Monckyman

Second gig with our temp singer. Thank f*** she`s gone. She didn`t like half the set and suggested/insisted on loads of 80s crap like Lisa stansfield.Loads more work getting the set playable again,then last night she`s all "nah dont fancy that, do you know...?" in the middle of a set. Like I said, she won`t be coming back.I`m not prepared to work with folk who have me deconstruct a tune, transpose it, rehearse it, and then unilaterally bin it on a whim. Now all I have to do is work up the next singer in time for Saturday. Positive was I just took my Jazz necked Hohner P last night and it sounded pretty damn good. Nice and growly,and the slight amount of slapping I do was clean and sharp. Can`t help lusting for some Wizards trads to try in it, even though the Hohner ones (tis an 82/3 bass)sounded great. Also, as I`m waffling about kit, I`m using the MB II/Dave hall VT1 into an Ashdown mini 48 and I have to say it`s really good for this gig, small as it is. I`m able to put the whole setup on a keyboard stand which gets it nice and high,so for better detail all I have to do is turn my head a little and it`s there.

Well,it makes sense when you consider that top end frequencies are very directional and stay that way usually,but low frequencies are all over the place all the time, and they bounce about a lot too. Once you have a couple of low frequencies coming back at the p.a area slighlty delayed and possibly out of phase you`re f***ed You all know what this sounds like, no definition, wooly and indistinct kik and bass,no real presence. So the minute you put soft human shitbags in the way the bouncing is dramatically reduced and you get to hear the original source and not the reflections off the wallls and that nice parquet floor.

Everything we hear coming out of a loudpseaker is "processed". The very process of amplification is a process itself. There is an argument that digitised processing is not as natural as analogue processing but I can`t see anything natural about any of it. And that`s ok, because it sounds good.

[quote name='TheRev' timestamp='1322748072' post='1455298'] I've found that writing (handwriting, not typing) the lyrics down helps me to memorise them. Once they're in your head, singing along to the track while driving etc, keeps them fixed. [/quote] This. And the cd in the car A music lecturer once told me that the area of the brain given over to visual memory was a lot larger than the bit that deals with musical memory, and that we have stronger retention for the visual anyway, so physically writing something down acts as a method of storing that information in the visual memory. He suggested this was why written music was still very useful and efficient. Always seemed to work for me, once I`ve written it out, it`s stored. What I did do once when I had to sing lead on a couple was every time I listened to the track, I wrote the lyrics out, with all the rewinds etc. Makes you really listen and remember.

[quote name='vicar' timestamp='1322726714' post='1454841'] So does that mean that I will get 2x200 watts with the 8 Ohm speakers as a pair (one in each output channel) and [b]still[/b] [b]get[/b] 2x200 watts if i ran four speakers in parallel? ie two speakers linked direct to another two [/quote] Nope because an 8ohm speaker linked to another 8ohm speaker via the link socket will put those speakers in series which gives you 4ohms, which on that amp gets you 400 per output.

[size=4]Hiya.[/size] Yes the S can do that, as quoted here by a Sound on Sound review. [i]"Next out of the hat was the S*Monitor, another simple but useful box intended to provide personal headphone monitoring on stage or in the studio. Essentially, it incorporates a balanced XLR mic input with a Mic Thru XLR connector, and combines the mic signal with any stereo line-level source fed in via the rear-panel stereo jack, before feeding it to the headphone outs. There's also a Mix Thru stereo jack that allows multiple units to be connected where more outputs are needed.[/i][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] [i]There's one rotary control to set the microphone level and another to set the stereo mix level. There are no individual or overall phones level controls."[/i][/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3] [size=4]The only lack on this unit is an overall headphones level, so you can`t turn up or down quickly, but have to turn both the inputs down,while keeping the relative mix..[/size][/size][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] It`s pretty inexpensive, but personally, I would go for a small 2 channel micro mixer instead as this would give you eq on the inputs, a master out level,some visual idea of levels and the ability to use it for other applications. All you need is a Y cable (XLR) to split your mic cable into one of the mic inputs and the main mixer and then stick the stereo send from your main mixer into a stereo input channel of the micro mixer[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Sampson,Peavey,Behringer Mackie and the Spirit notepad come to mind as solutions.[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Also there is this.[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alto-ZMX52-5-Channel-Mini-Mixer-Compact-Mixing-Console-/270810507272?pt=UK_Mixers&hash=item3f0d906808#ht_4045wt_1183"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alto-ZMX52-5-Channel-Mini-Mixer-Compact-Mixing-Console-/270810507272?pt=UK_Mixers&hash=item3f0d906808#ht_4045wt_1183[/url][/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] About the same price as the Sampson,but far more versatile as a personal monitor mixer.[/font][/color][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] MM[/font][/color]

I`m using a Little Mark II into all sorts of Ampeg cabs including the 410 and it provides great power and tone. A couple of bands I`ve played for have complimented the warmth of the sound from that rig with no pedals or pre-amps. The only con for me (and it`s not really) is the Markbass does clean very well, it`s very honest and transparent,so most Rock players tend to add a valve pedal or pre-amp like a Sansamp or it`s cheap clone the Behringer BDDI or in my case a Dave Hall VHA1. But, you don`t really need those add ons unless you must have a valve sound.They sound fantastic on their own too. The LM II or III wil give you 300watts at 8ohms and 500watts at 4ohms if you use two 8ohm cabs together or a single 4ohm cab. Plenty to scare any drummer.

