Jakester

Sorry, haven't had a chance to get round to this yet, but interestingly I recorded our gig last night using the same setup but via Reaper, instead of RecAll, and it worked absolutely fine, with no clicking or background noise. It does therefore seem like it's a software issue (thankfully!) rather than a hardware one.

As to the issue, Real Electronics in Sheffield are the Mark Bass appointed repair agents. However, they don’t do component level repairs - if there is a fault they’ll swap out the board, which makes it expensive if out of warranty. I had a fairly unsatisfactorily experience with them - I had a intermittent fault with my CMD121P, sent it to them, they said there was nothing wrong, replaced all the pots, charged me £125, and then the fault came right back again. I ended up buying a second hand Little Mark 3 and replacing the head with that.

The consumer parts of Sale of Goods Act haven’t been in force since 2015, when they were replaced with the Consumer Rights Act. Unlikely there would be any basis to claim under either piece of legislation - you would need as a minimum some sort of expert evidence into the cause of the fault and opinion that it fell short of the required standard - the costs of which would almost certainly outweigh the cost of any repairs.

I’ve got both - the MS gets the nod generally as it folds down, but the laptop stand is surprisingly effective.

I've used one of these in the past: https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/braeda-laptop-support-black-60150176/ Works fine. Or if you have a carpeted cab, a Mark Stand? https://www.markbass.it/product/mark-stand/

It *could* have just got too warm and shut down to protect itself. Perhaps try taking it out of the cab and hoovering it all (after first leaving it unplugged for a while!) which might help? Even though you're not technical it's dead easy - four bolts hold the head into the cab. Unscrew those, unplug the speaker cable and it should shift relatively easily.

Wow, what a rabbit hole… Someone else has developed a touchscreen version… https://www.z-liverec.com

Hmm, looks like you can finagle a Raspberry Pi into a USB recorder… https://dikant.de/2018/02/28/raspberry-xr18-recorder/

No, sadly not - that would be perfect.

Right, did a dirty render of one of the worst affected tracks, and also a quick poor-quality phone vid. Also a screenshot. It's across all of the tracks, even when they're silent. I did notice that the kick was distorting a lot, and wondered if it could have been that, but not sure how clipping on one track could affect the others, and the peaks don't necessarily correspond to the kick drum. (Not me playing bass, before the comments start!) IMG_1989.mov Crackling.mp3

Thanks @BigRedX, I will work through that very comprehensive checklist!

1 - 2012 MacBook Pro running Catalina 10.15.7 w/8GB RAM 2 - 1TB SSD system drive 3 - On this occasion, 9 mono tracks 4 - I had an instance of XAir running too in case the iPad I was using failed, but other than usual system programmes, nothing else.

Yep, the reason I plumped for RecAll (aside from the fact I got it free!) was it was supposed to be a 'one click' solution - I find when I'm doing everything else (I'm the only one who knows how the PA works in our band!), even arming a Reaper template to record can easily fall by the wayside whereas if there's only one button to press, it *should* be straightforward. Ah well, I'll use Reaper next time.

Yes, sadly that's where I found the crackling - I imported them into Reaper to edit into songs.

USB from XR18 to laptop. TBH I wouldn't know how to check the sample clock synchronisation in the programme I used - the point is it's supposed to be 'plug and play' with the minimum of configuration beforehand: https://shop.audified.com/products/recall I certainly don't recall (boom boom) seeing a clock sync option, but there may have been one buried away somewhere. How irritating.

But what I mean is the Mark stand is only designed to be used with MB cabs which are covered in carpet - it’s not supposed to be used with other cabs!

But if the cab doesn’t have carpet, the Velcro won’t work?

I have one and it works fine if you set it up right (which can be a faff!) - but you need the Velcro stuck to the cab bottom, which holds it in place. I’m assuming the BF cab is Tolex?

I recorded our gig last night direct from our XR18 into a program called RecAll by Audified - basically it takes the direct from desk signal with no processing and records it. Last time I tried it I got lots of stuttering which I think was down to the default buffer size being too small. This time I have no stuttering, but instead lots of crackling across all the tracks. I know the crackling wasn't present during the gig as I was wearing IEMs and I would have heard it. Apparently crackling can also be a sign the buffer is too small - but it was set to 1024 samples as all RecAll was doing was recording, with no monitoring or effects processing so I assumed that would be better for the recording. Should I have had a smaller buffer than 1024? Any other suggestions (all audio connections were fine so that's ruled out as a caused as it was across all tracks)?

I've used Schallers, knock-offs and the BC strap retainers (like Grolsch bottle seals). The rubber ones are great but a sod to use if you change straps - I found the easiest way is just to unscrew the strap button rather than wrestle with getting them on and off. Leave them in the sun first before trying to put them on though! The Schaller knock-offs are frustrating as the sizes are just slightly different and don't fit actual Schaller buttons. I have a tub full of different parts, none of which fit each other and are completely useless. I bought some new Schallers recently, and they're way better than the old ones - they use a thick knurled lock nut rather than the thin nut of before, meaning you can torque it right up more easily, and there's a slot to add in a hex key to use as leverage when tightening. They also have locking grub screws which eliminates the occasional nut loosening of the old ones. Highly recommended.

Could be higher frets on that particular bass?

Anyone seen Brother Strut on their current tour? I saw them in Bristol last night and it was absolutely storming. SUCH a funky groove - PT just plays right in the pocket. Great live show too, the whole band tighter than a duck's behind. Highly recommended if they're anywhere near you. A vid of their soundcheck is here - well worth checking out if you have a few mins: https://www.facebook.com/BrotherStrut/videos/345378821008075/

I once received a cymbal sent wrapped only in black bin liner. Thankfully it survived the trip. Unlike some mugs I once bought from eBay which were sent in a taped up carrier bag. They did not survive the trip. In mitigation, the seller offered that it was her mum that packed them, not her, so it wasn't her fault?

Therein lies the rub - I find one easier for somethings, the other for other things! Yep, this is something I'm really struggling with. I seem to tense up straightway. I don't think I can have the bow grip right at all, though I've looked at various vids and have a copy of the Simandel book. Yep, I'm really struggling to find a teacher. Two local teachers just didn't respond when I contacted them, and the third said he isn't taking on new pupils. Ah well, I will keep looking! DB isn't ever going to be my main instrument - bass is itself my second instrument so DB is 3rd/4th, but it'd be nice to develop a bit more facility with it!