High score

[quote name='largo' post='467868' date='Apr 20 2009, 09:31 PM']Thanks again for all the advice (keep it coming) .... The sound guy doesn't own the PA, we all do so he is no more precious than the rest of us should be. I think he has a fair idea of PA setup, or maybe just likes to think he does, after hearing what some of you guys have to say. Good point about the guitar clipping the desk. I'll watch out for that, although and here's where I fall down. The soundman/guitarist likes to isolate each input by pressing a wee button (pardon my ignorance) on the channel and seeing what it's doing regards levels. It's not that easy for me to access the desk from my position on stage and I'm sure he'd wonder what I was up to just wandering across and pressing buttons on the desk. Regards the DI, is there any boxes anyone could recommend. Preferably "passive" (no battery) or wouldn't that work? My other option is a compressor pedal, and one that possibly acts as a DI box too. Do you get them? Or, a combined tuner/compressor for my rack. Cheers[/quote] Largo, the 'wee' button on the desk is called PFL or 'pre fade listen'. It allows him to isolate each channel in turn and to set up individually on the desk without any other signal adding to it. I suspect he is doing it ok but simply taking it to clip as you have suggested and not setting it up for the highest level possible eg when you play slap bass. In addition, guitarists love processors and they are invariably at or above line level for the desk so can esaily send too hot a signal as well. Re pushing buttons, get him to show you or read up on it yourself - see link I attached previously. It will take you to either a book you can down load or to a video that will walk you through it. One of the respondents mentioned a behringer floor di. I have used these, they are very well made and under £20. They can run either from battery or passive from phantom power on the desk. To set this up, run your bass amp di out to the di box then use an xlr to your desk channel. The desk will have a button marked 48v or phantom power which will then power your di box for you. This will NOT affect your amp in any way however it will allow you to 'pad' or reduce your signal to the desk. A compressor is not a bad idea to be honest but I suggest you/ gittard get a handle on the desk first cos you are clearly unhappy with your set up and that is not helpful when playing and wondering what the hell is going out front. There is already a good article on this site about DI units and how they work

[quote name='jbwaddy' post='467630' date='Apr 20 2009, 04:55 PM']in my experience the desk going into the red isnt too much of a problem as long as it isnt continuesly in the red i.e its only there every now and then. also most power amps have an anti clipping device on them to protect the speakers in cases such as this. from what you have said i presume that the guitarist actually owns the p.a and is being very protective of it. i would also say that his guitar will do pretty much the same thing as your bass when he ups his volume for a solo. next time he takes a solo have a look at the desk!! you will be surprised.[/quote] the desk really should never go into the red if set up correctly - even with a high transient signal - all it does is add signal noise and distortion and really means the sound man is not fully in control nor understands the gain structure and has little head space to make any adjiustments or for the pa to handle any transient peaks. In addition, many pa manufacturers will promote their gear as having built in limiters but remember there will always be an electronic response time meaning transients will pass the limiter before they kick in. In reality, limiters should be used ''in case of emergency'' and not to accomodate poor set up or as a buffer. Continually battering the limiter will push the system until it either blows a speaker, amp or in best case just trips out through thermal overload. completely agree though with the guitar running the system into clip as well. if the gittard can't control the bass, he probably hasn't got the other inputs set up properly either. As for a sound man being precious with his gear, yep, why not? I got no change out of £12k for my smallest rig so why not take care of it? Think of it as an additional instrument and not just something to make the band louder. It takes a lot of practice and experience to get it right but is the difference between a mediocre gig and a sharp one.........

