kiat

On 17/07/2025 at 08:17, BigRedX said:

The downside is that it adds another potential point of failure where the two cables join.

True.  It depends if the solution solves a specific problem and if the tradeoff for a player makes it worth it.  For me it does as:

• I have an active bass and it helps having a wireless transmitter (dongle or, later, a body pack like that with Mi-Pro M58) that is tucked away from the guitar jack socket and not swinging around etc.
• I prefer having a Neutrik silent jack on my bass irrespective of the length of cable I need to use - this way I only need to buy one of them.

21 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

This is very much like a similar cable I put together, but using stereo components to enable me to mount a stereo wireless unit on the strap when using my 4003's rick-o-sound output.

Nice, would that be two jacked cables into one stereo socket?

On 12/07/2025 at 10:40, Al Krow said:

 

Oooh what have you got in your 9 block chain?

Someone needs to be first up in the BC collective, looking like this one could be you (I was very quick out the block with the Zoom B1-4, Valeton OC-10 and Boss SY-1 so I've done my bit!) 😅

You certainly have done your bit!  Plenty of these new MXR Bass Synths purchased in the UK since all the retailers have sold out.

I've got a Zoom B3 so only 3, but I do want to try and emulate bass synth sounds and that, from what I can glean from those who do it, is to use 4-5 effects to do so (Drive, Fuzz, Octave, Compressor, etc).  The MXR is out of my budget atm.

On 14/07/2025 at 08:55, BigRedX said:

 

It doesn't even need to be that complicated. I'd send a mono signal from an audio source, split it two ways and connect one to the left channel of my interface and other via the wireless unit to the right. Record using your DAW and then check how many milliseconds the peaks of the two signals are out by. Since the only variable is the wireless system you'll get the latency of just that without having to work anything out.

 

I'll be interested in the results.

Just did this and the latency differential seems really high, at 14ms.  It just does not feel like that when playing and listening.  Same in a band setting with the singer also using the 2nd reciever.  Hmm, maybe our ears are out or there's an issue with Ardour's selection calculation if the range is in the milliseconds.

Test rig:

• Phone playing Footloose (its fast and better than listening to a metronome!) using Moises just bass and vocals but with added autogenerated click track
• USB-C out to a minijack splitter
• one stereo to mono cable to input 1 on an Audio Interface (Scarlett 4i4 3rd Gen)
• one stereo to mono cable to the M-Wave WP-12 transmitter.  Receiver into input 2. 

On 12/07/2025 at 13:22, Woodinblack said:

Looks good. I have recently gone to using my MS-1, its nice step up to have stereo after my XVive. Its a good idea having the two recievers although that means that you need people who want the same mix.

At rehearsal last night the lead singer shared my stereo mix on the 2nd receiver and was blown away at the portability and audio quality for the price. The XVive U4 is a little to heavy for her performance style, mono and relatively pricey, given we are just starting out getting paid gigs. I cautioned that multiple sets together might well have issues (being able to purchase extra receivers and they only have a scan button, no select, I reason makes that likely) but she wanted one anyway. I guess as she can always use it with her other bands and it's not breaking the bank.

Just sharing an idea others have no doubt had, but I could not find when searching here.

A simple addition to my gear to make any instrument cable silent (and right angle).

* Neutrik silent right-angle jack 

* Sommer Spirit XXL instrument cable

* Neutrik locking jack socket

I got to this point having gone down the rabbithole of switching to IEMs for myself and one or more of the bands I play in. Specifically assembling dual cables into one: instrument out, mix to IEMs back. This adds a bit of effort initially but pays off with reduced cables and keeping them as a set (I have a similar cable from my multi-pedal to the personal headphone amp, so the wired IEM signal flows alongside the instrument signal route).

On 12/07/2025 at 13:22, Woodinblack said:

Looks good. I have recently gone to using my MS-1, its nice step up to have stereo after my XVive. Its a good idea having the two recievers although that means that you need people who want the same mix.

