Al Krow

19 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

Problem solved it seems. I've put an 80Hz HPF on the guitar channel and Mike has made some adjustments to his fx, we gigged last night (at a different but still cramped venue) and not a hiccup. When we go back to the venue where the problem happened we'll sound check those patches before we start but I don't anticipate any issues.

Bit of a basic question from me, but...

if the low E string fundamental is 81Hz, will setting the HPF at 80Hz for the guitar channel have an impact?

I guess it's a string harmonics question ie do strings generate sub harmonics as well higher ones?

16 minutes ago, acidbass said:

Yes me too, looking forward to hearing them.  For the cost it's worth the risk.  I'm buying on a recommendation and they appear to have one extra balanced armature (5) compared to the ZS10 Pro X (4) so maybe that might be good for us low enders!

It's an interesting one. Not sure more armatures necessarily equates to better performance though, or what the optimum number is! The consensus seems to be the KZs outperform (and are considerably better value) than Shure IEMs, which have fewer armatures but not necessarily the Sennheiser's which also have fewer 😊

19 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

I find that as well with my IE400 (and 100 before them). 
What i noticed is they are more balanced and so smoother sounding. Sometimes i wonder if they are loud enough as i do still hear they band a little. 
When i had the KZ’s briefly they did sound louder and more in your face (or ear). More noticeable i guess, but with too much high end to make them sound comfortable for me. I felt they were making their presence known more and not really blending in. 

Interesting you're picking up on the volume point, too, Dave. My key starting point is being able to hear myself clearly i.e. cutting through the mix on my IEMs for bass, I guess in the same way that a vocalist is primarily concerned about hearing themselves sing. It's complicated slightly by using mid priced Xvive U4 wireless with our IEMs, and if I am having to max the volume then other interference issues can creep in, so having a set of IEMs that cut through well without being pushed is very helpful.

16 minutes ago, acidbass said:

My ZS10s died on Saturday night at a gig - I think it might be the cable, but after 3 years service in my pub duo I think it's about time for a new set!

 

I went for the KZ ZSX this time on a friend's recommendation.  6 drivers per side.  Bass is supposed to sound very good through them.  This time I also added a braided 8 core cable for some extra reliability.  Total cost was $49 for the ZSX and $31 for the cable.  Very confident that I will have a banging set of phones for around £70 all in (I also recommend the Comply foam tips, Sonicfoam also supposed to be very good).  I usually use JH Audio Roxannes for my touring band and have been very happy with the KZs for pub gigs. 

Thanks - I've just done a quick search and the ZSX seems to have been around since about 2019 i.e. a successor to the ZS10 Pro, but predates the more recent ZS Pro10 X. Reviews online seem a little mixed e.g. this one:  KZ ZSX review: differently - Soundphile Review, but that's not to say they won't be very decent - look forward to getting your thoughts on them.

Thanks @warwickhunt, it's a good shout. I find my IE 300s to be a little quieter / less bright than the KZs and need to pushed harder to get to a comfortable stage volume. And our guitarist is using a stage monitor which is providing unwanted competition!

Looking to get a replacement pair for my KZ ZS10 Pro set (which seem to have gone absent without leave perhaps at a recent gig venue!)

In the KZ IEM range there seem to be the following upgrade options (current prices on Amazon):

KZ ZS 10 Pro X (£49)

KZ AS 16 Pro X (£70)

KZ ZAR  (£95)

Been a fair bit of discussion about the KZ ZS 10 Pro X and some on the AS 16, but I've not seen anything much on here about the ZAR and just wondering if anyone has gone for them or the AS 16 Pro and felt they've been worth the money, particularly if you've previously had either the ZS 10s or Pro/X models.

At the end of the day, manufacturers of kit are commercial enterprises who need to turn a profit or they go bust. Pricing strategy has to be carefully thought through and got right, and all companies' management will regularly look at the impact of pricing on their sales and margins. If they have built up a brand which allows them to premium price, well good for them!

As consumers we pay our money and make our choices: no one is forcing anyone to buy particular kit - there is so much choice around at all price points from budget to boutique. And nothing to stop us buying used either.

@Salt on your Bass? - my personal experience is I've loved my Mesa M6 amp - its put every other D class amp I've had to shame and it's clearly a quality product, although it's a hybrid class A/B rather than class D, I believe.

