radiophonic

Regarding the OC-10. How close to the OC2 is it? I have an OC2, but a drop-in replacement with a smaller footprint would be desirable. I'd be able to squeeze my Octo Nojs back on the board - for that unique gated fuzz.

We use them periodically. They're OK, and at least the door code means you can definitely get in, rather than waiting for an unreliable human to show up and unlock (names withheld to protect the guilty here). I've not had any gear problems at the one in Nottingham, but their drum kits are pretty nasty IME. At least the rooms are decently damped though.

3 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

This was 'launched' earlier this year but doesn't yet seem to be in stock. Must admit I'm very tempted though - and it would potentially give you an all-in-one solution, but it is quite a £spendy option.

I saw that at the time. I don't really need the rhythm option. I'm using a specific  808 pattern that's on the recording

I need to be able to simutaneously trigger a drum machine and a pre-recorded loop/sample using a footswitch and be able to reset the loop independent of the drum progrramme. It needs to be robust enough to work live.  MIDI seems like the solution. What are my options for loopers. Ditto x4 looks like t will do it but I've never been entirely sold on the sound quality of the basic Ditto I have (it seems to have trouble reaching unity gain and can sound quite grainy to me). I think I can get my DD500 to do it, but it will forget the loop when I power it down (it's a reverse guitar part that I edited together but it's unlayable) I don't want to spend tonnes of cash and I don't need a lot of extra functionality -just the ability to use PC/CC to say 'select this loop and start it it/stop it now'. Any ideas?

All the analog one's I've tried have had undetectable latency and they've all tracked fairly miserably below ~Ab and were sensitive to deadspots - you really have to 'play the effect'. The Emma Okto Nojs is somewhat better in this respect, but ultimately I preferred the sound of the Boss OC2. I wouldn't sell the ON though. I've found the benefits of a compressor in front hard to confirm - although I do this anyway for other reasons. However, if you clip the OC2, you can get some nasty thumps. This happens most often with my Stingray, so I assume it's frequency dependent, since my P Bass is actually louder. The comp does help in this respect - I just dial back the output a bit. Of the digital pedals, I found the latency of the Sub N Up to be a deal breaker and I currently use a Boss PS6 BUT, unity gain / 100% octave down is definitely on the quiet side perceptually. This may be due to roll off by the speakers or the human ear of course! Both of these pedals track very well. 

A lot of this will depend on what you are using the pedal for. The OC2 is a synth component in my rig. The PS6 I use in lieu of a 5 string and always in parallel with a distortion pedal. This definitely masks the latency and allows me to balance the levels and boost it downstream. Consider the application first.

I have a Nate Mendel P, but the signature aspect was irrelevant - I don't even like the Foo Fighters. I've always steered clear of P basses on account of neck girth. The modern Mexican ones seem to play OK, but feel plastic coated to me. I was interested in the slightly narrower neck and nitro finish. I love it. After years of re-EQing a Stingray in the studio, the P just sits exactly right and despite being passive is actually higher output than the Musicman. It pushes the valve front of my amp very nicely and through a Rat, it just roars. 

On 26/10/2019 at 02:01, MikePan said:

Hi Radiophonic, 

I like your bass. Is it still available?  If yes can you give more specifikations?

Best regards

 

What do you need to know? It's a completely stock USA Standard, aside from the scratchplate (the original tort is included though). 

I had 'thunk' issues with the Bass Soul Food in true bypass mode but I don't remember the Bass Big Muff doing it. Not 100% sure though. The switch on the Freeze is silent. 

I have more problems moving from a P to J. The offset body pushes the neck to the left and throws me out by abut a fret and a half (although mine is fretless, so that half is a whole extra thing). P-bass  to Stingray is uneventful as they sit the same. I also have to remember that I have to tune down a semitone for my main band gig, but not for my own stuff. I use an 'intelligent' harmoniser and it can get really ugly if I forget that one. 

How straightforward is this? I've got a USA Standard Jazz and a Nate Mendel P. Both are 4 bolt necks. Is there anything else I need to watch out for? I wouldn't want to damage either.

It depends. I use a Source Audio one because it has dual outputs (plus I need the annoying Source Audio connector for the Manta). It's proved to be fairly bombproof so far. Our guitar player was using a Moog, which was cheaper but it developed a fault whereby the pedal being controlled would only see the full range of the expression if you moved the treadle slowly. Too fast and suddenly you lost half the range. Our other guitarist uses the mini Hotone (the red one they do) but hates it. Before I had the SA one, I just used a low impedance Boss FV30L volume pedal. Since it's stereo, you can control two pedals with it. 

Does anyone who played Nottingham Oxjam on Saturday night know if the bass player from Branflakes posts on here? It's totally not my kind of music, but I caught the end of their set and he was absolutely steaming it on a white Stingray. Super tight walking lines and the face of a man possessed. 

We did The Berliner (Nottingham) as part of Oxjam Beeston Takeover. The venue was rammed all day and the crowd were noisy and appreciative. The catch for this one was that our drummer let us down and we had to use a dep, in the form of the band's previous drummer from 2 years ago - crucially he left the band before I joined, so we'd never played together before. We had one practice, 3 runs through of the set and crossed our fingers. He's a good player, but his feel was very different and with no monitors, there were one or two squeaky moments - as in 'all I can hear is me and the drums, so is he playing something different or changing early or making a mistake?'. Nothing catastrophic but it kept me on my toes and I modified some parts on the fly*. Despite all this, the audience were on our side and we got away with it. We actually got to hang out afterwards too, which rarely happens and greatly enjoyed The Madelaine Rust's headline set later on. 

* I've just seen the video the drummer made (he archives everything he plays on with hi-res audio). I'm blaming a couple of crazy drum fills for both my flubs and I definitely don't need to worry about my tone or how loud I am ever again!

