flyfisher

Phase reversal won't solve the problem (unless the delay just happens to be the exact equivalent of a 180 degree phase difference), it's really just a simple mismatched delay issue and can be solved in various ways as descibed above. Television studios have a similar thing with their cameras and they use delay lines to match the effective length of the cables from each camera to eliminate any problems when mixing/cutting between them. A dual-beam oscilloscope is one way of checking the delays between two signals derived from the same source, but I accept this is not exactly a common piece of equipment in the average band or studio. But, as the original poster mentioned, if the delay can be calculated - and it manageably small - then it can also be easily compensated for using an extra length of cable in one of the sources.

If a fuse blows or an MCB or RCD trips then the normal practice is to replace the fuse or reset the MCB or RCD. Such things can ocassionally happen. BUT, if the same thing immediately happens again then there's a potentially serious fault somewhere. Regarding RCDs, it's worth understanding how they work. Basically, they monitor all the current flowing in the live wire and check that the same amount of current is flowing in the neutral wire. If less current is flowing in the neutral wire then the 'missing' current must be flowing somewhere else - which could mean through you - and the RCD will trip. Understanding this, it follows that if you put one finger on the live conductor and another on the neutral then the RCD will NOT trip, because there won't be any current imbalance; all the current going down the live will go through you and then back down the neutral conductor. That's no reason not to use them - in most fault conditions they are an extremely valuable, life-saving safety device - but don't belive you are immortal just because your rig is plugged into one.

I recall someone on TV telling a story about Brian Clough (the highly self-regarding football manager widely referred to as "old big head" in the media). Apparently he was a big Frank Sinatra fan and when he visited Las Vegas he nagged 'his people' to arrange a meeting with his hero. After much pestering and behind-the-scenes negotiation, a meeting between Sinatra and Clough was eventually arranged. Anyway, they duly met and Clough was overjoyed. Sinatra, of course, had never heard of Clough but was polite enough to humour his admirer. For years afterwards, Clough would retell the story whenever he had the opportunity: "You know Frank Sinatra? He met me once . . . . "

No idea where to get ready made ones, but I would make my own.

As the previous posts correctly state, everything about speaker impedance is 'nominal' as it varies with frequency and other factors and is not very easy to measure without a bunch of specialised test equipment. However, you could try this rough-and-ready approach: [i]If you just want to find out the nominal impedence of the speaker e.g. ist it 4, 8 or 15 ohms then there is a rough & ready way. Just use your multimeter to measure the DC resistance of the voice coil i.e. across the speaker terminals (with nothing else connected) and multiply the answer by 1.3. So if the DC resistance is say 6 ohms then the speaker is nominally 8 ohm impedance. [/i] So, the OP measured 5.6 ohms with a DC ohmmeter x1.3 = 7.28 = 8 ohms impedance. From: [url="http://www.epanorama.net/documents/audio/speaker_impedance.html"]http://www.epanorama.net/documents/audio/s..._impedance.html[/url]

[quote name='Stingray5' post='774800' date='Mar 14 2010, 11:27 PM']It's a well known fact that bass players are the most organized and are the saviours of any band. [/quote] Well that's certainly the case with my band. I'm completely paranoid about preparation, rehearsing the set list and having spares of everything (except a second bass come to think of it - might need to rectify that!). Try to relax and have fun. The build-up and first song might seem a bit daunting but get through that and you'll be fine. Just watch how much the audience are enjoying themselves and go with the flow!

This is the sort of thing that kinda upsets me about the music industry. These guys are clearly brilliant musicians but if it weren't for the web how many people would ever hear them? And there are countless other examples of wonderful musicians and songwriters who will never make a living at their craft while the "pop industry" feeds us all pap. Ho hum. Just feeling a bit grumpy today.

