Jakester

Ah well, it could be worse. Just had messages from the singer saying 'we need to talk'.

No doubt to be followed by "it's not you, it's me" and "we need to see other bands". 

Rehearsal on Weds is going to be fun. 

In fairness to the supplier, it has no obligation to you to do anything. Your arrangement is with Andertons, and they are the ones that should be liaising on your behalf with the supplier. Sounds to me like it's got knackered at Andertons and they're trying to pass you on to the supplier. Sounds like they don't want to be out of pocket while leaving you a considerable sum of money worse off. 

Yep. We go through ages of discussion about the tunes, draw up a list, learn them, and then they seem to just ‘drop out’ of the set. Funny how it’s the singer who didn’t like them and then has drawn up the set to miss all of them out…🙄

5 hours ago, RichardH said:

I do have drum mics, and have been thinking of adding a kick mic to get a better kick sound from the recordings, but the EAD10 is sooooooo easy - and on a small stage space, the lack of extra mic stands is a real boon as well! The recordings are only for us to listen back to for reference as to how terribly we played. Here's an example recording - I have to admit I don't spend ages tweaking the mix or anything, just set the levels roughly in Reaper for the whole set, then export one track at a time. As you'll hear, the drum sound isn't brilliant - but I don't think we have explored the EAD10's capabilities that much yet - but it certainly works for being able to hear.

Yep, they work well for monitoring, but essentially all they are is an XY configuration in the crotch position with a trigger for the bass drum. You could do the same with a Zoom recorder and a cheap piezo trigger - apart from all the clever processing in the EAD10 module. 

Good point about the stands, but I've got a great live sound with just a kick and single overhead mic. I generally mic two overheads, kick and snare and that does me fine. 

I think if someone is starting from scratch, the EAD10 might be a good option. If they already have mics, then essentially you're replicating what they already have. 

Oh, and just to say the determinative factor between it and the Zoom was size - the Zoom is quite a bit bigger physically. Otherwise, that looked like (and still looks like!) a great option. 

Just to come back to this, I found a pre-owned TM16 at one of the bigger music stores - about £500 off the retail price, so I've gone with that. Hopefully I can recoup most of my outlay by selling the XR18, accessories and backup mixer, and have the backup at least of a bigger store, rather than buying 2nd hand privately.

Initial playing with it suggests it's light years ahead of the Behringer in terms of interface and usability. For me, at least, everything is logically laid out and there's context-dependent info pages if you need help - essentially an online manual. I have been able to replicate the setup of the XR18 in about half-an-hour - obviously it helps when you've spent the last few years trial-and-erroring into what you think sounds good! And I guess I have build that experience up the hard way via the XR18! 

The main draw for me was the physical adjustability and just playing with it on the table in front of me suggests I have made the right choice. It's easy to select a channel and then tweak the levels using the main control wheel, and there are four user-configurable hard buttons on the front, one of which I've assigned to 'all but iPod off' - so it's an immediate kill switch for all live stage inputs. When you need that immediate 'off' instantly, the iPad/XR18 can be a real pain! I still don't see why they didn't just include a master vol dial on the outside of the XR18 like they did the XR32.

The QSC also has a built in feedback analyser/destroyer, and has up to 10 Aux outs - two of which are already configured for stereo, meaning I can use my stereo in-ears without faffing and without affecting the number of channels available to the other guys. There's also built-in multitrack recording and playback - something else which is a pain on the XR18, and it has wifi (though like all these things, it's flaky). It's still controllable via an iPad, so there's no functionality lost there at all, and I can set up the other guys for their own wireless monitor control easily. 

First gig soon - will report back!

1 hour ago, RichardH said:

I was going to mention that (but hesitated due to the cost). Our drummer has one, and it works surprisingly well. I multitrack record our gigs via the mixer, and the only drum monitoring we have is the EAD10. We also use the feed from it through the PA to add a bit of oomph to the overall sound. 

