DaytonaRik

I'm using the Hi-Z input from my XR18 into Reaper and generally run 3 channels of bass - one is usually Positive Grid's BIAS FX 2 simulating a mic'd up cab, the 2nd is a 'free' Tech 21 pedal emulation available here https://www.tseaudio.com/software/tseBOD and finally a clean DI signal.  I also occasionally run a 4th track on a tip from Steve Slate which is the DI channel into a Neve pre-amp sim for gain/saturation.

16 hours ago, TwoTimesBass said:

I normally go via dedicated faders/channels, one per effect though, which I guess is 'dedicated FX return buss' in your question. I usually try and group any FX return channels on the right/bottom of my mix setup which is an old-school hangover from analogue days when the stereo channels were generally on the right hand side of the desk

 

Sort of similar - I know some people who take their individual FX returns and send them to a single "FX Bus" and control the whole FX return gamut from a single fader.  I'm with @Dad3353 - I tend to direct the FX returns that are associated with a given group to that group mix bus otherwise you can end up with unmuted FX returns, or an FX level that sits in correctly in the mix after adjusting the bus level.

Just a quick survey as to how most people route their FX returns?  I know that I can send them pretty much anywhere in Reaper so the how to isn't the question, the question is where do you direct your returns? Is there sonic difference?  Is there a practical reason why one option is preferential to the others?

I miss my Limelight for this very topic

2 hours ago, Beedster said:

Again, experiment Nicko, depending on what voice you're going for, a pop filter (spoffle as Hugh Laurie apparently named them), can take a little bit of the air away from a voice as well. I guess like filtering, don't put something between the source and the desk unless it improves something

I've seen the inside of my SM58 capsule basket - wouldn't want a studio vocal mic to end up like that!!! 🤮

I'm sure many of you will already have this - but for those that don't then head over to TSE and download their BOD Tech 21 VST emulation which I saw demo'd on the SpectreSoundsStudios YouTube channel.

https://www.tseaudio.com/software/tseBOD

Although it can be downloaded completely free of charge, TSE have a suggestion of a minimum donation of $5 for the software which is peanuts and it's a pretty good sim...very usable in it's own right for saturation as well as adding a little growl and bite to your recorded bass tracks.

23 hours ago, Nicko said:

I have a condenser mic that came as part of the Focusrite studio package.  I haven't ever used it and so far have been using a dynamic mic which I have had to return to it's owner as I've quit the band and won't be doing BVs for them. 

The mic that came with the pack has no pop filter and no shock mount.  It it worth using this mic without these two extras or am I just asking for handling noise and too much non vocal mouthiness.

I do have an old dynamic mic which is a Samson S11 which I can use if the condenser isn't really going to work

I realise the answer may well be to try both, but the condenser is in a box in the loft and not immediately to hand so reather then spend the time to track it down I thought you guys would be able ti offer some advice.

My vocals are pretty poor, so a faithful reproduction of my voice isn't necessarily a good thing btw😁.

PM me your address and I'll bang an unused mic-stand clamp pop-filter in the post for you.

On 20/10/2020 at 10:34, Lozz196 said:

Yes, it’s taken me along a long and interesting journey to realise that the tone I use at home isn’t the right one for band use, and that a scratchy/rattly/gainy sound isolated comes across in the mix as a really good bass presence. All learned via Basschat I should add, though I’m sure someone somewhere will provide statistics that prove otherwise 🤣

Some of the Steve Slate tutorials has you doing strange things to a bass track when mixing, really pushing the higher end - 3.2k upwards, duplicating tracks and pushing the pre-amp on the 2nd channel for dirt/drive etc. but yeah, it does work!

3 minutes ago, martthebass said:

The only gig left in the diary this year now cancelled due to tier 3....☹️

We only have a single gig left in 2020 but that's the first week of December - the Tier 3 restrictions are planned to last for up to 28 days...although if they actually continue beyond that then like you we're stuffed!  We haven't even bothered to look for dates into 2021 - do you want to be the schmuck phoning pubs asking for gigs when they're trying their best just to stay afloat, let alone be considering additional expenditure?

1 hour ago, Jus Lukin said:

Nice!

I still find it strange that Marshall no longer make the JMP-1.

It was, and still is a beast of a pre-amp - esp if you get the Voodoo mod done which makes it even more of a beast!  http://www.voodooamps.com/home/Modifications/AMPMODIFICATIONS/MarshallMods1/JMP1Preamp/tabid/150/Default.aspx

They had their dalliance with that horrible CODE modelling head thing that they brought out but I agree that there's still a place for the JMP-1 out there.  Hell - even the guys from Leps and Maiden only replaced their JMP-1s in the last couple of years.  I think Gibbons still uses his in his live rack?

26 minutes ago, Jus Lukin said:

You know what, Rik...

I did- and then took out the wireless and moved it all to a 3u! 😆

It wasn't an Ashdown amp, but still...

Back in my guitar-playing days this was the Behemoth!  The top rack was a reasonable weight given that the JMP-1 weighed in around 5kgs...shame that the same can't be said for the 29.5kg Marshall valve power-amp!

On 03/10/2020 at 15:07, Jus Lukin said:

I'll go with 3u with a rack tuner!

Go 4 with a rack wireless in there too!

