WinterMute

Whilst the Pebbles are great the Rocks are even better, I've been spec'ing Unity Audio monitors for years, they are very good. Also very good are the Amphion One12 https://amphion.fi/create/products-pro-audio/studio-monitors/one12-nearfield-studio-monitor/ I have the One18's and they are the best nearfields I've heard in 20 years. You'll need a decent amp too, which Amphion can sell or you can match someones elses. Not cheap but magnificent.

Really like the Kemper, never used the Fractal though, don’t play guitar, spent a long time with the Bass Pod XT Pro rack, still have the bean... My guitarist buddy has the Helix, I might grab the rack version at some point, but I’m not doing a whole lot of playing currently, lots of mixing and restoration.

Phoenix kit is the biz, ex API engineers, I have their N16 summing mixer in my home studio rack. its hiding behind the S3 here. More to the point, Fractal and Kemper?

Good man, live production racks are the biz...

Rack kit you say? Yeah, I like a bit of rack kit...

If Rush can do it, and they used to, I see no issue with the triggering of parts from sequencer and click or organically from a drum pad or pedal, if you’ve built parts into a song you can’t physically play, and by that I mean extra guitar parts, loops or synth parts in bands with no keys player or BV’s sung by tracking up a single voice, then it makes sense to include that as part of your live show. If you’re lip syncing you have no business asking people to pay to see you. I’m going to except Kiss at this point, cos they’re old dinosaurs who’re retiring shortly, I’m going to see them for the chuckle and the kitch, don’t care if Stanley’s voice has gone, it’s a miracle his face still works with the amount of work that’s been done on it....

Best by far is my Musicman 20th Anniversary SR5, every bit as good as I’d hoped. Honourable mention to the GED2112 pre, which is a great bit of kit. I changed my back line from a Barefaced Big Twin T to a Phil Jones Super Flighcase, it’s not the same thing at all, but i’m Not playing live and I needed a good studio amp. Not really a disappointment, just a bit different.

It’s a conference mic, tuned for voices, not ideal. You’ll need 48v from your mixer, but this is a better bet: https://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_c1_grossmembran_studiomikrofon.htm

I've got the 1000s, excellent studio headphone for the money, well built and don't sound at all bad. I don't mix or master on headphones, I do check mixes on them however, but the idea of "mastering" headphones for £50 is odd.

Unless you have an isolated shock mount, don't put anything on the frame... Use a decent cardioid condenser mic either pointing horizontally at the lid about 6-8 inches inside the case at about 18 inches height from the strings with the lid at the standard 45 degree angle, or pointing downwards towards the middle of the string bed further inside the case if you have spill issues, move the mic closer to the hammers to get more bite into the sound, and further away to get body. Get the mic as far from the string frame as you can if you employ the vertical method, essentially right up against the lid. You'll get some spill from the band, but that's unavoidable. Do not use an omni mic. If you are behind the PA, you should't suffer feedback, but watch for the LF. You might have some success with an SM57, but it's going to give you a much more localised sound, so if thats all you have, use 2 spaced across the string bed.

Here's some pics as promised:

Jon Stockman, Karnivool's Roquefort, 6 string Thumb I believe. Geddy Lee's Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures tone. Pastorius on Mitchell's Hejira and Shadows and Light. Tim Comerford's work with Audioslave. John Isley's tone on the first 2 Dire Straights albums Norman Watt-Roy on Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick, or indeed anything he played on frankly. Mick Karn Sons of Pioneers. Tony Levin, too many to mention, Red Rain probably... Phil Lynott Dancing in the moonlight. I could go on...

Just wasn't using it, didn't think I'd get back to playing, then 3 years later ended up back onstage and recording again... usual story. I'm playing Musicman SR5's and Bongos now, and the music I'm playing suits the Stingray tone better I think, so it all worked out in the end. I'll dig those pics out tonight, mine had the gold hardware, but the same Schaller bridge and picks-ups.

This is a vintage Thumb, I had a 5 string with the same bridge and EMG set up, made in 87 I think, one of the first 5 strings. They really were something special. Sold mine to a collector in the states, and still wish I hadn't. I've got some pics somewhere I'll see if I can't find them.

It's on Reverb too, better photos. Doesn't look any prettier.

Yep. However you could probably scrape enough DNA off the fretboard to clone the great man...

Claiming to be from the redoubtable Mr. Giblin's collection, this is a slightly battered Rosco Beck, defretted, but at a cracking price currently... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Roscoe-Beck-5-string-Fretless-Bass/292834513076?hash=item442e4c10b4:g:d7wAAOSwdzhb~AWF:rk:23:pf:0

Haven’t used FireWire for a while, as I don’t have a FireWire equipped computer anymore, my interface is a Clarett 8preX Thunderbolt 2 and I have a Tb2 audio drive, and UAD expander. All the other drives and peripherals are USB3 now, apart from the S3 which uses the Eucon protocol over Ethernet. I drive my summing mixer from a Ferrofish A16 which uses the ADAT optical interface in the 8preX, it’s very latent though so I don’t use it when tracking. The plan is to replace the 8preX and A16 with a Red8pre, still using TB2 so I can track through the summing mixer.

That’s the Avid S3 I mentioned.