I went to school with William Orbit. He left school after our first year of A-Level Zoology - I knew he'd never make anything of himself. I was also in the same class as Neville Brody, who seems to have made quite a name for himself in the world of graphic design. His Mother took us to our first concert when we were about 13 - a 'Carribean Music Festival' at Wembley Arena. We were seriously into reggae at the time.

I sat behind Ray Dorsey (Mungo Jerry) on a flight from Milan many years ago. Coincidentally, I'd watched him on some Italian TV show the previous evening in my hotel. At a Clapton concert at the Royal Albert hall in the late 80's a friend who was with us went off to the bar in the break between the support act and EC's set and bumped into Elizabeth Taylor - literally! Apparently she was flanked by two big guys dressed in DJs and while he was staring at one of them he walked into her. He hadn't noticed who it was until he apologised.

[quote name='steve-soar' post='770190' date='Mar 10 2010, 11:31 AM']Lump in the throat? I was in tears, they were astounding.[/quote] Isn't it amazing how such music can cause such an emotional reaction? Ballet can also do the same for me. Perhaps I'm just getting soft as I geot older - either that or I keep getting something in my eyes. I still can't stand operatic singers though.

Would a simple switch across the two pickups do the trick (wired across the two outer terminals of the existing switch)? When closed, it would connect both pickups to the "V" pot regardless of the position of the existing selector switch. Or am I misunderstanding what you're trying to do?

[quote name='jezzaboy' post='764346' date='Mar 4 2010, 07:27 PM']If you get a chance, check out the album Focus 3. The last track is called Anonymus two and lasts 26mins and was mostly done in one take. It even has a bass solo played by Akkerman.[/quote] Always difficult to name an all-time favourite band but Focus is right up there on my list. I've read that Focus III was recorded in just two days. Agree that Anonymous II is a great track, but I've never heard that Akkerman played the bass solo and have always assumed it was Bert Ruiter. I went to see them in December at St Albans Arena - absolutely fantastic, even though not the classic line-up.

I was once in a very stylish band. We had Tee-shirts with our band name (The Banned) printed on them. Pretty cool eh?

Farnell stocks them. [url="http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/browse.jsp?N=1000291+294745&No=0&getResults=true&appliedparametrics=true&locale=en_UK&catalogId=&prevNValues=1000291&filtersHidden=false&appliedHidden=false&originalQueryURL=%2Fjsp%2Fsearch%2Fbrowse.jsp%3FN%3D1000291%26No%3D0%26getResults%3Dtrue%26appliedparametrics%3Dtrue%26locale%3Den_UK%26catalogId%3D%26prevNValues%3D1000291"]http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/browse.js...alues%3D1000291[/url] I'd guess RS Components would have them as well.

Some good pointers there - thanks. I'm not bothered about having more than one unit, especially if a combined unit is very costly. I wasn't planning on spending into the thousands, more like 'some' hundreds, excluding the PC. Good idea about the SOS forums - I'll nip over and have a read. Cheers.

I've been thinking of putting a recording set-up together for a while now, but I'm still trying to get my head around some particular things and this seems like a good place to ask. I dabbled with multi-track sound recording while at school about 30 years ago, so I think I have some idea, but that was using an Akai reel-to-reel tape deck with a 'sound-on-sound' facility that allowed songs to be built up by bouncing from track to track, albeit at the cost of ever-increasing background noise. Clearly, things are all digital these days and I'm assuming using a PC with appropriate software and suitable soundcard but I'm confused about an external mixer/control surface (I think that's the term). Basically, I'd like to be able to record multiple instruments simultaneously and to use a physically separate 'mixer' to mainly set the recording level for each individual input without much regard for the overall balance of the instruments. Then, having recorded all the instruments using a combination of multiple simultaneous recordings and subsequent layering I'd then like to be able to play everything back and use the 'mixer' to control each track when mixing down to a stereo recording. Q1 - Am I making any sense or have I completely got the wrong end of the home studio stick? Q2 - Can I buy a single device (control surface?) to perform the record and playback and mix-down functions or are these things mutually exclusive Q3 - Would the DAW software 'remember' the mixer control movements when mixing, so it can be 'replayed' and modified? Q4 - Any recommendations for learning more about this stuff, a sort of 'Home Recording for Dummies'? (I hope that doesn't actually exist!). I've tried reading Sound-on-Sound magazine but it seems to assume a higher level of existing knowledge than I currently have. Many thanks for any pointers.

