rmorris

just a note to say that there are a lot - and I mean a lot - of fake Duracells out there - google Duracell Fake and see what comes up and ther's a big warning on Duracell website. They look okay until you realise the packaging/card is more basic with a disclaimer about 'not being aligned with the manufacturer' or something on it and the battery itself is a bit roughly made around the bottom etc... Caveat Emptor ( excuse me if my Latin not up to standard ) Any TSOs reading this ?

[quote name='cheddatom' post='229531' date='Jun 30 2008, 10:27 AM']I don't fully understand this, but..... I heard that "star grounded" connectors are better than fully isolated, especially for getting rid of ground loops. I don't know which way it works, but I have a godlyke powerall that I run at least 18 pedals off, and it's noise free![/quote] well 'Star Grounding' applies to the way the whole system is grounded rather than to a type of connector or a way of wiring it. Basically all Ground / 0V points are taken back to a 'single point' ( which raises the question of how big is a single point ? ) and loops are avoided. In the worst case scenario with fx / power supplies this is exactly what you [u]don't[/u] have since the grounds are connected via the screens and the power leads. Some fx have internal impedances etc to break the loop to some extent at least. The bigger the loop area the worse the effect all else being equal so minimising inter-effect connection length and not having excess length on the power lead will help. Those solid jack to jack connectors may be useful. Ideally we'd have well implemented balanced connections but that doesn't happen at pedal level. Isolated supplies ( a transformer secondary for each unit ) or transformers in the audio path between units are a solution. On a slightly different note ( B flat ? ) I've noticed that some of the inexpensive 'six in a bag' type short moulded jack to jack cables ( usually in various colours) have poor shielding at the connectors and pick up loads of noise regardless of the power supply arrangement. Adam Hall do some good quality inexpensive short patchcords with decent quality re-wireable metal - not 'European' Neutrik quality but look roadworthy none the less - I have a couple.

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='216366' date='Jun 10 2008, 06:57 PM']If the power supply was rated for 500mA at 12V then, if it was unregulated, the 'no load' voltage would likely be higher than 12V, as someone has already said. Also, if you put a dead short on it then the voltage would drop below 12V, but the current would go well above the 500mA. If the excess voltage caused one of the solid-state devices to go short, then the resulting current could easily cause a track to burn out. ie the track burning out is probably a symptom rather than the cause. Even if the supply was regulated then 12v is still 33% above 9V! What would you expect your telly to do if you connected it to 320Vac? Behringer stuff is cheap, so it's a bit unfair to expect it to be as tolerant as a Boss or something which costs a lot more, and we don't know how a boss would respond to a 33% overvoltage (dont try it!!). Regards Herr Behringer[/quote] I'd still have to say that it's a poor technical design if it's damaged by what is still a relatively low voltage, especially given the environment in which it's likely to be used. Maybe some of the pedal makers here would like to comment/agree/disagree. The TV analogy seems a bit misplaced as the absolute voltage/current values are much larger and ac. However it's worth noteing that TVs still need to survive specified mains surges/transients in order to pass CE regulations.

[quote name='NJE' post='228145' date='Jun 27 2008, 04:23 PM']I am sure he used to be the guitar tech repairer in Cranes Cardiff. Used to design with Tanglewood as well I seem to remember as I bought a prototype acoustic from them. i could be wrong but I you always remeber a name like entwhistle.[/quote] and wrt "I recall the name in connection with Hohner as well" : Name rings a bell with me too - if it's the right guy I think he was involved with both Hohner ( then based in Carephilly 8 miles north of Cardiff ) and Cranes in St Mary St. Cardiff ( watch out for Torchwood aliens :-) ( I used to live in Cardiff ) Years ago I had a Hohner B2a setup in Cranes which should have been fine if he was in charge but it wasn't that great to be honest - since then I've had it setup at London Bass Gallery although to be fair it did need a fret dress so worked out fairly costly. I have seen a few Alden istruments around and they do look pretty good - haven't checked them out in detail though.

Hi. Following on from various threads on power supplies for effects I was wondering if anyone here has used isolated DC/DC modules to make a supply for multiple pedals / different dc voltages. I know there's a potential issue with switching noise but I've used these (with filtering) for high performance audio circuits in the past. Your input appreciated. Cheers.

[quote name='Wren and Cuff' post='228259' date='Jun 27 2008, 07:52 PM']Any of the voodoo labs p supplies (except the older "AC" version) are great. The keyword here is "isolated". The voodoo labs is basically like having a separate wall-wart for each female jack. I'm oversimplifying here, but you get the idea. It also has a switch for the older boss, arion, and others that require 9V/12V or "ACA" adapters. You can power these on a daisy chain with a regular power supply and a 9VDC pedal, but many times you get weird hum issues. The AC switch on each jack solves that. That is why the voodoo PS's are more expensive. Many of the cheaper look-alike boxes are basically a daisy-chain in a metal housing, some even have a wall-wart to power them! The voodoo is just a standard grounded plug. The new ones have some fancy features that I don't need, so I found a used older model (the "2" I think?) on eBay for $125.00. That was a long time ago and I've beat the hell out of it, and it's never failed me. no, I don't own stock in voodoo labs... matt[/quote] yeah - properly isolated supplies should do it - apart from leakage due to the transformer interwinding capacitance but I'm getting fussy now. ( best solutions would have interwinding shield and appropriate mumetal shielding ) The problem with solutions which seem 'okay' is that it'll probably be okay live / rehearsal where there may be bigger problems wrt noise / ground loop anyway but studio / recording etc can expose a problem.

