alexclaber

Yes it should be fine as long as you don't push the amp into repeated clipping or the speakers into over-excursion damage.

Almost any amp can blow almost any speaker if you fail to listen and think about what you're hearing - if you hear bad sounds, turn down!

Alex

[quote name='lowdown' post='62116' date='Sep 18 2007, 12:21 PM']Anyway Alex...i use RIM Basses...so that makes me a nice loving cuddley geezer... [/quote]

They do that too? I just thought they made you sound great!

The U5 it makes things louder and has less signal processing than any amp I can think of - definitely mislocated... I'm sure you'll really like it btw!

Alex

A power ratio of 2:1 either way is absolutely fine.

Speakers make bad noises when you push them too hard. If you ignore these noises can be blown with less than their rated power handling whilst if you're aware of these noises and react when you hear them they can safely handle far more than their rated power handling.

Alex

Hang on, this isn't an effect, what's this thread doing here?

I bought mine from the US and my brother brought it back for me. Also got the rack ears so it's mounted in my 4U shallow rack along with a QSC PLX power amp.

It's just so clear and so clean but that doesn't mean sterile or thin or characterless. When my bass growls it growls, when my bass thunders it thunders, and so on. It is VERY quiet, it has tons of headroom on the input, the dual XLR outs are great because one is hot for driving a power amp and the other less so and gets on with with mixing desks (for recording I swap round to put a hot signal into the recorder and a quieter signal - for less bleed - into my rig). The thru out on the front is handy for tuning too.

It has a few other features like the preshape and the speaker level input but I don't really use them - the ultra simple feature count really suits me - less to go wrong, less expensive (look at the price of everything else Avalon sells!), it isn't small or light but it isn't that bad - does mean that the DI outs are easier to reach in a rack because it reaches all the way to the back rail - and it's very solidly built.

It feels like a bit of a leap of faith going to a rig which has no EQ apart from a handful of preshapes but if the rest of your gear sounds good and you're after a true and clean sound then it's unbeatable for the money.

Alex

That's a damn good deal IMO. My Warwick has had EMGs from stock and they sound great, really let the natural acoustic tone through. I don't think you'll come across any basses that sound quite like that Thumb - the wood choice and pickup positioning are quite unique.

Alex

Yes, I have! Recently replaced my SWR Grand Prix with it. I can't say a bad word about it, it's great!

Alex

[quote name='MoJoKe' post='61533' date='Sep 17 2007, 10:12 AM']With regard the above, the boom effect is caused by the amp making the stage act like a resonator, a bit like the bridge/soundboard of a doublebass or a struck tuning fork touched on a table. Anything you can do to soften the connection between the two, a chair, stand, bottom of a wheeled flightcase, or its lid, or even a good thick wadge of carpet or foam will do this. The box lid may resonate in its own right, but the effect would be far less than direct contact with the stage.

Getting the amp higher also will make it sound better as the the broader tonal range will be more audible to you standing closer.[/quote]

Good to see someone else who's aware of these things! A few clarifications to add: This stage/floor resonance you refer to is called mechanical coupling and is usually a bad thing as it causes response peaks around the resonant frequencies of the membrane (floor, stage, etc.) It could also cause nulls where the resonances are out of phase with the amp output.

The other type of coupling is acoustic coupling or boundary reinforcement, where the reflected wave from walls, floor and ceilings is in phase with the amp output, thus increasing output by 6dB per boundary that contributes, to a maximum of 18dB gain.

[quote name='MoJoKe' post='61596' date='Sep 17 2007, 12:29 PM']I use big floor standing speakers on my home surround sound, rather than bookshelf ones for exactly the same reason. The room resonates better and provides a much fuller sound with far better bass response.[/quote]

I think you'll find that floor standing speakers have better bass due to larger cabinet volume, not due to mechanical coupling with the floor. In fact most floor standing speakers have spikes to reduce this coupling.

[quote name='MoJoKe' post='61596' date='Sep 17 2007, 12:29 PM']Interestingly enough, if your cabs are rear vented (like the new CMD151P) the distance from the wall behind can also shape the sound +/-[/quote]

All bass cabs are affected by the distance from the rear wall. The positioning of the ports has no effect as the size of the ports are so small compared to the wavelengths they output that their output is fully omnidirectional.

[quote name='MoJoKe' post='61596' date='Sep 17 2007, 12:29 PM']If you record with a live amp, rather than direct into a preamp/desk, the amp postioning can be as critical as the mike positioning![/quote]

Absolutely! It's even critical if you're DIing whilst monitoring through near-flat response cabs like mine because the sound in the room usually has extra bass due to boundary reinforcement and if this is the sound you want on the recording you need to EQ it into the DI'd signal (best done when mixing, not tracking).

