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Showing content with the highest reputation on 14/12/17 in all areas

  1. I mean 'don't get it' in why do we need it we sound fine without it not in you don't understand the principles I was talking in general about comp/eq what can benefit one instrument can benefit a band. Your original post was about compressing the bass live. Without revisiting d.i., tube amps etc etc and every type of compression being generated by all the pieces of the signal chain..The whole band will be compressed live if the sound man has a capability or capacity to do so as it will make the mix better. If you want to do it at 'stage level' it's down to the band and players. In my choir band we have compression going on - me, the guitars, the fiddle all via their fx boards/pedals- not very much but enough to season the mix. Let's the cleans sparkle a bit, tightens up the drive, keeps acoustic guitars in check (though that's usually via di to the desk with...yup.. comp). We all noticed when the fiddle player got a new Zoom unit and the fiddle just sat better than the previous set up. With the new unit she sounded like she was part of the band 'in the mix' not on top of the mix. Hard to quantify but it was audible in the room. If you guys want individual compression you'd have to supply yours via pedals individually or via out board etc for the band. You could hook up a comp to aux on your desk but a universal setting wouldn't cover the individual needs of each channel i.e. what works for acoustic may not be useful for vox. Our desk is a Presonus 16.0.2. If you guys are upgrading in the future and they're pretty reasonable second hand. Certainly worth a look down the road. A band volume is usually dictated by the drums. If the guitar is louder than the drums then maybe the guitarist should rethink his eq and volume. If the PA is only for vox/acoustic then it again should be set to match the drummer and blend in with the whole mix. We never really need to be as loud as we think we should. I've done numerous gigs where the guitarist has had a Blues Jr 15w on stage and it was plenty with decent monitors. We can all take responsibility for our own sound be that with or without a comp on the board. A good sound man may have less to do if he's getting a good source to begin with - from me it's normally a straight d.i. - FOH is his business, on stage with the band mix is mine.
    3 points
  2. As long as you've got your Elf, that's the main thing.
    3 points
  3. I think this is a very interesting yet false conclusion from what I said before :). As I said, you cannot hear subtle level differences very well soloed, your ears are compressing anything loud anyway. However masking can occur between any instruments in a mix at any and all volume levels. If you set up a compressor 'just so' you get a slightly different envelope to your output. That can change the level by just a dB or so from where it was at that point in the note duration without compression, adding sustain/punch to your tone, which means that the other instruments that were masking you no longer do in the same way at the same time. Your overall level is the same, but your level during a note is different. Yes the change can be tiny, but the effect of doing so is actually huge in the context of the mix. Crucially this difference in the mix is experienced at all volumes. So in the chaos of a pub gig a compressor set up correctly can help you be heard more clearly in the mix without you turning up as loud, because you are heard better where you need to be than before. Net result, quieter instrumentation because less volume wars since less masking, hence easier monitoring for the band, most importantly a better mix for the punters = everyone happier. Eq should be used in much the same way, frequency mixing has been the norm for decades, used correctly it is about cutting unnecessary/unpleasant/masking frequencies from instrument A so that instrument B can be heard without having to increase its volume everywhere or boost its eq unnaturally. By the way the human ear hears boosts as more unnatural than cuts when eq-ing, you can use much tighter frequency ranges when cutting than when boosting without everything sounding horrid. Compression should be thought of as a way to help do this with the level change during the duration of the note, rather than at a given moment in time. Eq is the opposite, it is 'always on'. And I haven't even mentioned dynamic equalisation yet, which is a real head-flip!
