Dood

2 hours ago, franzbassist said:

Which is exactly what I’ve just done! 👍🏻

The natural body with the tort looks super, super nice! (Can't help loving the Deacon-esque vibes!) 

The four basses I was sent to video review were all very, very good for the money. Genuinely impressed (and definitely not paid to say nice things). So, yeah, I do want a natural precision... ha ha!!

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

@Dood thanks for that video! Intrigued that the Zoom H2N doesn't distort even at loud volumes!

 

Do you need to adjust the input levels manually to achieve this or does it do so automatically? I'm guessing the former otherwise you would get variable volume recording?

 

I guess the fly in the ointment is that this set up isn't going to add too much if the band have gone for a silent stage approach and are putting as much as possible through the PA with no backline.

In the scenarios that I had used it in up to the point of recordingt the video, I was pleased that it didn't seem to hit it's maximum microphone SPL. There were times, in very loud environments certain settings on that particular did eventually clip and tehrefore I'd suggest going for the H4 models - the non-32 bit version for example having a theoretical maximum microphone SPL of 140dB. 

Always set the levels manually, I am not a fan of autogain doing it's thing by itself as sometimes doesn't capture loud transients and.. well, that hurts through sensitive IEMs

As @EBS_freak points out, there are many different reasons ambient monitoring may be needed. Even on a 'silent stage' just hearing your band mate calling the next song off mic, or hearing the audience is a useful. I like using the external device when a band doesn't mic up a whole kit (because the venue doesnt need it); the ambient monitor is a nice way to blend acoustic drums back in to an 'ampless stage' earphone mix. I can think of other scenarios, but you get the idea. 

I'm moving to either the Sensaphonics system or something similar with the mics on the IEMs themselves, as I love that I can leave everything on, walk away from the stage and use the pack and IEMs as active hearing protection when the DJ starts banging out the "classics" at 1 billion decibels ha ha!

Here's my (trimmed back) in-depth review of the Barefaced Audio flag ship speaker cabinet, the Big Twin 3!

https://www.bassgearmag.com/barefaced-audio-raises-the-bar-again-bassic-review-barefaced-audio-big-twin-3-bass-enclosure/

The review also includes an HD video, pasted below. As always, bass reviews sound rubbish on little teeny tiny speakers not design for low end, so grab some decent cans or hooj floorstanders to appreciate the tones! (Ok, so YouTube is gonna strangle the audio, but hey, what can I do!)

Here's my original video about using Zoom recorders for ambient mixes.

I'm building a solution (when I get round to it) that could be an interesting tool. The soldering iron needs to come out!

On 09/05/2024 at 08:09, Jolltax said:

Could any users of the Zoom H4 give a few hints on how they have theirs set up, the instructions aren't the best.  I'm trying to to get stereo from the built in mikes and mix it with a mono input from my bass. So far I have only managed to get stereo mikes with bass in one ear, so need to switch the bass input to mono is my guess ...

 

I'm sure I'll get there in the end anyway but any hints appreciated!

 

J

I forget how I used to do mine, but I think that yes, you'd either need to set the input for your bass to mono, or, worse case, buy an adaptor and send the mono signal in to a left and a right input at the same time if the previous way isnt an option - or, instead of an adaptor take the left and right inputs from a pedal or preamp. 

Absolutely stunning!! I've been a fan of George's (and now yours!) ABII for a long while. I'd snap it up in an instance if my kidneys were worth selling! 

1 hour ago, ratman said:

It's a cracking product and I wouldn't be without mine on any gig now.. The only thing that ASI need to sort out ASAP is the facility to make silicone moulds here in the UK. I chased up the UK distributor, 3dwaveaudio, and they told me they need a specialised 3d printer do do this that they don't have. If I get ASI in the US to make them it'll cost me $175 plus shipping and import duty too. @Dood - have a word in their ear please

That's the UK Dist' I'd be given too, hmmm, I find the universals not ideal as my poor lil ears have narrow canals. Full moulds are really the best way for me and if I were to, I'd need to go down that route rather than risk an ear piece fall out mid performance. 

