Geoff

That Glockenlang sounds damn good! The main issue I have at the moment is cutting through the mix, as I have 2 guitarists and a keyboardist to contend with. I do want to downsize my cab, buy I dont know whether that would leave me being overwhelmed by them all.

Im thinking about getting a 2x12 to replace my Ampeg 4x10, but just wanted peoples thoughts on how well a 2x12 would work for me. Im basically wanting to get something a bit more lightweight and easy to transport, but that'll still deliver enough on stage coverage for larger shows and fill small to mid sized venues nicely if a PA isnt available. From peoples experience do 2x12's/2x10's deliver enough coverage in a venue? Would a 2x12/2x10 fill a large stage nicely? (i.e as used as a monitor) I know there are so many variables, but just want to see how happy people are with smaller cabs, or whether it'd be better to keep with my 4x10 for the long term.

[quote name='OldGit' post='545906' date='Jul 20 2009, 11:59 PM']+1 Had to google SuBo .. I guess I don't read the [b]wrong[/b] papers :[/quote] Edited for truth

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='542341' date='Jul 16 2009, 03:49 PM']Leaving the amp gain control aside, isn't this what the volume control on the bass is for? - turning your volume down on the bass should not compromise your sound unless you are overdriving the input to the amp, and that is the sound you like. In that case then you need to get amp/cabs that will handle that sound, or at least give you the volume you need before it starts to fart.[/quote] You should really be playing with your bass volume at full as otherwise it'd get very annoying live knowing how far to have that turned etc and IME the tone is definately different if you have your volume turned down on your bass.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='542181' date='Jul 16 2009, 12:56 PM']I guess you don't need to worry when wearing spandex [/quote] haha, thats very true...I think those gig photo's are going to haunt me for ever now. I think this man has the answer though. Protect you bass. Wear spandex!

I always find my t-shirts get ruined when playing gigs, as they get scratched between the belt buckle and the bass body meaning I have a wardrobe full of t-shirts with lots of little holes on the front. At least my bass is fine then

[quote name='silddx' post='541065' date='Jul 15 2009, 10:30 AM']Why is it "unfortunate"? To me it's like saying, "unfortunately, if you're in a band, the music is important". If you are in a band that wants to be successful, everything is important.[/quote] Its unfortunate because my guitarist is an idiot who doesnt listen to us and so when we play gigs people will judge how good we are on what clothes he's wearing and not our music. Surely the music should be the most important component..... Then again judging by a lot of the crap out there that isnt the case and people would rather watch a band that looks good, then listen to a band that sounds good.

Unfortunately image is important. My band played a gig a couple of months back at the Underworld and everyone but the guitarist turned up wearing what we have agreed on (black tee's, black jeans, black shoes - apparently should look more 'metal'). In every review we read, people went on about the guitarist looking like an idiot and that was because he was wearing brown boots, not black ones. However petty it can seem going on about image etc, the public will pick up on it which is annoying when they go on about that and not your music.

Cheers guys, I shall drop these people a message.

Hi, My band (Middenhelm) and The Atrocity Exhibit are booking a mini tour at the moment and we did have a venue booked in Glasgow on the 26th September, but apparently they have double booked us. Im just wondering if people can recommend me any good venues in either Glasgow or Edinburgh that have more of a metal crowd, so I can try and get this date filled again. Were up in Leeds on the 25th, so really want to play Scotland on the Saturday if possible. Cheers!

[quote name='yorick' post='531778' date='Jul 3 2009, 03:30 PM']You should some decent band pix, a biog that doesn't waffle, but gives all the facts. Decent quality recordings in a good packaging is always essential. AND always include contact numbers and a guide gig list.[/quote] Luckily we got good pics done recently. With a promo cd would you recommend a printed cd in a cardboard sleeve or would people expect the proper release in a jewel case? [quote name='CyberBass' post='531784' date='Jul 3 2009, 03:35 PM']Hi Geoff, If you pm me your email address ile happily send you our press kit/release as a guide. Regards Ade[/quote] That'd be great cheers! [quote name='MythSte' post='531786' date='Jul 3 2009, 03:42 PM']I've found having a very formal, to the point bio with a good section regarding media and gigs is great, But a Tailored - Maybe even hand written intro note goes down very well. Be a little cheeky. I even once sent out a pack with a post-it on the front. The company put our pack through to the bosses because i'd written something along the lines of "I dare you to listen to the CD before you decide we're all ugly as w**k and put us on the 'no chance' pile" Winking smiley and all![/quote] Haha thats pretty awesome. I can guarantee if I did that it'd just get burned or something!

