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Ben Jamin

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  1. Ben Jamin
    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Hi all! [/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Having a bit of a clear-out as I'm very rarely using pedals these days and my pedalboard has been sat gathering dust for a long time![/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]These are all fantastic pedals in great condition - only a few minor marks, if any.[/font][/size] [s]EBS Multicomp // £80 posted[/s] [color=#ff0000][b]SOLD[/b][/color] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The EBS Multicomp is the true bypass model and comes with the original box. This is a favourite amongst compressor pedals for sounding great and being easy to use. Classic two-knob compression (ratio) and gain controls. There's also a couple of internal pots if you take the back off the pedal which will allow you to set the threshold for both the high and low bands of the two-band compression (for the multi-band compression mode).[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The three-way switch is great. As well as the normal mode, multi-band is great for fattening up your sound and tubeism adds a nice bit of really really subtle overdrive and warmth, which sounds great for plectrum-playing.[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][/font][/size] [s]Tech 21 Red Ripper // £100 posted[/s] [color=#ff0000][b]SOLD[/b][/color] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The Red Ripper is very very very fun. It won Bassplayer.com Editor Award back in the day: [/font][url="http://www.bassplayer.com/effects/1167/tech-21-red-ripper/26308"]here's the article[/url]![/size][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif] It's a very versatile and dynamic fuzz/distortion pedal specifically for bass. It has an ridiculously powerful 3-band EQ and a low-pass filter switch to roll off some of the top-end if you set it up for a crazy fuzz mode. You have to play with it, but Tech 21 describe it pretty well: [/font] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"More than a simple distortion box, the Red Ripper responds to the dynamics of your individual touch. Play harder for more fuzz and higher harmonics, ease up for less fuzz and enhanced lower harmonics. The Red Ripper’s nasty little secret is the R.I.P. control, which powers your bass tone from vintage fuzz, to tectonic distortion and into the realms of Brassmaster-style octaver fuzz. Dime the R.I.P. and enjoy the violent stabs of a Moogie-style synth tone. While the Red Ripper can emulate the tones of an envelope filter, the signal is not actually being filtered, so your tone won’t thin out and drop off when the effect is engaged."[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][/font][/size] Morley ABC // £70 posted The Morley ABC is a 3-way switching pedal. You can plug three instruments in and have one output, or plug one instrument in and switch/stack between 3 outputs. You can run any combination of the three input/outputs at once, so it's super handy! And it's a really nice blue colour. I've got the original box for this too. Drop me a message if you want any more information or pictures etc etc. Thanks for looking! Ben
  2. Ben Jamin
    You could be pushing a built-in limiter in the Chord which would explain the distortion especially if you have your bass proud in the mix. We get this with our Sennheiser IEM set up if we're not careful. I'd try sending less overall level down the aux out and turning up your IEM pack to compensate - it's all about gain staging
  3. Ben Jamin
    [quote name='R.I.P.' timestamp='1438644623' post='2836128'] Interesting....if you remove the battery, will the bass will still play? [/quote] I assume so! I'll give it a go tomorrow and let you know
  4. Ben Jamin
    I straight-swapped my 4-string Mexican Jazz for a German Warwick 5-string $$ Corvette a few years ago. Warwicks were super unappreciated for some reason back then!
  5. Ben Jamin
    The other advantage the G&L L2500/L2000 has over Sandberg/Warwick etc is that all it's controls can be used in passive mode, so if you run out of battery/want a passive sound you can still use all the other tone-shaping stuff
  6. Ben Jamin
    Another vote for G&L. Haven't come across a better design yet.
  7. Ben Jamin
    Here's a cool example of a band continually transitioning between lazy/behind the beat and pushy/ahead of the beat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5hYLC4_F9w
  8. Ben Jamin
    Double post sorry!
  9. Ben Jamin
    Well the X32 is a great bit of kit anyway. We have the rack version and run it with an iPad via wi-fi, so you can essentially use it as a stagebox and mix anywhere you want in the room/on-stage which is great for smaller gigs/portable PAs. You get all the functions of a digital desk you could ask for. And it has never skipped a beat. However people are now very skeptical of MIDAS gear. I've never used MIDAS but as a top-end company when they're making a 'MIDAS version' of a Behringer product it doesn't give you a lot of confidence. The key thing is you don't buy MIDAS for budget or even value per se but you buy for quality. I guess it's kind of like Fodera making an expensive version of a P-bass. Pick-up, volume, tone. I mean I'm sure it'd be great but that's not why you buy a Fodera? Or a P-bass, for that matter. In the end it's just reputation. If a product's great people should buy it.
