Commando Jack

Hmmm... Seemed to slip a few bpm out in places.... /jk I am quite jealous! To everyone saying this is pointless, I view these types of videos as "here look what you can do if you extrapolate these exercises out as far as humanly possible". I reckon if I could do that, I'd be able to play any real music (granted this isn't real music ).

[quote name='Moos3h' post='681314' date='Dec 11 2009, 01:40 PM']To be honest? It sounds like a bad gig, but you got through it and I count more songs on that list with positive feedback than negative, so you're on your way.[/quote] More positive than negative is NOT a bad gig! A bad gig is when your guitarist/lead singer (we were a 3 piece at the time) gets drunk and has had a valium. Then you have a delayed start, and out of 5 songs: 3 stopped in the middle to tune (2 for the guitarist, 1 for the bass player), 1 stopped because the guitarist was playing the wrong riff, 1 that didn't matter because most people had left by that point. It's the only gig I've ever played where we had to actually stop a song and restart it. 4 times. Out of 5. It was also our last gig!

My portable recorder of choice is the Olympus LS-10, but that has been superseded by the LS-11. A wee word of warning is that these things can be eye openers - properly positioned and with the gain set right, they'll record it exactly how it sounds in the room. The problem I had was that we were exactly sh*te in the room! If there are any loose bits in your playing, then it'll show up on the recordings.

I have one for my bedroom studio, and it sounds great for what it is. It's a direct rip-off of the Sansamp equivelant - the manuals are funny to compare. Our bassist has used one for DI-ing into the desk at live gigs for nearly a year now and it never lets him down. Two things though: [list=1] [*]The stomp button is pretty shoddy plastic, and you have to really stomp to get it to work sometimes. [*]The thing will go through batteries like popcorn, so buy in bulk from Tesco or get a power supply. [/list] However, I think it's the perfect backup, and for the price you can't beat it!

I don't have experience of the bass pedals, but I've used and gigged a couple of the guitar versions of the zoom pedal. The switching volume issue is, IME, practically unavoidable if you're just dialling in effects and hitting go. If you consider that the distortion effect adds upper harmonics onto your signal, for instance, it's going to get louder than the clean signal. However, the workaround built into the zoom pedals (and the boss pedals I think) is a control for 'patch level' within each patch setting. This offsets the final volume to a level of your choosing. The only thing you have to do is set this final patch level to a value that brings all your patches into line with each other and the bypass signal. My advice is to do this sitting in front of your amp by ear, because each patch will need a slightly different value. Once it's set right, you shouldn't have any problem at the gigs.

[quote name='iamapirate' post='603701' date='Sep 20 2009, 04:09 PM']Go into all the good places in you town/city that book bands and give them a demo CD - preferably a live DVD. Generaly speaking they just want people that can get people buying drinks - 90% ofthe time they don't care about the actual music, just as long as it gets people moving. Do the first couple for free or really cheap - that way they don't lose out (but mention that you'd usually charge or they'll think you're a noob band ) oh and this is going to take a lot of effort - more than what you put into your post [/quote] That's it in a nutshell. I would also add that you're not necessarily talking studio time either. The demo CD/DVD is really for the owner to see if the band plays music appropriate to that venue. If it's an R&B bar, you'll get nowhere with a rock show usually. If you can, book a bar/club for a night (for instance some venues will give you a weeknight for free), and set up a show case. Invite [b]everyone[/b] you know, including the local paper, and get a friend to film your band going down a storm in front a crowd having a great time! Make sure the quality is up to scratch and you'll have yourself a great demo DVD to hand out, hopefully with a newspaper clipping/quote to add to the press kit. Special offers can work really well, and I managed to get a regular gig in my local (well, once a month regular) by being available [b]every single time[/b] some other guy cancelled. Bars want reliable bands who are professional, reliable, courteous, and dependable, much more than they want a band that plays well. Oh, and cheap lol.

[quote name='Moos3h' post='667558' date='Nov 27 2009, 04:55 PM']Hi mate. Get yourselves a Zoom H4 or H2 portable audio recorder and record yourselves at a gig.[/quote] +1 on this. I know I'm a very different player from this time last year, and the band I'm in is completely different again in how we play together. By posting recordings from a year ago you can always claim that of course you're much better now.. Only had a brief listen to Day Tripper, and the recordings didn't have any real energy. I know this is usually a result of production (especially on a budget) failing to capture that live and exciting vibe. If you get a zoom recorder (I have an Olympus LS-10 myself that I would highly recommend) you can really hear what the audience hears, plus some table conversation between songs! Just hand it to a good friend in the middle of the room and hit record. As a drummer, I'd agree with the guys above - from the recordings your drummer is overplaying everything. He'll hopefully find out soon that it's much more satisfying to lock in and batter out a tight groove than to play a fill every 2 bars. And also loud does not equal good. On the whole though, don't be discouraged, because you's are definitely not the worst band I've heard, and I'd be happy to get wrote off in the corner while you got on with the set!

