SumOne

If you asked me when I was 18 = yes. If you ask me now (44 with 2 kids) = no. A band rehearsal mid-week and a local gig at the weekend is what I do, and that's about as much time I want to put to it. No finance pressure means it's just for fun. I've got a 9-5 that's interesting enough and reliable to pay my bills without me stressing. There's some ambitious band talk about getting bigger, it's nice to have the ambition I guess, but I'd perhaps have to quit if there was much more travel and time being spent on it and more pressure.

I don't know about the 8010, but I use KRK Rokit 8 which are probably equivalent and they seem plenty of sub for the Bass heavy stuff I DJ and produce at home (dub, Reggae, Drum n Bass, dubstep) and I know a few others in my situation that use the same. If the 8010s aren't producing the kick well then are people going to need to listen with a sub to hear it well? Listeners will often be using crappy speakers, so if anything, I'd try to mix stuff and get it sounding good through a variety of bad speakers.

^^ The trouble with Thomann orders/returns to the UK is a recent order took 8 days to get to me (mostly due to customs delays). And I sent it back for a refund 17 days ago and have yet to get the money refunded (again, this seems due to customs). But yeah, it is free to return, which places like Andertons don't do, I think they quite cheekily try to charge you £20 for them to arrange courier collection for return, seems a bit of an earner for them when you're trying to return something that hasn't lived up to expectations. £300 on a pedal for me would go on a Boss RE 202, it'd probably be a bit useless with Bass, good for dubbing up everything else though.

I'm in a 8 piece, which has the full PA, Lights, Banners, big drum kit, multiple mics, wireless stuff etc. We joke that packing/unpacking is the worst part of gigging, but it isn't really a joke. It's like the circus coming to town. Personally, I think it's the biggest downside of being in a bigger band. I'm depping in a smaller rock band and the relative ease of set-up/pack down is a real benefit. If the amount of unnecessary gear a band member brings becomes an issue I think it needs to be said 'you want those extra lights etc, you set it up and pack it down as the rest of the band thinks it's unnecessary'.

I've been listening to a lot of Johnny Osbourne lately (ahead of seeing him and Horace Andy live soon). Truth wave Rights being one of my favourite reggae tunes, but 'Never Stop Fighting' is a great album, these first 3 tunes especially: (the scientist dubs are also really good, on 'Scientist Wins the world cup')

There is another Mooer thread in the effects forum where I wrote this: Sort of reluctantly, I'm going to return the P2 to Thomann while I can still get a full refund. (side note, I returned it about 2 weeks ago and haven't been refunded yet. This reminds me I need to chase up). It is a good bit of kit, but is quite expensive at £209 and isn't really better than the Nux Mighty Plug (that I already have) for home practise, and although I only have a simple pedal setup for live use it can't replace pedals like the LS-2 for switching between two basses, or a stompable tuner/mute (unless getting the bluetooth footswich - in which case cost and size starts to creep up and then it seems why not get a cheap multi fx with footswitches), so it would be an addition to my pedalboard rather than replacing it. It would be good as a pocket sized all-in-one pedalboard to take to band practise, but something like the Zoom B1 Four can do similar and save about £130 (allbeit a bit bigger, needing batteries/power supply, and no bluetooth to stream music). If I had a lot of spare ££ I'd keep it, but for me it just isn't adding enough to what I already have to justify keeping it. Hopefully updates give it some Bass Amp/Cabs (although I find Amp sims are basically EQ points and a tone/gain levels of drive - so can be done with EQ and Drive effects blocks, and Cabs can be added as IRs), better tuner reading of a open E, some access to the drum loops/metronome directly on the device, and a low battery warning.

Gigged with it last night (without the M Audio hub) and all was good, 1/8" headphone out of the Laptop to a 1/4" connector and into a DI box for the long XLR to mixer. I'll probably return the M Audio hub, might get one of those other DAC DIs at some point though.

