rmorris

[sup][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif][size=4]In general you can take all the 'Grounds' to a strip on the stripboard then connect that strip to the chassis (assuming it's metallic of course) by a wire or braid.[/size][/font][/sup]

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1390920397' post='2351300'] Some of that is normal. Without touching the strings, the only grounding (earthing) is back through the amp. The strings, as well as single coil pickups, are perfect antennae for electrostatic noise, such as off of fluorescent lights, in addition to 50Hz (UK& Euro) or 60Hz (USA - Can) hum. What I would be more concerned about is if the bass did not quiet down when a player did touch the strings. That would indicate an open circuit to ground/earth, which is potentially more dangerous. The usual remedies are humbucking pickups, good shielding, good cabling, and mains conditioning. Also, check the entire signal path to make sure there are no ground/earth loops. Finally, if all else fails, EMG actives are internally grounded/earthed. [/quote] But the 'Earth' path back through the amp is usually the only earth path anyway unless the player toushing the strings is touching ( or close enough such that capacative coupling is significant ) something else earthed - mic casing / rack chassis etc. Basically the player not touching something 'earthed' acts as an antennae for noise and connecting to 'earth' potential via the strings / bridge stops this. On EMGs - low impedance actives not the Hi-Z Select types - they have a much lower impedance than 'normal' pickups and are thus less susceptible to noise. They are not regarded as requiring earthing by the manufacturer. It does mean that they have relatively low output levels hence need for on board amplification. Anyway - I think this stuff has already been pretty well covered on this site as BOD2 links to....

Am I correct in thinking MM necks are one piece ? Are they Quartersawn or Plainsawn ? Anecdotally some do seem to 'move' a lot more than others. On a related note my OLP MM2 neck ( one piece maple ) shifts noticeably whilst I have some laminated necks on Westones and Fenix basses which just seem not to move and they're stored in exactly the same way.

Assuming you don't need to be 'industry standard' ProTools(£££££) compatible then : Reaper is pretty much the thing to goto. Uncrippled Demo to try then very VERY cheap licence with long free upgrade period. Good Honest Software. It doesn't come packaged with Sample Libraries / Synths etc but to me ( admittedly abit 'old school') that's like complaining that you're DDA desk doesn't come with a DX7 !!! ) Reaper routing seems to be the best of what I can see.

Yeah - let's get back to dynamics in music. If you have a CD player with an Output level bargraph ( or use the graph type displays on PC Media Players etc ) then look at a typical CD release from, say, early 90s - the meter levels probaly actually go up and down significantly (If I'm wrong then try another CD - from Memory I'd suggest Echo and the Bunnymen : Crocodiles from 198?). Fast forward to 2000+ and they'l probably just wiggle about in the top 6dB. Makes stuff tiring to listen to and unexciting. Give us back our Dynamics !!!

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1392825430' post='2373164'] William Orbit: [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nhmnf"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...rammes/b00nhmnf[/url] he deplores the loudness war, but the Madonna records he's been involved with have been some of the loudest CDs I've ever heard. [/quote] Yeah - but it doesn't mean he necessarily had the final say in the Mastering which is where the 'Loudness War' takes place. The Master Tapes ( Tapes ? - Okay 24 / 96 Masters:-) can be as full of dynamics together with creative compression as required yet still be deadened at the mastering stage by the OTT demands of a label exec :-(

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1392069609' post='2364422'] The fact that broadcast compression for TV and radio makes over-compressed CDs sound weedy has been known for many years. It's well documented in the book "Perfecting Sound Forever". I'll believe that the loudness wars are over when I start hearing lots of mainstream CDs with plenty of dynamic range in them on a consistent basis. Even if all it does is to bring back mastering for the appropriate medium where the promo copies have less compression on them than the retail versions it will be a start. [/quote] +1 Who is the author / publisher of the book referenced ? I recommend a read of "Mastering Audio" author: Bob Katz ; Publisher : Focal Press : ISBN978-0-240-80837-6

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1387747691' post='2315230'] Is it absolutely neccessary? [/quote] It's not absolutely necessary in the sense that the bass will work without it but the shielding will reduce noise rf noise pickup - in practice this means noise from computers, radio transmissions etc. It won't do much at all for mains hum pickup. If you can use copper tape then that would be better than the spray paint. Can use Aluminium foil too though Copper is better. If using Aluminium then 'Turkey' foil is better than normal stuff and this is the time of year when you can get it ! ( It's a bit thicker ) . Copper is best though. Could use both spray and copper . Bas(s)ically need to connect all shields together and enclose the electronics as much as practicable.

