Fierce_LiNk

I know, it's nuts. Arsenal are good now. I do think everyone is just waiting for Liverpool to 'click' again. There's injuries to the midfield, Mane has been sold, and Salah hasn't really at it. Think selling Mane is maybe having a bigger impact than most people thought. United are climbing, slowly. We're on for a top half finish, hahaha.

That's another thing that just takes a lot of practice. Best advice I can give is 'roll' your index finger so that you're not keeping it 'flat' on the fretboard. You're going to get more strength and a better connection by using the boney side of your finger. If you haven't practised or played them for long enough, it can be a little uncomfortable at first and can even make the index finger feel a bit sore around those knuckle/bendy joint parts of the finger, whatever that's called. Usually it's the pressure that's applied which causes guitarists the biggest issue, especially moving between chords because they don't quite get their index finger in the ideal position (e.g. they'd slid it too high up the fretboard or too slow, causing certain strings to buzz, usually the g and b strings). Just lots and lots of repetition practising major and minor chords in various areas of the fretboard. Not sure how common it is, but my barre chords get a little shit when I get to the higher end of the fretboard, e.g. around the 12th fret due to the frets becoming smaller. I mean, it's not that often that you'll be barring down on that end anyway, but still. When I'm practising, I like to arpeggiate my chords/play the notes individually, just to make sure that they're sounding out right. Even moving between chords and picking the notes, rather than strumming. You can often be surprised which strings ring out better than others.

You'd be surprised at how many good players don't actually have great pull/flick-off technique. To get the right sound takes a ton of practice and repetition, especially when using all fingers. Even though I've been playing for a while, I prioritise a bit of my practice time just on hammer-ons and pulloffs. I heard somebody mention that it's more of a flick-off, which actually is spot on. For that section, I'd be tempted to bar/barre my index finger on the 9th fret. That way you're covering the D and G strings and it's much less fiddly switching between the two strings. It'll just take a ton of repetition to get the speed of it down right, maybe even practising that to a metronome if you want to get it super clean and up to the right bpm. From a quick browse of the tab, the part before and afterwards isn't too bad really, as it's a simple move back down to the 5th fret, so that final note of that section you posted where it ends on the 10th fret is quite nice for that, since it's on the same string. The only really tricky bit is the strumming pattern, which has a triplet feel (123 456). It's not too bad, tbh. A bit of practice and you'll be fine with that, if you do it slow and build the speed up. I'd go with that first app. Chord Wheel: Circle of Fifths.

That's the best United vs. Arsenal game we've had in years. Enjoyed that. Chuffed for Antony and Rashford. That's very promising. Eriksen and McTominay both joint players of the match for me. McTominay was like a wall in this game. ETH is getting the most out of him. Think Arsenal were unlucky not to get more. Generally, their play was great and Jesus looks a real threat. For large points of the game, Arsenal were on top, but the difference is with the chances we created. I don't think Arsenal really made enough of those clear cut chances.

Antonnnnnyyyyyyyy! Looks like he's got something about him. Seen a lot of comparisons with Nani, which I can definitely see. What a player he was. Close game. Can definitely see Arsenal scoring. Think this will end in a draw, personally. Would love us to get another and keep the clean sheet.

Glad you got it working! Should be a game changer for you. Regarding that song, it sounds like it's using mainly hammer-ons with a few pull/flick-offs. They're essential techniques for rock music, and the pull/flick-offs can take a lot of work to sound good. A lot of people just release their finger from the string, which can make it sound incredibly weak. E.g. when pulling/flicking from the 7th fret to the 5th, they'll just let their finger go without really giving it a good flick, which is how you get the better quality sound. For the parts that use the 22nd fret, the best thing you can do is transpose it/rewrite it on the adjacent string if you don't have a guitar that includes that fret. E.g. if you want to hit the 22nd fret on the B string (which will be an A note), you'll find the same note on the high E string on the 17th fret. There's a few things you can do there. You could either shift the whole section of that song up and across to adjust for that A note on the E string, or just alter the way you play part of that section and keep the rest of it the same. Totally up to you what you to do with it, as it'll be fine musically and sound the same. I use a guitar scales app called Guitar Scales & Patterns. That's pretty good for working on those scales. Then, alongside that, I use The Chord Wheel app to help with progressions if I'm a bit stuck when writing new stuff. There's so many chord apps out there. AllChords is pretty great, and SmartChord is quite good for chords in alternate tunings, which can be very helpful.

