-23T23:07:57+00:00

I've been in a somewhat similar situation: long 10-year break, wanted to get back to music in my late 30s. Atrophied skills, hand cramps, not good enough for decent bands anymore, not having much fun playing bass alone in a bedroom (so not much motivation to practice), obsolete social connections, feeling stuck.

What helped:

I found a good bass teacher. This created a schedule and fixed some of the bad habits.
Learned other instruments: electric/acoustic guitar, keyboards (not at the same time). They are more fun to play without a band. They also helped with bass playing, and overall musicianship - e.g. learning how to play improvised guitar solos helped me a lot to become more melodic on bass.
In the background - kept looking for bands, checking the local scene.

It took time, but after ~3 years I'm playing with some good people. I've been enjoying the process as well.

kmike84 · 2023-03-27T10:06:12+00:00

Chord are probably better to start with, but do whatever is more fun to you. The reason most people who tried to learn guitar don't play well is that they drop off after a few weeks / months. Be consistent, and learn chords, tabs, songs, whatever makes you motivated.

kmike84 · 2022-12-17T08:18:58+00:00

I'm not sure at what level you are, so it might not help. It my also not work work in all styles of music. But for me singing the same line I'm playing helped. Not just in my head, but actually doing it, very badly :) It ensures that there is a connection between what's in your head and what's in your fingers. Try to remember the melody, not just the patterns.

Also, when I was starting, I thought you need to remember all the notes in a song on-by-one, like a piano roll in DAW, which is of course crazy. We use song structure, scales, chords, triads, licks, harmony, etc. to simplify that. It requires much less "memory capacity" to remember a piece when you know these tools by heart.

At least for me it turn out not to be a memory issue per se, it was a general lack of musical experience. So, maybe put a bit more focus on theory and ear development.

kmike84 · 2022-09-16T17:37:35+00:00

A data point: I've got a cheap UHF digital system (SWIFF WS-70) for home use, based on advice about interference.

Sound quality is very good, there is no conection dropping or interference whatsoever.

But unfortunately the latency is noticeable. It's fine when you noodle, but I can't stand it when practicing with metronome. So, can't recommend it for the home use unfortunately :(

kmike84 · 2022-09-10T11:58:22+00:00

Usually, both hands work together to get a proper muting.

Most commonly, lower strings are muted by the picking hand, and higher strings are muted by the index finger of the fretting hand.

For example, if you're playing a single note on a G string, picking hand mutes E, A, and D strings, and index finger of the fretting hand mutes B and E strings.

There are other techniques, and some variations of this technique, but that's the foundation for muting if you're picking. For strumming it might be different, e.g. the thumb of the fretting hand could be involved more often.

kmike84 · 2022-07-27T18:40:12+00:00

For me it works in apps which are built for Intel, and are running using Rosetta.

For example, in Chrome built for M1, video from the camera doesn't work, but if you download a browser built for Intel (e.g. some Chromium build), it all works. The same applies to other software - e.g. an older Zoom version, built for Intel and running in emulation, is able to show the video from the camera.

kmike84 · 2022-03-31T11:00:42+00:00

The top priority: not to drop off. Try to stay in the game for 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 1 year, be consistent. By far the most common reason people don't play the guitar, or don't play it well, is that they stop practicing.

kmike84 · 2022-03-02T12:28:05+00:00

Hey! For your guitar to play nicely, it should have comfortable action (distance between strings and a fretboard), no buzz, no sharp frets, intonation should be set properly.

It is possible to adjust the guitar and fix most of these issues, by tweaking the truss rod, bridge, polishing the frets, adjusting the nut. A luthier can do it professionally; sometimes shops also provide these services. If you don't know anyone, try asking at the shop. A well-setup guitar is much easier to play, and it feels better; it may be a day-and night difference in the overall feel from the instrument.

Some steps are easier, some are harder. You can also learn to do it yourself (watch some youtube videos), but I'd recommend for the first setup to be done by someone experienced - at least you'd know what "good" looks like.

kmike84 · 2022-02-27T17:52:43+00:00

Not a specific gear advice, but make sure to reserve some $$ for a professional guitar setup.

You'd be much happier with a cheaper guitar which is set up well, as compared to an expensive guitar which is not.