  10. Ben Jamin
    Do they have to be headphones? In-ears might be a better shout in terms of better isolation and portability/discretion. You might be able to pick up some Shure SE215s for that budget - they do isolation far better than any set of cans and sound plenty good. For around £50 in the shop: AKG K 323XS Audio Technica ATH-CKS50 Beyerdynamic DTX 102 Soundmagic E10
  11. Ben Jamin
    My amp's output failed during the first song - so in an attempt to not look awkward and just in-case it kicked in again I tried to play through the set as if nothing was wrong. Afterwards the organiser came up to me, gave me a high-5 and told me (genuinely) that my bass playing was amazing!
  12. Ben Jamin
    [quote name='VTypeV4' timestamp='1428620727' post='2743256'] Not meaning to de-rail the thread but.. Ben, how do you find the SD8? I've only done one show one but found it very friendly, intuitive and inviting to use. I loved the touch screen, the assignable fader banks, the simplicity of the fader groups and how 'graphical' in the interface was.. Sadly one show isn't really enough to get to know a desk thoroughly but the Digico made a very positive impression. [/quote] Yeah it's a great desk! We've had the SD8 for a few years now and it's great, never missed a beat The channel strip layout is really useful and intuitive, really easy to see the EQ/comps etc on each channel and change them quick. I run the groups in the centre bank with monitor sends, effects and outputs on the other pages and then have all my channels on the left/right as duplicates - a page of drum mics, page of vocals, page of band, page of other playback/presenter mics etc. It's really easy to get set up. The dynamic EQ is really useful and the tube-sim on the input gain section is actually pretty good! Warms stuff nicely and the subtle overdrive sounds really nice, I sometimes use it on vocals in a rock kind of context or to saturate a DI'd bass just a little. Another really useful feature is the snapshots. One of the biggest productions we did had genre changes for every song which meant instrument/routing/monitor changes and the works. We got to soundcheck each song pretty thoroughly though and saved each as a snapshot so on the night it was just a case of firing through those and it worked great You can select/de-select pretty comprehensively which things you want to save as snapshots and what you want to leave as global for the session too. Here's a quick phone pic:
  13. Ben Jamin
    I'm more of an engineer than a bassist and I have the pleasure of gigging a DigiCo SD8 and a nice rig. Anyway I thought it might be helpful to contribute along with some of others here from the engineer's perspective: It pains me to say this on this forum, but when it comes to sorting a mix out, nailing the bass tone isn't my first priority. It all depends on the band of course, but generally the workflow (for most engineers I know too) is: Line check and get correct levels for everything in order of whoever's ready to go first. Get a quick basic drum mix - they are the most complicated instrument to mix in terms of microphones and drummers playing at different dynamics etc so it's good to get that out of the way. Often this involves changing mic positions to avoid spill, a fair amount of EQing, panning and various compression techniques. Then make sure the vocals are present, everyone can hear them and there are no feedback issues etc. Normally just EQ, maybe add a bit of subtle compression and a tiny tiny bit of plate reverb to take the edge off. Then mix the mid-range instruments (guitars/keys etc) so that everything is clearly separated as opposed to a wall of mush (unless that's what the band is going for). EQ, compression, panning etc depending on style and musical ability etc. THEN concentrate on mixing the mid-range, drums and bass together to get a solid band sound around the vocals. Then double-check everyone's monitors are generally okay. Then try a whole song to test FOH, stage and IEMs sound. At THIS point I'll work on making the bass sound 'nice' as opposed to 'appropriate ' if I get the chance and there aren't any bigger issues. Then I'll go around the band and make monitor adjustments, talk through any issues with them and sort them out. Then hopefully there'll be time to try another song, where I'll then probably work on the bass tone again as part of mixing the band as a whole. Throughout the soundcheck I'll be talking to the band to make sure they're happy, get an idea of what they're going to be doing and keep everything friendly. So anyway that's maybe half an hour? Usually all the time you get inbetween sorting every other little technical problem out and waiting for the band to pull themselves together and stop twiddling on their guitars and eating McDonalds. During the gig I'll be constantly mixing and making adjustments to try and make THE BAND sound as good as possible. Sometimes that does involve squishing the bass a bit, as dare I say it often they are the most inconsistent of the band (sorry!!!) All in all, my job as an engineer is to try and make the band sound good. You've got to maintain that band mindset as opposed to getting caught up on specific instruments. I'm a pretty patient guy with a long fuse but if you factor in spending a good while setting up the stage/PA and the fact that most people are going to shout/complain at you for the next few hours regardless of their knowledge of how it all works and what you're actually doing then you can see how some engineers can get a bit irrate.