Mods please move this if this is not the place for this topic. NOOB QUESTION ALERT As I understand it, most cabs have a second connector for daisy chaining down to a second cab, usually bringing the impedence down to 4 ohms with two 8 ohm cabs, pulling the maximum power from the amp (assuming minimum load is 4 ohms). Now is there anything wrong with wiring an 8 ohm resistor (or something with an impedence of 8 ohms) across a speakon/jack plug and plugging it into the extension socket of the first cab instead? Assuming that the cab could take the extra power, surely that would mean that the rig would be running at higher power/more volume without the need for an extra cab? I am pretty sure there is a flaw in the logic somewhere. Specifically I'm thinking that while the impedence changes, the extra energy will just go to the (very hot) resistor, rather than going into sound energy. Or if the voltage remains the same by the time the current has evened out? I'm sure an expert is lurking about ready to set me straight!

Thanks for the replies guys, it looks like the superfly is out. For me reliability will be probably be the biggest deciding factor; I couldn't be turning up to a gig with gear that may or may not cut out. I'm not goin to be able to afford backup gear anytime soon! I'll keep looking I guess, and keep an eye on the classifieds. Be sure to consider postage to Belfast if you're selling!

Hi, I've been looking a new rig, which will be my first giggable rig for small to medium venues. I was initially after a reasonably powerful combo, but since rummaging around on this site, I'm now on the fence about getting separates instead! So it's open season here. A friend of mine recommended [url="http://www.theacademyofsound.co.uk/"]this site[/url], and said he got a 'great' deal on an Ashdown superfly [url="http://www.theacademyofsound.co.uk/Ashdown_Bass_Amplifiers/Ashdown_Superfly_1000_Bass_Guitar_Head_Amplifier"]here.[/url] Are these amps any good, and for this price are they worth it? I was under the impression that it's a discontinued amp and seems to have divided opinion in the forum. I'm also thinking along the lines of a Peavey Tour series amp, or the little giants (I like the idea of light lol) and of course to be awkward I'm still looking at combos, for instance [url="http://www.theacademyofsound.co.uk/Hartke_Bass_Amplifiers/Hartke_Hydrive_210c_Bass_Guitar_Combo_Amplifier"]this[/url] is is the cheapest i've seen the Hartke 210C. I'm drowning a bit in advice, so would appreciate some much more direct advice. Being in Belfast, there isn't a great amount of bass amps lying around the music shops these days, save Bairds (highly recommended for the local guys btw!), and even their selection isn't huge, so trying amps out is hard to do from where I am, unless of course the guys local to me can point me in the right direction? Like I said, any advice at this point is gonna be well appreciated!

Thanks for the kind welcome! Well the 'regular gig' is with an acoustic covers 3 piece that plays a few bars in Antrim and the surrounding area. Not a big gig at all, but tonnes of craic and it's fun getting into the bass as well. I've already started with the gear questions - I'm using a Rikter (?) P-bass copy (corresponding thread in the bass section if anyones got any ideas where it might have come from), through a (gulp) Roland Cube guitar amp (I know, I know - last minute and just a stand in. Sounds absolutely vile but has managed to cut through enough to be heard in the (so far) small gigs we've been playing). Anyways, glad to be here. Meh, flame on. I'm a drummer anyway

Hi everyone, For a couple of years now I've been using a P-bass copy in the tradional sunburst, single pickup etc. Here's the thing - the brand name is 'Rikter'. Who is 'Rikter'?! A google search doesn't seem to yield any kind of website for the guitar company, but brings up hits for acoustic guitars, electric guitar copies (Tele's etc) and various other bits and bobs, with no mention of this bass. And no-one I know has ever heard of them. Anyone have any ideas?

How's it goin all? Just thought I'd say a quick hi from Belfast - was lurking about in the forum for a couple of weeks but decided to do the decent thing and join in! As for me, I am a drummer who has dabbled in bass for a few years on and off, but with the advent of a proper regular bass gig, I've decided to take it a bit more seriously. Current equipment is abysmal, and I stumbled upon this forum looking for advice on gear. I'm sure I'll be bugging you's with questions in the near future!