MartinB

Oh boy, another chance to mention how much I love my Keeley Bassist! 😄

You can tell how a speaker's going to sound by its size

Now they all sound great 😆

I'm hoping we might get some of this in the planned video with drive/distortion examples. You'd expect them to sound as painfully fizzy with the HF driver on full as they would through the DI. I'm interested to see what the BB2 with the HF driver partially on has to offer beyond what the SC can already do.

The Level knob on the Spark goes below unity (because it also has a Gain knob). I don't know about the Spark Mini. If you want a solution in a single box, it might be worth getting in touch with a UK pedal builder. I'm no electronics expert, but a single-knob clean boost with a balanced output doesn't sound like it should be all that complicated. Off the top of my head: Bright Onion (https://www.brightonion.co.uk/) Orchid Electronics (http://orchid-electronics.co.uk/index.htm) RayGun FX (http://fuzzboxes.co.uk/) I'm sure there's plenty of others.

It's really interesting as a demonstration of how the different cabs respond to the same input. I think using it to draw a conclusion about which one you prefer is missing the point a bit, since that depends on whether you like the sound of that particular bass to begin with 😆

A Spark or similar clean boost takes care of the gain, but if you want a balanced signal you'd have to put something like this afterwards: https://www.neutrik.com/en/product/na2m-j-tx Are you sure you need a balanced signal though? My understanding is that the kind of interference that might cause an issue for instrument/mic-level signals isn't really noticeable at line level.

I saw the Skatalites a few years back, and the bassist played one of those. I was surprised!

I don't have a B1 Four to test, but the following patches on a B1on appear to behave the same: - Bypass (no effects) - Ba Squeak (Rat) with Bal set to 0% (i.e. fully dry) - Ba Squeak (Rat) with Bal set to 100% (i.e. fully wet), but bypassed So that suggests that it's functioning as a clean blend. It does look like there's a slight reduction in output below ~50Hz and above ~3kHz, but that's present on all three patches - so it could be a characteristic of the Zoom as a whole. Maybe that's what Al is hearing? I don't know how noticeable it is without a separate clean signal parallel to the whole unit for comparison. If anyone fancies doing a blind test, I could do some sample clips. I'm on furlough, so I've got time for such nerdery! 🤓

That's odd - pretty much all of the drive pedals on the older B1on had a blend control. I wonder why they removed it on the new version? 🤔

You may find you have more options if you get a basic USB audio interface, and then plug your pedals into it when you want to record.

I don't think you'll regret it. I've got a Reface YC (the drawbar organ one). It's really solidly built, extremely portable, and sounds fantastic! , I've been very very tempted recently to pick up a CP (electric piano) as well. The mini keys feel fine to me, but that's what I'm used to - I've never played a full-sized keyboard. 🤷‍♂️ One-handed stuff is exactly what you need in most band contexts anyway. We all know that the keys player shouldn't be intruding on the bassist's frequency range... 😁

Yep - there's a 3.5mm stereo socket for Aux In

I would guess that these albums are most likely to: Have been recorded using way more expensive gear than the previous album, as the band all went out and bought their dream guitars/amps/etc. Contain songs about: How hard it is being famous How lonely it is being on tour/away from home

Interesting! I didn't think my Precision was particularly low-output, but with it my Elf stays clean right up until the distortion circuit kicks in at the end of the Gain dial. I don't get a red light either - only green (signal) and amber (compression). Pretty much the same as described below:

☝️ What MoJo said. The AmPlug is the best option if you need something that will mount directly onto your bass, but in every other scenario it is outclassed by the B1on.

@agedhorse will know what to do!

That's interesting... I also have a Shuttle 9.2, and with the controls at 12:00 it's completely transparent/neutral/flat.

If you only need to replace the audio, have a look at Reaper - it actually has basic video capabilities in addition to being a fully-featured (free!) DAW.

Oh wow, thanks @Pirellithecat - that's very generous of you!

I'm interested to see how you get on. I've also got one of those Standard Specials, and on one of the tuners a piece of the shaft that the "ear" grips onto has broken off. It still tunes alright, but I know it's going to give up on me at some point!

Lumpy, stumpy, pointy... it's amazing how many companies will ruin a good-looking bass with an ugly headstock. The silhouette on some Reverend basses is one of the better attempts, but then they ruin it with a giant badly-placed "R" logo:

Some thoughts on the 20: I've recorded with it through a mic'd up cab. I assume the preamp and transformer output are also fine, but I haven't really used them beyond testing that they work. It's loud enough for rehearsal. It may well be loud enough for a gig - I haven't tried it though. Usual caveats apply: I've never played a gig that didn't have PA support; my band plays at non-deafening volume and doesn't fight over frequency ranges; my cab is efficient (Barefaced One10 or Super Compact). It is a pain in the derrière to carry. The odd shape means there's nowhere convenient to grip it in one hand. I haven't yet found a container that has the right dimensions and doesn't cost the earth. It's surprisingly clean with a passive bass. Even at full gain, I have to use a clean boost in front if I want to to overdrive the pre-amp.

Gearnews did a roundup of some options the other day - might be something here to interest you: https://www.gearnews.com/defeat-corona-depression-with-these-10-online-music-collaboration-tools/