  14. Ben Jamin
    This has been in their riff library since Showbiz... 16 years! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV5txQobzo4&feature=youtu.be&t=2m6s I was hoping for less refined(?)/more grungy playing as per Origin of Symmetry etc as apparently one of the songs is a 'sequel' to Citizen Erased. But hey, there's a whole album yet to come, I'm pretty excited for the return to rock
  15. Ben Jamin
    Here's me a couple of years ago... and my Dad about 45 years ago! By the way - never wear thin white tops on hot summer festival gigs. It's a bad move.
  16. Ben Jamin
    If I'm not playing in a section of music I'll often turn my volume fully down. Just to play safe. I imagine it was probably useful when most gear wasn't at the standard it is now (P-bass came out in the '50s) and buzzing/various noise problems was maybe more of an issue. Like old lighting rigs causing RF interference and such. No output from bass = no/less background noise. A couple of places I play at have dimmer packs that kick out a lot of RF which can play havoc with your pick-ups. It could also be used as a gain control to clean up/overdrive valve amps etc. It could also be used for volume swells, which sounds nice every now and then. I find it handy anyway!
  17. Ben Jamin
    For a single pair of headphones I'd say get definitelying open back for mixing - stay away from closed back. I use a pair of AKG K702s which are relatively inexpensive and have a great soundstage and clinical response which makes them great for mixing lots of layers.
  18. Ben Jamin
    I can just fit my Tone Hammer 350 in my Mono M80 so I can't imagine the 500 will fit. +1 for the Protection Racket though. Guitarist has one and it's really well made, nice and simple design - big front pocket which might do the trick. I reckon it's as good as my M80.
  19. Ben Jamin
    Sure there's 'better stuff' but that's a good price for a nice touch of overdrive. Most inexpensive bass overdrives seem over-exaggerated or too 'fizzy' in the top-end and don't really sit in the mix that well (IMO of course), whereas this is comparatively quite nice and subtle. All the controls you need and nothing else. Sounded perfect at the start of the ProGuitarShop demo. I imagine this would be great for adding a bit of grit to a Class D amp for some rock tunes.
  20. Ben Jamin
    [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1420132916' post='2645985'] The channel EQ (or indeed outboard rack EQ) on a desk in a decent studio will far outperform anything designed to be crammed into the control cavity of a bass and powered by a 9V battery. [/quote] Yes, but then that would apply to the EQ on most bass amps too. If you can get the sound right at source, the engineer shouldn't need to do much work in post. A little bit of EQ and compression to make it sit in the mix is really all you want to be doing. Active pre-amps give you the fundamental tone-shaping tools of a bass amp but you can plug straight into the desk. In the case of MM, for example, he can accentuate his scooped Jazz sound with the 2-band EQ. Works live for the same reasons. That's what I've always thought the idea for active pre-amps was about, anyway!
  21. Ben Jamin
    I was always under the impression that active basses were developed for busy session musicians who would bypass amp/pedals and plug directly into the desk/DI - such as Marcus Miller etc. Gives you a lot of control in a simple set-up.
  22. Ben Jamin
    Proper in-ears monitors like 1964s/Ultimate Ears/Shure SE are designed to block as much outside noise as possible - so ideally you'd want the whole band in a mix in your ears. The idea is to protect your hearing at loud gigs etc and provide a comparatively quiet/safe mix of the whole band so you can hear everything clearly Depending on your setup though they're either essential or really impractical. What kind of setup does your band usually use?
  23. Ben Jamin
    Roy Mitchell Cardenas of 'Mutemath' I think these guys deserve a lot more recognition - lots of energy, so much so that the drummer has to gaffa-tape his headphones to his head. They're all a bit crazy but he somehow manages to hold the thing together. Can't go wrong with a P-bass! Here's one of their craziest live ones. Try their albums - there are some really great grooves. Darren King's an amazing drummer too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQHHRBsTc7I
  24. Ben Jamin
    Format shouldn't be a problem these days at all. It's all about production. I do a lot of live sound and usually work with a digital desk with all the toys that costs tens of thousands, along with a great PA. Other times I use a cheap budget Behringer mixer and a basic rig. I can get great - and really bad - mixes from both. Another thing though: A key part of getting a good sound is good musicians who know how to make a good sound. I could use dynamic EQ or whatever to sort out a guitarists' tone or I can ask him to change the settings on his guitar/amp a bit. Guess which sounds better. The industry is rife with artists who aren't actually that good (see: X Factor etc) so engineers are relied on more and more to 'fix' things in production and it makes a big difference. We have to get it right at the source first.
  25. Ben Jamin
    Just in-case anyone's interested (can't find much info on these basses) I did a bit of recording this evening and the bass sounds something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOLMdM9lkeg
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