It's actually just been taken off my hands, as I'm no longer using backline for gigs these days, by a pro bass player for a very decent price (£900 plus P&P), which is not too shabby for an, albeit well looked after, 10 year old amp I bought back in 2014 and have used pretty much every day since - its value no doubt helped by the current scarcity of supply in the UK.

On the price point discussion: there's plenty of stuff that's not going to be in any particular individual's price range - I'd love a Wal bass, but I'm not forking out £5k+ for one! You could well argue that a Harley Benton does the job equally well and, in the right hands, it likely does. But surely that's not the point? 

1 hour ago, JohnDaBass said:

Wow, now that is a huge error. 

At least my B6 talks to Zoom guitar Lab so swapping patches from B1 Four is easy.

It's hard to believe that the Zoom techies overlooked a desktop solution. 

I did have some GAS to build a new pedal board around  a B2 Four, but your confirmation has doused that fire until a desktop solution appears. 

Thanks John

Hopefully no such clanger on the MS-60B+ due out in the next couple of months. 

Can the Zoom G2-4 be hacked to use with bass? And / or do the patches work reasonably well on bass anyway?

The compact form factor is appealing and Andertons have these available now for £129, which seems very good value.

On 25/10/2023 at 20:50, Chienmortbb said:

I was going to say that, but then I thought I should do some more listening, even recording but the main thing is it all seems much clearer than the B1-Four. 
I am struggling with a bug, but will try to get some recordings comparing the two units, either Tomorrow or Friday. 

Added Monday 30th   Still got the bug, so don't hold your breath.

Wondering if we might still be able to get you to do an A/B of the B2-4 vs the B1-4 for us? Be great if you could! 😊

4 minutes ago, casapete said:

I was absolutely done in after our acoustic duo at the weekend! I'm 66, and lugging a PA into a venue is 

getting more of a PITA for me, ( especially as don't have to do this in the theatre band I'm in! ) Although a

seated gig, I found it very full on and a touch stressful, which isn't what I was thinking of in my pending

retirement!  Most of our gigs are quite laid back, so a rammed pub on Easter Sunday was probably an

exception. I can't blame my own kit (Fender Rumble 100 combo) either!

Think we'll be looking for a more lightweight / easier to manage PA soon. It's crap getting old!!

We used a pair of RCF 310As for years with a full band when I was still using backline for bass. Great sound and very lightweight - maybe worth checking out?

11 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said:

Great stuff Mickey but what is PHB with one cab ? Not heard this before. Its possibly an age thing LOL

Dave

I reckon PHB is the venue 😊

I've figured out that we all seem to have 3 letter abbreviations ('TLAs' haha). And they're all different to everyone else's!

I'm guessing the "Dark Drive" is the Darkglass B3K? In which case adding an EQ sim in your Dark Drive patch to beef up the low end should deal with that low-end suck you're getting.

2 hours ago, Bluewine said:

Happy Easter Everyone 

 

I haven't had a gig since 3/8. And no gigs acoustic or full band in April.  No communication either. However, the summer schedule looks busy.

 

This is the thing. I'm 30 years older then my band members.  I look at being in a band differently than they do. I'm a

" 1960s guy". Secondly the other members all have careers outside of the band.

 

Regardless I'm still in the best band I can be in. Jumping ship at this point would get me nowhere. 

 

Comments?

 

Daryl

 

Happy Easter to you to Daryl and to our fellow BC'ers.

Yeah, I appreciate where you're coming from here. Personally I think it's really nice if bandmates can be both "band" and "mates". It feels a little too transactional / mercenary / cold for me if I'm giving up a Sat night with my missus and our friends in order to gig, if there's very little interaction or banter with my crew; doesn't actually have to be much but it makes all the difference to a night out if we have a catch up and laugh together between sets and at the end of the gig. Age doesn't necessarily have to be a barrier either - I've several bass chums where 2 or 3 decades can separate them from some of their bandmates age wise, but where there's still a close bond and connection.

Radio silence can definitely be a little disheartening - do you have a band WhatsApp group or similar?

Gents - conceptually that makes so much sense. A compressor is going to be great for evening your dynamics out should you want it to - but with a filter you want the freedom to be able to open it up with those peaks when you are digging in.