We've spent the last week in Paris, but got back in time for Match of the Day last night. Always a bonus! The amount of VAR interference/controversial decisions was insane. The West Ham goal and Newcastle goal both 100% should have stood. Aston Villa's second not being given because the referee blew early is incredibly poor, too. Cost them a win when they needed the points. Just goes to show that the refereeing has been the problem all along. It was bad before the tech, and it's the same now. It's a hard job and I'd hate to do it, but the tech is meant to make their lives so much easier, yet it's not really doing that. Too many poor decisions.

I've seen a few people mention this show already in various threads, so I thought I'd start a new one and we could all talk about it in one place. We just started watching this yesterday. I'm really enjoying the vibes of it all. It sort of reminds me of those old coming of age films like Stand By Me and The Goonies. The way they've filmed it to get that retro look is great and I'm also digging the soundtrack. About to start the third episode in a second.

Ok, this is what I've done so far to try and figure out what's happening. I'll try and make this as clear as I can, but please ask if there's something you don't understand. I've opened up Guitar Rig 5 (which is the version I've got) and have run through a few configurations to try and figure out exactly what you can/can't do with the outputs. I've tried several different methods, so here goes: I've tried Method 1: Guitar into Interface, with Headphones as the output. This ran absolutely fine, as normal. I double checked with Guitar Rig that it recognised my device, which it did. Method 2 - Guitar into Interface, and I've tried fiddling with my outputs on both Guitar Rig and Windows to set the laptop as the output. I know that sound is still going through the laptop as I can hear my Windows icons and sounds working as normal, as if nothing else is connected. However, I can't get Guitar Rig to output via my laptop speakers. This looks like it doesn't really distinguish between where the sound is coming from and where it's going to, it looks like it has to be the same device. E.g. ALL sound has to come and go via the interface, or ALL sounds has to come and go via Windows. Although I haven't got a set of speakers at hand to properly test that out, I'm deducing that you're not going to be able to receive output with the speakers connected to the laptop. In reality, this is fine, as you should be able to plug the speakers into the interface to obtain the sound. Which leads me to: Method 3 As I mentioned earlier, I haven't got a set of speakers at hand. However, I thought of a very creative way of testing the following method: Guitar into Interface. Then, outputting my interface back through my guitar amp to use that in the same way you'd use a speaker. I connected a guitar cable from the headphone output into the input of my amp. This worked instantly, with no additional fiddling with any settings in Guitar Rig. I also took out the cable from the headphone output and plugged it separately into the left and right audio outputs on the back of the device and both worked. E.g. I put the cable into the left one, played the guitar via Guitar Rig, got audio through the amp. I took out the cable from the left output and plugged it into the right one, repeated the process, and that worked, too. From all of this, I'm thinking it's got to be something to do with the speakers. They should be able to go into the headphone socket and you should receive sound.

Hmm, I was certain you'd be able to output through the headphone jack. I'm pretty sure I've done this with a cheapy set of speakers. Just checking, but have you turned the volume up on your speakers and on the 'output' dial at the top of the Audio Interface? Some of these questions might sound a bit daft, but it's worth going through everything like that first before we look at the Guitar Rig settings. When you go into Guitar Rig, does it recognise the M-Audio?

Hmm. What happens if you plug the speaker cable into the 'headphone' jack at the front? Does anything happen then? If you flick the direct/USB switch when it's plugged in, will that do anything? Edit: What does the connection look like on your speaker cable?

