CliveT

I learnt from experience too that you can't dial in your sound at bedroom volume.  So, when I set up at the gig I set all my EQ flat and turn up the volume to roughly the volume I'll need for the gig.  Then you can hear the difference the room is making and adjust accordingly.  Amazing how little I tend to wonder from that 'flat' tone.

I prefer playing with an amp but if it's just in-ears then of course all that stress is taken away and the FOH has control.  

The MXR M89 bass overdrive is pretty good at the vintage style overdrive.  Used price is pretty good too.

Looking at IEM's for occasional use as still playing mainly with an amp and the 2 most popular seem to be KZ and CCA

KZ ZST or KZ ZSTX look very good value at £18.99 on Amazon.  Is there much difference?  I've read the ZSTX is louder.  The KZ do generally get excellent reviews for the cost on Youtube.

CCA C10 is just over twice the price at £38.99 with the CCA C12 a little more.

Are the CCA worth the extra over the KZ or would you recommend something else entirely? 

Something like the MXR Bass Octave Deluxe has the Growl and Girth so you can make the octave note as synth like of phat as you like by mixing these together.  The Aguilar Octamizer has the tilt EQ which can also change the character of the octave note in a similar way.  But both are a synth style recreation of your original note, not a copy one octave down.  Both track well.

I've never tried an EBS Octabass but always sounds good on the demos I've heard.

I had the MXR M80 and as a clean preamp DI it's great.  I personally didn't like the 'Color' button, a bit too scooped for my taste but a lot of people do like it.  The distortion is OK too but there are better bass distortions.

Also had the TC Spectradrive and again I found it a good clean preamp and the compressor was good too.  I couldn't get a good sound out of the drive channel but it has aux in and headphone out so a very useful box.

Since then I've not got another preamp pedal and just use my bass and amp's preamp when rehearsing and small gigs.  Larger gigs I let front of house deal with it.

I've been using a P bass and Markbass combo for a few years now and keep things pretty flat most of the time. 

EQ's at 12:00 and VLE and VPF at minimum.  

I find the VLE useful for taming new strings and somewhere between 09:00 and 10:00 works well.

At higher volumes the VPF stops the mids being too sharp so a setting somewhere around 09:00 works for me.

I then just EQ to taste depending on the room but it's not usually much.

It's a great tone and sits really well in the mix.  Sound guys love the DI out too.

MXR micro amp will give you uncoloured boost too

Well worth another bump.  Great playing and tone. 

I think he uses a MXR Bass Octave Deluxe but very little info about Rocco's pedalboard out there.  

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

IMO there are only three reasons for swapping guitars or bass on stage:

 

1. You broke a string or something else failed on the instrument rendering it useless. In this case my preferred spare would be exactly the same as my main guitar or bass

 

2. You use different tunings for different songs (and the songs really can't be played on one instrument with a single tuning). You might be able to get away with on-stage retuning for switching between standard and drop-D if you are well practiced and don't mind the change in tension and feel of the string. Otherwise you need a separate instrument for every different tuning.

 

3. On the bass you need to play some songs on fretted bass and some on fretless.

 

Everything else is IMO for show only. Fine if you have a large stage/off-stage are for all your spare guitars and a roadie to help you swap over instruments. Otherwise you risk breaking the flow of the set and boring the audience. I've seen it many times from bands who really ought to know better. 

#3 is the only reason I do

The MXR micro amp or basic TC spark booster will do the job too.  Just set the boost so the quieter bass matches the level of the louder.  You'll get uncoloured boost from ether and both are cheap on the used market.

It took me some time to work out the MXR OD after using it at home only to start with.  In the mix I find it works well, lots of headroom and find I need more gain than I thought when solo.   That being said I still have the gain below 09:00, or no higher than 11:00 for higher gain setting.

Another vote for the TC Unitune or Polytune.  I have a full sized Polytune on my board but if I gig with no pedals I have every confidence in the TC.

On 02/12/2021 at 12:31, Supernaut said:

MarkBass CMD121P. 1x12 combo that puts out 300w, 500w with extension cabinet. 12kg! 

 

Had mine for a couple of years and very happy with it. 

Had mine a few years now and even without the extension cab there's plenty of volume to compete with a live drummer.  

