TwoTimesBass

Try turning the knob backwards and fowards, endstop to endstop vigorously (!) for a good couple of minutes. You always end up with a bit of dirt or corrosion on pots if they aren't used regularly, and contact cleaner isn't always the best answer. Giving the pot a bit of exercise should clean off the contact surfaces pretty well.

Yes, your meter is measuring ohms dc resistance whereas cabs are rated to ohms ac impedance, close but not the same thing... A single 8ohm (Z) speaker will read as less than 8 ohms on a dc resistance meter. With multiple speakers in the cab wired in different series/parallel combinations it's harder to tell what the value would be. If it says 8 ohm on the back i'd stick with that.

Hi Skidder, For kick, I normally start with something like this: Attack: 0ms Release: Auto (if you have the option) or around 50ms Ratio: About 5:1 Hard Knee (if you have the option) Threshold: Adjust to give about -6 to -9 on the gain reduction meter (and to your ears) Make-up gain: Only if needed, be careful not to overload. If there is a Mix or Wet/Dry knob make sure it is set to 100% Wet The Threshold and Attack knobs have the most influence on your sound typically, increasing the attack lets more of the initial hit of the drum/bass before the compressor kicks in so add a bit more time if it sounds too 'flat'. Threshold acts like a more/less control.

Good work Skidder, you're a fast learner! Love the sound of the bass licks in the dropouts at the end of the chorus. If i'm being picky (which I sadly can't help in life 😫) watch out for the kick drum hitting the mix buss/mastering compressor too hard. It sounds clipped and pulls the mix down flattening everything else when the vocal needs to stand out. It's already a very loud mix relatively speaking. A multiband compressor would help it you have one in your toolbox so the impact of the kick can be left alone without taking away the smoothing effect of a good mastering comp on the vocals. Alternatively, set up a separate buss to comp the drums & bass so the compressor settings don't effect the vocals if that makes sense? Either way, sterling work on the effort you're putting in to master the equipment and getting a good sound for the band 👍

Another pair of Sennheisers would be a good call, any of the HD series that you like. Generally (and IMHO) Sennehiser, AKG, Beyerdynamic or Sony offer decent quality headphones for the price. Don't go down the Beats/fashion-styled JBL etc road. As far as I know Dr Dre didn't get his doctorate in audio engineering...

Welcome Tony, Lots of great information available on the forum, and a fair few people here like you who have got back into playing after a bit of a hiatus. Looks like you've got a good rig already, and don't be afraid to ask questions as there are plenty of friendly folk here with all different levels of experience. Enjoy getting back into bass playing 👍

This is exactly the situation where the guidelines split between live music/performing arts venues and pubs. Covid secure, socially distanced gigs in venues that can demonstrate they are compliant (everything from temperature checks on entry and ticketing, to enhanced air flow) are allowed indoors at the moment to a capacity only limited by social distancing. On the other hand I played at a jam session in a pub on Sunday evening, five musicians all playing acoustic with no vocal amplification which I believe complied with the current rules in London. Minefield... Of course if we move to Tier 2 rules then the jam night is off due to household mixing 😫

Hi Aidanhallbass, You're not alone in this situation, and there are several threads on the site debating the ins and outs of the ever-changing scene at the moment. Interpreting the guidelines is subjective and often contradictory, things that are definitely against bands playing in pubs include the paragraph below from the government Covid Secure advice for Pubs and Restaurants: Prevent singing in groups of more than 6 (or one household); prevent dancing by customers (other than by the couple at a wedding or civil partnership); and ensure that no loud music is played, to minimise the need for customers to shout to communicate. But breaching that means a fine for the license holder of the premises not the band. If you are non-professional (it's not defined anywhere) then the fabled Rule-of-Six applies to groups (including 'amateur music groups') indoors, but in your case under the new Tier 2 rules with no indoor social mixing allowed then I think no, you'd be in breach of the law just by being in the venue with your band setting up on stage. I've not heard (someone correct me if they've had a different experience) of anyone being arrested or fined for playing a pub gig yet, most likely you'd be told to stop playing, pack up and move out. That said, with all the laws and rules we have in life, and especially at the moment, individual good sense and judgement should tell you if it's a good idea to gig. The fact you've asked the question here suggests it doesn't feel right and you or the band have doubts, you're unlikely to be caught or fined in reality, but it doesn't mean you should play the gig.