[quote name='largo' post='466679' date='Apr 19 2009, 12:41 PM']Bit of background.... My Markbass SA450 amp is DI'ed to the front of house as well as backline. I set the amp up with enough gain to clip the amp using fingerstyle and then back that off just a bit then set my master volume accordingly, according to Markbass manual. However, when I slap/pop (sound's so 80's) my amp doesn't clip but our sound guy (also the guitarist) moans that I'm putting the desk into the red and I'm going to blow the PA speakers !!! For the record, I'm not going to buy a compressor. No rack space and no money :0( Anything I can do? Could he back off the line level to the desk or is he doing things correctly by taking me to just below clipping level as well? I'm not a sound engineer but would like to stand my ground if possible. Cheers,[/quote] Hello Largo, used to live just across the water from the Kingdom Of Fife. Anyway, I agree with most of what I have read from respondents however some points to consider from a sound man persepctive: While the soundman can catch hot signals on the desk, his aim is to stabilise inputs / outputs and not be reactive so if you change styles during a track, he will have no chance of adjusting desk levels for you accurately in real time. Sure he probably should have a compressor input to your channel but this is input after the gain control on his desk and will only catch peak transients and not reduce any distortion. If he is forced to reduce your gain signal too much the sound will be weak and he will have difficulty placing you in the mix. In addition, he should not be setting up the desk or speakers to just below clip. This leaves no head room for peak / transient signals so you will blow the pa. I would suggest: - When you set up your gain control to your bass amp it should ideally just flicker red at the strongest component of your bass signal to it so I would suggest setting up your bass amp to slap levels. Really high gain (ie signal strength) will only distort your output stage. In addition, you will be making the signal to the desk red hot as you have discovered. - If this is still a problem, then buy a small floor di box linked between you and the desk - they usually have ''pads'' that will really reduce your input the desk but in a controlled way - On the desk, adjust the gain control so the green ''bars'' are peaking at 0db for your channel - make sure the gittard isn't adding any EQ to your channel which will increase output strength on the the desk (I strongly suspect he is). Try the bass channel completely neutral on the EQ and see what happens. - I suspect it is not just your channel that is ''hot'' and there is a strong chance they all are so combined the desk will be lit like a Xmas tree!! set all channels as above. - Lastly, is the PA up to combined mix?? Is it worth having someone off stage monitoring the desk? Do you practice your sets with the pa? Standing your ground is fine but sound engineering is not easy either - especially if also a player at the same time - so I suggest trying to work with the sound man and back off your gain slightly as suggested. Interested in how you work this out. Sorry this has rambled but hope it helps. ps: check out the Sound craft website. they do ''idiots guides to desk set up'' that are very good [url="http://www.soundcraft.com/support/gtm_booklet.aspx"]http://www.soundcraft.com/support/gtm_booklet.aspx[/url]

[quote name='kennyrodg' post='464404' date='Apr 16 2009, 09:04 PM']Hey all, Well i took the grade 3 RGT exam last week and the marks are in today. 94.6 out of 100 and a distinction.Hehe I started at grade 3 to make sure i had a good grounding in the earlier stuff and it was as good a place as any to start i guess.I'd especially like to than Nick Carey,my teacher for all his help,patience and guidance along the way. Chuffed ta bits and grade 5 next i think. [/quote] mucho congrats on getting your grading - I've been wondering how you got on....... I would suggest you look at Grade 4 even if it is just to study the components first cos there is an almighty jump between 3 and 5

yet another no nonsense deal with G. easy, interesting guy to deal with and comes highly recommended

Sold Will a Mackie monitor this morning. Met up just outside Durham, nice guy to deal with and a ''no nonsense deal''. Highly recommended. Never thought Will, we should have got a coffee before you set off !!