On 02/12/2021 at 11:22, Boodang said:

In fact, to simplify the issue, if you turn the comp control full ccw (so in theory it has no effect) and put the eq controls at 12 o'clock (again in theory the eq should have no affect) then switch between bypass and on, the tone of bass changes. In theory there should be no difference but the pedal seems to have an inherent in-built tonal quality which is not neutral. 

Isn't this true of many preamps?  It will have a basic sound of it's own which you then tweak to build upon, so all knobs at 12:00 isn't necessarily the same flat response as bypassed.

I did try this pedal and liked the eq, compressor, aux in and headphones out, but couldn't get a good drive sound.

Does the Spark completely clean and transparent with the bass and treble at noon and gain at minimum?  How much headroom does the level have when the gain is a minimum?  

Just curious if I can use this as a fully clean boost and/or OD ?

15 hours ago, Jus Lukin said:

LOUD!

 

Well, sort of- Muffs sound incredibly loud, which can fool us into setting them at a low level alongside the clean tone. If you have something with a meter on it (mixer, DAW, etc,) set the output so that the average level in db is the same with the pedal on and off. Played solo it may sound like a huge jump in volume, but once in the band the distortion will hold a similar place in the mix to the clean signal.

This. ^^^

It's an age old problem and there are lots of solutions, clean blend, boost mids etc but getting the output levels the same goes a long way.  I use the input gain indicator on my amp to make sure I have the same level from clean and driven sound, and the driven sound seems louder by itself but once it's in a mix it's what you need to cut through.

On 21/09/2021 at 07:46, SumOne said:

Fight! 

 

 

The OC-5 wins on tracking and the solo vintage setting -1 Octave. The MXR 'growl' sounds close, but like it has a sore throat, but it also has the mid boost button and the 'girth' voice and perhaps sounds a bit better for subtle mild octave mixed in whereas the OC-5 is better for full-on stuff. 

 

 

 

 

I've not used the OC5 but I have used the OC2 and currently have the MXR bass octave deluxe.  There is a difference but you'll be hard pressed to hear it in a live mix, and the MXR has the versatility of the mid boost and 'girt' as you say.  

If it were me I would say no, you don't need a pedal.  If the compressor on your Ashdown does the job for you then when you get to use decent PA support the FOH engineer will add whatever compression they feels is right.  Unless of course you use compression more like an effect rather than just basic compression?

MXR Bass Octave Deluxe. 

Good tracking, 2 different octave voices so can give a wide variety of tones from OC2 ish to EBS ish, clean mid boost. 

1 hour ago, PaulThePlug said:

Just giving em a go... Rush Moving Pictures.... very revealing, more so than my Sony's... Happy with the sound quality.

Just the lack of QR Code or Holograme sticker some of the You Tube unboxing mention...

@CliveT   was that a Y or N on the QR? - @Waddo Soqable no responsibilities worry... look the same down to the protective film on the earcups and adapter shape. does your box have a QR code?

All Good for £15 - Gonna have a lyedown on the sette wiv some sounds for a hour... just to make sure 😉😉😉

EDIT: On an old fav '801 Live'... SO much more going on! 👍

Oops, sorry,   Yes I do have the QR code on mine.

41 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

Headphones arrived... had a quick look... one of the cable reliefs to one of the ear cups was loose and required pulling down to secure. No QR Code on the box... mmm i wonder if they are genuine? I've messaged the seller and sent a pic, so waiting on a response before contacting eBay etc.

Gave em a quick try and they work, but gonna give em a proper try on the MP3 player...

Just thought i'd post - as ever - buyer beware.

Just checked mine which arrived a few weeks ago and the box the the QR code.  

Picked up Sennheiser 206's and for the money they are great.  Not super loud or over bassy but really clear and crisp sound with a good neutral tone. Had Marley headphones before which were great but very hi fi with a bass bias making them too bassy, if that's possible, for home practice.

Already said but I agree, for the money you can't go wrong.

Anyone got experience with the OneOdio Studio Pro 10 from Amazon?   They say they are for studio monitoring and sell for £34.99.  Get good reviews on Amazon and Youtube 

I still think the MXR Bass Octave Deluxe using the Growl knob, or the newer MXR Vintage Bass Octave get pretty close to the OC2, close enough in a mix certainly, but the OC5 does look good I agree.

15 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

I'll let you know when they arrive and I've played with them a bit !... I mainly want them to play bass, and very occasionally guitar, "silently"  rather than listening to music generally.

Cool, I want them for mainly bass practice but occasionally hifi and TV use so be interested to see how they work for that too