Greg Edwards69

Hey - I noticed in the manual that this device also has a pitch-shift effect. How well does this work, sound and track? For instance as an octave effect or to simulate BEAD tuning? I haven't had much luck with pitch shifting on cheaper devices as it's quite a processor-intensive effect.

And there's the rub. It's not for everyone. For me, I carry a couple of "hope-I-never-need-to-use-it" backup items to every gig, such as my Sonicake flyrig, and my Jackson Minion that sit in a gigbag and don't get touched until they go back in the car (although I do play the Minion at home). I also have a Boss Pocket GT that I use at home for headphone practice. It's fine, but I wouldn't want to gig with it, even as an emergency backup. It's just not built for such a purpose. The Pod Express ticks both of those boxes for me and could easily do double duty as a home practice device and a "hope-I-never-need-to-use-it" backup. What's more, it's made with the same algorithms as my Helix, so it should sound even closer to my usual sound.

I totally get that (and that mvave device looks fab) but it's nice to know there's something out there that if I need it at a gig, it should sound almost the same as my main helix patches. and isn't massively expensive, even if it doesn't have XLR.

I used to coordinate my straps with my instruments. But these days, I value comfort over looks, (not to mention, I can count on zero hands the number of times my strap design/colour choice has been complimented), so I use plain black neoprene straps such as the Neotech Megastrap or Comfort Strapp on my main basses. EDIT: Oh and FWIW, I have a strap permanently attached to every bass. I was an advocate of strap locks for years until the supplied button strap screw on my Attitude kept working loose. . I got fed up tightening it up again all the time and realised I had a dedicated strap for each bass, so why am I taking them off and putting them on all the time? I figured the issue was the screw thread was slightly different to the original (which wouldn't fit in the strap button). I replaced the straplocks with the original buttons and screws, attached the strap and put on some rubber washers. It's been rock solid ever since. I did the same to my other basses, and continued to do so on every new bass since as I believe the simple act of taking a wood screw out and putting it back in weakens the thread. If I don't touch the screw, it won't fail.

Another story, from many years ago so the details are quite hazy. My first ever band, mid nineties, from Canvey Island. I must have been around 17 years old at the time. Me on bass (plugged straight into our cheap PA - not even a DI box - yes we were quite poor), my brother on guitar (with a Vox AC50 he bought off a mate for next to nothing) and my mate Kelly on drums. Our PA was an old, very basic, powered mixer - (like those ones in rehearsal rooms, but worse - probably only had about 4 channels) and a couple of Wemm 4x10 columns we acquired from someone for free. Anyway, we were hired by a local impresario to play at his street party. It was apparently his way of thanking his neighbours for putting up with his noisy comings and goings at all hours. He told us that he knew Peter Green's family (another Canvey native) and that Peter's niece was coming along. She approached us after we played and said our version of 'Albatross' was one of the best she had heard in years. Unbeknownst to us, someone had recorded it as well. Fast forward a couple of weeks later and my brother bumped into the same girl. She told him she had played the tape recording to her Uncle Peter and he was very impressed and started reminiscing. Not long later, Peter came out of his self-imposed hibernation with his "Splinter Group". I'd like to think we had something to do with that.

I've had a set of Elacin custom moulded ones for years, but I never got on with them in my band. I think the included -25db filters were just too much. However, I took them to a metal night gig at the weekend, where my apple watch told me it was peaking around 105db, and they worked very well - even if my ears have changed. I've tried a number of universal fit plugs over the years and struggled to find a good one. Docs Pro Plugs, Alpine, Klaisen audio sheilds and more recently I've been using Earasers. The latter have a different type of filter that only reduces the harmful frequencies. They sound okay, but never stay in place. I've had my eye on the Mineundo plugs. These have an adjustable filter from -7db to -25db which seems ideal. But they're pricy for a universal fit and I've read mixed reviews, particularly about them falling apart. As such, I've just bought a set of Loop Switch plugs. Similar idea, but a third of the price and has a range of -17 to -25db. I haven't been able to test them properly yet as I've had a blocked ear problem for a few days (likely exacerbated by practicing at home with over-ear headphones sat and sun, then that loud metal gig sat night and a band rehearsal sunday evening - both with earplugs). But I'm hoping to go to a gig on Sunday, so I'll take them with me. The alternate solution is noise cancelling earbuds. Many modern models, such as the AirPods Pro 2 include a transparency mode. This work in reverse to noise cancelling and purposely lets sound in, with the intention of feeling like you don't have anything in your ears, but crucially, with a limiter - set to 85db on my AirPods Pro. It works okay, but you can tell it's digitally processing the sound and alters the tone a little, and how much is actually attenuates is debatable (I reckon foam tips could improve matters). But if you already have a set of buds, it's work checking out and this article is worth a read.