How much does the spray primer mentioned by the OP cost to make it unjustifiable? Seems you can get some oil based primer for reasonable cost ? Could use brush on oil based primer. Don't use emulsion paint as not good to combine water and oil based paints and in any case it doesn't do the job of priming the wood as outlined above. I'd suggest primer then undercoat then top coats.with plenty of rubbing down between a few coats of each.

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1384842955' post='2281292'] Logic suggests to use a limiter last in the chain if you have other effects that could generate there own volume or low-frequency spikes. Basically, stick your limiter after anything that could cause a volume or low-frequency spike, whether it be your bass playing or a filter effect or whatever. [/quote] +1 - stick the limiter right in front of the amp if the main object is to protect the amp. On the Thumpinator - you may not need it depending on the frequency response of the amp + cab combined with the limiter ???

just to add that I've never experienced this issue - although without actual experience I would have thought it would happen - so something odd seems to be going on here ? Just one bass or several ? What wood types ?

High Pass Filtering isn't useful here - hum frequencies are usually the fundamental and harmonics of mains frequencies - so 50, 100, 200 Hz .. where mains is 50Hz. You can use Signal Processors to notch filter steeply at the specific frequencies but then you're getting specialised and expensive - pro audio / broadcast type kit. And probably digital which brings propogation delays etc with it which may be an issue for live work. But if recording you can notch it out with a suitable plug in ( or maybe on a digital desk if going through one ). Practically it's good to try moving the bass - It will be quietest in one orientation depending on where the noise sources are.

As a solo thing then 1,3,2 - best first ie 1. But in a band / mix 1 + 2 probably on a par. 2 seems rather dull / muffled for the style of playing. Fingerstyle and Plectrum comparisons would be good. So...what are the basses ( and recording chain ) ?

[quote name='dudewheresmybass' timestamp='1380566062' post='2227217'] Ok. Thanks for the suggestions. I've looked at rs and Cpc. They have them, but to order 2 would cost me something in the region of £17! And all for less than £2.50 worth of parts!! Is there somewhere I could order two without ridiculous postage costs? [/quote] afaik CPC are offering free delivery on ONLINE orders atm with no minimum order value ( I just got a low value order the other day ) See their website.

Thanks people. I'll probably get some Status strings and maybe the half rounds. Thanks for your input.

[size=6][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][sup]A pleasure to deal with. Cheers.[/sup][/font][/size]

Hi. I'd like to try some flats on at least one of my basses without spending a lot of cash as it's more of an experiment atm. Any suggestions for inexpensive flatwounds. Or 'pressure wound' or halfwound / groundwound etc ground wound etc..?

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1380708530' post='2229183'] A 1meg resistor aught to do it [/quote] That will reduce 'switch noise' although it means some very small current might be constantly drawn from the battery. But isn't the issue here likely to be a pop caused by the electronics 'turning on' rather than switch noise or bounce ?

If you're going to use an op amp buffer then you might as well build your own op amp mixer as the parts list will be virtually the same and you'll avoid all the issues that arise out of passive mixing - output loading etc. On op amps do be aware that as good as NE5534s are they do run quite hot. Might want to look at alternatives like OPA134(Texas Instruments) amongst many. Good Luck.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1379718748' post='2216263'] If not, my best guess would have to be that 63v caps were used because they couldn't fit 100V ones in the space and they were relying on the fan to keep the caps cool and raise their resistance to allow for the underrated component that had been selected. [/quote] I don't get that idea - increasing the resistance of a capacitor by cooling ?

yeah - I had it with a particular watch. Never noticed it on a bass but did on a single coil pickups Strat type Ibanez guitar. Maybe higher Z pickups ?