Alex

[attachment=2303:DSC00010.JPG]

Alex

Do not underestimate the power of the power chord! Also more complex chords can be used in suitable spots. I do quite a bit of strumming, also playing chords with fingers and bassline with thumb simultaneously, though no tapping.

Alex

Maybe the accountant analogy isn't so bad - we're both essential to the successful functioning of our respective collectives!

Alex

I remain astounded by the Tascams - they go so low yet so loud for a compact and low budget monitor. They also have that unforgiving clarity through the midrange and treble that separates monitors and hi-fi speakers and ensures you don't miss anything when mixing.

Alex

Extremely good prices in the USA due to direct sales. Add import, distribution and retail costs in Europe and they're no longer such a bargain. Also the old Redline heads had an annoying non-defeatable preshape built-in - the newer B Series heads are far better. Anyone in the US wanting a new bass rig has to consider a B1500 plus an LS1503 or two - ridiculously good bang for the buck!

Alex

My first bass, a 1990 Hohner Jack, now defretted, stripped and with better electronics - had this since 1996.
My main bass, a 1987 Warwick Streamer, with a few mods - had this since 1999.
Bass number three is in gestation - see signature!

Alex

Have been going through the mixes adding a little reverb and EQ where needed. Got all the panning and levels sorted. Also been assessing the vocals - about half of them need redoing but I know what to do differently. Am thus pretty close to have preliminary mixes done. Then I'll post them up here and await feedback!

Alex

Looking great!

Alex

[quote name='DrGonzo' post='59015' date='Sep 11 2007, 10:43 PM']I'm still not too sure why people are always going on about a flat frequescy response as being an "uncoloured" sound.[/quote]

The PA systems you refer to are close to flat response. However they are far enough from flat response that you can hear a difference between them. They will also have other distortions in the sound which differentiate them further. If you saw the frequency response plots for most bass cabs, especially off-axis, you would be astounded how far from flat they are.

I've used my Acme cabs as a PA system with great success for lower volume gigs. They have the huge clear sound of a top quality PA system with proper subs - their downside is they don't go terribly loud, particularly in the mids and highs. But for quieter situations, especially with recorded music, they are amazing. With bass guitar where the power demands are skewed more towards the bottom, they go as loud as cabs that size can ever be expected to.

There is currently a thread on talkbass documenting what great bass cabs Carvin's LS1503 3-way PA speakers make. Anthony Jackson has been using Meyer cabs for ages. Jonas Hellborg's interview in this month's BP magazine also discusses how great this kind of rig can be. I certainly do not envisage returning to conventional bass amps for the forseeable future!

Alex

[quote name='ste_m3' post='57002' date='Sep 7 2007, 02:41 PM']thanks man! I still cant get over how easy this thing is to move about (well, in the scope of things!)

and i never got round to thanking Alex for his explanation on the weight, thankyou![/quote]

No problem. It's reassuring that you're finding this quite easy to move - the next cab I plan to build will not be a whole lot smaller, being 39" high x 20" wide x 17" deep. Kickback casters are such a good idea!

[quote name='The Funk' post='57000' date='Sep 7 2007, 02:40 PM']I wish I knew what that meant. It looks like very useful info.[/quote]

Here's a typical ported 8x10" (probably very similar response to this combo):



Here's a ported 8x10" with huge magnets (like Basson cabs):



Note how although the response looks somewhat like it goes lower because the sharp downturn happens lower down, there is much less sensitivity in the lows through to the low midrange. I'm not 100% sure on the technical reason behind this but I've seen a lot of drivers that superficially look like great woofers (high Xmax, low Fs, high sensitivity) exhibit this kind of response where although the sensitivity is high in the midrange it decreases as you get into the lows. I believe it's tied in with increasing Bl (the magnetic field strength across the voice coil in the gap) causing increased sensitivity in the mids but also increasing the back EMF when the voice coil moves - so as the voice coil moves further (which is what happens with bass frequencies) it generates a voltage that pushes back against the voltage from the amp, diminishing response.