We had a good first gig at a new venue just south of Blackheath (SE London). Nice early 8pm kick off and 2 x 45 sets for a very decent fee by pub gig standards. Bank holiday crowd was sparse but welcoming and supportive and, fingers crossed, we'll get asked back.

Our lead singer was away on hols, and I was giving a lift back to our regular dep vox, who's main band happened to be playing at a pub we were literally driving passed on the way home (they have a couple of line ups so its easy for her to swap out and she's keen to dep for us when the opp. arises). So we stopped by and popped in to support them.

Was great to meet her regular crew - really nice bunch and doing a good job. Band leader is a fellow bass player with some really good bass chops on him: The Spicy Notes at Blackheath

Nice end to an all-round good evening out! 

1 hour ago, nilorius said:

I just found the question on my own answer - filter pre or post compressor, but the the best filter on sound - compressor switched OFF. Thanks to all of Your tips.

On 27/03/2024 at 23:36, lidl e said:

So messing around a bit, i am going to confidently say one of the three options, to me, sounds better. The options being pre-comp, post-comp and no comp.

 

My playing is too sloppy to post, but let me try again. 

@nilorius makes sense. Does that tie in with what you were finding @lidl e?

There's plenty of very good octave down pedals, but there's definitely less in the market for good tracking, glitch free octave-up for bass and I've been looking for something for a couple of tracks in our set. Just come across the Mooer Tender Octaver X2 and liking the look of it!

MOOER Tender Octaver X2 Official Video (youtube.com)

Could be a very decent alternative to my Boss OC-5 and, unlike the Boss has presets which could come in very handy for live use.

1 hour ago, Elfrasho said:

 

 

There's a bit of bleed out the main outputs which is a pain but nothing that makes it unusable! Apparently the later models don't have that problem. 

Mine was a brand new around Dec 22. Not sure there's been a newer model since? Our issue was shielding rather than bleed from the main outs.

Are you guys using wired IEMs with it?

15 hours ago, Jack said:

Yes I don't want better sounds on the Stomp, I just want more of them. The 8 block rule is fine if you want 8 gain pedals, but create a patch with a polyphonic pitch shifter and you might only be able to add 2/3 more blocks. 

How good is the poly pitch shifter on the Stomp for tracking? Not come across pedals that do this really well, so this would definitely make the Helix effects worth considering for me (maybe something like a Pod Go).

36 minutes ago, Buddster said:

Probably because the Aux sends for the monitor is Pre-fader (and as most feedback is due to loud monitor volumes) turning the pre Eq gain (ie pre fader) would turn down the monitors too, helping reduce feedback. 

However, turning monitors down using the gain isn't really the way to do it, it should be turned down via the Aux send. 

Channel gains would normally be set at the sound check and not really touched again as it effects everything on that channel (other aux sends, post fader volume etc) 

 

Note. Eq is pre-monitor mix (normally) so adding top eq to get the FoH sound will effect the monitors and this can cause feedback, so taking the top off can help reduce f/b. Even turn the hi eq down on the physical monitor helps. 

That's helpful thanks. We're actually using pretty limited stage monitoring, guitarist has a small Behringer B205D one in the main line up, but otherwise we use IEMs.

Is it the high frequencies that are usually the main culprit for feedback? We've certainly had low end boominess too, which I suspect is not uncommon for many bands at some point.

8 minutes ago, Phil Starr said:

This was a big garden with picnic tables scattered around. It was rural Dorset with lots of space and not so many people. I imagine it's also about angles, I'm only a 32"waist but at 3" away from the transmitter I block maybe 170deg of radiation

Ok - in which case if you were to wander into an audience you would likely face drop outs pretty quickly with the Lekato? If so, the Nux is likely to fare better.  Obvs not an issue if you don't wander into the crowd occasionally though, as I have to 'fess-up to doing from time to time! 

On 26/03/2024 at 11:17, edstraker123 said:

I've just snagged a used green one for £500  on ebay from a local seller I've bought off before. His basses are usually set up with the lowest action of any I've ever played so dying to get my hands on it tonight.

Looking forward to getting your thoughts on it!

In terms of eliminating feedback there seems to be a consensus that cutting the pre EQ input gain on the desk is better than cutting the post EQ faders vol.

Is that the correct approach? If so, what's the thinking behind it given the volume per channel ends up being the same ?