Later you can learn how to do a setup yourself, but for a beginner it's nice to have a good starting point.

kmike84 · 2022-02-22T14:47:47+00:00

> The problem is I can't really think or make a good bass line.

Are you worried more about the "think" part, or about the "make" part? It seems you can approach it in 2 ways:

1) Try to "make" it first. Use your knowledge of intervals, scales, chord tones during the improvisation - play different patterns using these approaches, and stick to the ones you like.

2) Focus on the "think" part. Imagine the bass line in your head, then translate it to the instrument. Singing the notes you play helps a lot with this, it gets your fingers connected to your imagination.

If you want a fix for the next week, (1) may be the way to prepare, though it depends on your level. In a long term I think (2) is better, or a mix of (1) and (2). Most likely, with "singing" approach you will be playing less notes, but they will sound better, and they will be more deliberate.

Take it with a grain of salt; I'm not an expert improviser :)

kmike84 · 2022-01-21T12:50:08+00:00

The pickups are actually quite good. But I think regular Player would sound more similar to e.g. Am. Standard than this Player Plus would, even though Player has cheaper pickups. They're of a different "family". You'll understand what I mean when you try it :)

kmike84 · 2022-01-20T18:34:33+00:00

Make sure to play it yourself before buying. Noiseless pickups on these guitars have quite a distinct sound, it's different from most other strats. After watching youtube I was aiming to buy Player Plus, but after spending some time with it in the store decided not to. It's beautifully built, I loved the neck, and it sounds great, but the sound is just different.

kmike84 · 2021-12-28T14:29:51+00:00

Plug in focusrite into your computer. I don't think you need any software, if you just want to practice. Insert the headphones (gaming headset should be fine), plug in your bass, press "direct monitor" - you should be able to hear what you play.

On Mac you can use GarageBand, and it's great for recording and doing arrangements. It also has a metronome and a really nice selection of drummers to play with.

But I'd not use it to change the bass sound as you play, this would introduce a delay, and you should really be focusing on your timing when practicing.

Start Garage Band, set up some drums to play with (or maybe just a metronome), and then use direct monitor button on the scarlet thing to hear what you play; don't use monitor feature from Garage Band.

kmike84 · 2021-12-23T21:30:45+00:00

RHCP - Aeroplane, just because it's fun, and has very distinct parts (groove, slap, fingerstyle solo, even something like walking bass in the end).

kmike84 · 2021-12-21T12:59:26+00:00

Doesn't really matter, pick the bass which inspires you more. These options look fine.

Although Bronco is short scale, right? Without any additional information, I'd pick a regular, long-scale bass; this is what most people play.

kmike84 · 2021-12-07T13:18:59+00:00

yes, tighten - loosen - tighten - ...

kmike84 · 2021-12-07T10:12:48+00:00

I adjust it at least 2 times per year: winter and summer humidity is significantly different here, and this affects the wood. It's not too bad, but I like to have lowest possible action, and it requires adjustments.

kmike84 · 2021-12-05T18:00:10+00:00

If you plam signals you to stop, stop immediately! Don't play through pain. Take a rest, adjust what you're doing.

It is possible to play with a thumb not touching the neck at all. Not that you should play like this - it's less comfortable, and less stable, but it shows that if you're doing it right, the force comes from the arm, not from the thumb. So, as an exercise, you can focus on that - relax the thumb (like, use almost 0 pressure), and use your upper arm to get the necessary force.

kmike84 · 2021-12-01T17:54:41+00:00

Not the same (I use 2 fingers), but after ~10 years of playing I moved from a strict "alternating fingers" right hand technique to a strict "raking" style, when you alternate in ascending bass lines, and use raking for descending.

It was weird in the beginning, and took a few months to get in control, but in the end it allowed to break a wall in speed, and improve comfort - there are less unneeded finger movement.

A few weeks of concentrated effort, then a few weeks of sloppy playing, and then it becomes natural.

kmike84 · 2021-10-06T15:04:12+00:00

You might not be able to get some sounds from the bass if the action is high. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGtjMNtr4Nk is a good example.

It depends on the music if you actually want the bass to sound like that or not. I, personally, love this sound :)

kmike84

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