[quote name='51m0n' post='447262' date='Mar 27 2009, 02:07 PM']Funnily enough in a live situation I've sometimes found (in a particularly boomy room) that the drop off below 150Hz on an SM57 can really clear things up (better than using the DI). But its a rare thing to have the time to play about with different mics on bass amps lets face it! If I have the power else where (decent desk eq, and a compressor) I'd rather use the most neutral mics/DI I can, on the other hand using what you've got well is where the real artistry lies IMO.[/quote] Totally agree, unless the band is well known to you, trying out unknown gear in a live setting or having the time to do it is a no no. In addition, the ability to work to the best effect in an unknown venue is often the difference between a sharp gig and a mediocre one. At the end of the day you really must know intimately what your kit will peform like - musos are not very sympathetic if you get it wrong Yep, hard surfaces, little to absorb sound creating both ''boom'' as well as a standing wave ie very low frequency feedback. Sounds an odd thing for some bass players to read but it is not the first time I will have used a compressor and the low frequency pad (80hz) on the bass channel to clean up their sound a little. How do you find using two desk channels on an instrument? I tend to do it if there are extensive effects otherwise DI out just to limit the mics on the stage. Lastly, always used to like dealing with a player who actually knew what the desk did and could explain what sound they wanted - made life a lot simpler. Hard to explain to some players that the easiest way to improve their sound is to cut on the EQ and not add to it. Anyway, where would the fun be if it ws easy

[quote name='51m0n' post='447136' date='Mar 27 2009, 12:32 PM']Yeah I've done a tonne of sound and recording, and eq cannot really replace what something else has taken away. and thoise kick mics can have very steep notches taken out of them, really. The sm57 is a really good solution on the cheap, and gives way better results than a D112 IMO, then again so does a Senn E835 and the cost about 50p (not really). I use an 835 as my 'I've run out of anything else' mic, it has literally never let me down....[/quote] Yep you are right - no EQ can add what has never been picked up. My experience has been mainly live sound where there is only one take !! The difference between say a PG52 kick mic and an SM57 can be quite marked. The SM57 is incredibly neutral in it's response curve and doesn't colour the sound imo and only falls away below 150hz. The kick mic has a dramatically improved response curve at the low end. I have never used kick mics with notch type drops in response although they may drop 2-3 db in the mids picking up again to catch any transients. This is the reason I would normally try and use both mic and DI for a bass in a live setting - especially if the bass is using effects. Lastly, thanks for your input, I'm always interested in the experiences of others who may have explored different gear....

[quote name='Faithless' post='443695' date='Mar 24 2009, 12:52 PM']So, I'm playing in a new project (pop artist..), and producer, as he wants my amp to be [i]mic'ed[/i], asked me to choose one as fast, as possible (gig waiting other weekend!)... I'll be (probably) [i]mic'ing [/i]my Trace Elliott Commando 15 (1x15 speaker), if it matters, of course.. And, well, probably, other amps, so, I need versalite mic, but, well, all in all, I think, it should be a [i]bass [/i]mic.. Oh, I was doing records with [i]bass drum[/i] mic, and I enjoyed the result pretty much, so, if you know any decent ones, they'd be probably also welcome to suggest.. The bad thing is, that producer didn't tell me the exact [i]budget[/i], when I asked, but, as I suppose, it shouldn't be a [i]cheapo [/i]thingy.. Anyway, for now, let's talk about [b]150-350 pounds[/b].. (I know, it's quite wide price range, but, I'll let you know, if'll get the exact possible budget from him) So, I'm waiting your suggestions, guys! P.S. Mods, hope, this is in the right section, as it has something to do with amps, anyway Cheers, Faith.[/quote] With my sales mans hat on, see my thread under Mackie PA for sale. I have three SM57 mics for sale at £50 each +pp (new price around £92). They are in as new condition and I think I still have the original packaging. For what it is worth, I have done the sound for 100s of live gigs and used both SM57 and kick mics for bass. It is true the kick mics can be slightly scooped but any sound man worth his salt will effectively use the desk EQ to differentiate the respective instruments in the mix. In addition, and channels permitting, he will use both DI and live mic so that you will be able to maximise the sound of your effects. For a mic that will just about cover everything, SM57 is an industry standard and takes a lot of beating to be honest.

Yet another painless deal from G. Highly recommend this guy for any transactions............good comms, easy payment and good guy to deal with.

