VTypeV4

Some may think I have a problem but I'm going to look at a third 02R this week.. Not for daily use but something I can use at home or take with me for those odd live shows and recording. It's apparently in good condition complete with a meter briddge, an AES card and an ADAT card so we'll see.. If I do buy it, I'll have to look for another Unity card! Ha!

I've now had a go of all three versions of the Qu range.. It seems that the 32 is the most advanced of the lot offering 8 audio subgroups as stereo pairs (the Qu-24 has four as two pairs and the 16 has none) and also 4 DCA groups (32 only) as well as comprehensive matrix outs. I had them configured as drums, instruments 1, instruments 2 and vocals but once I'd got the show running being honest, I didn't touch them much. Something that I didn't realise on the 32 is the larger touch screen display too which is beneficial. Overall, I like the Qu range, they're both comprehensive and simple at the same time. Everything you need to get at is easilly accessed like EQ and gain but I particularly like the dedicated HPF with in/out controls. Even better is a threshold control for gate and compressor, an in/out switch as well as an LED to indicate the threshold status of each which is a great call. I've become very used to comprehensive metering at a glance wiith the easily viewed meter bridge on the Yamahas but the little 'signal, 0 and peak' on each channel is adequate for at a glance but to be fair it's no real hardship to PFL for a proper view of whats happening. My only criticism of the range is the limited I/O via the USB facility. It doesn't matter for live use where all 32 channels were available via the partner digital stage box (I never even walked on stage so never saw that) or via traditional analogue XLR. I appreciate that the Qu range are aimed at live use rather than recording but only half (on the 32) of the inputs are available via USB which means you'd still need an interface to do more than 16 in/out. Overall I think they're very capable and offer blisteringly good bang for buck. If I wasn't recording as well as live, I'd have one in a heartbeat.

I went a similar route-ish a couple of years ago and it's the best sound I've had. Big heavy valve head and moderate weight SWR cabs.. Love 'em!

[URL=http://s778.photobucket.com/user/VTypeV4/media/DSC_0190_zpsf0uuog82.jpg.html][IMG]http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy70/VTypeV4/DSC_0190_zpsf0uuog82.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s778.photobucket.com/user/VTypeV4/media/DSC_0189_zpskgmpp6jc.jpg.html][IMG]http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy70/VTypeV4/DSC_0189_zpskgmpp6jc.jpg[/IMG][/URL] A show I did for Les Hunt in Leek yesterday - If you zoom on the band-stand you can just about see him. A slightly questionable setup PA wise but the Qu-32 was a pleasure to use as setup and soundcheck tiime was near zero! Isn't it always!

Thanks for the heads up Mike.

I live in Newcastle and work at a local venue so if I see such a bass, I'll make sure the O/P is aware and more than take a few photos..

[url="http://s778.photobucket.com/user/VTypeV4/media/20160530_232054_zpsuqnobjqm.jpg.html"][/url] [URL=http://s778.photobucket.com/user/VTypeV4/media/20160531_205642_zps0z9lbbrx.jpg.html][IMG]http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy70/VTypeV4/20160531_205642_zps0z9lbbrx.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Both desks working as one late last week just as I'd hoped.. Winner! Clearly there's not 24 channels on the go here, more like 12 but the concept is proven the and the capacity extended to a max of 24 live inputs / 26 recorded inputs. Total playback potential is scary!

To be fair, I'm all good wiith 'long in the tooth' Yamaha dgital consoles! Ha! An 03D looks comprehensive too as well as being cheap although I've never had a go on one of those either.. As for the people at TC, they were excellent being quick, friendly and very helpful. I asked about the license codes for my Unity cards because both came active but without the numbers written down but with the serial numbers from each, the chappy at TC happily gave me the info.. I saw a couple of the CD8 - MLan cards on ebay recently and was kinda tempted.. I have a gig coming up in July on a Qu-32 which I'm looking forward to as the 24 I did a couple of shows on was superb being both friiendly and quick.

Glass, Iron and heavy up top plus cast aluminium and ceramic underneath.. I'm 33 and appear to be the only vote in that option as yet..

