Mornats

Anyway, apologies to all and finally... (http://memegenerator.net/Batman-Slap-Robinif you wanna have a go)

I was in PMT in Bristol and the guy in the bass section there said they're talking to MarkBass's distributor about getting some in so there be some there in a few month's time.

[quote name='Mark Dyer' timestamp='1394818977' post='2395643'] This kind of topic should have been dead and buried years ago, it doesn't belong on a bass forum in 2014. Disappointing. [/quote] Really? No one can have a new opinion? It started off as a joke for slapping heck's sake and people got bees up in their bonnet!

[quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1394749140' post='2394893'] with respect i couldn't disagree more with what you've just said. i would say stop watching crap demo vids. and imo no, not all basses sound the same slapped, you live in a different world to what i can hear in more ways than one. i think maybe listen to some guys who can play, before come out with such bold statements. [/quote] Perhaps, the bad ones are just so bad. There is of course good slap bass but I'm sure you could agree that there's a lot of rubbish out there done for someone's own self-gratification. It does give it all a bit of a bad rep and gets very very tiresome. [quote name='bubinga5' timestamp='1394749140' post='2394893'] do you have a grasp of the technique yourself.? [/quote] That's not a requirement to liking or disliking something. The cartoon above was meant to be light hearted by the way

Oh you're in Bristol mate, wanna try mine out? I'm only down in Southville. Might want to find somewhere you can turn the volume up though.

I'm just so sick of watching demo videos of basses and/or amps and having nothing but a slap-fest racket going on. That's when the video become more of a bit of w**kery for the player than a demo of the instrument. Beside, IMO, all basses sound the same when slapped - like they're just been thrown down the stairs.

I've had my 121P for about a week now and so far I can say: [quote name='spaz91' timestamp='1394744870' post='2394801'] 1. Does the small cab size make it sound boxy and thin? [i]- Not in a million years. Tweak a couple of controls and it's the deepest bass I've heard from a cab.[/i] 2. Is it hand portable, in your opinion?[i] - Definitely. Mine is the Indonesian made one and weighs in at 12.5kg. How far are you thinking of carrying it for? [/i] 3. Though the official website strictly prohibits it, is it possible to replace the amplifier with a different model?[i] I have no idea, it's not something I'd try. Maybe think of the Little Mark III and the NY 121 cab if you want to separate them?[/i] 4. Is 12" really enough speaker coverage to play with a drummer?[i] - I'll tell you after we practice with our drummer on Sunday (however we're not a loud band).[/i] [/quote]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1394280758' post='2389809'] I'm an PC / Android kinda guy, yet I am going to recommend an iPad purely because they are great for musicians since there are so many cheap audio interfaces and audio apps for iOS, for studying/practising/recording as well as amp modelling and FX. So take that as a genuine recommendation of what I think might be best for you rather than just telling you to use what I use! [/quote] Ditto here. I had an iPhone (3G then a 4) before switching to Android but I would still say you're probably better off as a musician with an iPad than Android. So long as you don't mind Apple having more control over your content than you have of course. And don't find the design of iOS as laughable as I do I mean WTF, it's 100% Early Learning Centre! [quote name='dand666' timestamp='1394632295' post='2393513'] I don't believe so. Macs, because built on a unix box is so much more robust, secure and I find easier to use. But hey that's just me. [/quote] I started recording music on my MacBook Pro (which belongs to work but I was allowed personal use of it at home) using GarageBand and oh my god is was so flaky. GarageBand would add random bits of sound into midi tracks. The program stopped working (it would record for one second then stop) after an update that updated GarageBand and OSX. Apple wouldn't even acknowledge there was a problem, let along fix it. I swapped to Reaper on Windows 7 and have been recording without a glitch ever since. Happy days. Also, I've had OSX (at work) and Windows 7 (at home) for the same amount of time and hand-down, Windows 7 is the more stable of the two. Bear in mind that at home I run games and all sorts of crap on the PC (which is home built and overclocked too) so you'd expect that to be the least reliable. For months OSX would give me the spinning pizza on startup for 10 mins until it settled down. I've never needed to reinstall Windows 7 but OSX has been on that laptop 3 times in the four years I've had it. I'd say that Macs are only easier to use if you've never been used to working on Windows. Or to put it another way, it's a pain to swap between the two. Best to stick with whichever one you're used to IMO. There's little to no advantage in switching between one or the other.

