Kaiu

The industry is adapting, albeit not as successfully as they would like. In most cases the major labels are only offering 360 degree deals to new bands, where they take a slice of merchandise, ticket sales and record sales. IMO the live scene will carry on as normal as long as bands don't have to hike ticket prices because labels are taking a big slice.

It's ridiculous, we are signed to a major label, and the money they spend is stupid. They still send bands first class, book flights at the last minute instead of booking in advance and saving money. With a little extra care they could save themselves alot of money. Alot of the employees are still living in the 80's and 90's, billing large amounts to their company accounts in the name of the artist. I know it's not going to amount to the number of illegal downloads etc but it's a start.

ed

I use an MFC5, it's small and durable, plus Mario (the guy who makes them) is very helpful.
[url="http://www.axess-electronics.com/sc/MFC5-MIDI-Footcontroller-p-16137.html"]http://www.axess-electronics.com/sc/MFC5-M...er-p-16137.html[/url]

The downside is that he is based in the states so it might take a little while to arrive.

I also use a GRX4 Guitar Router (http://www.axess-electronics.com/sc/GRX4-Guitar-Router-Switcher-p-16135.html)

and a CFX4 Control Function Switcher (http://www.axess-electronics.com/sc/CFX4-Control-Function-Switcher-p-16136.html)

The MFC5 is phantom powered down the midi cable. All this controls my Aguilar DB750, Aguilar Agro, Tuner and puts various pedals (big muff, eq, sansamp) in and out of the loop. This means all my equipment now live in one rack, including all the pedals etc

Ed

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='116134' date='Jan 8 2008, 12:00 PM']Hi there, I can confirm by replacing the latching footswitch on the big muff and replacing it with a socket will work. Just run a standard guitar jack to jack from the newly installed socket on the big muff and run that to your CFX4. Remember to get the polarity right otherwise your may end up with an off pedal when the MIDI logic says that it is on. If you get it wrong, just switch the connectors on the socket within the Big Muff.

As an additional note, I have had success with controlling amps with those logical footswitches (e.g. footswitches with clever electronics gubbings in) in this manner. Just replace the switches with jacks, connect them up, and then you can control them from a switching unit such as a GCX, CFX4 etc.

Good luck... any problems, just give me a shout. As an aside thought, to prevent butchering your pedal, have you thought about getting a looper? Same theory - connect the Big Muff to the looper and then replace the switch on the looper with a socket and then connect that to your CFX4. It will do the same as before, but it means that you can remove the Big Muff from your signal path when not in use (as I seem to recall the Big Muff is not true bypass)

Strictly speaking, you should look at loopers such as the GCX, Switchblade, Axess GRX4 etc and patch the pedals connected in and out of the signal chain, but if you aren't running more than one pedal, it's probably not worth the added expense.

It's all good fun isn't it?[/quote]

THANKS!
Modding a looper sounds like a much better idea, however i have very little experience In things such as this. I know someone who can do the soldering, I was just wondering if you knew of a decent looper to mod? I would get the GRX4 (and not bother with mod's) but as you say I'm not sure it's worth it with one pedal.


I think I'm on a slippery slope though... once you start messing with things like this I can see my gear getting infinately more complicated!

Hey guys,

I am in the process of rackmounting all my gear. I have an axess-electronics midi pedal and control function switcher (http://www.axess-electronics.com/sc/CFX4-Control-Function-Switcher-p-16136.html), which essentially operates four latching inputs (not sure of the technical language!). eg the tuning mute on my amp.

At the moment it controls my amp mute, and my Aguilar agro which is engaged by a latching footswitch.

Anyway, I was wondering if it was possible to remove the latching footswitch on my little big muff and Install a latching jack socket? so that the muff can be operated from a distance? if you get my drift!

If anyone has a better way of rackmounting a single pedal let me know, given that I already own a midi device that can control four latching devices.

I apologise for my lack of technical language!

ed

I have a 750, and I sometimes wish I had the SVT (sounded great when i tried one). I have trouble getting the 750 to break up.

As a result I bought the new AGRO (distortion) pre amp, which is great for a little tubey over drive. An expensive solution I know, but it was cheaper than selling up and buying an SVT.

Th Aguilar is a great amp, it's responsive, has masses of headroom and sounds great, however if you are looking for an SVT sound, get an SVT. I doubt you will be able to get the 750 to break up enough.

As I already have a 750, there is no point selling up and going the SVT route. However if I were to start again I would get the SVT.

Lesson: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS try before you buy... I didn't, and thats why I won't be truly happy until I have the tone I want.

Aguilar is very reliable though! I have toured all over the uk, from small pubs and clubs to arena's and my 750 is the only piece of gear that hasn't let us down. I've lost count how many times our guitarists amps have been repaired, and how many times ive seen support bands struggle with a dodgy bass head.

ed

Yeah I'd like to add, although I originally thought it was all backing tracks etc they do actually play live, and they are quite decent too. They ought to be after four (!?) arena tours and all the rest. As far as I know they don't even use a click track.
As for studio musicians I wouldn't know.

anyway not my cup of tea, but they put on a good show and they can all play their instruments.