Or a spare (I've been using it that way)

On 12/07/2025 at 13:10, mcnach said:

The main drawback with these cheap units tends to be their high latency: ok on their own, but if you have a long list of digital devices in your signal flow it all adds up.

 

I got ages ago a Lekato MS-1, which works quite well. It has a bit of hiss compared to my MiPro58, but they're pretty nice and my signal path is quite simple, so the 12ms latency is not a real issue. I still prefer the MiPro58, but those cost me nearly 10x what the Lekato did. And these M-VAVE ones are even cheaper, and I really like their charging box design. Do you have a figure for their latency? It's not mentioned on the AliExpress ad. 

I don't know how to measure latency accurately yet, but it's the lowest latency wireless system I've experienced from all the low cost ones (including a mate's XVive U4) using my bass and paying careful attention to plucking. It seems instant, so I assume closer to 5ms than 10.

Have just had an idea for a test rig: bass wired into my 4i4, record into Ardour and out to the WP-12, transmit to receiver, then out into my laptop and Ardour again and compare the waveworms. Somehow subtract the 4i4 and laptop latency. Sound ok as a plan?

Who's got one of these Valeton GP-5? I'm looking at getting one, partly because of the 9 FX chain (my Zoom B3 "only" does 3). More basschatter feedback would help me decide!

On 10/07/2025 at 19:39, Geek99 said:

I know someone with 40+ pbasses who insisted they all sounded different 

 

Snap. I bought my old Precision from a guy with at least 40 of them...

Took delivery of an M-VAVE WP-12 IEM system yesterday from Aliexpress for £22 (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008801254116.html).

Use case:  I'm exploring IEMs as a player and also for the pub cover bands I'm in.  Outlay is a consideration and I'm focusing on simplicity to get everyone familiar and onboard before pulling the trigger, if ever, on pricey gear like an XR18 and Mi-Pro MI-58RT.

Very pleasantly surprised by the quality: good tone, lack of hiss, imperceptible latency, rubberised plastic casings.  The design is good too: it comes with a second IEM, the transmitter is also a charging station with it's own larger battery.  The batteries of both the transmitter station and the IEM units last for at least 3 hours.  So far so good, time will tell and I'll come back for any updates.

On 08/07/2024 at 04:30, carlsim said:

Thanks for all your helpful comments guys - I have decided not to keep the b3 (70cdr has already been sold) and am going to look at individual pedals I think… 

it seems to be the unanimous vote that multi fx units are good for certain things but will always lack somewhere… I think I will investigate the specialist synth stuff (SY1 etc.) and go from there…

cheers everyone!

Hi, did Julia get back to you? I've a B3 and would love to try the settings.

And have you seen the newly released MXR Bass Synth, shaped and promoted by Ian Allison?  I'm sorely tempted but its a lot of dosh.

As a covers band player with a Zoom B3 multipedal this is the only pedal I've been tempted to buy, very tempted.  In the USA its $270, that's about £198 at today's exchange rate - but £289 everywhere in the UK.  That's a big mark up in MRP.  

That Ian Allison promo video is exceptional - he's unique! Very talented, direct and likeable.

10 minutes ago, JPJ said:

Re 2.4ghz vs 5.8ghz 

Recently, I did a gig as a sound guy. I had two devices connected to the bands Behringer X-Air XR18 running an external dual band router, one on 2.4ghz and one on 5.8ghz. The 5.8ghz connection dropped out two or three times during the gig whereas the 2.4 stayed rock solid all night. 

 

That said, I see that X-Vive have now brought out the U45 - a 5.8ghz version of the U4

Good to hear about that experience 2.4GHz v 5.8GHz.  I wonder if the costs are higher with the electronics, as Xvive are charging 10-20% more for the 5.8 version in the UK.

Am curious too.  I've had a J-Tone about a year and not changed these settings since I fitted it.

Is anyone using this Behringer MX882 mixer/splitter (or similar) at the heart of a band IEM solution?