All good advice, I'll make sure I turn things off and look into the USB bus architecture. Saying that though, I don't know if I need to change much of that as latency isn't really an issue I've noticed, the main reason for getting the interface is I dont trust the flimsy 1/8" laptop headphone output for live use as it seems the part that can easily get disconnected/damaged. Also, the 8 piece band I'm in has a lot of wires and wireless signals causing interferance so it's best to avoid un-balanced cables where possible. Bypassing the laptop soundcard/headphone out by using a USB out of the laptop to an outboard interface that then sends out audio via 1/4" or XLR seems a sturdier solution as far as the connector go, that's my main reason for getting it. A bonus being that online stuff seems to say that interfaces tend to have better audio quality and lower latency than using the laptop (or tablet) soundcard and headphone output (as they are made with more expense/focus to achieve their specific task). I've now realised there are differences between what are generally referred to as 'interface' (usually for guitar/mic audio conversion to digital: Analog-Digital Convertor ADC), 'Digital-Analog Converter (DAC) DI Box' ', and 'external soundcard' (ADC and DAC - but the market for these seems to be for gamers using these for headphones/mics, rather than live audio). As far as I can tell, things like the Focusrite Scarlett are primarily designed for ADC (guitar to Laptop) and not for DAC (USB from the laptop to audio out), so it's a DAC DI Box that I'm after for my chain to be: Midi keyboard> USB> Laptop (DAW and VST)> USB> DAC with DI> XLR > Mixer. ......I'm still a bit confused though, interfaces like the Steinberg UR22mkII have inputs (mic/line), midi in/out, line out so clearly do ADC and midi control, but they also say "the rock-solid drivers of the UR22mkII let you run VSTis at very low latencies", and, "interfaces feature high speed USB 2.0, which provides fast, reliable and seamless connectivity to Mac and PC computer...... Together with the enhanced low latency of our SSP2 chip and the latest drivers". These sort of interfaces seem geared towardes being an ADC to get analog audio digitised and into a Laptop rather than DAC taking digital out and making it analog audio - but their text seems to imply that it perhaps also works as a DAC. If that's the case then that covers my DAC needs and potential for ADC if I need to record Bass etc. DAC DI Box's more obviously cover what I need for the midi keyboard/Laptop out. Since I bought the M Audio Hub I now think the Art USB DI is probably better, or the Mackie MDB-USB Stereo DI Box , or Radial USB Pro (each has a increased price though), benefits being that none of them require a seperate power supply and they all have XLR outputs instead of the M Audio Hub 1/4" outs, drawbacks being they cost upto £200 extra. Apart from being more sturdy and avoiding un-balanced cables, here's some stuff I've read online generally about the benefits of using an interface (I think they are usually talking ADC, but sometimes interchangably talking about features that relate to DAC). "Audio interfaces are essential for anything related to music production. They offer higher audio quality than the built-in audio interface of Mac/iPhone devices. These are the greatest advantages they offer over built-in sound cards from a Mac/iPhone: Much lower latency, more inputs, and better connectivity, and better quality—audio interfaces have better AD/DA converters," (I assume this is more so for Windows Laptops) https://www.lifewire.com/how-a-usb-audio-interface-is-better-than-your-onboard-headphone-jack-7370406 I would definitely prefer an external audio interface for its quality and robustness, and the fact that you don’t have to fiddle around with 3.5mm jack adapters. Moreover, using an external audio interface generally allows you to use ASIO (Audio Stream Input/Output) that allows specific software applications (e.g., your DAW such as Cubase or Ableton) to communicate directly with the hardware interface, without the OS as intermediary. This can give excellent low latency performance https://www.skippyweb.eu/2023/08/using-a-laptop-during-live-performances/ When it comes to audio quality, a USB audio interface surpasses the onboard headphone jack found on most devices. The onboard jack may provide basic audio playback, but it falls short when it comes to delivering the highest quality sound. A USB audio interface is designed with specialized circuitry and converters, specifically engineered to handle audio signals. This dedicated hardware ensures that the audio signals are processed and converted with utmost accuracy and precision. These interfaces utilize high-quality digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) to maintain the integrity of the audio signal throughout the recording and playback process. The result is cleaner, clearer, and more detailed sound reproduction. In contrast, the onboard headphone jack is typically integrated into the motherboard or sound card, and it shares resources with other components. This can lead to signal interference, poor dynamic range, and added noise and distortion. Moreover, USB audio interfaces often support higher sample rates and bit depths, providing a more accurate representation of the original audio. https://citizenside.com/technology/how-a-usb-audio-interface-is-better-than-your-onboard-headphone-jack/

Nice setup! Mine is going to be a much more amateur sort of thing. Mine right now is: Midi keyboard > USB > Laptop (Reaper DAW and VSTs) > 1/8" headphone out > 1/4" adapter > SubZero DI > XLR > Mixer > PA The red text seems the weakest link so I assume I need something like the M Audio air hub to take USB from the Laptop and convert it to audio: meaning Laptop USB output rather than the more delicate 1/8" headphone out, lower Latency than using the Laptop soundcard (and less processing pressure on the Laptop), can power other USB devices (again - reducing the reliance on the Laptop and less plugging things in/out), and it has headphone and line outs each with their own volume control. As the next gig is tommow night I've ordered it for next day delivery without giving it too much thought, so hopefully it's what I need!

