All Activity

I had quite a complex MIDI set-up in the 90s which was used both in the studio and live, but it was all controlled via a dedicated 8-port MIDI interface which avoided the need to use MIDI-thru chains and meant if one device was acting up it wouldn't affect any of the others. However this was in the days when MIDI connections were all 5-pin DIN so you only had to worry about one protocol for connecting everything. IMO the introduction of MIDI over USB is fine a couple of input devices connected directly to a computer, but makes pretty much everything else unnecessarily complicated, added to which USB connections simply aren't robust enough for gigging use.

I'm not saying 2.4Ghz doesn't work, there are 1000's of regular gigging musicians using systems on 2.4 and many rarely have an issue but when I was using 2.4 I was plagued with drop outs; I put it down to our desk being 2.4, everyone else in the band using 2.4 AND most of the club/pub systems had stuff running at 2.4. As soon as I changed to the 5.Ghz range (in fact the MiPro system) I got zero drop out, the downside is that the range is reduced but I've never had a problem as most stages are quite open with no major obstructions. As a side note, today I'm off to do a multiband 4 day theatre gig and the techs requested to know in advance who was using what radio/IEM gear and on what frequencies bands.

I will try both options, and see which works, and report back. If both work, then that would be good news too. I must confess to being fascinated by midi when it first came out, and wanted nothing more than to connect up various devices. However, it is only now, 45 years later, that I have the opportunity to make it happen.

Hi Al, I wouldn't worry about this, though as ever real world experience counts for a lot so I'd always respect anyone who has tried both. I think in your position you need to be looking for quality and practicality, you have great tops so don't cut corners with your sub(s). From the looks of your videos your band should make decent money so cost shouldn't be too much of an issue. I have a pair of Wharfedale EVP 15" subs. Old, heavy and reliable but they onle get used once a year on average. In smaller venues they are a liability, sonically and space wise. Last year I picked up a nearly new RCF 905 AS Mk3 and its rated output matches that of the pair of Wharfedales. I've done small outdoor festivals with those so that's as capable as I'll ever want to be. Indoors I don't think I'll ever need more. A mates soul/funk function band are going round with a pair of 2x8 FBT subs and they sound great so size isn't everything especially with that sort of music, which is close to that which you and I play. I'll add a second 905 probably if I see one going cheap but that will be for the look and the odd outdoor gig. I don't think I'll ever need it but is would give me the opportunity to run cardioid subs, if I ever get the space to set that up. I don't think you'll ever need it but you could run with a single decent 15" sub for quite a while and then judge if you need a second. Your tops are rated 133db and the AS905's are rated the same you could go to the RCF8003's which are rated 135db to match both your tops with a single cab but at the expense of a 43kg lift and an extra £500. That's the same as my Wharfedales and they are quite a carry, one of the main reasons I upgraded. So the only reason for going for 2x12's is to get the 'look' of a sub each side and a lighter carry. The look is important to a function band though. A pair of 12's is going to give you plenty of output but so is a 15 of the same quality. It's going to cost you more and may or may not be more convenient to transport. Basically I'm saying don't base your choice on speaker size. Look at the spec's but be very sceptical of them, the specs are advertising not technical measurements in most cases but they help within a brand for comparisons. Each brand exaggerates but by a fixed amount. Look at functionality, quality gear from the likes of RCF, FBT and Yamaha aren't going to let you down.

https://ebay.us/m/5E9p3T "Handmade bass bass. New. Now you can not only tune a guitar but you can also tuna fish. Body of the guitar is handmade out of solid oak. Large mouth bass graphic. Glass eye. Constructed with all new parts including neck, strings, pickups, and knobs." $50,000 is a lot to pay for a pun.

I can see the advantage of using the UMC1820 as a single device for all the audio inputs and outputs. However for MIDI control of the Roland surely it would be easiest to just use the USB connection direct to the computer?

