Boodang

Of course you're going to get a lot of replies along the lines of 'it all depends on...' and they won't be wrong. Golden rule obviously, rehearsals are not for individuals to learn a song, that should be prep work, so much as learning how to play the song as a band. Lessons learnt, I always would record rehearsals on a small Zoom H2n in the middle of the room and give everyone a copy on an SD so they could hear how badly they played and hopefully everyone would come to their own conclusion as to what needs working on. Easier that musicians come to that conclusion themselves rather than be told.

Digital mixers are the mutts nuts for live work. We got an xr18 and have never looked back. I love the studio FX you can use, fully parametric EQ on every channel, and 100 band rta, really helpful you get a professional sound.

Thanks. There's a few bars here where I think the jam nights are driving away customers, so there's some opportunities once I get some musicians together. As for free jazz, it obviously has it's place but sometimes it can just be a nonsense. In the case of the last one I went to the guitarist was determined that anything coming out of his guitar should not resemble a guitar sound... scraping, bashing, anything than actually playing a note! I think the main difference between a free jazz jam and a jam night where it's a noise, is that free jazz musicians know what notes should be played and avoid them, whereas at the jam night they play those notes by accident!

As I've just moved to Riga, I thought I'd check out some jam nights to see if I can find some musicians to hook up with. However, it's turned out to be some of the worse musical experiences I've ever encountered, to the extent that I'd say it's been audible torture. First off, a commune style, shoes off, basement studio where those not playing an 'instrument' were handed a djembe. What a noise with no direction as far as I could see very little talent (I'm trying not to be condescending but it was awful). I think it actually might have been a recruitment drive for the Hare Krishna movement (they have a big presence here). Nice people tho. Then there was a bar which had local musicians hosting a jam night, but nobody seemed to know what to play so it was just noodling. Another bar, this time a bunch of teenagers who sounded like they'd just picked up their instruments with someone on 'vocals' doing a trumpet impression. So, off to the jazz club and they host a jam night and the local jazz musicians are v talented.... so talented in fact that it instantly turned into free jazz nonsense and I had to leave (don't get me wrong, I love jazz but free jazz is a mess that only those playing get anything from it). It seems like there's either no prep or the musicians just don't know what to play. I mean, how difficult can it be to be musical over ii V I or I V IV! Once I do find some blues musicians I'll try and redress the balance by having regular jam nights based on blues and jazz standards (bring your fake book type stuff). In the meantime where are you @nilorius?! Our resident Riga bass player needs to introduce me to some musicians..... please! An excerpt from the Krishna recruitment evening. PXL_20250919_193444634.TS~2.mp4

Just get a regular personal account in your name, get all the gig money put into it, then if you ever want to quit the band you can f off with all the cash!

I wholeheartedly agree but I think it should be taken a step further, Alex and Geddy should be banned from playing any Rush songs on their instruments both publicly and in their own home. An Alexa device should be installed where ever they are, and if it detects a Rush 'lick' it should deliver an electric shock to Alex & Geddy simultaneously... that'll teach them for having fun.

Anika is an incredible and unique drummer, I'm looking forward to hearing what the collaboration produces. My only concern is that Geddy's voice was shot at R30, so maybe a new vocalist to complete a new line up.

The style of playing Anika has will bring something interesting to Rush. It'll be interesting to hear, especially if they intend to bring other musicians on stage to expand their sound. Now, given that Geddy's voice was shot by the time they did R30 two decades ago, all they need now is a new vocalist.

I use a Zoom Q2n to record gigs (4k video and x/y mics). So, no need to say anything, just 'helpfully' record their next gig and present them with an SD card of their performance and they can make up their own minds.

These days I just use active pa cabs, but back in the day it was Trace Elliot and a 4 x 10. Once we were playing a gig in the car park of a pub on the edge of a park. We had arrange the gig because we were not invited to play at the small open air gig in the park (nothing petty about it of course!). About half way into the first set someone from the park came over and asked us to turn the bass down as it was cutting across their sound. Ah, those back breaking Trace Elliot days. I always found that the 4x10 was louder than two 2x10. Could've just been the setup though as that was SWR.

So that could vary from just a DI box to tone shaping and effects to all of that and I want in ear. However, none of that in essence is difficult. If you like the sound of your bass and need nothing else, buy a DI. If you want tone shaping you'll need a Zoom/Stomp/pedals then DI. If you want one of those and IEM then you'll need two outputs, DI and IEM, and it's more complicated and more money. Btw, a cheap and reliable way to do iem.. instead of using a wireless system (expensive, flakey, black magic), I use a wired system (cheap, reliable not voodoo). I run a physical cable to a headphone amp on my belt to my in ears.

A multi FX like a Zoom or a Stomp will easily do the job, if however like me you don't get on with them, I use just a couple of my fav pedals that'll do the job for the gig. Always a comp (that does my tone shaping), an FX or two, then a radial sb2 passive DI. The nearest I've got to multi FX is the TC Plethora X as it feels more like pedals. If I'm not doing FX, then I've started using my behringer xr18 stage box. It might be a digital mixer but it's got a huge amount of tone shaping plus classic outboard emulations and an XLR out for FoH. And they've come down in price so way cheaper than a stomp for instance (although it's doing a different job). Then when you're not using it for gigs it can your home studio interface. Small and light as well.

No belt loops.... as my tailor says, why would you need belt loops when the suit is made to fit you perfectly!

My savile row suits fit perfectly, no belt needed, I don't know what the issue is.

At the start of this post I said I'd just had a custom fretless made but as we'd just gone on a three year posting it didn't make the journey and spent it's time in the UK only getting played on the odd trip I made back. Well, now we've moved back to Europe and the bass is with me and in fact is the first time I've heard it plugged in. I've waited 3 years to hear those custom weather report pups! Of course it sounds as good as it plays. Just need to find a band to play it in now.

The OP drops a bone with the barest morsel of meat on it and basschatters make a banquet out of it.... but I guess it is a place to chat about basses... even so!

Either practicing the bass feels like filling out a tax form or basschatters have very boring jobs with too much time on their hands to be participating in this thread..... now where did I put that password for SBL.

Well, as you put it so eloquently, who could argue with you.

I always use a Radial Stagebug SB 2. It's passive so no worries with psu's and circuitry not working at gigs (I know you're recording but if you use it later) and the transformer in it has a nice sound and difficult to overload. The di output is about 6 dB down as it's passive. About £80.

I got replaced in a band by a beat buddy.... either says a lot about me or my drumming, or both!

I'm not a professional, so for me it's as much about the social side as the playing. Consequently it has to be a comfortable environment to relax in. And that's not just extreme views or prejudices, but also something more mainstream if it was too preachy. An interesting debate where there are differing views is one thing but if it was constant it would take the fun out of playing.

Actually, that's just given me an idea, next time I'm asked to play in the low B territory I'll just plug in to a fart pedal... nobody would notice the difference, might even be an improvement on my usual playing!

5 string low B is just an indistinct fart! So I should have been more specific and said I hate 5 string strung low B..... and yes I have lost work because I won't play low B but also I'm more of a 4 string fretless guy so I just stick to what I'm good at. As it happens I do play a 5 string but high C.... and yep, get up the dusty end of the C string all the time, but then I'm not playing death metal.

Hihat for groove, ride for swing. And one of the reasons I mostly use a dry ride is to give some space. Drummers just tw@ting everything as hard as possible all the time is one of my pet hates but I wouldn't call that irrational.

Fair point. In which case I hate 5 string bass!