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, but I was just wondering if anyone had any hints on what should go in a band promo pack and what kind of stuff you should keep out of it? Im trying to get something put together so that when we record in October I can get a professional looking pack out to labels and other people. Should you create something that looks business like or should you go all out artistic on the design? Or do you tailor stuff to the people you'll be sending it too? I couldnt see whether this topic has been covered before or not, but im just wondering what other people have found works.

Ultimately whatever bass you buy/have doesnt matter, because when you play a gig the soundguy will turn you down so no-one notices you and when you come to recording you'll get turned down in the mix *grumble grumble*

[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='493168' date='May 20 2009, 12:20 PM']Years ago when I bought my first LMII from Electromusic in Doncaster, the guy handed me a Sandberg to try the amp with and I turned my nose up at it. Boy was I surprised when I plugged it in and played it - it was fantastic and I've wanted one ever since. A coupla weeks ago I bought this off another BCer and I love it - it's a superb bass. Hope the person who took the photo doesn't mind me using it. [/quote] That was mine and I kinda regretted selling it, as it looks awesome! I really loved the neck on it. Glad you're enjoying it! Im tempted to get myself a California J when I have some money sorted.

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='475817' date='Apr 30 2009, 11:06 AM']I actually believe that a good sound is the secret to a good groove. If you just play all the right notes in all the right places, it will probably still not groove. If you do that AND have a great sound, the pocket is yours and the music comes alive.[/quote] I totally agree with this. If you had the same band playing the same song, one time with the gear set up really well and the second time with the gear set up badly, you could easily agree which one performance was more enjoyable for the band and the crowd. Our guitarist bought a new amp recently and for the first few weeks of practise it really crowded the bands sound and almost threw us off a bit because he hadnt dialled in the sounds very well. After taking time to set it up, we sounded a hell of a lot tighter and we werent having to fight the sound. As weve all taken the time to sort our sound out it means we can usually turn up to a venue and plug in and play with less faffing around by the sound guy to sort the levels out.

[quote name='Skybone' post='464807' date='Apr 17 2009, 11:03 AM']None of us would go through all that if it was something we weren't all very passionate about, and having people recognise that passion and helping to make our financial burden that little bit lighter, certainly helps towards making it worthwhile. Be it getting off their collective backsides and attending gigs, buying a CD or other merchandise or whatever, yet there's a lot of people out there who think that they can simply download thousands of albums for free, that they then download onto their MP3 players, and probably only ever listen to maybe 2 or 3 tracks. It's no longer about quality, searching out elusive albums from obscure bands, getting out to see bands at gigs, etc, it's about how many albums you can download for free...[/quote] Agreed on that point. People seem to be missing out on everything else that goes along with the music as well, such as artwork and the whole package you'd get with a cd/vinyl/tape. I love hunting for cd's that are hard to find and I like having something tangible sat there at home. I was searching through my parents record collection recently and was blown away by some of the ways the album was presented in its sleeve. Just having some file on your mp3 player/computer just seems a bit rubbish really (imo of course) and I kinda feel like you're only getting half of what the artist has got to offer. Also having a full album sat there gets you listening to everything on it and there are many tracks I hated when I was younger that I know love as my understanding of music has grown. If i'd just bought the 1 or 2 tracks i'd liked at the time, i'd be missing out on it now. Dont get me wrong, I think digital media is extremely useful and a great step forward in terms of portability etc, but it also just turns bands/artists into nothing but a named line on your screen.

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='463600' date='Apr 16 2009, 04:20 AM']Metal does itself no favours image-wise, with all the stupid songs about dragons and satan and pixies and hobbits or whatever. It's only ever going to appeal to people who read fantasy novels and attend sci-fi conventions.[/quote] I love my band, but you have just summarised the lyrics of our whole set. Our singer is a big geek though. I think there is loads of good music out there, you've just gotta know where to look and youve gotta look hard. Lets face it, generally people dont want to be listening to music that they have to think about, they want it on in the background with a simple beat they can dance to, or simple lyrical patterns they can sing along too. Hence why most of the highly marketable music is like that. I wouldnt say people cant play well now either. Most shows I play with have young metal bands on the bill, with 13 year old players that a ripping through solo's etc. Technically were The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath really that good? What they had were feeling, which is what may be lacking now, but I dont think anyone can say that younger musicians now are lazier/worse then musicians back in the 60s and 70s. Maybe its just because of the scene im most interested in, but checking out magazines like Terrorizer, Zero Tolerance and even Metal Hammer seems to be throwing up some interesting bands to check out.

There used to be a good bands forum in Peterborough called Borobands, but thats shut down now I think. Theres a forum called peterborough.net which has got a music section, which may be of some help. Ive been lucky enough to find band members just by word of mouth.