mario_buoninfante

Are you after 8+ analogue channels, or 8 analogue + extra digital channels? Check the Focusrite Scarlett range for a more affordable one, or the Clarett range for better preamps. BTW USB is still the way to go in my eyes. I would avoid Firewire as it is not really used anymore (think about your next PC/laptop upgrade).

then I do also believe that the environment and weather both played a role in the genre development and the feel too. not saying one can't play dub in Norway! but, that way of playing, to me, reflects the 40C degrees one might experience in Kingston but again, this is more about how it started, one can learn and play reggae regardless the location

I think an important part of learning ska, rocksteady and reggae is that of learning R&B and jazz. this is where all these guys were coming from. most of them were fine jazz and R&B players that found their own swing. I would recommend to explore those genres too (not suggesting to become a jazz player first though ), then the whole "feel" thing will become clearer. just my 2 cents.

I second what @skidder652003 said. I got a Digbeth Pre not too long ago and am quite happy with it. Until a couple of months ago, for recording I used my GK MBSIII, that is a really good studio amp (nice preamp - I don't mic it and use its lineout), and even if it sounds different (more neutral tbh), the Digbeth holds the comparison. The Laney pedal sounds really good, clean but with character. The EQ is quite musical and offers more options (4 bands with 3-way switch for the lo-mid) than other EQs on other preamps (even the pricey ones), the tube channel (emulation) sounds really good, and the FET (clean channel) sounds clear. Also, you get the "tilt" function, that is useful. Connectivity is comprehensive, with the always welcome send/return too.

Hi all, I just released a collection of "old" (2011-2018) tracks, in preparation for an album release later on this year. The first 3 tracks have an electric bass, while the last 3 have a synth bass. Hope you find it interesting. https://isoneph.bandcamp.com/album/d-sides-2011-2018

Just thinking out loud here, but I suspect that this way the "counterforce" is applied at the anchor points, while a truss rod with its rigidity, offers "support" to the whole neck, if that makes sense. I suspect that with anything different from that, you might damage the neck in few specific points (i.e. where the cable is attached to the neck) with the passing of time.

for the records, so far I just received 3 emails, all relevant to the event with the day's agenda on it.

I'm not a jazz player myself, but I feel like a GK MBIIIS is a good solution. Used a lot in studio and live by both double bass (ie Ron Carter) and electric bass players (even Les Claypool used it, when recording the Brown Album by the Primus). I own one, only used in studio so far, and is brilliant. Nice 4 band EQ, plus Contour and Hi freq boost. Good frequency range and well defined sound. Second hand it can be found for anything in between 350-500£. It doesn't feel extremely heavy to me, but I can't remember the exact weight. Easy to find that out online though. 100W that can be expanded to 150W linking a second cab (there is an official GK that shouldn't be too hard to find second hand too).

Nice one. I've been listening to them quite a lot recently. Pork Soda mainly, but I watched few live I found on YouTube too. I just can't believe that is only 3 people on stage and Claypool is able to start a moshpit alone with his bass. They are really good!

Yesterday I received mine, and had a chance to play with it a little bit. First impression is: I like it. I quickly tried playing around with EQ and "tube" and, yes it sounds nice, really musical. I did a comparison with my GK MBSIII line out (current setup for my recordings) and with the bass straight to the audio interface, a Focusrite Clarett 8 Pre. Here's a little demo recorded with a Spector Legend 4 Classic with new strings (D'Addario EXL 165 Nickel Wound 45-65-85-105 - changed yesterday just before recording). The 3 samples are recorded consecutively, 8 bars each and are: Bass -> Clarett 8 Pre Bass -> Digbeth (XLR) -> Clarett 8 Pre Bass -> GK MBSIII (Line Out) -> Clarett 8 Pre Both the Digbeth and the GK have their settings flat, set to their mid position (on the GK "contour" and "hi boost" are not engaged). The pedal seems to be quite neutral, in accord with the graphs shown by @MartinB. Interesting how the GK adds a significant amount of high freqs. I do like its sound quite a lot too, but the pedal is "truer" to the original sound, even if I do feel like it's adding a little bit of lo-mids, but I didn't check with FFTs or any other tool. They have different use bass_di_digbeth_gkmbsiii.wav