Yep, that was it. The audio interface was set to instrument level and I had the gain turned up to compensate. I tried it set to line in, set the gain on the amp so it wasn't clipping and put the line output to full. This let me put the input gain on the audio interface at just under half and I had almost no hiss. I'd normally turn the gain down a bit more, record quieter into my DAW and use gain in the software to get it up the required level anyway so I'm happy

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1394460428' post='2391533'] Not familiar with the interface but would using an instrument-level input not add stacks of extra gain? [/quote] Hmm could be. I'll switch it to line level to see if I can hear the difference. I'm using the XLR to jack lead but can use an XLR to XLR and plug it into the mic input too but as it's not a mic being plugged in I was wary of that.

I wouldn't rule out my interface or PC being the problem. I may try my work's MacBook Pro to rule out the PC and if I can get my hands on another interface I'll give that a go (always fancied a Focusrite Forte...)

Well, I tried practicing to a few songs on the PC. I loaded up recordings of our songs into Reaper, took the DI out from the MarkBass using an XLR to jack lead into the instrument level input on my Guitar Rig Session interface and I get a mass of hiss coming through, even when Reaper is the only software running. When I plug a bass directly into the interface there is no noise whatsoever (unless I hit a note of course). So in this sense, the MarkBass is totally unusable for recording direct to PC. I can hear the distinct hiss when I turn the amp on (even with all volumes turned down) in a quiet room. It's not a problem when rehearsing, even at low volumes. As I bought it for rehearsing and gigging this shouldn't be a problem for me (so long as a DI out to the PA is hiss-free). Just a shame this "added-extra" use didn't work out.

[quote name='funkgod' timestamp='1394381278' post='2390840'] Home studios, mmmmmmmmmmm, here is mine, its amazing what you can fit in a small space when you plan it. [/quote] Oh my! I wanna come play round your house

I tried it out at a practice on Friday. We didn't have our drummer and weren't in a venue where I could crank it up but it still sounded great. I left it flat, set the volume and just enjoyed it. Didn't have to tweak a damn thing to get a good sound from my Yamaha. I'm taking it to an open mic night on Tuesday at a place where I usually have trouble with the bass booming and dipping due to the room. I'll let you know how I get on but so far I'm more than happy with this. I also took a DI out into my Guitar Rig interface and reckon I now have a good preamp for recording with. There's a bit of noise coming through when I record but I suspect this is down to the PC. It was much worse until I shut down World of Warcraft which was on in the background... so it's either case fans or other programs causing it - not a problem with the amp I think.

Yeah, I'm leaving most of the EQ alone and just dialing in one or the other of those two.

This is very nice!

I am now the proud owner of an Indonesian made MarkBass CMD 121P! My initial thoughts on it are here: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/231484-nad-markbass-cmd-121p/ But I'd like to say that it looks and sounds incredible. It's also lighter than the spec on the MarkBass website so it's definitely not heavier. It's 12.5kg rather than the 13.3kg on the website. Would never had guessed it was made in Indonesia (saying that, my Yamaha TRBX 504 is also made in Indonesia and that sounds and plays brilliantly too, and it very well built).