Can you tell us what guage you have on there atm ? There's lots of other variables but let's start there - I assume they are roundwounds ?

[quote name='Scorchin' post='228272' date='Jun 27 2008, 08:15 PM']Why not just save yourself the cash and run a free software-based drum machine? I can't recommend the Hydrogen music drum machine anymore! Not only can it handle all sorts of time signatures, but it has many different drum sounds that you extend yourself or use the wealth available on the site. Download here: [url="http://www.hydrogen-music.org/"]http://www.hydrogen-music.org/[/url][/quote] Just had a brief look at the site - but it's for Linux only ???

[quote name='1976fenderhead' post='228073' date='Jun 27 2008, 02:56 PM']It should be fine, but I wouldn't go for that one, I'd go for the industry standards, which nowadays seem to be more and more Cubase on PC or Logic on Mac. You can get the light versions of these for a little over £100 (or a little less on eBay, new and sealed). The reason I suggest these is that if you continue using software like this (which is likely), you'll almost certainly end up settling on one of these 2 in the end, and learning the definitive program once is better than learning a few that you'll end up dropping along the way... Logic's light version is better than Cubase's light version, but you'd need a Mac. And Garageband is a great fun program to use, would probably be ideal for you, and the transition for logic is very very easy as they have the same principles. But again, you'd need a Mac. Everyone should have a Mac, really... ;-)[/quote] +1 If going that route and using a PC take a look at Sonar from Cakewalk also. Newest 'proper' Sonar software has enhanced MIDI capabilities but it also comes in 'light' versions I think. Having evaluated both I have to say I found Sonar support both from Cakewalk in USA and distributor 'Etcetera' here a lot better and helpful than Steinberg with Cubase. I think you can still download a demo ( 30 day ) version of Sonar from their site to try out. There is a point to think about in that dedicated hardware can sometimes have better timing than software on computer solutions - depends on the PC setup / MIDI buffers / MIDI handling etc. If you want to be able to see what's going on a software / PC solution is the only way really imo whether you use internal sounds or external hardware. But if into the hardware only approach, apart from the SR-16 etc , the Akai / Roger Linn kit has to be worth a look but it ain't cheap.

[quote name='bassjamm' post='227367' date='Jun 26 2008, 02:10 PM']Hi guys, Just watched a clinic by Victor Wooten. He's using a drum machine that allows you to have 2 bars of drums, then 2 bars of silence, 1 bar of drums, 3 bars of silence, 1 beat, then 3 bars and 3 beats of silence. Does that make sense? If anyone knows of any drum machines that can do that please pipe up. If it can play chords over the top it'd be a bonus, not essentiall though. Thanks Jamie[/quote] Do you definitely require dedicated hardware ? - not a PC / Mac solution. In general you'll need to program the 'drum' bars anyway and then you can insert 'silent' bars as required. But if you can deal with having a PC/Mac/Laptop then you'd have a much better graphic interface on to see what's going on. Maybe use 'e-jay' software for simple copy / paste pattern costruction - not limited to just drums. Or if you want the sounds from a particular drum / rhythm machine run a PC MIDI sequencer controllig the hardware unit ?

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='226622' date='Jun 25 2008, 12:35 PM']i know these leads are going to come apart on stage or crackle after a year of gigging.[/quote] hopefully you meant 'aren't going to..." :-)

[quote name='BigRedX' post='226296' date='Jun 24 2008, 10:46 PM']+1 Peterson if you can afford it Korg otherwise.[/quote] +1 and I also have an inexpesive SEIKO tuer which works fine though I prefer the LED display of my KORG vs LCD on Seiko.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='226296' date='Jun 24 2008, 10:46 PM']+1 Peterson if you can afford it Korg otherwise.[/quote] +1 and I also have an inexpesive SEIKO tuer which works fine though I prefer the LED display of my KORG vs LCD on Seiko.