Yep, they’re great if you don’t already have a drum mic setup. If you have, they’re probably a better bet in the long term. 

1 hour ago, Pirellithecat said:

OK ...... hopelessly optimistically tried to set up a monitor mix for our drummer at rehearsal.   (guitar/bass/vocals)  BUT his kit isn't micced so he doesn't like the fact that he can't hear himself (properly).  He normally uses "ear plugs" so I was hopeful it would work ..... but he's not content.     Is there an approach that might work ... short of miccing his kit?  

I play drums, and for gigs where I want to use my IEMS but it’s not going to FOH I do one of 3 things. The easiest is to use a ‘wurst’ mic - i.e. something like an SM57 positioned over the batter head of the kick pointed at the drummer’s crotch. This will give a surprisingly good drum sound which is fine for monitoring. 
 

I tend to have my kick mic internally mounted so it’s always ready to go, so I just connect that and use a single overhead too, positioned over the snare. He might want to have a low mic stand, or one of the clamps that holds a mic in place so h could do the same. There’s a cheap Gibraltar internal mount which is easy to fit. 
 

Or, finally, you could just point a mic a couple of feet away at the kit. Probably easiest to do but runs the risk of a) getting knocked over or b) picking up too much other stuff. 
 

If he likes spending money, the Yamaha EAD10 is an all in one mic/monitoring solution. 

Hi Mick, I found (and @Smanth put me on to) these Rotosounds:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rotosound-Standard-Flatwound-Strings-65-135/dp/B0002GO1QQ/

Took a punt and will report back. They certainly seem the only widely available set for less than the cost of a kidney or so. 

Mick and I had an early afternoon rendezvous just off the M4 to swap a pair of Yamaha basses - my TRB1005 for his TRBIIF. 

His (now my!) bass is delightful, he was a pleasure to deal with (in straitened circumstances for him) and I hope he enjoys some frets. 

Highly recommended.  

36 minutes ago, TheGreek said:

Ah, the joys of travelling on the M25 to do a deal!!!

 

Met up with Jake to do a trade - essentially for a set of frets....Well, sort of. I traded my Yamaha TRB fretless for Jakes TRB fretted.

 

Met up in Wokingham for that trade in a car park that we've all grown used to...what do onlookers think?? Perfectly effortless trade, went as smooth as...the usual chat in the car park afterwards before escaping back onto the living hell that is the M4/ M25.

 

Lovely fella, a tribute to the people who frequent this forum. more than happy to trade again, you can feel safe doing business with him.

 

Oo, BTW he's a drummer really - you are NOT allowed to kidnap him and keep him in your cellar.

Thanks Mick!

29 minutes ago, Bigguy2017 said:

lighting stand top plate / tilting top plate ?

In lighting circles I've seen similar called a baby plate ...

 

I'm not finding anything small exactly like this - closest are adjustable AV/speaker stands  Pyle Pro Swivel/Adjustable Wall/Ceiling Speaker Mounts PSTNDC31 

Acesonic NB-901 Speaker Mount 

 Headliner HL31001 Speaker Stand Mounting Plate for TV, Monitor, Projector, or Moving Head 

 

A much chunkier thing is a Unicol CP6 tilting ceiling plate, so a small projector ceiling mount might do...  

 

 

Thanks, will try those! I've also seen similar things called 'swivel brackets' or 'swivel mounts' but sifting through the TV wall mounts is proving difficult!

I need a spare for a stand I have lying around. 

It's used to mount something on, but with some judicious modification may be very handy for something else. 

However, I need a replacement 'head' as pictured below.

It's basically an angle adjustable bracket, but searching for that doesn't bring up anything that remotely looks like it. I can find a K&M Orchestral Conductor's stand base (which is what this pic is from) but I don't want the whole stand. 

Any ideas?

Went to see Oscar Peterson play at Symphony Hall in Brum back in 2006.  He was quite old and frail by that point, but the first tune showed he still had it. Or so we thought.  
 