Here are my initial thoughts: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/231484-nad-markbass-cmd-121p/

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Well I took the plunge and bought myself a MarkBass CMD 121P and have just had a first go on it.[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I was looking for a replacement for my Ashdown 220 Touring 2x12 rig. Great rig, nice sounds but was too big and heavy for me to lug to the type of gigs I do (small gigs, open mic nights and the like). It also has a really nice tube sound from the pre-amp that is nice and warm, grinds up nicely when the gain is upped but doesn't suit the "melodic indie pop/rock" that we do in my band.[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]So I went for the small, light and clean-sounding 121P. For those three requirements, nothing else is ever really recommended. I'd heard one before as my bass tutor used to put me through his so I knew all my basses would sound good through it.[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I was a little concerned at first about the thread on here talking about the MarkBass amps being made in Indonesia and being heavy. If you read that, you'll know what Marco from MarkBass came on and chatted to us about his amps and the new production of them. I was reassured enough to take the plunge...[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]It's made in Indonesia. There's a nice sticker on it saying it's designed, engineered and tested in Italy by MarkBass. Build quality looks great but I'll give it a closer going-over later. It's 12.5kg, so lighter than the advertised 13.3kg. So I can say with certainty, it's not heavier![/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I had it delivered to my office and sneakily turned it on, turned the gain up to max and turned the volume up. I could hear a hiss from it starting around halfway up the volume (with all eq flat). Not a problem really as any time I have it that high in volume you're not gonna be hearing a bit of hiss.[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]I wouldn't have known it had a tweeter in it if I hadn't been told. No problems for me so far regarding the tweeter being too much or standing out. That said, I've only had it at a very low volume.[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]So that's the concerns out of the way and I'm glad to say, nothing was actually a concern for me.[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]So, the sound.[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Oh my good god.[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]EQ flat, plugged my Yamaha TRBX 504 in and it sounded great. Much better than it did through anything else. It simply lets the bass shine through. I played with the EQ on the amp a little bit and the low mids on the amp - 360hz - is around the same frequency range of the mids on the Yammy which is nice! I can just leave this amp flat and enjoy my basses.[/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Onto the two filter knobs. The VLE - vintage loudspeaker emulator - sounds like it makes the amp less harsh and flattens it out. I think that's what it's designed to do according to MarkBass - "[color=#020202]this filter has the effect of drawing you into the mix more, making your sound less present. It's kind of like an "old school" knob" - I have to agree with that.[/color][/font][/size] [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#020202]The VPF - now this is nice, real nice. It's a "smiley" filter. Scoops mids, boosts bass and treble. My Yammy started to sound a lot more vintagey, heading into Fender territory. So I tried my passive Overwater Classic Jazz with P/J pickups and yep, it just gives that lovely old vintage Fender sound. Sweet! I was a little concerned that the amp might sound too clean and clear but I can dial in this filter and it mellows nicely and pulls out a cigar.[/color][/font][/size] [color=#020202][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I'm a very happy man right now [/font][/color] [color=#020202][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]So here's a pic of it next to my Ashdown rig, my Yammy (and some golf clubs randomly).[/font][/color] [attachment=156986:markbass.jpg] I've got band practice tomorrow night so will report back again after that.

Well I got mine delivered to work today. It's made in Indonesia and weighs 12.5kg so a little lighter than the Italian-made spec of 13.3kg but not as much weight saving as mentioned in the thread about them being "heavy and made in Indonesia". So I can say for sure, they're not heavier. Once I get it home I'll take a look at the build quality although I can only compare it against my Chinese-made Ashdown Touring rig. I will of course let you know what I think of the sounds, and will report back after band practice on Friday too. It looks great though and is lovely, light and easy to move around which is exactly what I wanted.

That sucks but I hope it's something that can be corrected. I know it's not the same but I sprained the tendons in both arms a few years ago and the physio gave me some very gentle exercises that made the absolute world of difference. I'd done the injury by overdoing it with some dumbells.Then I got overconfident once it was fixed and sprained them again. So the only advice I can give is to follow your doc's advice and take it easy and don't rush into anything before you're ready to. It'll pay off in the long term.

Mine turns up on Friday I'll have a look out for any hiss Kev. Where did you buy yours from? I got mine from DV247 (price, plus in stock and free delivery plus they had a Behinger DC9 dead cheap that I chucked in too).

I'll be ordering one of these very soon!

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLnw8qORqUg[/media]