Or if you already have a Behringer X series desk (XR12/XR18 or X32) or similar digital desk then you can use that

1 minute ago, Beedster said:

Ah, OK, fair enough, apologies if that came across as rude. I've tried to teach some non audio folks how to use recording software recently and language was a real problem, and it's not just language, its the concepts that the language refers to, because many of those are completely alien to many folks, a bus being a good example! 

No worries.  In Reaper you can quite easily create 10 audio tracks, and then process each track individually without knowing how to send things to effects on dedicated channels.  Sure, it may be a little more long winded, but you can work that way until your knowledge slowly expands and you learn more streamlined and efficient ways of doing the same tasks.  In Reaper, a channel is just a channel - you decide what you send to it, or where you send it.

9 minutes ago, Beedster said:

You've just disproved your own point there Rik, you're using classic studio terminology found in so many of the manuals and tutorials for DAWs that to many people, including the O/P perhaps, means it might as well be written in Lithuanian

No - not at all - you can make a very simple mix, or you can start to get clever with buses, effects aux, groups etc.  As you learn you can add to the complexity of the mix, but Reaper allows you do be productive from day one.

Surely most musicians who have ever looked at a mixing desk understands mute groups?  A bus is no different, a collection of similar instrument channels routed through a single fader for common processing or control

1 hour ago, Jakester said:

I have Reaper. Cheap it is, easy to use, less so. 

Really can't disagree more with that @Jakester - Reaper can be as simple or as complex as you want - groups, aux's buses, virtual groups, mix buses - it's got it all.  Perhaps its drawback is that it's TOO flexible - any channel can be directed to any other - then onto anywhere else.  Start simple, then build up to more complex mixes.  My vocal process will regularly have 10-12 channels of audio and processing, but I can adapt that as needed to suit the needs of the track.

Another Reaper recommendation here - it's as powerful as anything else out there, flexible, and very cheap i.e. free for evaluation (never ending!) or £58 for a licence.  Loads of vids on YouTube and a massive user base all willing to help out.

The visuals can be updated with skins so it can look much more modern if appearances are important

4 minutes ago, cetera said:

Slightly misleading title there.

Should be "Bloke who played in AC/DC for a few weeks, 45 years ago, dies....

Stops anyone thinking that Cliff Williams has passed away...

I saw the post title and immediately thought "Feck no!"...then I read the post and the world was all good again!

8 minutes ago, Beedster said:

I think it's simpler than that Rick. If you don't know whether or not your band is professional, it isn't

Not quite that simple though - our drummer is classed as a professional as music is (or was) his sole income either by playing (even just in multiple pub bands) and teaching.  So whilst we're not a professional band, we do have a professional band member.

1 hour ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Exactly. This is why the nation is getting its knickers in a twist. It doesn’t matter whether what you want to do fits whatever guidelines. COVID is on the up and we’re going into winter. Do your bit and do everything you can to limit unnecessary social interaction. I’m astonished why anyone would do otherwise.

This - in spades.  The issue seem to be that people are all too willing to find loopholes to avoid being responsible members of society, the "I'm alright" brigade.  It doesn't take much...be sensible, avoid unnecessary interaction, limit contact with others in as practical a way as you can.  Sadly, this currently means that amongst other things I can't play or watch gigs but, you know, that's a whole lot better than being one of the 0.4% (or approx 360,000) of our population for whom C-19 could prove to be fatal.

But back to the o/p's point - to me no, a pub band is not a professional band.  My reading of the guidelines would indicate that music and the arts covers seated (or standing) professional performances in appropriate ticketed venues - not 4 guys playing yet another godawful version of Wishing Well down the Dog and Duck!

Mine is also the same as the model as above - ultra-thin edge, no CD Rom built in with the trap door below the rear vent behind the stand (introduced 2012) although this foolishly only applies to the 27" models,, not the 21.5" models. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201191#note

5 minutes ago, songofthewind said:

I would not want to try to upgrade the RAM in the same machine: you have to remove almost all of the internals to get at the RAM. There are loads of instructional videos on YouTube, and parts on eBay.

RAM upgrades on most iMacs (2009 onwards IIRC) are via a trapdoor at the back/bottom of the case.

Screen shots for CPU and memory usage (2014 iMac with 24GB RAM, Quad Core 3.5GHZ i5) running 40 tracks in Reaper comprising 17 tracks of recorded audio, 12 midi drum tracks plus various bus/processing tracks and a total of 47 channel/bus processing or virtual instrument plugins across 30 of those tracks.

2 minutes ago, songofthewind said:

This. Swap out the slow HDD for an SSD, and prepare to be amazed at the transformation.

My model had the 1TB fusion drive from new - not quite SSD speeds but plenty fast enough for me

My late 2014 model still has plenty of oomph for home recording so you may be able to cast your used net a little further afield and go for a slightly older model?  This is running a 3.5ghz quad core i5 with 24GB ram and has more than enough for Reaper and all the Slate plug-ins I can throw at it without skipping a beat.

The latest project has 17 tracks of audio and 12 tracks of Slate 5 midi Drums giving, with various instrument buses, a total of around 30 tracks with either Bias FX 2, Slate Drums 5 and Slate VMR plus other assorted Slate plugins or a combination of them on each channel.