As for appearing live on tv, sometimes you don't get a choice. We were denied a full live set up when we did CIN on BBC wales. It was live vocals to track. It was terrible for me, being the bass player and all. It actually sounded and looked far worse than our normal show.

Plus side is I did get to show off my black on black Musicman sterling! Bought it from martthebass a few weeks back, love it!
The neck on those things is amazing... I use it for everything now.

ed

were one night only supporting them?

hi,
where are you based?

ed

[quote name='cetera' post='62561' date='Sep 19 2007, 10:59 AM'][b]Peter Cetera[/b] with Chicago on albums from CTA - XI.... he had to contend with a horn section, drummer, percussionist, keys and a guitarist rated better than Hendrix. He still managed to come up with superb melodic, rhythmically grooving basslines reminiscent of McCartney/Jamerson.... and all while singing!! ^_^

[b]Tiran Porter[/b] with The Doobie Brothers. Had to contend with 2 drummers, a percussionist, up to 3 guitarists, a keyboard player and huge harmony vocals..... and still cut through with beautifully composed basslines.... [/quote]


Thanks! Read an article on Tiran the other day, might have been in bass player magazine. Apparently The Doobie Brothers had a reunion in 1987 which consisted of most of the members that had ever played with them, it ended up being four drummers, a percussionist, four guitar players,two keyboard players and Tiran! mental...

Hi just to add to whats already been said,

When we play, everything is mic'ed up, so its relatively easy for me. The sound engineer just switches out my floor monitor, with my in ear tranciever. I often find using floor monitors aswell as the in-ears just 'muddies' up the sound in my ears.

I am currently getting some custom moulds made, which will hopefully block out most of the external noise so I can have my mix exactly how I want it. This is only probably worth it if you have everything on stage mic'ed up.

it can take a while to get used to.In fact our singer never could get used to it, so he plays with one ear in, the other out. So he can hear his vocals but also hear the rest of the band onstage. I wouldn't advise this, as one of the main advantages of in-ears is ear protection, and by only having one in, not only are you not protecting one of your ears, but often you have to turn the volume on your reciever right up in order to hear your in-ear mix clearly through only one ear. But having said that, if you don't find it too loud, I suppose it could be a solution.

I don't have any experience with the DIY approach, i.e the two channel mixer, but it definately makes sense.

[quote name='bass_in_ya_face' post='62345' date='Sep 18 2007, 09:06 PM']Mick Karn, JJ Burnell, Geddy Lee, Nick Beggs, Norman Watt Roy, Peter Hook,[/quote]

what a great forum! thanks, will be up late tonight checking that lot out.
Alot of the names I already recognise, but it wasn't exactly stuff that was in my 'on the go' playist on my mp3 player.

Ha, loving the Earth, Wind and Fire stuff, reminds me of my mum's 40th Bday party...

[quote name='neilb' post='62265' date='Sep 18 2007, 06:41 PM']Jamiroquai for starters - Paul is an innovative bassist and their band is big.[/quote]

thanks, had forgotten about them!


[quote name='Mikey D' post='62269' date='Sep 18 2007, 06:50 PM']You don't get many bands much bigger than Earth Wind and Fire. So Verdine White.[/quote]

Havn't heard much of them (please don't hit me!!), off to itunes I go!
thanks! keep em coming

I apologise if this has already been covered, but i'd like some inspiration.
There are a lot of great bassists out there, but the ones I hear the most about, in my experience, are the ones who have the oportunity to shine. More often than not its because bass plays an enourmously important role, e.g in Funk, Jazz etc
Also it's often because they have a lot of sonic space within which to play. e.g off the top of my head Chris Wolstenholme.

I'm in a band with 5 members: 2 guitars, 1 keyboard/synth, three vocals, bass and drums, and I often find it hard to make interesting bass lines with so much going. I come up with some average/decent fills, but its usually when something drops out, or in order to link passages, for the rest of the time I find myself firmly planted on the route notes.

Can anyone recommend me a bassist who, despite having so much to contend with, still manages to create interesting and inspiring bass lines that are integral to the song?

I know, it sounds alot but I'm just looking for some bands to listen to for inspiration on how to be dynamic and creative in such a small sonic space.

[quote name='beerdragon' post='57451' date='Sep 8 2007, 06:02 PM']Silly article on the bands such as the White Stripes who don't bother with a bass player and maybe others will follow suit,

[url="http://www.sptimes.com/2003/06/29/Floridian/The_Death_of_the_Bass.shtml"]http://www.sptimes.com/2003/06/29/Floridia..._the_Bass.shtml[/url][/quote]


It is silly at times, although I think it leaves on a good point, arguing that its just a 'fad'. It's a style of music, some people are into, some aren't. It will pass, and if not, there is always room for a bassist in other styles of music.

Thanks for the link though, made my day just that little bit more interesting.

[quote name='The Funk' post='55340' date='Sep 4 2007, 03:46 PM']I think it does have pretty much the same effect - except with the pad engaged, changes using the gain knob will not be as extreme (I think!).[/quote]

thanks!