That's quick! Hmm, what software are you using to play the guitar? Is it Guitar Rig? I always use the headphone jack on my Focusrite and don't use any speakers connected to the laptop. There might be a setting somewhere which lists your input as the M-Audio and the output as whatever your speakers are. I think it's quite common to have sound outputted through the Audio Interface (The M-Audio in your case). Can you connect it through there? Does it cause an issue?

I'm kicking myself for not triple captaining Haaland. Ummed and ahhed over who to captain. Had Haaland down, then chickened out and went for Jesus. Still got 17 points, but it could have been...a lot more.

Hello Police, I'd like to report a murder. 9-0. Fucking hell.

I hope Palace put another 2 past City. "Fuck off, City". I really got that prediction wrong!

Mad, innit. Andersen for Palace looks like a tidy player. One to keep an eye out for. Bournemouth are getting trashed by Liverpool.

3 is a bit underrated, in my opinion. It's got some incredibly memorable moments, some of the lines are just gold, and the ending is very satisfying. I love it. Number 2 was my favourite growing up and it might just about be my favourite now. But it's close. It's such a great trilogy.

Yeah, the music is superb. If you ever get the chance to see it in the cinema, do it. It's worth it for the sound alone. Now you've got to see the others @drahkon, if you haven't done so already. My mind changes regarding which one I like the most. I've got a huge soft spot for the third one.

That's a really nice looking bass. How many have you got at the moment? Do you tend to stick with one or do you rotate?

Weekend is almost here! Saturday Fixtures Southampton vs. Manchester United (going for 0-2 to United. Sancho to get another one and maybe Bruno to score the other) Brentford vs. Everton (2-0. Everton look awful and weak upfront. Can't see them winning this) Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Leeds United (2-2. Two in-form teams who have had a great start to the season. This is one to watch, I think) Chelsea vs. Leicester City (2-0 to Chelsea. Might be more. Leicester look pretty useless, at the moment) Liverpool vs. AFC Bournemouth (3-0. Liverpool will get a big win here after their disappointment against United) Manchester City vs. Crystal Palace (3-0 City. Palace have started well, but City look to dominate. Think they'll win this comfortably) Arsenal vs. Fulham (2-0 Arsenal. Both teams have started well, but think Arsenal have enough to get the win) Sunday Fixtures Aston Villa vs. West Ham United (1-0 Villa. West Ham look a bit all over the place at the moment. They desperately need the points, but think Villa will win this) Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Newcastle United (1-2. Newcastle are in good form and Wolves look like they struggle to score goals.) Nottingham Forest vs. Tottenham Hotspur (0-1. Spurs will do enough to edge it, imo)

Congrats on the gig! Must be good to be playing live again. My friend uses Rocksmith and loves it. I had a cheapy jack to usb cable before that I used with my guitar, but I really disliked it due to having an annoying buzz when recording. It was too noticeable and distracting, but that might be down to the build quality of the cable. I'd still recommend getting an interface or unit of some kind. The whole 'plugins' world is interesting, but is another rabbit hole that someone can get easily caught up in. When I upgraded my PreSonus software, I looked at various plugins and there's some really cool stuff out there. Even without paying for it, the free stuff is great.

@Dufniall, that Rush + Primus + South Park moment is lovely. Gay Fish is just brilliant, too. Watched that episode recently and it's perfect in every way. They rinsed Kanye and destroyed him.

I'm not a fan of using the clicking sticks for running. A lot of games will have that, where you have to press L3 to run, as opposed to your character walking normally. I don't really like it and it does feel like I'm having to push through the controller, which can't be great for the stick quality in the long term. I like your idea of the paddle/button at the back used as a replacement run button. I've always thought it made sense to have an analogue trigger for this, so you can get different degrees of running. There's a different between walk, light jog, a moderate run, and a sprint. Most games don't have this and either have an all or nothing, which doesn't really make sense.