18 minutes ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

As I mentioned elsewhere, I'd be very interested in a deep dive of the cab resonance calibration feature to find out what it does exactly. i.e. is it an optimiser/sweetener like Bergantino's B-amp cab profiles, or can it effectively flatten a typical bass cab with lumpy response and turn it into a passable frfr solution? It would be interesting to hear how the head performs with different cabs and compare the calibration.

I do have a range of cabinets available including a notable FRFR beast, so it will be an interesting experiment that I may include in my Bass Gear Magazine video review. 

15 minutes ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

As I mentioned elsewhere, I'd be very interested in a deep dive of the cab resonance calibration feature to find out what it does exactly. i.e. is it an optimiser/sweetener like Bergantino's B-amp cab profiles, or can it effectively flatten a typical bass cab with lumpy response and turn it into a passable frfr solution? It would be interesting to hear how the head performs with different cabs and compare the calibration.

I've asked for a technical contact at Boss, so I can probe further. The hardware hasn't arrived yet, so I haven't been able to try it myself. I'm intrigued as to how the calibration works. The calibration sounds heard aren't unlike those used to profile equipment in the likes of 'profiling processors'. 

1 hour ago, EBS_freak said:

Exactly. I think a lot of people get obsessed about the idea of ambient, but in reality, most people don't miss it.

I think its like anything in IEM, when it is done properly, you really don't wanna go back to poor mono, congested and painful in-ear mixes on cheap IEMs. I guess it also depends on what you are happy to live with and whether or not the band budget will stretch to what is still perceived as a bit of a luxury.. hearing yourself properly! Horses.. courses..  

On 01/05/2024 at 17:45, ratman said:

ASI 3DME. They're not cheap at £650 but you could easily spend that on normal IEMs. You can use the built in ambient mics to attenuate the room volume, and you can mix in an IEM feed too. I've had mine almost 2 years and I think they're awesome.

 

https://3dwaveaudio.co.uk/

I have a set in to review right now and it's a game changer!! Absolutely and utterly brilliant. I love th eonbbaord EQ and limiter as well as the extra onboard functions. I set the volume control up so I could quickly switch to hear people talking and then right back to gig level without straining, or having to remove an ear piece.

Expect a video very soon! 

I do still have my Marlin Sidewinder, my very first bass  bought in 1989. It's not in a playable state at the moment though.

However, that bass most definitely influenced my purchase of the bass that I have played the longest, my (1989) Power Jazz Bass Special (as seen in many of my videos). Hmm, thinking about it, was it the PJBS in magazine adverts that infleunced the purchase of the Marlin?? Which came first, who knows?? ha ha!!

This isnt my Marlin

, 

THAT advert from Bass Player Magazine in 1989. (Which blows my mind to think that as a teenager, I'd never have dreamed I would write for my favorite bass magazine in years to come! 

It took me until around 2003, maybe as late as 2006 to get my first Power Jazz Special. Here's what it looked like stock.

And here's what it still looks like today with my usual chameleon flip paint finishes, EMG electronics..

I've more to add to the list and will do that as soon as I can. ITS GROWING!!! (You should see the size of my to do list as well! I'm not going to be running short of reviews any time soon, LETS DO THIS!!)

58 minutes ago, franzbassist said:

Looking forward to this.  A deep dive is definitely required for this amp!

I won't let ya down!! In a world full of 5 minute review videos where the youtuber doesn't know their D Class from their DSPs, I am a slave to the details 😁.  I'm really looking forward to this one, especially given the collection of onboard effects on paper seem really useable for the likes of the function / dep player.

On 01/05/2024 at 10:49, Bass Culture said:

Apropos of these videos - why do reviewers hardly ever mention what strings they have on the demo bass?!  Drives me nuts.  Strings have a fundamental impact on your basic sound and they are hardly ever mentioned, so you have no idea to what extent you need to factor them into your response to the particular amp under review.  Clearly, light, steel round wounds are going to present a completely different sound to the amp compared to heavier flats (for example).