    3 points
  4. Great question. And this exposes my lack of knowledge as someone who is a (purely amateur!) studio engineer first and bass player second! So the gear I'm most familiar with is rack-mounted or software-based, not in foot pedal form. I am aware of the Cali 76 and that gets a lot of praise from the music community. LA-2A style compressors are much more rare in pedal form and I have no personal experience of using any of them... but you might want to check out some of these: http://www.effectrode.com/pc-2a-compressor/pc-2a-compressor-in-depth/ http://www.diamondpedals.com/products/compressor/ http://www.joemeek.com/floorq.html http://www.demeteramps.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=53 http://www.oldworldaudio.com/gear/1960.html If your live rig has scope for rack-mounted gear, then a good option might also be the Golden Age Project COMP-2A. That's perhaps the most gig-ready and 'affordable' LA-2A style compressor that I'm aware of (and by 'affordable' I'm still talking £560, so not cheap). Welcome to the world of compressor GAS. Please leave your credit card at the door
    2 points
  5. Right, compressor talk 102 in short then (if you know this stuff, skip it etc etc etc):- OK so there are 5 not 4 parameters, and they are as follows:- THRESHOLD LEVEL (level above which the compressor starts compressing) ATTACK TIME (time taken to reach n% of your total compression ratio, this is complicated by the fact that different circuits do this with different curves and get closer to 100% of the ratio by this time) RELEASE TIME (time to turn the ratio back down to 1:1 after the signal drops below the threshold) RATIO (slope) (amount that the compressor prevents the sound getting as loud as it would otherwise, ie 4:1 means the output is 1/4 of what it would have been) MAKE UP GAIN (level) (amount of gain to apply to the signal after compression, its always on though, not only when the threshold is exceeded) If you are looking to add a little 'something' extra to your bass tone, but don't have hella ears/metering/experience then I suggest this process:- Initial set up (this is actually all about setting the threshold level very accurately):- Set the attack to about 20ms, the release to 200ms the ratio to max (at least 10:1), make up gain leave at unity (0)dB Then playing at a quietish level on the A string lower the threshold slowly until either you first meter light (3dB) lights up or you hear it start to squeeze the volume. OK, this is entirely unusable right now, except from now on pretty much every note you play normally will start to compress (oh my God, think of the poor dynamics!!!) Second stage to set up:- So, we now set the ratio way back down to as low as it goes (1.5 to 1, or 2:1 are good) Set the attack back to about 50ms Set the release to about 45ms Play normal stuff. Turn the compressor off, and on, try and equalise the volume with the make up gain so that the volume is consistent whether the compressor is off or on. Now if you need a bit more 'bite' to your tone open up the attack a little, if the initial transient peak is too loud, or you want to hear the compression happen when you dig in then speed up the attack (faster than 25ms will getting very frustrating dynamics freaks!) If you feel your playing is choked by this lower the ratio, if you feel its not doing enough in the mix try raising the ratio very slighty (2.5:1 would be an absolute maximum) If you play streams of notes one after another legato and the attack of the first note is loud compared to the following notes' transients shorten the release even more (10ms is fine), I play a lot of 16th note lines, my release time is very very short Don't worry if you only see the 3dB light when you slam the strings as hard as you can, you know you are always compressing, just slightly, and just the meat of the note, after the initial transient peak. There you go you've effectively emulated a tube channel that is creeping in to saturation, on the meat of the note but left your transients untouched, and you aren't distorting. Hope this helps someone.
    2 points
  6. Car insurance is usually based on Social Domestic and Pleasure use. This can normally be extended at minimum cost to cover use by the Policy Holder (not any named drivers) on their employers business. For most of us weekend warriors that should be more than sufficient to cover to and from the gig. Insuring gear is always best done using a separate policy designed for the purpose and that will include cover for gear left in locked cars. Trying to extend home contents or car insurance to cover gear will, in my experience, lead to problems should you ever need to claim. N
    2 points
  7. In that case just buy another BB2 and run 1, 2 or 3.
    2 points
  8. A week ago I played Quando Quando Quando in a social club Last Friday I played two sets of original material in a theatre full of people who had paid decent money to see us. Tomorrow I'm playing a set of Christmas Carols in a Cathedral. In a few days' time, I'll be playing Sweet Child of Mine to a bunch of drinkers down the Dog'n'Duck. Y'know, what? I love playing the bass. If I didn't, I wouldn't do it.
    2 points
  9. Hi mates, I'm selling my main bass. Fender jazzbass from 1966 black matching headstock. The bass has been refretted and refinished, otherwise all components are original included the case and pickups covers as you can see, the bridge cover has the foam glued. Sounds fat and well defined, superb. The state of frett is perfect, and truss is working perfectly but it is not neccesary to adjust because the bass is very stable. The weight is around 4.1kg. The best bass that I've ever played. The bass and me, are in Spain, and I could send the bass to the European Union or wherever. The shipment cost is not included. The bass can be sent properly packed and you could play it and test in Madrid - Spain, and Ill invite you to take some beers. The price was 4200£--> NOW 3950£ I can't accept trades or partial trades. Finally, I have been a user of basschat for several years, you can check my feedback thread, and if you need more references, feel free to write me. Some basschat users knows me! Cheers