Then the second tune went well, but then he played the first tune again. Then the second again. Then back to the first again. His band were looking increasingly confused, leaning across to try to speak to him. It he waved them away. All in all, across two sets he played about four or five different  tunes, with lots of them repeated multiple times in each set. In reality it was a shame, he probably shouldn’t have been gigging by that point and rather than seeing an aging master we saw someone who was able to perform but was so unmoored he didn’t know what he was playing. It was quite sad. 

57 minutes ago, JPJ said:

I see your argument and I’ll be the last person to get between GAS and your wallet, but the QSC still has you making on-the-fly adjustments using a touch screen rather than physical faders. I’ve got my XR18 racked up along with the DBX drive rack and a handy rack drawer in an 8U flight case that has a patch panel on the back for the main outs from the DBX and a power strip. My X-Touch is in an old pedal board flight case that sits neatly on top of the rack case which is normally on my side of the ‘stage’. My iPad or Surface Go sits neatly in the X-Touch flight case lid from where I can monitor the meters screen whilst playing. 

Well, I was hoping the setup is you can use the main jog control with the selected channel - so press on vox, then adjust up or down using the main rotary controller. 

I do have a lot of stuff to move around though - ATM in this particular band I play drums, rather than bass, so it's a full kit, plus full PA, monitor, and then the mixer etc. I've already gone from an 8U rack unit to a shallow 4u, but would still have to cart the xTouch and the ipad along. Whereas with the TM I just need one (small) soft case. 

49 minutes ago, skidder652003 said:

dunno if it helps but our zoom livetrack L20 has physical faders like an old analogue desk as well as ipad remote control interface. It also records individual stems onto an SD card or via DAW on a laptop. Lots of options, 20 inputs , six monitor mixes etc..

 

https://www.andertons.co.uk/recording/studio-mixers/zoom-livetrack-l20-digital-mixer-with-recording

I have been looking at those too. Quite a bit cheaper as well. Does it do remote monitor mix control?

A friend has the QSC TM8 and is pleased with it, hence leaning in that direction. 

7 hours ago, JPJ said:

A fellow XR18 user here, mixing on stage whilst playing bass. As Smanth says, edit your iPad screen settings to not go to sleep but this still leaves you trying to make on the fly adjustments on an iPad screen. 
 

Yep, and it’s that second part that’s the issue. I know how to change the iPad settings but it’s my ‘only’ one so it’s a faff having to do it all the time. Plus it’s one more thing to carry around. And if you have it on the whole time you also need to have power for it, just in case. 
 

I have an XTouch too but it’s just another thing to lug around, and then you have to ensure the iPad and XTouch are nearby so you can see the fader changes reflected on the screen. 
 

The QSC seems to address this by combining the physical control surface and the remote options into one product that, for the 16 at least, seems to be smaller than the XTouch alone. Essentially I’d be going from two, possibly 3 separate items into one single one. 

Is there anyone out there who uses either of the QSC Touchmix 16 or 30?

I currently have a Behringer XR18 and I'm very pleased with it. However, there is one glaring issue - the inability to easily and quickly adjust levels whilst playing, particularly when using an iPad which might go to sleep. 

Every now and again someone will gesture whilst I'm playing that 'they' need to go up in the mix, or some "helpful soul" in the audience will do so. Sometimes they're even right. But if so it can be a bit of a pain whilst playing to try and adjust when you have a small area to aim for and have to potentially unlock the device too. Even if doing it between tunes it can be a faff. Then there's the inevitable moment when someone points their mic at the speakers, or the guitarist unplugs something resulting in a godawful squealing. I find it tricky just to be able to immediately mute the mains if the iPad has gone to sleep. 

I like the idea of the master screen on the Touchmix. The 16 looks like it would meet all my needs - even with everything in our band mic'd up, there's still lots of spare capacity, and the Touchmix actually has more Aux outs than the XR18 so we could potentially have more stereo IEM mixes to reduce the need for on-stage monitors. The small 'all in one' form factor is an attraction too. I also like the ability to record direct to USB stick, and also USB playback. 