Ok, I was wondering, when you switch the Active/passive switch next to the input, from passive to active, does that have the same effect as turning the gain knob down? I have a DB750.

I'm assuming it does, as switching it puts a 10db pad in the signal path, which would be the same as turning the Gain knob down.

[quote name='G-bitch' post='55234' date='Sep 4 2007, 01:07 PM']Change the valves in an Ampeg - should get rid of a bit of noise. If that's the sound you like then nothing will replicate it (sansamp will but without so much flexibility IMO).

Don't GK do a pre? That's probably very ballsy but then half the GK tone is in their power section so that could be a waste.[/quote]

+1 for the Aguilar DB659, only 1 rack space, simple to use and the deep switch is brilliant. Oh yeah and it sounds bloody good aswell.

However I have heard of people encountering problems when trying to drive a QSC with it, the output isnt hot enough. Still it can be sorted.

[quote name='Bigwan' post='55085' date='Sep 4 2007, 07:46 AM']I spoke to Mike at Iceni about these. They're going to be stupid money in the UK by the sounds of things...[/quote]

:-( I'll have to get one from the US then.

[quote name='Dragonlord' post='21485' date='Jun 21 2007, 05:31 PM']Well, I think you can use it fine as a preamp, as long as you like the obviously dirtier sound (and I'm not sure, maybe you could even turn distortion down completely?).[/quote]

Sorry to revive old threads, but anyone else really really looking forward to it?! The two guitarists in my band are off to LA in sept so ill see if they can get me one.

I want this in the effects loop of my DB750, should be killer!

[quote name='dood' post='53926' date='Sep 1 2007, 05:56 PM']Bod, splendid explaination and your schematic was exactly what I was going to draw! You included the signal path of the kit too, which was an added bonus. The opposite poles of the DPDT make the A/B option very simple and at the same time isolating the 2 circuits.[/quote]


Thanks so much for the info! I'm not great with DIY pedals etc but I have a friend who can do this for me. Really really appreciate it! Will get back to you if there are any problems!

ed

[quote name='dood' post='53776' date='Sep 1 2007, 12:09 PM']Ok, I have only skim read your post so apologies for the short reply. My first thoughts are that this box will require the necessary program change MIDI messages in order to switch each of it's 4 relays. So, if you are changing every relay at the touch of one button, that controller will have to be able to send those 4 messages at the same time. (rememember you'll have 8 for 4 relays - 4 x on messages and 4 x off messages)
I am not aware of any resonably priced MIDI foor controllers that can send any more than one program change message at the same time. There are many that can send multiple CC (constant control) messages but that would still require some sort of environment change, like pushing on a button/controller - these are mostly used for volume and wah pedal type controllers.

It maybe easier to get someone with electronic skills to rig up a custom A/B/C mute switch box and stay away from MIDI in this case. It will probably work out cheaper too! - I think with a little bit of design you could come up with a useable option.

I would use a selection of DPDT footswitches and work out which preamps you want to switch between. I'd be happy to help if I can, with the design.

So... how do you want to mute? do you want to be able to switch between 2 preamps? turn one on when another is off? Or have a 'totally mute' control for tuning?[/quote]



thanks for the reply!
Sorry, this is a hypothetical situation! I love the sound of the distortion on the AG500, so I was thinking of getting 2 Agro's when they are released in the US, which isn't long, and placing them in the effects loop of the DB750. One for a mild distortion/growl and one for full on dist. As far as I know Agro's are engaged and disengaged by a latching footswitch.

Which in total means I have three latching footswitches, one for my DB750 and two for the agro's. So all i'd need is to:

1)mute and unmute my DB750, by muting it everything will be muted and I can tune.
2)Switch between the 1st and 2nd agro. Ideally automatically disengaging one when I engage the other.

Being able to control these units simply and easily will affect whether I buy them or not. If it involves three footwitches and 3 cables then Ill just stick to my current pedal board set up - wireless mounted on the board, so only one cable needed from board to amp.

Thanks, really appreciate the support!
ed

Basically I have 3 units each controlled by their own latching footswitch. (basically its one amp and two pre's each with a mute switch, so all i need is mute/unmute for each of the units)


However I would like to control all three with one pedal and one cable.

So far I have come across this:
[attachment=2028:cfx4_lo.png]


It states:

-The CFX4 Control Function Switcher can channel switch guitar amps and perform other footswitchable functions via MIDI.

-Four isolated relays (prevents ground loop hum/noise) can be individually configured for latched or momentary type switching

-Can be used with any MIDI footcontroller capable of sending Program Change or Control Change messages

So I could use one midi footswitch to control 3 units. On top of being able to switch each channel on and off independently id like to be able to mute and unmute 2 units at the same time, is this possible if I get the right midi footswitch?

Presumably the midi footswitch is able to send the information needed for the unit to latch one unit and unlatch the other at the same time, or latch both at the same time.

Sorry if I'm not making complete sense my knowledge of this area is limited. And please, if there is a blindingly obvious way of controlling three units other than this please tell me!!


A simple on off, for each of them would suffice if it avoided all this midi stuff.

Thanks,

Ed