This is one of the reasons why Acme cabs can produce such huge lows from small cabs - by skewing the usual balance of Bl (magnet strength), Cms (suspension compliance) and Mms (cone mass) and then providing enough Xmax (cone excursion) to take advantage of that extra bottom. The only downside of doing that is you need a midrange driver to fill in where the woofers run out of steam, which adds cost and complexity - particularly in the crossover design - but you then get the added bonus of improved polar response by avoiding trying to get high midrange out of a woofer. I mentioned to Andy a few years ago that I'd read some stuff on back EMF in the voice coil and his response was that he'd never seen any good info on that and was then writing what he felt was the definitive paper on the subject! I presume he's been too busy building cabs to get it finished...

Alex

[quote name='BOD2' post='56870' date='Sep 7 2007, 10:49 AM']The only potental drawback of daisy-chaining the cabs is that all of the power goes through the first cable. If thats a good quality heavy cable then that should be no problem.[/quote]

For the short runs and low power in bass amps the cable gauge barely matters, especially with the low power output of valve heads. Despite that I'd rather run from head to cab than daisy chain, it just appeals more to me - also if one lead starts acting up it doesn't affect both cabs.

Alex

[quote name='cheddatom' post='57097' date='Sep 7 2007, 05:04 PM']I have some DIY skills, but have never even thought of making my own cab. I'm guessing it's far beyond putting up some wonky shelves.[/quote]

Now that I've learnt about cab design and also found that there are excellent designs available online at very low costs with comprehensive instructions and helpful forums, I can't see myself buying another cab ever again - the current cabs I own are as good as it gets IMO and I can only do better by DIY. And it is SO much cheaper.

You could build a simple ported 1x15" cab with a Kappalite 3015LF for less than £150 all in. Make it out of 1/2" ply and it'll weigh less than 50lbs. Build another when funds allow and the pair together will put out more bottom than your TE monster could ever hope to - seriously!

Alex

What's your budget? Do you have any DIY skills (this could save you a ton of cost and weight on the cabs)?

Alex

Billy Cobham and Lee Sklar / Ron Carter

Does fusion get any better than Spectrum?

Alex

If you want more output in the lows then your options are to go bigger or to get more power. For a useful difference do a bit of both, with a 15" in a larger cab and a more powerful amp.

Alternatively could your combo drive another 15" in an extension cab? That'll get you a much extra output as the other approach I suggested. If you can't move your TE can you sell it and invest the funds in something useful?

Your biamped rig with a guitar amp covering the high mids and highs will sound pretty different to a normal bass rig. A normal bass rig would be simpler and many may prefer it but it won't get that sound. Have you found any conventional rigs that you liked as much as this biamped guitar/bass one?

Alex

[quote name='cheddatom' post='56971' date='Sep 7 2007, 02:04 PM']Well, it sounds allright, yeh, but if I get to a gig where I have to turn it up so that the light is almost always on, then it gets farty, and I have to rest it for a day (I know, seems weird) until it'll work properly. It is one of those DDT limiters, but, it doesn't seem to protect the speakers well enough.[/quote]

Ah, that sounds like you're over-excursing the speakers which causes the farting sound and also pulls the spider and surround out of shape, which fortunately are proving elastic enough to recover after a rest. I used to find this happened to our hi-fi speakers at Uni (old EMI ones) when we had parties.

I don't think you're going to find a combo that ticks all the boxes. In fact I think it's unlikely that you'll find a combo that is usefully louder than that Peavey. You could however get a Peavey Firebass head and use that to power a Peavey 115BW 4 ohm cab. That should be significantly louder than your current combo though it won't be light!

What frequency is your crossover set at? Are you running the bass amp full range or low passed?

Alex

[quote name='cheddatom' post='56886' date='Sep 7 2007, 11:36 AM']It's not loud enough though, or at least there's not enough headroom. There's a little yellow danger light that comes on when the amp is too loud, and it's on most of the time when i'm at a gig without the TE cab.[/quote]

If you ignore the light, does it sound good and is it loud enough? Most Peavey amps have really good limiters built in (DDT) which means you can drive them constantly into the realm where other amps would be clipping, sounding bad and possibly blowing speakers without suffering any ill effects or even sounding bad!

Alex

It sounds like you'd be best off with a multi-FX which you can programme as you so wish. The Roland V-Bass is a particularly righteous choice.

With analogue pedals tap-dancing and large pedalboards are a requirement if you want as much versatility and control as a multi-FX. The upside is that you can be very choosy about your tone, the downside is the cost and weight.

I've owned a couple of dozen pedals over the years - the only ones with any problems were an analogue Big Muff (fixed for free, been fine since) and two digital Akai Deep Impacts, the first I won, the second a backup I bought when the first started being eccentric which then went bad itself (both sold as faulty as I couldn't tolerate the cost of fixing them).

Alex