[quote name='hitchy64' post='441563' date='Mar 22 2009, 10:43 AM']Hi their everyone, I have an Ashdown Electric Blue 180 combo with 15" speaker. The problem is I have trouble cutting through the sound of our two guitars, I am unsure which way to go. Do I get an extra cab, or swap my combo for one with a more powerfull amphead? I want to keep using a combo, and I dont have unlimted cash either. I was wondering what your thoughts were. Cheers, Hitchy[/quote] I assume you are not going through a mixing desk with pa subs. Extension cab will help of course and add projection but gitters being what they are, they will play lead even when they are not. Ask the buggers to turn it down a little........sometimes less is more.........

[quote name='kennyrodg' post='438055' date='Mar 18 2009, 09:36 AM']Can anyone point me in the direction of some good online blues bass resources,am struggling to find stuff atm. Thanks in advance. [/quote] what is it you are looking for exactly?

[quote name='OldGit' post='440152' date='Mar 20 2009, 11:48 AM']Brass? BRASS! Us woodwind players get so upset to be lumped in with the spit 'n' fart merchants on their trumpets and sousaphones and tenor horns! Oh, sorry. Thanks mate .. pleasure doing business with you too [/quote] Ok, let me amend this, 'Just sold Si a [color="#FF0000"]brass coloured[/color][u][/u][b][/b] woodwind type instrument.....'' Feel better now?? Does that smooth your tender sensibilities?? Thanks Si, I should have also mentioned your sense of humour !!!!!!

Just sold Si a piece of brass. Excellent deal, payment as promised and totally painless. All the better cos he was such a friendly, interesting person to deal with. Happing honking Si...........

[quote name='Gman' post='439201' date='Mar 19 2009, 01:24 PM']So if one is to count the number of sharp or flat chords in a song, that would indicate the key? Like, if there were 2 sharp chords and 2 non sharp chords that would indicate a key of C#? Hmmm, still confused and that link just confused me more! Maybe if I spent more than 2 minutes scanning through it, I'd understand it better? Or am I just the musical equivalent of the village idiot? [/quote] Nah, you being hard on yourself. All the Circle of Fifths does is summarise the following: Every major scale with sharps starts on the fifth note of the previous one with an interval that will [u]always[/u][b][/b] follow the same structure where T= whole Tone, S = semitone, for example: C [color="#FF0000"]t [/color] D [color="#FF0000"]t[/color] E [color="#FF0000"]s[/color] F [color="#FF0000"]t [/color] G [color="#FF0000"]t[/color] A [color="#FF0000"]t[/color] B [color="#FF0000"]s[/color] C [color="#FF0000"]t t s t t t s[/color] So the next scale with sharps starting on the [u]fifth[/u][b][/b] note of the C major is G G [color="#FF0000"] t[/color] A [color="#FF0000"]t[/color] B [color="#FF0000"]s[/color] C [color="#FF0000"]t [/color] D [color="#FF0000"] t[/color] E [color="#FF0000"]s[/color] F [color="#FF0000"]t [/color] G [color="#FF0000"]t t s t t s t[/color] However if you look at the structure of the C major, you will see that in the G major scale, E to F in is a semitone and the F to G is a tone. To correct this, the F needs to be sharpened giving G [color="#FF0000"]t [/color] A [color="#FF0000"] t[/color] B [color="#FF0000"]s[/color] C [color="#FF0000"]t [/color] D [color="#FF0000"]t [/color] E [color="#FF0000"] t[/color] F # [color="#FF0000"]s[/color] G [color="#FF0000"]t t s t t t s[/color] If you take the fifth note of G major which is D and so on, you will find that you will sharpen the seventh note in every instance until reaching C# I don't want to drag this out but scales using flats have a similar approach using the fourth note of the scale which you can read up on. All the circle of fifths does is neatly summarise all this calculation for you. Even if you can't remember all this but can learn a simple nemonic or visualise the circle of fifths, it will go a long way to helping you work out keys, constructing chords, which chords to use etc. I am no expert in theory and I know there are some tutors out there who can explain it better but knowing the basics will help you enormously. Hope this helps you and wasn't too confusing........