1 hour ago, GisserD said:

In short yes. If you have the will to do so, the manta filters can be replaced by the c4. I really like to create sounds on the fly so the manta stays for now, but if your midi enabled and happy to program from the app/computer then your not loosing anything in my opinion.

I think the only complication would be that I run the Manta after the ES5 and rely on MIDI completely, whereas the PS6, I have in a loop and sometimes run in front of a bitcrusher and sometimes near the end of the chain, before the Manta. I'd need to think a bit about the number of available loops and how this would affect pedal order.

On 11/10/2019 at 18:13, GisserD said:

Finally got round to rebuilding my board today. The promise of a new dub band on the horizon has inspired me to start making some whacky noises again. 

The FEA opti fet has replaced the spectracomp, and the green bass machine is temporary. C4 and FI are battling it out in the synth department... but I have room for both atm so why not.

I feel like this configuration will stay for a while.

 

I might have asked you this on another thread, but does the C4 make the Manta redundant? I have the latter and would like the former when money allows, partly for its harmoniser and detune functionality, allowing me to lose the Boss PS6 which doesn't have MIDI control and (it turns out) can't be controlled by the Boss ES5 expression output either (WTF?). In theory, you can adjust a lot of the Manta from the knobs, but in practice it's quite fiddly and as a MIDI user, I'm always worried about overwriting something by mistake so I only really edit via the hub. C4 could solve a lot of problems in one go.

14 minutes ago, Kiwi said:

I don't need the shimmer so have an EHX Freeze pedal too for pedal-tones...more on that in this thread:
https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/366657-bass-synth-and-the-search-for-an-accessible-arpeggiator/

That's a pretty heavy duty synth board! I think the Freeze is a great example of a pedal that just does exactly what it should. No frills, one job, exactly right. I've found it really useful in place of a looper when trying out melodies over a frozen chord. The only thing I'd add would be a remote input so I had the ability to turn it off with one click! The double tap always throws my timing. 

As others have said, it's hard to beat the headroom and massive output transformers of classic Ampeg or HiWatt gear. Just add an 8 x 10 or 2 x 15 cab of your choice. The best live sound I've ever had has been with a on old Portaflex, a 70s SVT or (surprisingly) a pair of active 15" Yamaha PA cabs. If I was buying though, I'd probably think about something like Mr Bob Weston uses. It's not totally off the shelf,, but could be fairly easily assembled.

Traynor pre > a pair of 400 W Crown power amps and Dietz cabs. Absolute thunder and that case is pure style.

Personally, I found the MASH functionality pretty annoying and ended up dumping the HoF2 in favour of an actual EHX Freeze. The MASH switch is too big for a pedal topper too, so you need to wear shoes! I wasn't a fan of the TC shimmer sound either, compared to the Strymon or even the Boss RV6. That's more a matter of taste though. The Freeze seemed like a lot of money for a pedal that only does one thing, but it does it really well and the latching option is winner. I think the answer to your question may be 'no', but the new Source Audio Collider might do it. 

We all have lives and two of us have kids, so we only practice once a week. However, given the complexity of the material and the fact that it's all original, there is an expectation that we all do homework. We have a dropbox with a folder for every song, typically the original demo, MIDI tracks, most recent practice room recording etc, plus everyone has a random riffs folder that everyone can delve into, so there are no excuses. Unfortunately, the person with the most free time is also the person with the most excuses so this doesn't always work that well. Writing may be be appearing on the metaphorical wall.

Nordic Giants. We supported them at a festival in Nottingham and even then I have no idea what they look like without the costumes. This is a few years ago, but it's what they do.

On 05/10/2019 at 19:21, machinehead said:

Would you have given me £200 for a perfect Wal Mk1 in 1990?

I forgot about that and now the pain is back.

Frank.

I let mine go for 400 in '92, which is roughly what I paid for it a year earlier.  I had a guy drive from Leicester to Norwich to buy it and then decided 400 was too steep. He's probably regretting it now too. It was simply too heavy and big necked for me, but when I look at the condition I've managed to keep my 92 stingray in, I try not to think what the Wal would be worth now.  I think there's a lot of us out there!

On 30/09/2019 at 01:42, chris_b said:

I bought a Gibson EB0 for £95 in 1968. That's £1700 (at today's money) spent on a bass that sounded awful. Not a great move for a kid still at school!!

If you're counting money not gained in a sale, I could have got another £6000 if I'd waited and sold both Wals today, instead of when I did!!

 

Edit ~ making more sense. . . . !!

I wince every time I remember what I sold my Wal Mk1 for... It was difficult to sell it, even then. Probably appreciated tenfold in the interim. 

I played an old (80s I think - it didn't have a working Di, I remember that) SVT / 8x10 and it was a very good sound. Not super clean at the top, but the way it compressed made it very clear and punchy.  I believe these are effectively 4 x 2x10 in construction though (yes?). Individual compartments. I played an SVT head into a fairly broken Ashdown 8 x 10 and it was at least the best sound I had achieved in that room. I often find 4 x 10 cans to be too muddy and 2 x 15 cabs to be far superior, however I'm certain this is due to where the speaker is pointing relative to my head and I suspect the SVT magic is a combination of plenty of power, plenty of speaker headroom, the design on the enclosure - and the electromechanical coupling of those drivers to the enclosure(s) - and the fact that several speakers are up near your head.

On 21/09/2019 at 23:44, 4000 said:

That’s the sort of weight I’d want. No way I can do 10lb basses anymore.

Ditto. Ex Wal user here... My only regret in selling that back breaker is the amount I see them change hands for now!

Mine is 8.5 lb. That’s fine for me, although the distribution is a bit uneven - heavier in the neck. The body feels light.