Mine has been the heart of my install system for many years and come to think of it, the old system (pre 2006) too. I've ran with one since about 2003 and have been pretty much solid with the exception of a replacement display which was done under warranty. For the record, its the orignal DriveRack PA wiith the blue panel and white display. as I understand there's a number of different models now. I've been very happy with mine.. I have limited experience with the BSS Omnidriive and Ashly Protea also. Both great and very comprehensive. I've never used it's 'Auto EQ / RTA' as I prefer to do it manually as these things never tend to sound right. It also applies scary boosts in the 20 to 40 Hz region to attempt 20-20 flat. Paul did this down at the Full Moon about ten years ago but luckilly I managed to undo it before any subs got smashed up. To be fair, this and the 'sub harmonic' feature are the only parts I don't use. As a last point, if you're runnng a two or three way system, recallable settings (assuming they're correct in the first place) can save a massive amount of time and headaches especially if somone accidentally knocked the x10 button on the Behringer x-overs for example. Plus it's an all in one box so it saves carrying separate EQ / X-Over / Limiter / units.

Never had any experience with the 01V / 96 / i but the 96 and i models look very comprehensive in a compact frame size. They seem to hold their price too as I've not seen one go for less than about £450 on ebay. Kinda fancy one as a go anywhere do anything for the odd job. Which one do you have Mike, the old silver one or a newer model? Love Digico, I really liked the look of the S21 as it seems to be the best of all worlds - like an SD-8 in a compact frame size. What did the company send rather than the SD-7? A Yam LS-9? Ha! Sadly, I've never had the pleasure of a VI although they look grand. For the daily grind (ok, it's not that bad really) though I'll be retaining my trusty 02Rs especially with their Unity cards as I'm really happy witth the extra capabilities and top quality FX (I like the Yam SPX style FX but the TC ones are just stunning) they give the consoles especially with the extra I/O. As a last note, I spoke to the people at TC Electronic about my cards and they were very quick to respond and very helpful so a big thumbs up to the customer support dept at TC.

I love my NE-1 and as stated, not really a pedal but it works superbly aloft the Trace. At the time I was looking for an SM7 EQ pedal but funky Pete said he'd got the Yamaha for sale and that I should try it to see if it did what I wanted. That was about 12 years ago..

Just spent the weekend working at the Box in Crewe for Kirk Brandon's Spear of destiny as part of their annual Westworld Weekender. A cracking few days for all involved! It's a gig I've done for the group many times but just thought i'd share that this was where my digital journey began back a good few years back.. [url="http://s778.photobucket.com/user/VTypeV4/media/DSC_0179_zpsqz2mpggs.jpg.html"][/url] Adrian's battered XD that I've had the pleasure of mixing on the past few days and the very first digital console i ever used. Half the paint is missing and it's a little grubby but everything still works just fine and it's rock solid in operation. These are old but they're still a lovely desk to use and I'd happily take one anywhere to mix anyone. I've made next to no changes on the 02R front, I just made sure my outs via ADAT on slot 3 in the first console are recived without issue into the extended I/O section of the Unity card in slot 4 on the second 02R. I've simply decided to run LR (although groups worked too) of the first into the second console as I can send it straight to the LR of that second console so any FX or processing I do is still done at source without any compromises on inputs or complications that would arise using the cascade cards. Doing it this way will enable me to run 24 channels from the stage and via my ADA8000 and I'll be able to record 26 simultaneous channels if needed and 28 mix channels on play back. [URL=http://s778.photobucket.com/user/VTypeV4/media/DSC_0167_zpshlsar83t.jpg.html][IMG]http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy70/VTypeV4/DSC_0167_zpshlsar83t.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Token 02R pic from a few days after I collected the second one..

I think the series 6 models came in '89 and I'm sure I've seen an old advert in a copy of guitarist from about '86 saying 'next generation' with a number of MK5 series amps so I'd have thought your GP11 would be between those dates.. As a foot note, series 6 and all following (SMX etc) went to 12 band EQ from 11 band with addition of the 30Hz slider.

I too have little positive experience with AKG D112 on anything - infact they're the only mic I make a point to avoid and have an active dislike for.. An SM57 on the other hand is like a trusty old friend you can rely on. I love the '57 on pretty much any instrument including vocal if push comes to shove.. Just thinking outside the box (and I never recorded it, only used it live) was an AKG D190. Not a big bottom but a lovely warm thickness and great definition with pronounced low mids.. Can be gotten reasoanbly cheap too.

I've mixed pretty much every show I've done in the last three years (probably more than a 1000) has been on some form of digital console. I've tried in no particular order.. Allen Heath Qu24 Yamaha LS9 16 and 32 Yamaha 02R (w/unity) Soundcraft 328 Soundcraft 328XD Mackie D8B Mackie DL1608 Digico SD8 I've also had a play with a Behringer X32, a Yamaha M7CL and an Allen & Heath Qu16 and an iLive T112 but never mixed a show on them. If I never used another analogue console again, I wouldn't be upset. I love the charm of a big oldskool desk like an ML5000 with a giant rack of gear but to 'get the job done' I'd prefer a digi console everytime.