I was hoping at £800 would be a quick sale and hassle free with someone collecting, and avoids Reverb/ebay fees. It's on Facebook marketplace though and so far there have just been a lot of: (even though the advert says 'if the advert is up, it is still available. Let me know if you have any different questions')

I might, but the key word though is 'buy' As I already have a Laptop with DAW and VSTs and don't want to spend alot. I used the midi keyboard with usb to laptop, then laptop headphone out to mixer/pa at rehearsal tonight and it worked fine, no noticeable sound issues. Probably not the most roadworthy solution, but it'll do for now and cost me about £150. I think the main thing now it to make sure it's reliable, so decent connectors/protection and making sure the Laptop is reliable (gig on Friday so I don't have long!). I need, Piano, Rhodes, Hammond, Clav, with some fx. If there is a module can do that without cosing a lot and connects easily to a midi keyboard and out to a mixer then I'll go for it. The Reface CP looks the best bet in my sort of price range, annoying it has mini keys otherwise I would've got just that, but could potentially use it paired with the midi keyboard for its keys. Pianobox might be good too. (And, I don't need the sounds, but do have my eye on the Behringer Mini D).

The M-Audio Oxygen Pro 49 arrived. Seems quite a solid and decent keyboard while being a fair bit smaller and lighter than my MPC Key 61. Knobs, sliders etc. are all good. Keys and pads are okay, not as good as the MPC Keys, but not bad. It worked straight away sending midi signals to my Laptop via USB, but I ran into the usual faff of drivers, settings, install/registrations etc (things that drove me to hardware) and for some reason it would not make a sound through Ableton or MPC Beats (but could see signals were being sent, so that's them/laptop rather than the keys), so I tried it out on Reaper and all is good. (Side note: Reaper is becoming my favorite DAW, it always just seems to make workflow better for me with reduced faff). And with the Laptop/headphones there isn't noticable latency. So my next step is how to get what I'm hearing through my headphones into the band mixer/PA. The simplest is Laptop 1/8" headphone out to a 1/4" line input to the mixer (which I'll try tonight at rehersal), but that seems a bit shoddy and could pick up noise. If I can go from one of the Laptop USB as an out to an interface and then from that via XLR to the mixer that would seem a bit sturdier and more professional.

What interfaces are y'all using for a live setup with a MIDI keyboard? As said above - typical connectors are probably not reliable enough for gigs, using things 1/8" headphones jack and USB extensions seems unreliable and a good way to get some sudden loud noises (or no noise) through a PA. Information online seems a bit thin on the ground. this video is pretty good, it recommends a Powered USB Hub (CalDigit), and Audio interface (eg. MOTU M4, Focusrite Scarlett). ........Trouble being that costs start creeping up, I'm selling an MPC Key 61 (for £800) as it seems overkill (in size, cost, features) for what I need for live stuff and I'm worried I'll damage it if I keep taking it to wekly rehearsals and pub gigs. A £150 midi keyboard seems like £650 savings, but if I also need £400 worth of interface stuff (and potentially an upgraded Laptop/Tablet) then the midi keyboard route starts to look less cost effective.

Thanks, that's a good idea. It is a Windows Laptop and can have separate user profiles.

Thanks @BigRedX and @BassTractor. I've ordered the M Audi Oxygen Pro 49 as it seemed to tick the right boxes. I would've gone for the Reface CP if it had full sized keys. (although still might at some point - have seen a few reviews where people connect it to a midi keyboard). If the Android tablet has too much latency I'll use my Laptop (issue being I use it for everything else - I'm not sure how much I'd trust it for live use as something always needs an update/restart/various notifications popping up etc.). I'll keep an eye out for an older iPad to use as a dedicated 'brain'.

I'm thinking of getting a midi keyboard - full size semi-weighted keys (probably M Audio Oxygen Pro 49), ideally to connect to my Android tablet for some simple stuff to play with a band live through a mixer/pa. I'm not sure if there is too much latency with Android though, and if interfaces like the Focusrite help reduce it.... if I need a decent Laptop or iPad and interface then the cost starts creeping up into electric piano territory. Anyone here using this sort of midi/android setup live and have recommendations? Edit: I am also interested in things like the Yamaha Reface and Microkorg XL, basically a cheapish but reliable synth that can do alright piano and rhodes sounds, annoyingly though they have small keys and I want full sized, but electric pianos tend to be massive/heavy and expensive. The M Audio 49 seems a decent half way point for portability and playability and price, but perhaps there are better options?

