Al Krow

That last point about using an LPF in the master EQ + preferred IR seems to me to exactly chime about what the OP is finding and we found with our guitarist with them both getting a harsh tone. Maybe the core Helix tone is a harsh one, but can be sorted using exactly this fix?

Cheers Russ - could you or @JohnDaBass recommend me a suitable ferrite ring / supplier to thread the cable through please, and I'll gladly give it a go?

Agreed, Russ. Dave's Mackie 802 - analogue and metal case - didn't have the hum issue at all with any of the three U4s we tested last night. The Soundcraft Signature 12 or 12 MTK is similarly analogue & metal cased, but has 3 configurable aux out and a headphone out, which gives us what the Zoom L8 does (but without the setting store / recall ability that the Zoom has, which is definitely a "nice to have"). And the Soundcraft gear seems to get a good rep online. Sadly I think my flirtation with capable budget digital desks may be coming to a swift end...

Yeah - tried a couple of those out and actually come to think of it, I switched to battery power (which the Zoom caters for) and the hum was still present, which I think eliminates the input power as being the cause?

@Woodinblack - thanks! Agreed it's definitely the desk causing the issue - when the desk is switched off and the transmitter & receiver left on, the hum disappears entirely (unless the transmitter & receiver are placed in very close proximity). @JohnDaBass this is definitely a budget / low cost unit (certainly for a digital desk), however the power for the Zoom is an AC adaptor USB --> 5V DC input on the desk i.e. basically the same as a mobile phone. Does that impact your suggestion?

I was actually thinking along exactly the same lines. Getting mixed results ie works intermittently.

Well I think I've got to the bottom of the Xvive U4 hum and it's (sadly) to do with the Zoom L-8 desk (digital, plastic cased). @dave_bass5 very kindly popped round tonight with his missus' U4 and his Mackie 802 desk (analogue, metal cased). What we found was that his U4 also had the same high-pitched hum through the Zoom L8; none of the U4's had the hum (except when the transmitter and receiver were right next to each other) through the Mackie. No such hum audible when wired IEMs are plugged into the L-8, but we're looking to go wireless. Guess that means I'm going to be looking for a new desk in the near future - shame, as the L8 has a lot going for it particularly at its price point. As an alternative to ditching the Zoom L8, just wondering whether getting a little wire box (to act as a Faraday cage) to put the U4 transmitters in would work to shield the transmitters from the L8's EM whilst still allowing connectivity between transmitter and receiver?

Oh I totally agree - and candid views are so much more useful. I was just having a little tease! Hope all's going well for you 🙂

If you want to get something that won't break the bank, a Zoom B1-4 will do this for you and a lot else besides (e.g. tuner, headphone amp, looper and oh yes, it's a multi-fx in its spare time).

Have you ever considered going into sales? 😅

Great board! But TWO colliders?!

@bassbora, because you like the look of the Digitech Mosaic 😊

That's a really interesting (and open and honest!) point you've raised. We had a similar experience with a former guitarist going through a HX Pod Go direct to the PA and getting a really brittle / harsh tone and given then higher frequency range for guitar, I suspect the brittleness we encountered was probably even more noticeable, but perhaps also maybe why the many HX Stomp bass playing users haven't previously commented on this point. Was wondering whether it might have been something that could be fixed by using one of the amp/cab sims on the Helix multifx - but I'm guessing you've pretty much tried them all?

Didn't you have a similar issue with the Hotone Ampero Stomp 2. Sounds maybe like an issue with the PC and cables then, if it's impacting both these rather tasty multifxs you've got?

I'm not sure that should constrain you if you're wanting to go for the GX100, though? Many desks these days have a Hi Z input that can handle passive pick-ups from guitar or bass. But worst case get a little DI box - under £30 for a Behringer DI400P. And if you're going directly into your amp/cab, then again a DI / balanced signal shouldn't be needed. I've been enjoying the simplicity of gigging with a Zoom B1-4 directly into our desk with no issues in terms of needing a balanced out.

Feel for you on the first situation - it can be disheartening if you're putting in 90% of the effort. But how are you liking the new band set up? Do you feel part of things or feel more like a session musician / hired hand?

But if bandmates are just "passengers", shouldn't they be paid less to cover their fare for coming along for the ride? 😁 More seriously, if they are, should they expect as much of a say in the direction of the band, choice of new song material etc?

Very untrue of either of our lead female vocalists, who are just lovely individuals, but a great phrase that I'm nicking!

Been having a little chat with a fellow bass player who's thinking about forming a new band as to what the decision making style was in the two bands I'm in. I've always felt that there's been something desirable about the "band-ocracy" model where everyone gets an equal say e.g. in terms of song choices, genres, investment in equipment and publicity (band showreels etc) and it's been the model we've applied successfully in the covers band I formed a decade back and where the current line-up pretty much all been together for 7 years now, with one recent joiner after my fellow co-founder stepped down last summer as he's planning to move out of London. But it's meant that the band plateaued a while back, not helped by Covid, and went forward at the pace of the talented hobbyists rather than those who were semi-pro and who could only nudge things forward despite wanting more. I initially thought the new covers band I formed a year back would follow the same model but it's ended up with the two semi-pro members in the driving seat and pushing things forward, including letting go of one of our co-founders last autumn who was not prepared to work on material outside of rehearsals, so would come unprepared on new material and was becoming a brake on us moving forward. The new band has really taken off with 40+ paid-gigs already in the diary for 2023, albeit currently mostly pub rather than better paid functions gigs. It currently doesn't have the feel of a band-ocracy but maybe that will change once the two newer members are settled in and contributing more to the development of the band than just turning up and playing? So I was wondering what leadership style/model your bands currently operate or have taken in the past, and which areas of band life all band members get an equal say in and what's decided by one person? How well have the different models worked in your experience?

All good points. But does that effectively mean only you have access to the mixer on a gig? Digital desks can typically remember settings too.

In terms of your entirely valid question of "why most small bands don't have one of these or a similar from another manufacturer in their setup" - I think some bands prefer to have the immediacy of onboard controls and faders, rather than being obliged to use a separate tablet or phone, either from an accuracy of adjustment perspective (sliders on a tablet or phone won't generally have the precision of a manual slider) or from a performance delay perspective i.e. needing to fire up a tablet or unlock a phone mid-set, which can't so easily be done anyway whilst holding a microphone in one hand etc.

Two of best past and present Yamaha BBs! How do they compare?

Yup, it's 5V DC. Even tried with just batteries tonight. Same result.

Yup, exactly this.