    1 point
  10. Leave me some feedback. Cheers.
    1 point
  11. Frankly I am happy to do either - I just love playing.
    1 point
  12. Thanks Gav. Cheers for saying that you think we sound good in the tracks you've heard, that's kind...if any of the rest of you are interested then I've uploaded a couple of vids on my profile, so you can agree / disagree. But as I say we have a relatively simple approach to our sound and thus far compressing the bass has not featured. But it's not that any of us are too thick to 'get' compression, it's more a case of does it really make any difference in your typical pub gig? Am I correct in thinking what you are recommending is using compression for the full band and not the just bass player? That is taking it to whole another level. If you have a relatively simple mixing desk with EQ (as we do) with no in-built compression, how are you proposing to include band level compression? I think the earlier comments of not being too loud hold true generally. There are three drivers to how loud a band is: how loud the drummer is; how loud the guitarist is; how loud the PA has been turned up. It's almost NEVER driven by how loud the bass player is in my experience - bassists typically adjust their volumes to fit in with the rest of the band, right? Making sure we bassists cut through the mix - well it's the opposite of being muddy isn't it? Strings, pups, cab, playing technique, not using an Orange head, making sure the mids are set at a reasonable level and not scooped are IMHO the BIG factors. They are the omelette. Compression may well add a bit of seasoning at the end - particularly with your suggestion of it being done at a band level (if I've understood you correctly) and by a competent sound engineer rather than just a pedal on the bassist's board.
    1 point
  13. If folks are interested there's one for sale in Germany. Not mine's though it's going nowhere
    1 point
  14. There are plenty of successful originals band I wouldn't go and see in favour of some decent local covers bands
    1 point
  15. I use a single one10 for gigs in small pubs with drummer/guitar(s) and sometimes keys. It handles it easily. (Powered by a GK MB200 and now a recently bought Quilter Bass Block 800.) I like it so much that I've ordered a second one10 for bigger venues. Frank.
    1 point
  16. Thanks, I thought it was a bit weird making offers on the thread! Couldn’t see the PM button! Sorry! Thanks!
    1 point
  17. I've been checking this channel out for a while - great shout. Some well known and not so well known acts, all of them great so far. Even the sub-par Avenue Q ripoff...
    1 point
  18. Musiguard : £2,500.00 = £9.00 a month . Previous rip off insurance = £18.00 a month
    1 point
  19. @dudewheresmybass Tempted, I am.
    1 point
  20. @Al Krow I know we have digs at each other, but in essence there are a range of opinions here, in which some will be personal, some will be generic, but the overriding thing throughout this whole thread is listen to how things sit, really try something to see if it works, and then be how much and if it’s worth it @5im0n has been very eloquent indeed about compression and it’s uses as well as a load of other things. @discreet has his personal view that I fully respect and works for him, someone likes a spectracomp, another an MXR........ it may ir may not make a difference for you, and you can sit in the fence and debate or really jump in like you have done with other pedals which is really cool and spend time in using them and tweaking them. 2018 will be fun for you, the only thing you have wrong is your definition of world class bands!
    1 point
  21. Oh gawd, that's a can of worms in itself! I suppose the general consensus is that it's good to run bass signals through a fast FET compressor (to tame the loudest peaks) and then into a slower LA-2A style tube-opto compressor to kind of 'smooth things over'. That tends to help bring out the bass tones we're familiar with in many of our favourite recordings. But there are lots of ways to skin this particular cat
    1 point
  22. Andy - the 'Wizard of Osmo'
    1 point
  23. ...in a decent band, and not a band with a shed-building drummer, two guitarists having a volume competition, and a drunk singer
    1 point
  24. I will concede that most bassists don't really have an understanding of all this, its not a dig at bassists, its just the truth, then again neither do guitarists, or any instrumentalist at all. Sound engineers should, its one of the big four bread and butter parts of the job: mic'ing, eq'ing, dynamics control and space are all there is to sound engineering, add a dose of psychology and you are golden.
    1 point
  25. I find a lot of beauty in Anderson's lyrics. They work for me in the way that James Joyce's stuff did. Depth in implication rather than literal content. Life changing? Probably not. Life affirming? Definitely.