[quote name='Eight' post='438987' date='Mar 19 2009, 10:14 AM']Yeah, wasn't sure whether to bring that term in or not. Probably should have. I'm not sure if the guy who did the presentation covered the circle in an earlier lesson (he probably did) but I thought the first question someone would ask after following the link would be "Ok, I now know Eb major has three flats, but how do I figure out which ones?" so wanted to clarify that a bit.[/quote] sorry, wasn't being smart..........your type of nemonic is how I started to remember keys before exploring theory and yours does work. Now I tend to visualise the circle...works for me. Loads of sites on this for example: [url="http://www.guitarlessonworld.com/lessons/lesson18.htm"]http://www.guitarlessonworld.com/lessons/lesson18.htm[/url]

[quote name='Eight' post='438942' date='Mar 19 2009, 09:26 AM']In typical fashion, I was never taught this. Just made to learn key signatures and scales by memory. But stumbled across [url="http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/html/id25_en.html"]http://www.musictheory.net/lessons/html/id25_en.html[/url] this morning which is a pretty easy way of quickly figuring out how many sharps/flats are in a key if you know the number in seven basic keys (C,D,E,F,G,A,B ). - - - This bit is just for theory newbies and clarifies something You still need to learn the order of sharps/flats. But thats pretty easy too. Just leard the sequence F C G D A E B. For sharps: F C G D A E B So 1# = F, 2# = F,C, 3# = F,C,G etc. This is the order they're written in on the key signatures in standard notation. For flats, read it backwards So 1b = B, 2b = B, E etc. Oh and watch out for G# major which has 8 sharps. It wraps around so you go F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#.. and then hit the F again for that 8th. F# + # = F##. = F##, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#[/quote] Yep, very good little tip for using keys without needing all the theory behind it - this is also called the Circle Of Fifths

[quote]If that's the case, John Paul Jones of Led Zep was a master both at fills and constructing lines with the pentatonic scales. His catalog of work is a great text book.[/quote] Sorry if it is a daft question, but is there a volume of John Paul Jones work available off the shelf?

Just sold Gareth a processor. Easy, painless sale and would recommend the guy very highly. Nice fella to deal with.......

[quote name='kevbass' post='435283' date='Mar 15 2009, 04:28 PM'] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1964-Fender-Jazz-bass-SPARKLE-GOLD-64-Pre-CBS-Vintage_W0QQitemZ270356452314QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item270356452314&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1688%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1964-Fender-Jazz-bas...A1%7C240%3A1318[/url][/quote] can't believe we don't have a collection and buy it......that way we could all make three wishes........what is it with people who think age naturally implies some mystical / magical property to an instrument? This is an obscene amount........

[quote name='benwhiteuk' post='436453' date='Mar 16 2009, 06:52 PM']Like this - [url="http://www.ups.com/content/gb/en/shipping/time/service/value_added/cod.html"]http://www.ups.com/content/gb/en/shipping/..._added/cod.html[/url] I’ve been asked to use this to ship a bass to someone new to BassChat and I was just wondering if anyone has any experience of it? It seems legit and fairly safe but I was just a bit concerned about the part that says “The shipper assumes all risk related to the collection of the payment, including non-payment, insufficient funds, and forgery” – worst case scenario? This feels like a leap of faith as I’ve never used a service like this before and my buyer has only been a member of BC for 3 days. I just need someone to tell me that this is totally safe and nothing can go wrong…please…:wacko:[/quote] might be genuine but why can't he/ she simply use a cheque or raise a bankers draft? Can't remember the last time I used COD...........nah, walk away matey

Good guy to deal with good communications, painless deal. Recommend him for any trade.........