BTW mine should arrive tomorrow, after 2 days of the courier not finding me at home, and I literally wanted to check the EQ with a nice FFT. thus, you saved me some time doing a really good job

nice one. may I ask how you generated the white noise, what interface you using and what sample rate? The high freq roll off seems a little bit too much for being the interface itself the limiting factor, considering it starts at ~5K. also, is what you called "bypassed", white noise going through the pedal with this being OFF?

such a good band!

well, let me say first that I'm not affiliated with them in any way. now, once that's out of the way I think it's still possible to attend without subscriving to anything. at least that's what I got from a quick check. as long as things are clear, it's fine for them to ask (almost) anything. It's not like they're a charity after all. that's just my 2 cents of course

Hi, I just read about this online, and it seems interesting, so I thought I'd share it http://register.bass-space.com/ (scroll down to get more info about it)

nice! I have to say I watched few videos and I like it. I like the tilt feature and the EQ too.

Spector Euro 4 Classic at Bassdirect... I should stop checking their website!

does it have an actual tube, or is it an emulation?

I see the point about the true bypass. I personally still think it's a good idea. I don't usually play with really long cables and only use few pedals, so I think I'm fine. but it's an interesting topic. buffered pedals cause tone suck too, not all of them though found a couple of interesting things here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4eEzqSRReA this (https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/latest-updates/the-truth-about-true-bypass) talks about both, and it ends with: "You could do what I do: use true bypass pedals, and build (or buy) a dedicated buffer to run in front of them. That way you get the strength of the buffer to drive your signal home to the amp, and you can rest assured that your bypass tone will be untouched by tone goblins." this not to say one is better than the other. I think my conclusion is: as long as you know what you are doing, you'll be fine - aka check your buffered pedals and don't chain 7 true bypass pedals!

in a way yes, but worth keeping in mind they are separate things though. I assume (I don't know the schematics of the pedal) that they have a fixed threshold and so you use the gain to get closer to that threshold. but having both might be useful. think about a situation where you have a signal that's too hot and you want to move away from the threshold, with the MXR you won't be able to do that, since the threshold is fixed. that said, I'm sure they set the threshold to a sensible value.

Just found out they are not true bypass. Got the answer from their Service Support: The audio signal is fully buffered at all times, and not true bypass. The buffers are fully transparent and provide an excellent constant load to reduce any losses etc. I also realised, after the fact, that it was stated in the manuals too

I think it depends what your needs are. Assuming the compressor on the amp is a good one, not a cheap implementation (never tried the Ampeg mentioned above), the main difference between that and a (good) compressor pedal is the control you have over its parameters. If we take the MXR M87 comp as an example, there we have the following controls: attack release ratio input output basically, all the standard parameters are exposed, and this will inevitably give you a wider sonic palette. That means that you could start using the compressor not only as a "utility" pedal, but as an effect too and start experimenting with it. On the other side though, this won't be ideal if you're looking for something quicker and simpler to use. For this you have pedals with less parameters exposed like the Ampeg Opto Comp, that has only compression release output that is probably more intuitive and quicker to use, but will give you less choice. Then there are the 1-2 knobs compressors you might either find on amps or pedals. They use presets, internal parameters the user can't see (ie attack, release, input, etc.) with a fixed value. These are not worse than anything else mentioned above, they can even be better made than the pedal alternatives. It's just that they don't leave you with much choice. So basically, I think it's matter of what you're looking for from a compressor and probably also down to your playing. If you use different styles (fingers, pick, slap, tap, etc.) you might need more control based on the way you are playing. My only thing about on-board compressors and more in general compressors with only 1-2 parameters exposed, is that they need to be tried before buying, because they have their unique settings that might either suit my style or not. One last question I'd ask myself when thinking about any on-board effect is: what about the times I can't have my amp with me?

I'm really interested in this, why do you think it's a terrible idea?

Hi all, Has anybody tried any of the "new" Laney pedals? I'm particularly curious about the Digbeth preamp and the Bass-Interval, but reality is all of them look interesting. Does anybody know if they are true bypass? Cheers, Mario

actually the Laney Digbeth pedal has few of the things you are looking for at what it looks like a good price