    1 point
  26. The only issue you here is a question over the copyright of the photos
    1 point
  27. To my mind, any suggestion that original compositions are not as good as covers is a ridiculous position to take. My material rests on me and me alone to guarantee it's value. The 'covers' contingent can call upon every composer and songwriter ever. What possible chance have I got to convince anyone of the value of my scribblings if that is the baseline for comparison? :-D
    1 point
  28. The very moment the bass was sold the old owner doesn't get a say in what happens to it anymore. That could be if it was repainted, split for parts, used as a baseball bat or sold on for more money. It doesn't matter if that was the buyers intention or whether on the morning he got the bass he lost his job and needs some cash fast. To complain about what the new legitimate owner wants to do with his property is pathetic and infantile. A few years ago I sold a pair of Markbass cabs on here to a guy somewhere in europe. Might have been France. Can't remember. Anyway - after about 6 months he decided they weren't for him and put them up for sale. I didn't notice until a prospective buyer sent me a PM to demand to know what price I had sold them for (and it was really a "demand" and whether the current owner was ripping me off. Turned out that the prospective buyer didn't even think about shipping costs to another country (seller was doing an inclusive price) or market changes (the cabs had been discontinued and there was a bit more interest in them) or any other factor - like changing in shipping fees or even the use of a different speed of shipping service. He also seemed amazed that I genuinely did not give a flying flip at a rolling donut about the new price for the cabs, and he got quite upset that I wouldn't tell him the final sales price or the shipping cost to get them abroad in the first place. Apparently not divulging the content of private discussions is "against the community spirit" or some other bollocks. Absolute tool.
    1 point
  29. I've only used them a couple of times, and not for anything major / expensive. I found they were fine, and most of all.... reliable However, you certainly got a result there GreeneKing! That's great - Merry Christmas
    1 point
  30. 1 point
  31. Turn off Adblocker and it will show.
    1 point
  32. Well done Black and younger female voters, those who had the most to lose if Moore was elected. I'd not the slightest who Matt Dillahunty is until reading your post. I looked him up, he's no more representative of the average American than those the polar opposites of that particular spectrum.
    1 point
  33. Having owned and played a " Few " ACGs over the years I can only say " Hugely Deserved " and congratulations . Serious GAS for this when I pop over to Alans website for a drool ... Best Basses in the World ......( Probably ) .. Gary
    1 point
  34. Well done Alan. I remember he came down all the way from the Borders to our first Yorkshire Bass Bash a few years ago. ......Nice to see a Bass in BGM that actually exists ( this comment refers to my Topic 'Vote and Win') regarding 3 Jackson Basses that were offered as prizes by BGM.
    1 point
  35. " My " Ex BQUAD ... Oh for a better preamp ..... Gary
    1 point
  36. Good to see he's getting recognition for all his good work. Congratulations Alan.
    1 point
  37. Hire - or EUB, unless there is a very healthy budget for travel.
    1 point
  38. that's basically were i stand. no issues with people who do love playing covers but it doesn't flick my switch as much as the writing and performance of my own/my bands own stuff. we're all different and play for different reasons, that's ok in my book.
    1 point
  39. When my wife was in the hospice, during the last month of her life, I picked up the new Slash album (at the time) Apocalyptic Love. Great album and I was stunned by the vocalist Myles Kennedy. Who was this guy and where did he come from? I then discovered Alter Bridge, Myles' main band. After my wife's death, I bought the Alter Bridge album ABIII. On that album is a song called 'Wonderful Life' which could have been written about my experiences with my wife in those last few weeks. I still struggle to listen to it sometimes now and my tattoo tribute to my wife, on my arm, has extracts from that song included.
    1 point
  40. The Spector and Ric are similar basses sharing an identical platform, as in laminate Maple neck-thru, Maple wings, twin pups, parallel neck with a variable profile. The Spector is what Ric could've evolved the 4000 series into had they had the mind to do it.
    1 point
  41. 1 point
  42. The Genzler MG350 and a BF One10 would make a great sound in a very small package.
    1 point
  43. Adam then found out that Eve had been secretly chatting to James and Jaco on WhatsApp(le)..
    1 point
  44. Well our toilet went crazy yesterday afternoon The plumber he said ‘never flush a tampon’ This great information cost me half a week’s pay And the toilet blew up later on the next day Frank Zappa
    1 point
  45. I would get a 5 if the same scale that you currently use, so there is less to get used to. Scale length I have never noticed make a difference, certainly not 34/35 anyway. The Stirling Ray 5 is a great bass, you wouldn’t go far wrong with that. I had one (traded for something else but it did nothing wrong)
    1 point
  46. I`m having more fun doing originals than I ever did playing covers. I`m getting to play with bands that I`ve liked since I was a kid, play festivals, play European countries, and have met some great people along the way, including finding some great new bands that are now amongst my faves. Playing in covers bands was great too, wouldn`t knock it, just prefer what I`m currently doing.
    1 point
  47. Not exactly changed my world at the time , but certainly let me know I wasn't alone in it , which helps sometimes billy bragg , a New England
    1 point
  48. I think it's probably Cardington by Lifesigns - beautifully executed, uplifting, accessible & melodic prog. Lovely stuff.
    1 point
  49. Didn't the company originally make it as an item to get richer from though?
    1 point
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