[quote name='Silent Fly' post='225840' date='Jun 24 2008, 01:12 PM']Thanks Cheddatom. Probably I wasn't very clear. Regarding the voltage divider, I would also use a Zener just to keep the voltage a little bit more stable but a 2 resistors voltage divider would probably work fine.[/quote] The voltage divider would need a bit of maths ( well arithmetic anyway ) to take into account the load and the power dissipation in the resistors. The voltage will alter depending on the pedal as it will be dependant on the current drawn by the pedal. The Zener seems a better solution - though still needing a bit of arithmetic the voltage would vary less with load. Personally I'd opt to implement a 'proper' voltage regulator using something like an LM317 or LM7808 regulator. Or try the simple daisy chain first - much more simple ( any unused connectors on the chain can just be left not connected )

[quote name='cheddatom' post='224729' date='Jun 23 2008, 09:22 AM']I do it on the computer for recordings, yes, but I don't really think it would be practical to use so many pedals/devices on my board for just one function. I certainly couldn't fit a mixer with EQ onto my board![/quote] yeah - I see you point I was really just thinkig more about the sound. I'd have thought chorusing the lows would impair pitch definition but it sounds interesting - I'll give it a go. Cheers.

try again:[attachment=9923:p10160ke599_1_.jpg]

[quote name='clauster' post='194495' date='May 8 2008, 10:48 AM']+1 to Tina Weymouth Also Clare Kenny (Shakespeares Sister, Aztec Camera, etc, lots of session work).[/quote] nice call on Clare - good stuff on Orange Juice tracks. Overall depends on whether looking for best ' solo / muso / tech ' female bass player or female bass player in the best band. Kim Deal in the Pixies - not overtly technical - but there's no-one male or female who would be ( have been ? ) better in that context. There should be gratuitous pic of Suzi and the Fonz around here somewhere - best female singing acting bassist ?

Probaly too short for practical use as a multicore but an odd end: 32 pair Europa = approx 30 inches collect from Brighton (or near Redhill workdays ) if you want it. Cheers

forgot to say the other option is to use a simple 1:1 audio transformer between the fx. eg the Behringer HD400 like I have which has two channels. But you'd have to be happy that the sound isn't adversely affected ? Other brands are available as they say.

It's a 'ground loop'. Although the supplies are not 'earthed' there is still a loop : the pedals have a 0V (Ground) connection by means of the power connector AND another 0V connection through the cable screens. External fields will generate currents in the loop. 50Hz fields are all around especially from transformers and this will appear in series with the audio signal. The magnitude of the hum depends on the external fields and area of the loop - you could try rearranging your cables to try and minimise - run the dc power and audio cables together - tape / ty-rap them together ? Some pedal manufacturesrs take steps against it by resistance in the external power 'ground' connection or similar means which reduces the current. But the 'proper' way is to have isolated supplies for each unit ( or batteries ). You could try the 'trick' of breaking the screen of a cable at one end and putting a resistor ( around 100ohm is usual ) between the cable screen and the connector. Not too difficult to do if you have decent size rewireable connectors. Sometimes it works okay, sometimes not. Do the common multiple output ' dc bricks ' have a common output ground ? - I don't know as I just use seperate supplies. I know that a USA company produces a transformer to use to give isolated 9V /18V supplies - single primary with multiple isolated secondaries to give the ac voltages necessary. But I enquired a while ago and they didn't have a 230Vac version. Now - does anyone in Brighton know how to fix a Worcester Condensing Combi boiler at this time on a Sunday ? And yes - I've checked the fuses :-)

[quote name='Alpha-Dave' post='224119' date='Jun 22 2008, 01:15 PM']I'd just like to add that it's generally better to avoid Monster Cables as they use oversize jack, so that when you first use them they feel really satisfying to plug into any socket as the fit really snuggley, however after weeks or months of use, the jack (in the bass/amp/effect) will become sightly bent, therefore if you need to use a regular cable again, then it won't make perfect contact in all positions and cause popping. Not an issue if you can get inside something to bend the contact back, but it's worth considering. Personally I used to make all my own cables, but now I buy from OBBM.[/quote] apart from those technical considerations there's also legal / ethical controversy around Monster Cable in that they seem to have developed a habit of setting their lawyers on anyone who might use the word "Monster" for their business / trademark etc and ot necessarily just in audio business . if interested see, for example, [url="http://www.madmartian.com/legal/"]http://www.madmartian.com/legal/[/url] I particualrly like the extract: "[i]Number of times "monster" appears in the script for Young Frankenstein: 185 Number of times Monster Cable Products Inc is referenced in the script for Young Frankenstein: Zero"[/i] I do, of course, offer this information without prejudice.

[quote name='tauzero' post='223922' date='Jun 22 2008, 01:20 AM']The original superconductors did their thing at about -270C (I don't think it would be very easy to get anything down as far as 0K). Highest temperature ones now are around -135C.[/quote] right - still a bit on the parky side then :-) anybody like playing in gloves ? more practically resistive impedance of a cable is swamped by the output impedance of the source. Even an active low impedance output eg from a opamp or FET buffer will usually have something like 100ohm resistor in the output for esd protection etc. It's essentially the capacitance, mechanical integrity and electrical contact with the sockets you need to be concerned about.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='222894' date='Jun 20 2008, 01:28 PM']I want a chorus pedal that's kind of the opposite of the CEB3 in that it would chorus the lows (variable) and not the highs, so that you can use it as a sort of "doubler" to make your bottom end meaty without getting the wishy washy splishy sploshy splashy chorus effect.[/quote] have you tried patching this with a pedal / fx and a mixer using the eq to seperate the lows or using a crossover ?