I usually mention what strings I’m using, but if I don’t it’s D’Addario Roundwound 😉

Katana 500 and Cab arriving any day now for my usual 4k deep dive 😉 

3 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

I am laying eggs of excitement 

Fair comment. I'd love to be a bit clsoer just to run my paws over a 36" Overwater! Not that I'll be buying any new toys for a considerable while!

17 minutes ago, Vini Sasso said:

 

Thanks! I'm ok with V V T, I like to blend pickups and try different sounds from them.

 

Regarding TBX, the previous owners of the instrument messed so badly w/ the electronics, that it was absent at first. There was just a regular pot in there. I could install a new TBX quite easily, it was a available for purchase, I like it a lot. A bit subtle, but it does transform the way the Bass is perceived tonalwise.

 

The only thing that doesn't check (I am newbie in electronics) is the serial connection between the caps, not only the P splits are in serial. in a Boxer in factory settings, if I drop any of the cap pots to zero, the sound of the Bass altogether is cancelled, no matter what setting the other cap pot is. This is due to the serialized connection. Probably it was intended for a fuller and more aggressive tone?, as a serial connection does imply that all caps with a single output gives a louder signal with a bit of variance in frequencies it seems. Só Maybe that is part of the "voice" of the instrument even though we know that mostly it's about the caps. Fortunately the caps are original, so there's hope. 😊

 

Let's see how it gets.

 

A good trick is to trace out the current schematic (using the same symbols in the diagrams above). It's good practice anyway, but sometimes it helps to visualise where issues are! 

Absolutely. The wiring you're describing is not stock and has been messed about with - especially as it doesn't work properly. If you desire the ability to switch the pickups from parallel to series, it can easily be done with the inclusion of a DPDT switch and you'll be able to have volume controls that work properly too. 

I've used this config on a PJ bass before - interestingly, a bass that had been suggested to have influenced the Boxer range in the first place, but I can't find any authenticity to that story. The series setting will sound a little louder and have more prominent mids in most cases (but not all, depending on the pickups of course - and make sure the phase is correct!!)

So, if you are looking for truly stock, then use the diagram above, but if you're after more options, obviously, seek out a new schematic to follow

Comparing the diagram to the image of the harness, it's looking good. You can see what pins the pickups would have been connected to (absent) and the other shielded cables go to the expected components. You'll be looking at 250K Audio Taper pots for the two volumes and the TBX can be bought still if the one you have doesn't work. 

To be honest, there's nothing really unusual about the harness at all. It's a pretty standard set up, as you'd find in say, a standard jazz bass. Save for the inclusion of the TBX tone control. Finally, the P coils will be wired in series and will hum-buck. The switch configuration means that when it's in the central position the P coils and the J coil will be in parallel to each other which is exactly the same on my Power Jazz basses as well as... well.. countless other 2 pickup basses with one three way switch. (Gibson Les Pauls too etc etc) 

Good luck! They are great basses!

I'm not actually a fan of VVT ha ha, I'd rewire it with a master volume, but of course that would leave you with a DFA control  (I appreciate that might not translate, so here's Lee Sklar's Producer Control to explain) ha ha!

I also just found this old advert for a PJ555 harness too so you can see the components

I’ve three Power Jazz (PJ-755) basses (which are electrically different) but the manual covers some information you may or may not find interesting about the 555 too.

https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10001/OM_leg_bass_Power_Jazz_Bass_Japan_1987.pdf

18 hours ago, Machines said:

 

You are the talent, so to speak. Is there an OF yet ?

Totally! Skimpy top and turbo aircon already delivered! Watch the likes roll in. 

Just now, Dood said:

GR Bass 2x12 slim springs to mind.

ooops sorry, I did just read the above too… oh Lordy….