Any comments/observations welcomed! 

On 12/12/2022 at 14:13, Jakester said:

 

Not sure. I do have arther large lug holes (I had to stop using one brand of earplug as they kept disappearing down there, and that was their largest size!) so went for the large Sonicfoam tips. They do say to contact them about fit so I may do that. It might be the smaller size might isolate better as it seals better. 

Just to update this, I did and they sent out some mediums. They seem better but I won’t be able to test properly until my next gig, which isn’t until late Jan! 

1 hour ago, lemmywinks said:

Unfortunately the myth that a 4ohm load means you amp will be pumping a ton of extra power to the cabs is one that refuses to die on forums, same with using watts to rate power handling.

 

It's not a 'myth', it's just common sense. 

All things being equal, if you're driving an amp hard that puts out more power with a 4ohm load into a cab rated for half that (and note I say 'rated', as in the that's the manufacturer's suggested power maximum) then you're going to blow the speakers. 

Of course, if you barely crank the gain on the amp, or you're playing in a quiet environment, then it might be fine. But conversely, if you're pushing an overdriven signal into an amp running close to max gain and output, then you may not. 

It's OP's money - if he wants to do it and it works, fine. If it doesn't, it could be an expensive mistake. I wouldn't. 

14 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Every Ibanez I've ever owned or worked on has had to have the barrel jack replaced - and many after a very short life - which was a surprise to me as, in most other aspects, I rate Ibanez very highly.  And even Yamaha (thought by many the Toyota of the guitar world) - same.  

Yep - I’ve had them on two different Warwicks, a Spector, and two Yamahas. Every single one needed replacing. 

5 hours ago, basexperience said:

I’ve been using a Warwick LWA500 and an 8 ohm Markbass traveller 2x10 now for several years as my go-to rig for pub / small venue gigs. I’ve got bigger cabs and amps for other stuff, all 8 ohm on the cabs. 

 

. Your choice of head will kill on it, and be inside the power handling envelope. 

I simply don’t think that’s correct - OP is looking at a 4 ohm cab. There’s a significant risk that he’s well outside the  “power handling envelope” if he runs an amp that can output 800w at 4ohms into a cab rated at 400w at 4ohms. 

Hmm, I think there's potentially more of a risk then  - if you're getting the full whack 800w from the amp into a cab that's only rated for say 400/500w, if you run the amp too hard you could well damage the cab. 

Found the specs of the cab - it's rated up to 400w, so if you run the amp hard, you could essentially be putting double what the cab is designed to take into it!

I guess if you're VERY circumspect and don't drive the amp, it might be okay.

Looks like the 4x10 might be a better option: https://www.thomann.de/gb/markbass_standard_104hr4ohm.htm

They're 'compatible' in that they will work, but if the cab power rating at 4ohms is less than the maximum power the amp can put out (800w at 4 ohms), you'd probably need to ensure you weren't running the amp at full gain/volume and/or driving it hard.

I haven't seen a 4ohm 2x10 Traveller but I think it would probably be up to a max of about 300/400/500w, so you may find you're not using the full potential of the amp as the speakers can't keep up with it.

\

Are you sure it's 4ohm and not 8ohm?

Yes - every bass I have had with a barrel jack has had to have it replaced. 

Every bass or guitar I have had without is still going strong. 

9 hours ago, binky_bass said:

eBay will refund you the sales cost or allow you to re-list with no charge if you show evidence of the buyer doing what they've done. I've had that before and they waived the fee I incurred.

I had someone do this to me on an item listed for £1,500 on a 1% FVF offer, so it would have cost me in excess of £150+ to relist. 

I had a good moan about it and not only did they waive the 'normal' fees, they actually waived any fees at all, even the 1% FVF etc. I did point out to them that I was happy to pay the original fees but they wouldn't hear of it.

In fact, when you actually get round to speaking to a human, eBay CS are actually pretty good.