Monckyman

Phone socket..?

1/I would use a Group, when I wanted to interfere with the sound of stuff in that group. I.E: send all the backing vox to a stereo group and insert a stereo compressor on it. A group/buss, is an AUDIO path, a stage that you route channels to, and then you send the group where you like. Usually back to the L+R, or to a tape input or another room in the club or... A VCA isn`t an audio stage,just a controller. You can`t strap a compressor or a gate on it, as it isn`t audio. A Matrix out is similar to a Group, in that you can rout or send any or all chans to it in a mix, but common use tends to be for delay speakers in a live situation,or infills on a wide stage or another room in a club where you need to adjust the volume to suit. Some people rig their subs up to a Matrix so they can adjust the balance to the rest of the rig on the desk rather than their x over. Basically it`s a separate submix that can be used for many uses that doesn`t tend to have the bells and whistles of a Group. I think you may be confusing a Group bus with an Output bus, in that you rout inputs to a Group bus,(and the amount sent is dependent on fader position=post fade) but you SEND inputs to an Output or Mix bus(via pots that allow an independent PRE-fader position) Make any sense or am I just making it worse?

Band I work with a lot as a monitor man recently changed their bassist, who likes a quieter vol on stage (ampeg 810 rig). The Marshall stack fixated guitarist has recently changed to a Blackstar combo, (with power soak,so sod the amp on full sh*te),and the drummer has a new range of custom snares. All these things make the onstage sound a LOT better, clearer, less EQing to do, and much more presentable for the FOH to manage. Now these guys all know what they are up to, and so did the techies, but sometimes you fall in to ways that don`t help the sound effort and it only becomes apparent when you inadvertently improve it by changing out some equipment. Edit to say, obviously larger acoustically tragic venues exist and task us all,but other than employ the best engineers with loads of P.A there`s not much else to do. But if you get the stage wrong, you won`t get the FOH right, and that applies all the way down to pub bands. Be Vigilant Comrades!

I know it`s a ballache,but if that`s what you end up doing, go for 4 or 6 extra inputs, so when you need that ipod/fx ret/drumpad/midi goldfish channel you can handle it without getting Si all het up about building pre-amps from scratch.

Another who doesn`t know his amp from his elbow.

Sub mixer is the better idea. More versatile. The best idea though, is to sell your inadequate P.A mixer amp, and get something that`s properly up to the job of mixing all sorts of inputs with inserts and aux sends.

Having owned both the LM2 and PF500,I would say the LM2 is a great neutral platform for solid power and clean tone that you can use with all sorts of frontend pre amps or pedals to customise your sound. The PF sounds like an Ampeg out of the box, though there`s no reason you can`t change that with pedals etc. I still have and use on every gig, my PF500.

Correct. VCA=Voltage controlled amp (analogue desk) DCA=Digitally controlled amp(digital desk) Unlike a subgroup, where actual audio is routed through another gain stage,which adds noise and the possibility of clipping, VCAs only [i]control[/i] the output from whatever is assigned to them. Like a virtual fader in Cubase etc. You can have a single VCA control a group of channels routed to stereo and panned,whereas with a subgroup you would have to use a stereo pair. Other than that they work in exactly the same way,to control say all the BVs on one fader or percussion mics or backing tracks etc. Increasing the VCA level will add level to all the tracks assigned to it, whilst leaving them mixed relative to each other. Also useful for multi muting certain groups of tracks you know won`t be used in some songs. Set them up to suit the band/and or your working style. This link has lots of useful info. [url="http://churchtecharts.org/home/2008/9/19/groups-vcas-and-dcas-part-two.html"]http://churchtecharts.org/home/2008/9/19/groups-vcas-and-dcas-part-two.html[/url] MM

Time to find your inner singer Josh Homme (QOTSA) thought he couldn`t sing, so kept getting guest singers in, until the shoe dropped.

Shame. Bin him.

Can`t actually find the damn thing...

Two singers is a good choice. So long as they can manage to share the spotlight. You do need keys though, that`s going to be your biggest headache. Till then it`s all on your guitarist. The blog is good, it`s interesting for us and will motivate you to do something worth writing about

I Do Not Like The Quo. no no no no And get yer air cut.

I would suggest that a great many makes would probably fit the bill, but you ought to stick to the same rating in ohms and watts. Take the tweeter out, if you haven`t already, and look for a code or any makers sign on it, then all you have to do is match that, or ask someone knowledgeable at Blue Aran or Lean Business, and they`ll recommend a decent replacement. If there`s no code, measure it accurately (it should be a standard 1" driver)and quote size ,ohms and watts when asking about. Don`t stress too much, there`s many a bassist who deliberately disables their tweeter. [url="http://www.lean-business.co.uk/eshop/"]http://www.lean-business.co.uk/eshop/[/url] [url="http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?search=compression+driver&x=0&y=0&br=Any+Brand&cs=Any+Category&stk=Any+Stock+Availability&perp=10"]http://www.bluearan.co.uk/index.php?search=compression+driver&x=0&y=0&br=Any+Brand&cs=Any+Category&stk=Any+Stock+Availability&perp=10[/url]

Depends on the kettle.

What kind of plectrum?

Now I didn`t say I was correct, just that it was my opinion.

As above, and the last two pages since Doddys post have been a waste of bandwidth you could have used to argue about custom bone nuts on your "fiver". X factor is IMO an extended advert designed to sell product to people who care more about having and expressing an opinion that may count towards the "winning" selection than it`s actual value as music. The involvement is what sells, the by product is a CD and a video and maybe a tour and most importantly, newspapers. The back story is what sells it to the "voters"irregardless of the lack of actual musical talent. The back story is what you hear burbled out on breakfast tv by yet more celebrities. When the act or it`s ability isn`t enough, you are invited to care about the judges and their lifestyles,partners,drunken binges etc. The fact that some of you here expressed quite passionate opinions about rather bland singers after minimal exposure proves it works very well. You are involved, have an opinion, care... Imagine how it feels after watching it for years.... Me, I prefer listening to a bit of music.

Hey Marvin, sorry about the band fail man. But.. although you think all that time was wasted, it really wasn`t because you`ve probably learned so much you don`t realise. Put it this way, if you hadn`t had the last 18 months, you would have all those mistakes still to make. But now you know better. Good luck with your next band. MM (oh yes you will )

I have a trouble free PF500 that I use with an assortment of cabs including SVT 15, SVT 410, HLF410 and an Ashdown mini 48. It always nails the sound I need whatever size room or cab I`m using and it fits inside a small peli case with room for cables etc. It`s the one thing I have that I haven`t considered selling since I bought it

3.30 a.m back at the unit.. Erm, guys? I think the lift`s fooked...

And I do believe Manchester has an S in it.