mike257

I'd love a crack at one, especially next to my SVT610 to see how they compare. I don't have my own transport to move the thing about, but if one comes to Liverpool I'd love a go

[quote name='Tait' post='579275' date='Aug 24 2009, 05:17 PM']this speaker cabinet modelling, i dont think my dad's line 6 has got that on it, but if my guitarist's FX unit has, how would i go about using it? do i line out with cabinet modelling, or do i still mic up the cabinet?[/quote] I wouldn't use the cabinet modelling [i]and[/i] a real speaker together, just one or the other. The cabinet modelling is designed so you can use the line out to record, without the sonic drawbacks mentioned further back in the thread. It's simulating the effect a speaker would have on your tone with EQ jiggery-pokery and other such tricks. It's worth a try if your struggling with micing. [quote]i keep telling my guitarist to turn down the gain and turn up the volume to get a nicer tone, but he's always reluctant. i keep drilling it into him next recording session.[/quote] Definitely. Although it might sound like a big rock tone in the room when he's playing on his own, that little bit less gain will give loads more clarity to the parts being played, so it'll blend better with other instruments in the mix. I've recorded plenty of guitarists reluctant to believe this, but the proof is in the pudding. If you're tracking rhythm guitar parts, reducing the gain a bit but double tracking the part and panning it out left and right a bit is a nice way to fill the sound out. Don't fall for the shortcut of copy-pasting to another track instead of actually doubling the part though. It's the subtle differences from one take to the next that give the sound more depth. [quote]and jonny lad, i'll definatly only need to mic up one of the speakers? they're the same size so i would have thought so, but my amp only has 1 speaker so i can't mess around with a 2 speaker amp and i don't want to end up getting to recording my guitarist and only mic'ing up one speaker to find it sounds horrible, so i just want to check before hand [/quote] You only need to mic up one, whether it's a 2x12, a 4x12 or an 8x10! Of course, if you want to experiment, there's no rule against covering it with all kinds of mics, but for the simplest, quickest good result, one mic on one speaker is fine. If you start using multiple mics you have to worry about phasing and all sorts of nonsense, I prefer keeping it simple!

All good advice above! I'm not too familiar with the amp you're using, but I've always found that 'just breaking up nice' overdrive sound is really hard to acheive with solid-state amps. I'd work as hard as you can on the guitar sound itself before you come to recording it. Fresh strings was a cracking shout, makes a world of difference. I see that amp is a digital modelling jobbie, so try a few of the different models out, or listen to some samples of the real things and see which is closest to the sound you want. A mic on the cab will (IMO) always sound better than a line out for recording a driven guitar sound. Guitar speakers have a natural roll-off of high frequencies, so you don't hear some of the nastiness in the extra harmonics. A line-out signal won't give you this, and you'll get a lot more harsh and fuzzy top end from it. Experiment with micing the centre or the outside of the cone, as different mic positions will make a huge difference to your tone. In a perfect world, you'd go out and buy a valve amp, but with a bit of experimenting, you can get good results by making the best of what you've got! Have fun

I used my Stingray with the Shuttle 6 the first day I got it, threw it in at the deep end with a gig. I was running it with the EQ totally flat, none of the shape switches in, gain about 2 or 3 o'clock and pre-amp vol at 12 o'clock, and my Stingray jumped out of the speakers and nearly bit my head clean off, it sounded great. Might be to do with the cab though, my 610 is [i]real[/i] heavy on the bottom, with less emphasis on the mids, so that will have helped.

Amazingly, considering there's 6 of us, we come pretty close to managing it. There's three singers/writers in the band, one of whom was the driving force behind getting the band together in the first place, so he's the 'de facto' gaffer, but it rarely needs to come to one person to make the over-riding decision. The three of them all contribute songs, but if we aren't collectively happy with a song, regardless of it's origin, then it doesn't go in. My songwriting is miles away from the sound of the band, but I contribute heavily with arrangements, and do the textbook bass player jobs of running the web stuff, bookings, van hire, graphics etc. We all have a say and a creative input with the music, and the promotional end of things. Sometimes egos have to be massaged, and compromises have to be made, but we were all close friends who've played in various bands together before this one, so it all tends to work out in the end!

I seen some kid in a support band doing it at the Islington Bar Academy once, he pulled it off about 4 times in the 25 mins they were on stage!! I don't know how, because I went on after him, and almost took our singers head off with my bass, the stage is that small. I'd learn how to do it, but I'd be too scared of losing a bass, I've seen it go wrong enough times too.

I had to get in the back seat of an old 3-door Fiesta with a BC Rich Beast on my knee once, I think one corner of it was sticking out the window!! It's a miracle nobody impales themselves on those things!

+1 to all the comments about repeated listening. If I'm learning stuff for a gig, it goes on a CD, into my work van, and stays on repeat for a few days until I can hear it in my sleep. You'd be amazed the difference it makes.

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='567815' date='Aug 13 2009, 11:46 AM']I once did a gig with a 5w practice guitar combo. What made it worse was the fact that the gig was an open-air festival on the Mir Space Station and was thus performed in the vacuum of Space.[/quote] I hate those gigs, there's no atmosphere. Sorry.