Possibly you could be more specific about what you would like to do. Do you mean Sound [i]proofing[/i], as in limiting the amount of noise that escapes to the world outside, or do you mean Sound [i]conditioning[/i],whereas you are attempting to create a more sonically pleasing ambience by cutting down on unwanted harsher frequencies?

Thanks all,I`m watching the Eurosonics. Looking for a local Luthier.

Lo all. I`m about to start playing classic soft jazz songs like Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald in a 3 piece band and consequently need to spend a little love and cash on the Upright. One thing I really need to sort is the strings. I know it`s a personal thing and dependant on many variables, but I have to ask. I`m ideally looking for soft feeling non steel strings,(no mag pickup) that give an old school warmth and a medium tension. A friend recommended some Weedwackers which I thought were primarily rockabilly strings, but he`s very happy playing classic jazz on them. Any views? Also, I think my sound post has moved. I`m getting a raspy rattle on the E at volume. How much to fix, approximately? If it`s going to a luthier, I may as well get a new bridge fitted to my taste as the action and high tension steels are crippling me at the moment,can anyone give an approximate fee for a new bridge and fitting? I`m also in the market for a pickup and I`m thinking a Bassmax to start and see where that takes me. I won`t need loud levels. Thanks in advance for any advice. MM

If it`s just for the look of it, why not use thin speaker foam and cloth over the grill itself. You then get the looks and the protection.

+1 on the DT100s. I myself like the Sennheiser HD280s,little bit cheaper.

Some of the powered mixers can be useful, though I too favour separates for flexibility and easy upgrade paths. Usually on the powered jobs you can route various outputs to the amp section, for instance, if you have decent active foh speakers, the amp built in to the mixer can be switched to power the monitor sends so you can use two passive monitor wedges. If a Graphic EQ is built in,this can be routed to FOH or monitors also. one thing to watch for though is noise, and phantom power issues. not a problem if you don`t have active(powered) D.I boxes or any condenser mics, but still needs checking. I recently used a powered Behringer and I use a Shure SM86 which needs phantom power, however, when I switched the power on, all the other inputs became slightly fuzzy and unuseable. So those cheaper bargains may bite you in the bum if you don`t watch out.

Miaow!

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1322430879' post='1450877'] I would say the opposite. I reckon the off topic makes a forum. It's the one place where you can real get an idea of the other posters. For instance without it we would know things like Sildxx has a thing for Warwicks, StingrayPete likes Stingrays . But with it we know Nigel has a dim view of humanity and hates sun readers Pete Drives a Morris Minor and iCastle has a thing for growing herbs Ou7shined has a thing for cats. You get to see a more complete picture of the people you are conversing with. [/quote] And you Johnson,what`s your poison?

[quote name='paul torch' timestamp='1322553713' post='1452368'] [i]some[/i] of the turntablists I have worked with in my time both as a DJ and within bands would definitely be considered musicians IMO. Truly creative. [/quote] But most wouldn`t.

Hiya, sounds like you`re a bit confused as to what`s being sent to your monitor pack. Most commonly they are fed from an aux out, which is simply another "mix" of whatever channels are on the mixer. However, from your post I`m getting the vibe that you used a direct out usually used for recording a particular channel, and in your case that was your voice and it was cabled directly to your pack transmitter. So now you want a bit of bass in there too and need to know what are the options? OK, depending on the actual monitor pack, there should be a "mono" mode you can set, which will allow you to mix two mono signals,one each in on L&R inputs on the transmitter, and the pack itself will let you blend these two inputs using the "Pan" control. As it`s in mono mode you`ll hear both signals in both ears. So you can take your Vox from the mixer direct output and your bass from somewhere in your signal path like the FX send or tuner out etc. That`s the simplest way I can think of for getting what you want without an aux mix. The more complicated way is to take say 8 direct outs on an 8 way loom, into a cheap mini mixer like a Spirit notepad or WHY and use that to mix your stereo mix,and send that to the transmitter.so you can have kik snare bass git git keys vox vox all mixed in stereo just as you like it. Bit more faff, but once it`s set it`s a great solution. Please let me know if that`s helped any and I`ll be happy to explain in more detail if needed. MM

Ta for the reply Mr F, I`ve ordered a couple so I can swap them out.