I played a few gigs with a guitarist friend (Clive Murray) who had released an album of instrumental rock (satch/vai type stuff). He's quite good actually, check him out* Anyway, we played a "festival" on London around 2003 called Jemfest, organised by the Jemsite forum, for lovers of all thing Ibanez, pointy, instrumental rock. We shared the bill with Rob Balducci (who told me he loved my tone). And a relatively unknown Herman Li of Dragon Force fame joined in the end of the evening jam. *FWIW, I recently supplied bass for a couple of tracks of Clive's new album 'Love and Painkillers'. Please do check it out if you like that kind of that kind of thing

I'd love to know how the pricing structure is calculated. HX One: $299 = £249 Pod Express: $179 = £199

Allegedly $179 in the US. So probably £3,000 in the UK

Looks great to me. Pretty much everything I need in a backup or even flyrig type device. Sure, there’s always going to be things missing for most people (for me it’s the SVT4Pro model, pitch shift, recharagle internal battery and Bluetooth) but it ticks a hell of a lot of boxes. I wonder if future firmware updates will add more effects to choose from and maybe swap them in and out.

And now we have the new Pod Express that can do four effects at once and amp/cab modelling. Line 6 have answered a lot of prayers here. https://line6.com/podexpress/bass-effects

You might be surprised at what a good frfr speaker can do as backline. GRBass are now making active cabs all the way from a 1x10 up to a 2x12 and 4x10. Or just a single Barefaced Big Baby with an appropriate head could possibly perform just as well as your rumble combo and extension cab. For me, I've only ever used single-speaker combos as backline. My humble Headrush FRFR-112 "feels" remarkably similar to the markbass head and 1x12 cab I used to use. It certainly more than matches it for volume and frequency response. But like @BigRedX, I only use mine for rehearsal, or if I really, really need backline on stage. Otherwise, I'm direct to PA with IEMs in my band, or we ask for decent foldback if PA is provided. And similar again, I'm looking to downsize my frfr speaker to a Yamaha DXR10. Both my guitarists use one each and our PA tops are DXR12 speakers. They are more accurate than my headrush, and it would make sense for me to have something that I can tweak my patches that sounds similar to the PA.

I largely agree with @BigRedX. I've been using my Helix LT for around 5 or 6 years now. I honestly think the Helix platform is the most fully featured and accessible multifx unit around for bassists at a reasonable price. Not to mention they keep adding new features, for free. It's not perfect - there's a couple of things I'd love to see addressed in a future hardware update (Bluetooth audio streaming and Bluetooth midi, more than one split on a path, USB-C, a proper synth engine) but they are no deal breakers. And when I look at alternative hardware, I struggle to find anything that does exactly what I want it to do in one box, that I know I can achieve with the Helix. In fact, I struggled for years with other multifx and stompboxes, sometimes mixing them together. Nobody made a unit at the time that was affordable and did everything I needed it to do (split and parallel paths, global eq, specific drive and multiple compressors). Then the helix came along and it ticked pretty much every box on my wish list. And it completely changed how I thought about live rigs, in that I don;t need an amp and cab on stage anymore. Going direct to PA and/or a personal frfr speaker with amp modelling is one area I really wish I had explored much earlier, even with older multifx units I've had (I sometimes get the urge to pickup an old Boss GT6B just to see if I can program it better with the experience I've gained over the years).