If I was mostly using it sat home, or if I played the sort of music that is performed live sat down then weight wouldn't really matter. In fact, heavy can be good to keep it steady, (and depending on who you listen to - tone and sustain advantages) . Personally though, I play ska/punk pub gigs where sitting down to play isn't really the done thing! So the lighter the better. I was quite spoilt by having a 3.4kg Ibanez EHB, now my 3.9kg Jazz feels quite big and heavy, I wouldn't want anything heavier.

Nice! It's annoying that Mooer seem to have given up on catering for Bass players, loads of Guitar amp/cabs but no Bass ones. I could live with that if the tuner worked on a 5 string Bass low B (but if it's the same software as the P2 then it won't), and if the Drives had a blend (from the manual, it seems they don't). Hopefully there will be an update to include Bass stuff, or a specific Bass version as it looks like a good bit of hardware, I like the battery option. The Zoom looks good: Small, battery powered option, tuner, only 2x effects at the same time but perhaps if they include a decent compressor and a drive with a lot of EQ options that would be enough. I can't tell if anything on it is designed for Bass though.

I just mentioned it elsewhere, but probably worth a mention here too: The Dubmatix Reggae shows are worth a listen. https://dubmatix.podbean.com/

I think it might have had it's day. You'd probably be better off on an internet funk and soul station that can reach global audiences (Something like: https://funky.radio/) or record shows and upload them to somewhere like soundcloud, or have a focus on specific artist/label with interviews/info each week and record it as a podcast series that you put on spotify. It doesn't take much home equipment nowadays, I used to do an electronic music internet radio show - just basically needed to hook up the decks and mic to the computer with a decent internet conncection, could see live chat and who/where were listening and interact. Right now, I'm listeing to a Reggae recorded radio show https://dubmatix.podbean.com/, he's also got it available on 40x various other internaet radio stations that schedule the show (sindication I guess). I don't know how many 100s of listeners that'd pick up via streaming, but there are >2,000 downloads from most of his weekly shows, so I guess the total of listeners per show is well into the 10,000's and global. Saying that though, I'd imagine that Hospital radio with the traditional radio station operating the desk, working live with audience participation etc. is still probably a good route to local radio and is a different experience than recording a show.

I had a 3.3kg Bass, so now anything too much more than that seems like unncecessary hard work and discomfort. Saying that though, I wouldn't mind having a 6kg Bass if it was one I only used at home and sitting down and the erganomics meant the weight was resting comfortably on my lap and the strap and I wasn't fighting it being un-balanced, it's sometimes quite good then to have a Bass that is well anchored. But I do 3hr rehearsals once a week, and 90min gigs every few weeks and they are all standing up so I would not want anything above about 4kg for that.

I think, as others have said - perhaps try some new songs that don't need keys, or don't need anything challenging on keys. Perhaps he'd end up prefering them if there is less to do or it means he can take a break in the set. And as far as him stopping playing for a few seconds, well, I don't know what high standards you set yourselves but in any band I've been in we're lucky if there isn't some sort of mistake by someone in almost every song! Only the most attentitve and nerdy of audience members (probably ones that play the same songs in their own bands) tend to notice, and when people do notice they don't tend to care - the sponteneity and risk of mistakes is partly why people want to see live music. I've seen plenty of big headline bands mess up songs enough to need to re-start them and it usually seems like the audience quite enjoy that falable human element to it. Personally, when I've got bored of a Band's setlist I've done some depping for the new challenge of learning a new setlist in a different genre.

That is a good idea.

Likewise, I'd be keen to hear gig experience of the G6. I need: Standard stuff like: Tuner/mute, compressor, EQ, Drive, while being tough/reliable - no unexpected freezing/restarts and with a decent/tough power supply/connector. (It'd be up against the toughness/reliability of my current pedalboard of Boss Compact pedals and an islolated power supply with kettle lead). 2x inputs and footswitch between them - I swop between two Basses with different volumens (currently using an LS-2). The B-6 seems to be one of the best multi-fx suited to this and is a big selling point to me over other multi-fx. Seperate XLR and 1/4" outputs - I am considering sending one signal quite a long distance via XLR to mixer/PA/IEMs (with Cab sim) and one to Amp/Cab (without Cab sim). And a 'nice to have' is a passable synth and envelope filter. If it does all that then I reckon it'll be on my shopping list - because what else ticks those boxes without spending >£900? .....perhaps other than individual pedals, which I think means my TU-3, BB-1X, ODB-3, LS-2, LMB-3, plus getting some sort of Amp/Cab sim pedal that splits the signal, and something like a C4....but that probably also adds up to about £900 combined.