Interested to hear about your experiences with solutions like this.

Mine arrived today and it's very promising for my use case: a cheap, easy to use reliable starter IEM solution for small bands.

It provides a split for each signal (vocal mics, 2 drum mics, guitar bass) to FOH and a common mix from it's twin XLR main outs to this simple multi-headphone amp powering 4 x IEMs, wireless or wired.

When I route the main XLR outs into my Scarlett 4i4 XLR ins I set them to route to the headset out (3/4) and connect that with a TRS cable to the headphone amp.  Because there are 4 line outs on this audio interface I can create two extra stereo pairs for extra IEMs. And can record the whole lot live over a stereo mix to my laptop (Linux with Ardour using Pipewire).

Any band member can add more of themselves with these personal monitoring amps that they use to split their own signal before it gets to the MX882.

The IEMs we're trying out are the inexpensive KZ EDX Pros, in keeping with the low cost as we are experimenting with our first foray into IEMs, with a view to upgrading everything as and when.

Any recommendations for my playing situations?

Which are (a) pub cover bands, (b) jam nights and open mics, (c) rehearsals and (d) home learning and practices. I'm on a budget and looking at £300 max for systems with no latency issues and reasonable audio that doesn't break up or sound shitty on the low strings. A little hiss would be ok.

I'm looking at an XVive type system for (b) and (c) and a rackable system for (a) and (d)**

A wireless system might come in handy as I've just got an analogue  splitter/mixer to use as a band IEM mixer and we all need to get feeds from the headphone amp it feeds.

**though I've got a wired setup as a backup with a MA400 personal monitor amp fed PRE from my pedal's DI out and POST into a DI box, which feeds my stage amp. FOH can take the PRE or POST from either thru port.

I've read mixed reviews of the XVive U4. A sax-playing mate has one, but she doesn't like the cut-outs in a busy gig.

On 08/06/2025 at 12:22, Woodinblack said:

 

Clearly, they are 10 times the price I would expect them to be a lot better, and I wasn't expecting much if anything from the lekatos (in fact I didn't use them for a year or so as I figured they would be poor) but they work really well, so they will do for me - I am not in the MiPros price bracket!

Could you post a link to your Lekato model?

Has anyone tried direct alternatives to the XVive U4/U45, ie with a small rechargeable transmitter with XLR or 1/4" connectors?

Hi @rushbo, is this still for sale?

A great multipedal with a community of users sharing patches.  This unit has effects and amp/cab emulators that you can string together in 3s, easily switching any of them on or off on the fly, or altering the signal path when setting up.  The software on Windows (I have an XP laptop just for this as I use Linux and Wine which doesn't work well with Windows only USB apps) is solid to save your pathes.  I gig with this in pubs, clubs and small festivals and it's perfectly usable.  Runs on batteries too as a backup to the PSU.  The onboard tuner is good too.  Can't fault it and highly recommend anyone new to pedals to get one as an introduction.

Great thread! Came here to find out more about Dee Murray having been gobsmacked at the beauty and complexity of the Crocodile Rock bassline that I'm learning verbatim for a covers bands. Just listened to that Madman across the Water video - astonishing. I didn't know they played that kind of music. Up to now, I've only been familiar with Elton's pop output. Thanks for starting this thread OP. I'll listen to more Dee Murray.

Just noticed a new Bass Rig Roundup from Ian King is just out... Terrificly good. 

Hi, I used the Moises app extensively (Android mostly, sometimes Chrome on Linux) for learning, practice and sometimes group rehearsals where we are short of a key instrument. MP3 and OGG files have uploaded and played fine. I rely on Moises more than I'd like.  One missing feature is batch import - you have to upload every music file individually and that is painful.

And fixed the peeling Tolex while I was it with this German cobbler glue - the glued parts have to be hammered for maximal adhesion! Thought it might work on this solid state combo and it has. Would have needed to find something else if it was a valve amp!