When I gigged in the 90’s I used a USA Stingray and Ampeg SVT CL amps. I thought it was perfect however on a visit to Ashdown HQ years back to try a few heads I used a house PBass and thought ong it’s awful why didn’t I bring my Ray ! After a spell of non playing and all my gear had been sold I got back into playing gigs in the 2015 onwards era and got a PBass and Ashdown ABM600 and I loved the sound. Then I got a Stingray virtually the same as my old one and didn’t like the sound at all, it was getting buried in the mix. I don’t know why a Ray worked for me in the 90’s as it was still rock against Marshall Valve amps but today I think the PBass is the perfect rock bass and just works and sounds very good. I tried a JBass but wanted it to sound like a PBass which it didn’t of course ! I have two basic PBass guitars for gigging both tuned Eb one is the Player II series and my backup is the 2025 Standard Indonesian built which is nice too. I don’t think I will play anything else now

I’m 2 years behind you and I play in a blues/rock band, and a covers band. I perhaps get more musical satisfaction from the blues/rock stuff but the covers are much more rewarding from the audience participation perspective: dancing, singing along, etc. We do throw in a few originals too but they largely go unnoticed, people think they know them but can’t remember who charted with them Lol! I would worry about the multiple gigs per weekend scenario when it happens. You are doing really well when you can get that many gigs! Train up a dep and cherry pick the gigs you want to play, when it gets too much.

Yes, but if you looked at the photos in the OP, you'll see that the body is a two piece sandwich with each "slice" being in two halves, and at least one of the joins appears to bisect the recess for the neck joint. That means reassembly will have to be accurate to less than 1mm in order for the rest of the parts to fit properly without additional sanding and routing. Personally I wouldn't risk it and I wouldn't recommend that the OP risk it either.

I have the NUX B7s and they work great.

I currently play in a post-punk/goth/synth-pop influenced band and so the chorus is quite prominent in the effects mix. However I've always had some chorus on my bass sound from when I bought my first chorus pedal in 1983. I was using it with my 90s dance-rock band, the blues/pop band I was with during the 2000s and even playing psychobilly with Dick Venom.

That's a fantastic clutch of T-40s and T-20s you have there! I hope you have a suitably re-enforced body brace for playing them live! Thankfully, I tend to be pretty pragmatic when buying/selling basses. I usually sell what isn't earning me money as a bass player, so thankfully manage to avoid huge amounts of instruments that way. There was one regret, the best five string Status S2-Classic I ever played, which I traded in for one of the Music Man Classic Sabres at the time. Huge regrets over that one. I've never seen it up for sale again in about 13 years, either.

There are ways. But ultimately as long as you don't use caustic soda, dipping will be no different to any other method.

What style of music do you play? Lots of chorus sounds like it would be something very specific like shoegaze, post punk or alt rock.

Did you treat it to a 'Wigan Salad' (Pie, Chips, Peas and Gravy) while you were there..?

The Helix will allow the control of each parameter in a Preset to be attached to one of three expression pedals, or one of 11 footswitches, or any MIDI CC between 4 and 127. It also allows the value of parameters to change with each Snapshot in the Preset, which is how Line6 do glitch-less sound changes. And it is possible to control parameter values using the volume and tone controls of a Line6 Variax guitar. It won't allow parameter control to be based on the sound of the instrument which I think is what @MrDinsdale is saying. For me this wouldn't be of much use because I don't play in any sort of controlled way and having the sound change due to how hard or soft I'm playing would be a complete non-starter. I'm sure it sounds great on the factory sounds that use it, but I wouldn't be able to play accurately enough to control it. What would be useful to me would be if the triggering of the noise gate and filters could be controlled by MIDI note information instead of the incoming audio signal. Can you do this with the GT1000? The other thing I would find useful would be the ability to have time-based effects synchronised to MIDI clock for periods longer than 1 bar, particularly phasers and flangers

Yup, I've found the octaver poor, but luckily the mix is adjustable and can add just a tad.