"Lifetime Guarantee" are words that should send anyone rushing to read the smallprint. But there are other legal protections concerning the life of a product, generally referred to as 'fitness for purpose'. That might be difficult to nail down with a guitar lead but I've had things repaired at no cost outside of their 'manufacturers guarantee' period. Loved the VALHALLA Reference Power Cord though, especially the specification "1m available but 2m is better". Yeah, right. better for whom?

[quote name='cheddatom' post='739878' date='Feb 9 2010, 12:28 PM']I didn't realise you could get firewire drives. I shall investigate, ta![/quote] I've got external LaCie firewire drives that I use for digital video (DV) editing. Some have triple interfaces: USB2, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800. My understanding is that Firewire (400 Mbps) - although nominally slower than USB2 (480 Mbps) - supports faster sustained data rates than USB2 because of the drivers. This is obviously important with video and, I presume, is much the same with audio. 7200rpm drives are fine for DV. If you're going to splash out on 10,000rpm drives then besure that your PC I/O and drivers can make full use of the extra speed or you're just wasting your money.

I don't think electronics will be adversely affected by the temperature changes (the manuals may even specifiy storage ranges) but I certainly agree about the condensation comments. However, I would be more concerned about speaker cones getting damp and being weakened - possibly even damaged if played loudly while still damp?

[quote name='silddx' post='735012' date='Feb 4 2010, 01:32 PM']I am a complete convert from the idea of needing valve amp and a Fender, Stingray, blah blah. The future is digital.[/quote] Interesting point - and I agree with you - but you won't convince the diehards. I'm also a keen photographer and a similar impassioned debate rages in that world between 'chemical' (i.e. film) and digital photography. The really amusing thing about such debates, I think, is that people start to lose the plot. Photography and music are both artistic endeavours and the end results are subjective - you like them or you don't. If you like the tone that comes out of your speakers then the method by which it has been generated is irrelevant. Same with a photograph. The music is not 'better' just because there are valves instead of DSPs in the signal chain anymore than a photo is any 'better' because it came out of a darkroom. But, in a world where you can buy gold-lated mains plugs and interconnects costing £1000's, there are strong vested interests to keep such debates raging on.

Be careful when winding around your forearm that you're not twisting the cable(s) at the same time. That will eventually lead to premature failure. I coil mine my hand, giving each loop a small 'anti-twist' to ensure the cable coils up with without any twists. It's easier to do than to explain. For any sailors out there it's the same technique used to coil ropes. As mentioned, a cable reel is ideal for longer cables, but a bit OTT for guitar leads.

Scambaiting is a fairly well-developed sport in its own right: [url="http://www.thescambaiter.com/"]http://www.thescambaiter.com/[/url] The sad thing is that these scams must work on enough people to make it worthwhile and, of course, the web makes it easier to send out such scams to loads of people at virtually no cost.

What's the reasoning behind a guitar cable only being shielded at one end? I could, sort of, understand it if the cable was connecting two bits of separately-earthed equipment, but since a guitar is not separately earthed what's the point in not screening the cable at both ends? I assume it's some sort of noise-control thing, but I'm pretty sure all my cables are shielded both ends and I've never had noise problems.

It's a daft question really. Any relationship that gets to such a stage is already over. Relationships break down for all sorts of reasons, usually because the inherent incompatibilities eventually surface. If it happens to a musician, it's easy to blame the music. I happen to know someone who really was given this sort of ultimatum - although it was over a full-sized steam traction engine - and the answer was always obvious. Still, he's happy with his steam engine.