[quote name='Deedee' timestamp='1461101348' post='3031567'] Here's my new baby, a 1993 Hexavalve [/quote] Stonking!

Thank you kindly, sir.. I'm a total convert on the digital mixing front, it wouldn't upset me to never touch an analogue console again. I occasionally look on eBay for higher end analogue / VCA style desks such as Allen & Heath ML and Soundcraft MH models and consider a rack full of outboard but then thankfully reality sets in! They're very cheap these days considering they were 10 to twenty-grands worth of premium console not so long ago. Incidentally, the biggest console I ever used was an Allen & Heath ML5000 which was a 56 channel monster. I suppose the same could be said of the 02R (and my former 328XD) on the money front, both worth a fraction of their new cost but I guess thats progress. The biggest 'faller' I've seen in the last 18 months or so is the (not so) beloved Yamaha LS-9 in both 16 and 32 channel guises. I've seen 16s go for as little as £1250 and even 32s in the £1850 zone which considering what they'll do (not how they do it!) is a monsterous amount of bang for buck.. As for my consoles, I don't see me changing them soon and I know I said that about the Soundcraft but the capabilities of the two Yamaha desks is perfect for my setup. I'm very comfortable with how they work plus the bonus capablity of the Unity card especially with it's extended I/O rivals more modern setups. I'll snap some more pix when I get chance.

Unity card and 2.16 chips installed into the second (well, first really) 02R and we're on! The card has both engines active and both are set to M2000 which as this console is my live console, it's the perfect setup! As it's Wednesday, tonight has been open mic / acoustic night and a perfect opportunity to try a couple of those luscious TC reverb patches and on a couple of appropriate occasions a subtle bit of TC chorus on picked guitar parts. I left the internal Yamaha FX muted all evening to concentrate better on the TC effects and they certainly didn't disappoint to the point where one of the regular attendees commented and asked what was different and how big it sounded. Lastly, despite previous plans, I don't think I'll bother cascading the consoles as they now both have a UnitY card and if I install my cascade cards into each, I'll lose the extended routing capabilities. This will cost me channels that I'm not prepared to give up and almost defeat the point of two consoles so I think they may go back on eBay. I'll also have to give up my AES / EBU cards if I cascade as I'll run out of card slots too. All in all, it's all good!

[quote name='Deedee' timestamp='1459709066' post='3018843'] Just to give you guys an update, I've this afternoon pushed the button on a Hexavalve so once it arrives, I'll let you know how I get on. In the mean time, if there are any specific tips and tricks regarding one of these particular old heads, please let me know. [/quote] Superb! Nice one fella.. My only advice would be as the same as any other valve amp: A:) Make sure it's connected to the correct load so for example if you're working at 4 ohm, make sure it's on the 4 ohm tap. Some amps tolerate it better than others but the output valves / transformer prefer to work at their correct loads. B:) Have it checked over by a competant tech from time to time as old components can drift out of value and electrolytic filter caps dry out over time both of which will have a detrimental effect on the sonics of the amp. C:) Valves wear out over time and proportionally to how hard you use them so budget for that - 6 x KT88 / 6550 aren't cheap! Try different brands and models as each have their own sonic signature. When it does come time to change it's probably best to have a tech do this if you have no experience so he can re-bias the amp although something is telling me, the older Trace amps had a fixed / none adjustable bias. Again, a competent tech will be able to mod the amp to make it adjustable if it's already been done. Lastly, enjoy it! I'll eat my hat if you don't like it..

Well still no cascading as I've been terribly lazy but i've bagged another Unity card. The seller was unsure of the license status which un-nerved me a little but they have said if it doesn't work as it should, they'll offer me a full refund which seems more than fair enough. It also comes with the 2.16 operating chips so hopefully we should be all systems go, Forgot to add, it's an Adat / Tdif version with extended I/O..

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1459429663' post='3016483'] looking good Matt! [/quote] Just a shame about my face! Ha! Cheers Tom.

Indeed it does! Ha, cheers man.

I managed to get a picture from Sam.. [URL=http://s778.photobucket.com/user/VTypeV4/media/IMG-20160330-WA0000_zpshtihzljq.jpg.html][IMG]http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy70/VTypeV4/IMG-20160330-WA0000_zpshtihzljq.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Must have been a really important note that one! You can just see the Trace and SWR in the background...

[quote name='longtimefred' timestamp='1459378646' post='3016082'] Do it, you will not regret it. [/quote] This.. ^