Justin Meldal-Johnson occasionally dabbles with one, seen a few shots of him rocking out on it with Nine Inch Nails recently!

I'm probably wildly off the mark here, but, if you like the feel of your Squier so much, but the tone sucks, surely the cost of some new hardware and electronics would be money well spent. It's easier to radically overhaul the sound of a bass that already feels great, than to change the feel of a bass that sounds great (without mucking up it's tone). It no doubt won't end your quest for the perfect bass, but with the right mods, it'll leave you with a perfectly good, giggable instrument you can feel at home with until you do find 'the one'.

A mate of mine at college was in a Descendants/Propaghandi type punk band and had a flourescent green BC Rich Warlock at one point. He said it was the best sounding bass he'd ever owned, but he had to get rid because it looked so bad!

[quote name='StevieD_FenderP2009' post='552174' date='Jul 26 2009, 10:53 PM']Hey guys Can some one give me a bit of information on usb mixing desks? Will I be able to plug one into my laptop and change the levels of what i've recorded on ableton or will it purely change the level of the sounds for play back? Also, Any one that uses the M-Audio Keystation 49E, can you give me a bit of a review of it? Cheers![/quote] Hey Stevie, If you're after something to control the mixing within your software, you probably want a MIDI fader controller. About the cheapest you'll get is a Behringer, think it's a BCF-2000, have a quick google. It's 8 automated faders that you can program up to any MIDI controllable function in your software!

I've got no experience of using rechargables in the wireless myself, but I've heard more horror stories than good reports. I've found Duracell Pro-Cell batteries last for bloody ages, as long as you remember to unplug it soon as you've finished and all that.

sandbergsandbergsandbergsandberg. That is all.

Wow, the photo with the drums gives a much better sense of the size of the place, looks the business! Still checking back every week and looking forward to seeing the end result, this is great!

[quote name='Uncle Balsamic' post='559825' date='Aug 3 2009, 11:47 PM']Are you going to be gigging this? I may check it out.[/quote] I sure hope to be! I'm right at the bottom of the list, so god knows how long it'll be before it makes it here, probably a good few months, but hopefully it'll turn up at the right time for a gig or two. Although, if you want to do a before-and-after check with my current rig, you could pop down to the Barfly next Monday

No hands on experience of one myself, but I know a guy who owns one, and having seen him rock his 60's Jazz through it a few times now, I can safely say it sounds wonderful. He's got quite a collection of bass gear and it's jumped immediately to the top of the pecking order for him - his tasty old school SVT2 has been retired!

I think to have a satisfying experience as an originals band, everybody involved needs to have more or less the same aspirations and work ethic. My last originals band wasn't exactly a profit machine, but we took the business end of things very seriously, and always at least broke even. We worked our nuts off to build a committed fan base in our local area, and bypassed promoters by hiring the venues ourselves. We used to make a comfortable few hundred quid doing a local headline show every other month, and that covered our expenses travelling further afield to places where we didn't yet have the pulling power to attract a decent fee. Between that, and merch sales, we got all around the country, staying in Travelodges every time (no roughing it in the van!) and covered all our expenses, and it never cost us a penny of our own money. The thing is, it takes up countless hours of everybody's time, probably more time than you spend practicing, to do all the promoting and haggling and whatever else, and if you're the only guy in your band taking it that seriously, there's a real problem. Just realised this is turning into an essay, so I'll shut up now. I'd be wondering, If the rest of your band aren't pulling their weight, maybe they just haven't got the same ambitions for it that you have!

Wahey! I'm looking forward to this - although you never know, I might have bought one by then anyway, i'm getting an itchy trigger finger on it

From what you're saying, this gig might be a pretty big deal for your singer. If Birmingham is his home town, then he must be really keen to give his family and friends there a chance to see him play a show. Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it. Sure, they could have asked, and whatever their reasoning behind it, it could've been explained to you a bit better, but if you're based halfway across the country from your home town, wouldn't you jump at the chance to gig in front of your family/friends/whoever and show them all how badass you are?

I used to have the 410HE paired with the 15E. I think you need an amp that kicks out some real juice at 8ohms to get the best out of the 410 as a single cab. My SVT3 is only 275 watts into 8ohms, and I found myself running out of headroom when I was playing with a really loud band, but with both cabs up and running it was ace. In a less rowdy band, it might not be such an issue. Was always a nice sounding cab, I only sold it on because I wanted a 1 cab setup.

Muchos sympathy mate. I had someone make off with my Stingray, straight off the stand and out of a fire door, just after I came off stage at a gig once. Luckily, someone saw him, and he dumped it in some undergrowth just off the street when he realised we were chasing him. Miraculously, there wasn't a scratch or a mark on it, but it was a scary moment. Hope the perp gets what he deserves, and that you can get your bass fixed up too!

Haha, that's incredible - I've never seen anybody actually buy one of these. I'd come all the way to Henley just to check that out in the flesh. Can't wait to hear what you think of it, I bet it's gonna sound monstrous!!!

[quote name='grumble' post='545033' date='Jul 19 2009, 11:39 PM']Bit of an extreme solution but get a job as an engineer with a certain well known telecoms company, free 9v batteries for life. Well it worked for me [/quote] So it's not just me then? Nice one