whizzzy

There's a number of lighting software packages out there and it generally comes down to your personal opinion on how you find the user interface. Have a look at the following:- Chamsys - http://www.chamsys.co.uk/download Trace Lighting - http://www.tracelighting.com/products/ - they have recently introduced a product called 'Verse' which is a lite version of their professional package Showmagic - www.showmagic.com All of these provide a facility where you can download demo versions of the software and get a feel for it before parting with any hard earned cash. With the Chamsys and Showmagic packages you will probably need to buy a USB to DMX converter. Again there are several available but take a look at Enttec - www.enttec.com as they have a couple of very useful dongles but look at the "open USB interface" which is the one I use. I personally prefer the Showmagic software as I find this more intuitive. I've tried the Chamsys and struggled with it and our sound / lighting engineer swears by the Trace software so like I say it's all down to personal preference.

I bought a Squire neck from Mel. Great comms and very patient. A recommendation from me in a very positive feedback thread. Thanks again.

Hi Dave, Most 3 pin XLR cables will be twin core with screen which should be connected to pin 1. Please also see the response to your post earlier in the other thread. Col

[b][color=#ff0000]"The one query i still have though is the cabling XLR's 3-pin. Are they the same for DMX as say a standard 3 pin XLR or balanced mic XLR. ??" [/color][/b] Technically, no............practically, yes. Technically DMX cables have a different impedance to those 3 pin XLR's used for audio and so their use in some applications could result in problems. Practically, DMX protocol is pretty robust these days and unless you are running hundreds of metres of cabling from the controller to the lights then you are unlikely to encounter problems. Strictly speaking you are also supposed to terminate the last light in the chain with a DMX terminator but again if you are only using a handfull of lights with several metres of cable then it won't be a problem. If errors do occur it usually results in data loss or corruption and so the lights will start doing things that they shouldn't. If you are using simple LED fixtures then you may not even notice this, it usually only becomes an issue when you are contolling moving heads which are quite complex beasts and can have as many as 14 or more DMX channels being used. For the band I work with we have used as many as 25 different fixtures at a time including moving heads and using audio XLR's to link them and not had a problem. We even use one channel of the multicore to run the DMX control back to the sound engineer so that he can control the lighting - that's how much you can 'abuse' the system.

Another deal done with no problems - quick payment and good communication, welcome back any time - thanks Dave Cheers, Colin

Another deal done with no problems - quick payment and good communication, welcome back any time - thanks Mike Cheers, Colin

Sold a power supply to Rob. Top bloke to deal with, good comms, fast payment and a smooth transaction. Welcome back any time. Thanks Rob.

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Andy just bought some gear from me. Top bloke and can genuinely recommend him. Had a really good chat about all things bass..........could have gone on talking for hours. Thanks Andy, Colin[/font][/size]

Sold two cabs to Jem. Great to deal with from start to finish. Pleasure to do business with a genuine guy. Do not hesitate to buy or sell to this man.

+1 from me. Thanks to Mark for taking the time and trouble to organise the event and thanks to all those who came along to make it a very select, interesting and informative get together. Cheers, Colin

Thanks for that guys. Well you live and learn as I must confess I've never heard of a Cowpoke Precision before but it certainly seems to tick all of the boxes in respect of the neck. I can't think that calling a bass a 'Cowpoke' Precision would have been one of Fender's smartest marketing decisions though or maybe something was lost in the American to British translation.

Can anyone help with identifying what this neck has been taken from? I bought this a few months ago from another BC'er being advertised as Precision neck however when i came to fit it to a bitsa Precision I am making up I realised that it is a 22 fret rather than the conventional 20 fret version. As a result the intonation is way out. The headstock is narrower than normal as well. It has a Mex serial number MN66xxxx. Basically the neck is of no use to me for the reason stated above and I don't want to get involved in repositioning the bridge or more dramatic woodwork. Thus would like to re-advertise it but would like to be able to accurately describe what the neck came off. Any guidance will be most appreciated.

Hi Dave, I would also second the opinion that a laptop + software is the way to go. It's compact and reliable plus the bonus that scenes and sequences can be pre-programmed. If you are planning to have your sound guy run the lighting as well it means that he isn't continually operating the lights and being distracted from controlling the sound. There are a number of software solutions on the market but this has not long come out which our lighting engineer uses - [url="http://www.tracelighting.com/"]Trace Lighting[/url] They do a cost-down version which is the Lime Light Verse which will do everything you want plus more. You can also download a demo version of the software from the site which will give you a good feel for its interface before parting with any cash. Regarding the use of LED lighting, as several other replies in this thread have indicated it is very much horses for courses. For pub gigs and the like then two bars of 4 LED par cans should suffice, but get the 1W or better still 3W versions. LEDs 'do' some colours very well. You'll get a wonderful red or green wash and a reasonable blue coverage but then any attempt at further colour mixing tends to end up in a whitish, greyish, pinkish yellowish type of wash without any real colour definition or depth and this is where conventional PAR56 / 64 cans with gels win hands down. If your work is larger venues with a decent size stage then personally I wouldn't use LEDs in this application and stick with conventionals. The debate about LEDs vs conventionals has been ongoing for years and if you want to catch up on some of it go over to the [url="http://www.blue-room.org.uk/"]Blue Room forum[/url] - there's lots of good advice about lighting on there too. Another solution that we use quite frequently for smaller venues is a couple of moving heads, something like Coemar 250LX wash or Martin MAC300. These are quite bright on smaller stages and use CMY (cyan, magenta, yellow) filters for colour mixing which means that you can produce almost any colour you want with sufficient depth and intensity. They can be tilted, panned, dimmed and colour changed all by DMX control and so you've got full flexibility. With a bit of patience and diligent shopping you should be able to pick up a pair second hand for about £500 but beware that moving heads do require maintenance and are not exactly lightweight but they're great fun to use and extremely versatile. If you do decide to go that route make sure you choose washes rather than spots though as those will not give you sufficient beam width.

Bought some Pbass pickup / bridge covers from Chris, faultless transaction and arrived safe and sound the next day. You couldn't ask for more. Thanks Chris.

Unscrew the protective grill, pop the foam windshield out and wash it out with some warm soappy water. Whilst that's out use a soft nail brush to give the wire mesh a gentle scrub. Mics usually go on for a long time if they are looked after and not dropped or stored in cold damp conditions (ie back of a van) and then taken into a hot humid room when condensation will form on the mic. That's about it really.

Have a read of this thread - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=118394&hl"]Here[/url] Especially the second and third post down. It may hopefully save you a few quid. If that fails I can recommend RMJ Speakers for [url="http://www.recones.com/"]RMJ[/url]

Just reiterating what everyone else has said in this thread really. Bought some Pbass pickups from Tom, faultless transaction and arrived safe and sound the next day. You couldn't ask for more. Thanks Tom.