Thanks Bill, I think I just about understand the science! The test room was a large rehearsal room. Let's say around 18m x 10m. Band set up at one end in usual gig configuration. Top speakers on either side of the "stage" area , probably around 1 meter from each wall - so about 8m apart. Sub on the floor next to 1 speaker - around 1m to 1.5m from the wall. With some test music playing through the system, and walking from one side of the room to the other at the opposite end of the room you could definitely hear the difference in low-end content. It's also worth noting that the DXR12 tops have a lowest hpf setting of 100hz, so the sub is set to match. Personally, I feel it would be better if they could be set to 80hz. If I understand you correctly, the adjacent wall to the sub increased the boundary effect, and therefore combined with the listening position increase the, shall we call it the "locality" effect - the ability to locate where the sound is coming from. Therefore, in some typical pub venues where the tops and sub are in open space with no directly adjacent walls, there should be less of the "locality" effect? The next two gigs should be ideal for experimenting with this. The first is a large long room with a wide and shallow stage riser. The sub can easily go directly in the middle. The next is a wide pub with about 5m+ of clear space either side of the stage, but the stage protrudes in the middle into the "dance floor" area, so the sub has to go on one side of the protrusion so people don't fall over it. With both gigs there'll be opportunity to play some test music though the system when we set up.

A couple of articles I have found useful on subwoofer placement How to Correctly Place a Subwoofer in a Room - Live Sound (qsc.com) Bass In The Place (soundonsound.com) My band only has one sub. Two would be ideal, but it is what it is, and we can only load so much into cars. We tested a couple of sub woofer positions in a "technical rehearsal" a few weeks ago. I readily admit that prior to this I was misinformed about "omnidiectional sound" of low end. It does not equal being unable to locate where the sound is coming from - just that it fires in all directions. Putting the sub next to one of the speakers sounded great on that side of the room, but you could definitely tell the bass was lacking when standing on the other side of the room. Moving it to the middle, along the same plane as the tops solved the problem and it sounded great. I But, as we all know, this isn't always viable in some venues, so we will have to make do with putting it to one side. We will just have to make a judgement on the best side to place it for maximum coverage. In hindsight, we should have had a play with the contouring switches on the DXR12 tops with the sub on one side. These speaker have a hpf switch (100/120hz) and a contour switch that has a FOH mode which gives a gentle push on the low end - apparently, this is designed to alleviate the low-end loss you get by putting them up on poles. I would be inclined to try this if we need to put the sub on one side due to logistics

There was a few reports in this thread on Head-Fi, including this chap (direct link) who had exactly the same issue as me. I'm hoping superglue will work for me as it did him. Sennheiser IE 500 PRO (and newer models) vs Sennheiser IE 800 S | Page 9 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org These are the first IEMs I've had where the capsule is separate from the main housing. Whilst probably easier to manufacture and repair, it's also a point of failure. There's every chance the previous owner kindly cleaned them with alcohol and weakened the glue holding the capsule in place.

On @dave_bass5 recommendation, I finally sourced a set of Sennheiser IE 400 Pros for a very good price, used, via eBay. Full set of unused tips, cleaning tool and case. The only issue was the Sennheiser cable was knackered but the seller included a superior third-party cable. All for about £100 inc postage (around a third of the new price). Very happy bunny. I've only had a chance to test them with particular tracks I always test with, plugged into my MacBook, but first impressions are great. Nice, comfortable fit and the sound signature is similar to my ATH-M50x on-ear headphones, which is exactly what I wanted. None of the drastic V-shape and shrill top end my KZ ZS10 Pro X have (although, I'll still use these as spares). So a smooth mid-range, clear top and slightly exaggerated and very deep low end. Now the bad bit. While trying out the different tips to find the best fit, the small tip on the right earpiece was proving difficult to remove. Being a very small tip, I must have gripped it too hard as the capsule started coming out of the housing! I managed to push it back in and align it and it seems okay, but I'm obviously concerned it could happen again, even by just pulling it out of my ears it started to dislodge again. Looking into it, it appears to be a known issue with this design - particularly if the user cleans them with alcohol wipes, which can break down the glue holding the capsule in the housing. It could have already been like that when I bought them, but I have no proof, Or I could have damaged them myself, so I can't send them back for a refund. As ever, that's part of the risk buying used. Other users have fixed this issue with super glue applied carefully with cotton buds or toothpicks - I have some water-thin superglue (that I bought for filling a nut slot with baking powder) - so I'll give that go - very carefully!. If I can't fix it and it proves to be unreliable at gigs, I can buy a single earpiece for around £150, which is still less than buying a complete set new. Or I get a brand new set, with a warranty, and keep these for spares.