Couldn't have illustrated it better myself 😀

I've often clipped the beltpack from a regular UHF radiomic/DPA system to the back of the tailpiece. Either with strong velcro or a small fabric pouch depending on the cost of the bass involved...!

Much better mix Skidder 👍And considering it's a live rehearsal room recording, i've heard much worse come out of some studios! Rik's advice is sound, the only complication is that the overhead is mono which might make it hard to wider the stereo image while keeping the kit sounding 'together'. Have an experiment and trust your ears 😀

Skidder, I have to say I agree with what Dad3353 said in his post, but I'd also like to reiterate that any comments are purely to help you get the best from your recordings, especially if it's to promote the band. I'm an audio-wrangler by trade and it isn't easy, more so recording in a live rehearsal. The great thing is that you've got a tight band and strong singer, and that's more than half the battle. Also, I always try to avoid engineering any band that i'm involved in, you're correct in saying they can be an ungrateful bunch 😀 If you want any advice, sharing how you recorded the band and what kit/processes you used would be interesting. There's a wealth of knowledge and experience on this forum, and good ideas are given freely. All credit to you for going out there and making something, and putting the work in and being brave enough to share it here. Good luck!

Hospital - The Lemonheads The Air That I Breathe - The Hollies (sorry, bit dark that one...) Bleach (album) - Nirvana

Hi levelken, I'm a bit out-of-the-loop these days having been down South for a long time now, but as an opening offer Stringers in Edinburgh used to do bass setups alongside their other instrument work. There are a few Scottish DBass players on the forum who can likely give you better and more up-to-date advice. I'd also humbly suggest re-posting your question not entirely in capitals for a better response, capitals can be seen as shouting in most online forums and it does put some folks off. Hope you get your bass sorted soon!

Yup what @Trueno said... I'd go for a mic through the PA every time with sax, mics through amps are rarely a good idea live. Condenser mics (which need phantom) are often the best choice on reed instruments especially when recording, but an SM57/58 on a clamp on your vocal mic stand is also pretty standard practice and works well. If you do go down the PA route and want a clip-on mic, i can also recommend the AKG C519 for around £110, but it will require phantom power.

Yes, it's generally good practice to secure and insulate any spare connectors so they can't touch other connectors or short on bare metal. A bit of heatshrink over the ends or electrical tape will suffice, then cable-tie them so they don't rattle around in transit.

It is confusing the way the symbols are drawn in reverse on the PSU, unhelpful especially if you're trying to plug up in a gig situation...

Respectfully i disagree, the PSU is centre-negative as are all the pedals, and with 3A at 9v available this should work fine* *Disclaimer that I'm not responsible if it goes bang...

Brilliant, I do think folks just like to see some live music, it's as good for them as it is for the musicians getting a chance to play...

I like sustain, it gives me time to remember what key we're playing in, what notes are in that scale, and what the next chord change is... 😅

I normally always run subs from an Aux on the desk rather than looping them into the main speaker to get more control of what gets sent, other than the kick i wouldn't send anything else to the subs unless you want a bit more from your bass. From what you've said I'd question the need for the sub, it can create more problems than it's worth IMHO, unless there is a particularly area of your sound that you think is missing. The Alto tops should be good for all the useful frequencies (other than kick/bass) based on that lineup. If there's any way to demo/sale-or-return/borrow on the choices you have i'd do that first, then if you end up with a muddy mess in the low end you can change your mind ☺️

Couple of questions that might help with the debate: What is the band lineup? What scale of venue are you typically gigging in? What instruments do you put through the PA? Apologies if this has been part of the previous thread...

I've used these for a number of situations where you need something to make a low table on stage, might suit? https://www.k-m.de/en/products/stands-and-accessories-for-instruments/rhythm-instruments/13335-bass-drum-stand-black?c=159

Yes, it's close but it would go to ground not to the cathode. It's puzzling, best guess is it's somehow shaping the harmonic response of the valve, it certainly doesn't need to be there for the amp to function...

Totally agree, and as @Happy Jack mentioned in the sister thread to this one, the situation is what it is but you can use it to your advantage. I've met more musical contacts in the last 6 months that I think I ever have. Everyone is out of their band/safe zone at the moment and many are looking for music, I've been playing one-offs and jams with players i never would have had the time/chance/luck to play with before.