The Yamaha Attitude LTD2 in my profile picture. I haven't played it for a couple of years since getting my considerably cheaper G&L Tribute JB2. My band has been doing fewer heavier rock gigs lately and more pop stuff, and the G&L just works better in this context. The G&L is also lighter (although I did replace the Attitude's tuners with Ultralites not long before getting the G&L - my back was playing up around that time and I had to do something to make it more comfortable. Not to mention, I really need to spend some quality time with the Attitude and my Helix - dialling in some dedicated presets for it. Not only is the dual outputs on the bass and Pierce preamp model one of the reasons I bought the Helix, but it's a very, very loud bass and I can't use my regular presets without substantial tweaking. If I can replicate my main gigging presets for the Attitude, with or without dual channels, I may start gigging it again. PS, my old No.1 bass before the Attitude was a Warwick Thumb BO 5 string. I kept that around, unplayed for about 7 years before finally realising I didn't need it and sold it.

I was going to mention RyanAir, but unfortunately for me, they are a necessary evil for visiting relatives aboard. So as much as I want them to be dead to me, they are still alive... for the time being.

Halfords. I bought a Carerra folding bike from them several years ago - at the time I thought it made sense. Regretably, I sold my (low end) Claude Butler road bike not long after getting it. Around 7 or 8 months later, one of the folding pedals started getting very loose. I took it back and was told that moving parts are only guaranteed for 6 months! I replied (loudly) along the lines of "are you saying everything apart from the frame has an expected lifespan of 6 months? If so, your bikes are not for for purpose and are dangerous!" They then agreed to replace the pedals free of charge (which took a while to order the parts). A few month later, I was cycling home from work and the right pedal fell off whilst going round a round-a-bout. Scared the crap out of me. I had to push the bike about 2.5 miles home - handily past that same Halfords. I went straight in struggled to stay calm. They looked at it and saw the thread inside the crank arm had cracked - then tried to pull the same crap about the moving parts guarantee. I said, absolutely no! You replaced these pedals, it's your workmanship that nearly caused me to have an accident on a busy round-a-about. They agreed to fix it, again, for free. I then ordered a Specialized hybrid bike from Cycles UK via the cycle to work scheme, and sold the folding one as soon as I could.

Another vote for Wetherspoons. Try this instead: Neverspoons - Find yourself an alternative pint while also supporting local independent pubs and bars.

Another vote for the Neotech Mega Strap. I've got a Comfort Strapp too, but I prefer the Neotech. The Comfort Strapp design is comfortable, but too stretchy, whereas the Neotech feels more solid, but retains the same level of comfort and relieves the weight of the bass. Neither is too grippy - which I prefer - I'm not too fond of suede-backed straps that tug on your shirt.

Comply foam tips do "go off" after a while and need replacing. A build-up of sweat, body oils and ear wax will see to that. The trouble is, I usually don't realise that that's the problem when they don't stay in place anymore.

It's not something we've tied doing yet as we've only had the chance to use it once in a "technical rehearsal" to set the thing up. But what you can do is record a soundcheck. All things being equal (such as guitar levels, drum mics positioned correctly etc) you could rock up to a venue, set up the PA and soundcheck to set eq for the room without actually playing an instrument!

We've been using a shared gmail calendar for a few years. There's pro and cons really. It's free and easy to access on any device regardless of platform and other users don't have to sell their soul to use it. And you get a shared email account for band booking that you can all access. But, security settings can sometimes cause issues signing in. You need to turn off 2-factor authentication etc for others to sign in if they're not near the admin at the time. Even with this turned off I've still had messages asking me to check the code on somebody else's phone, and I'm the admin! The other issue is if some of the users are a little technically challenged, it's easy for the google account to get polluted with everybody else's crap, such as notes, or map information. Or as one of my colleagues, not realise they were sending emails from the band accounts. I'm also forever nagging people to ensure the shared calendar is up to date, when we get a booking request. It's frequently met with a response of "what's the login?". So... We've been using BandHelper for set lists and lyrics etc for a number of years. Literally yesterday I took the plunge and upgraded to the "plus" level account that includes scheduling. It's going to take some time for everyone to get used to it, but I think it's going to be worth it. All users are able to mark their unavailability in the built-in calendar, such as holidays. And if one of us is dealing with a venue we can setup an event which will automatically notify all band members and prompt them to confirm whether they are available or not. Worth its weight in gold.