stevie

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='425388' date='Mar 4 2009, 06:14 PM']No, I just ignored it.[/quote] I know that. I was just being polite. [quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='425388' date='Mar 4 2009, 06:14 PM']Driver size and Fs are independent of each other.[/quote] You keep coming up with these ridiculous statements, Bill. Everyone knows that there is a relationship between driver size and Fs. Or perhaps you could tell us how you would build a 1" woofer with a resonant freqency of 18 Hz.

[quote name='escholl' post='397248' date='Feb 1 2009, 09:01 PM']A driver with a defect may well have worked fine for a bit, only to fail rather quickly in it's lifespan.[/quote] I agree - and that's definitely a defective driver. I've come across the problem before. It's caused by one of two things: inadequate venting of the volume behind the dome, or inadequate gluing of the dome. Manufacturers like ATC use Araldite to glue their domes because they had the same problem in the early days. Fane had the problem at one time when they put a foam bung in the rear vent, which restricted venting and put pressure on the domes. It looks like the driver manufacturer has now found out about the problem and has strengthened the glue joint. I hope you didn't have to pay for the replacement.

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='425345' date='Mar 4 2009, 05:40 PM'] [/quote] Hey, what’s with all the sexual innuendos? Can't you see there is some seriously nerdy nitpicking going on here? Anyway, it’s not the size of your bass driver that counts – it’s what you do with it!!

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='423271' date='Mar 2 2009, 02:43 PM']Tens and twelves capable of the same response do exist, and with equal total Vd will give equal output.[/quote] Bill, you must have missed my earlier post when I explained that this statement was misleading. Otherwise, I’m sure you would not have repeated it here. To clarify, Vd is no more than an expression of how much air a speaker can shift. You cannot predict output based on Vd alone. System efficiency, or how air movement is converted into sound, matters. For example, we are all familiar with how a speaker can shift lots of air outside a cabinet without producing any audible low frequencies at all. Bigger drivers, with their lower resonant frequency and superior radiation impedance, are by nature more efficient reproducers of low frequencies. The higher resonant frequency of a smaller driver means a higher rollof in a reflex system, which reduces their efficiency at low frequencies. Big drivers are designed to produce bass - that’s what they do. You don’t build a motorway with shovels, no matter how many you’ve got. You get the bulldozers in.

The Neutrik ones are great and will last a lifetime. Just make sure you don't get the ones with the black plastic tops on them. They are a poor design, because you need at least a 60W iron to solder the wires.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='420966' date='Feb 27 2009, 02:53 PM']So do the same experiment with a the 15" on top and report back.[/quote] Or better still, just compare them side by side.

[quote name='Sharkfinger' post='423161' date='Mar 2 2009, 01:19 PM']Also have a relevant (probably stupid) question: if driver diameter has minimal effect on frequency generated and it's all down to cabinet tuning, why are PA subs traditionally loaded with 15" or 18" drivers, especially in higher power applications?[/quote] It's a perfectly valid observation. The reason is that sound reinforcement professionals know that, given a level playing field, a larger driver is capable of producing more bass than a smaller one. Twenty-one inch drivers are quite popular now. Also, 'real' bass drivers don't need to reproduce the midrange.

[quote name='far0n' post='421024' date='Feb 27 2009, 03:41 PM']I think the best I've had was my Eden D410XLT at 106db. Haven't come across any louder than that from the main manufacturers.[/quote] What do you think makes them so loud?

[quote name='fusionbassist1' post='420251' date='Feb 26 2009, 05:48 PM']I've been using a set of Wizard 84s in my pride-and-joy-spec'd-everything-that's-in-it Jazz bass but am not quite feeling the love from these pups right now ...[/quote] If you do talk to Wizard, I think you'll need to be a bit more specific about what the problem is.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='420174' date='Feb 26 2009, 04:04 PM']+100. The assumption is made that the larger driver size will result in a lot more low end. It won't.[/quote] It usually will. It is, of course, always possible to describe an exception that proves the rule but, by and large, the bigger the driver, the more low end. [quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='420174' date='Feb 26 2009, 04:04 PM']The low end output capability of a cab is mainly determined by the total volume displacement of the drivers, Vd.[/quote] The key factor here is not Vd but the efficiency of the system at low frequencies. For the same overall efficiency, a large driver in an appropriate box is always going to extend lower than a smaller one. I might add that this is obvious to anybody with half a brain. Vd is a factor in determining maximum output but is has no relevance to low frequency extension. [quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='420174' date='Feb 26 2009, 04:04 PM']The Vd of the average 4x10 is about 400 cc, that of the average 1x15 300 cc. If one is going to get more LF output by adding 1x15 to a 4x10 the 1x15 should have considerably more Vd than the 4x10, not less.[/quote] Not necessarily. Much depends on the efficiency of the systems at low frequencies. The "average 4 x 10" containing drivers with an Fs of around 60Hz will be quite inefficient at 40Hz compared with a well designed 15" cab. [quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='420174' date='Feb 26 2009, 04:04 PM']Where portability is desired for small gigs I'd add a 2x10, not a 1x15. Preferably the same brand, using the same drivers, at twice the impedance of the 4x10.[/quote] That won't help in the slightest. It will sound the same, only louder. By the way, the reason Bassman's 15" system didn't add any extra bottom end is probably because it didn't have any extra bottom end to add. That would be par for the course with that cab and the more popular Eminence 15" drivers.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='419163' date='Feb 25 2009, 12:10 PM']Exactly - there are no 12" cabs currently available with enough volume displacement (cone area x cone excursion) to handle high SPL 5-string action unless you are willing to give up a lot of bottom. There is a new Eminence 12" on the way that will be able to do this but the downside is the price of a completed cab because it has to be used with a midrange driver unless you're solely playing reggae.[/quote] What exactly is this new Eminence driver that will outperform all currently available models?

[quote name='OldGit' post='419133' date='Feb 25 2009, 11:35 AM']So (numpty here) the midi files convert into dots of Sibelius? Is that how it works?[/quote] Yes, Sibelius and similar programs provide you with a complete arrangement in standard notation. PM replied to.

Or go here and follow the links: [url="http://www.midisite.co.uk/"]http://www.midisite.co.uk/[/url]

I've got a large collection. PM me some titles and I'll see what I can do.

[quote name='Merton' date='Feb 24 2009, 12:50 PM' post='418315'] ............ it's a very compromised and badly designed cab (hence Stevie's comments) I didn't mean to suggest that your cab was badly designed - far from it. It looks good to me. It's just that the Eminence Beta will sound boomy in virtually any box you put it in. But you've modelled it - you know that.

[quote name='Merton' post='417814' date='Feb 23 2009, 08:28 PM']The LH500 makes it sing...[/quote] With the Eminence Beta in there it will doubtless be singing the One Note Samba.

Nice work. I'd just mention though that three-inch ports will normally make an awful lot of wind noise in that size of cab. You might consider increasing them to 4".

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='414864' date='Feb 19 2009, 11:32 PM']They work best for PA on a stand that allows them to be lifted high enough so that the lowermost part of the cab is at ear level for the close-in audience, the upper drivers carrying over the heads of the audience to reach the back of the room, with ten degrees or so of down tilt. Unfortunately stands to allow them to be easily set up that way didn't exist.[/quote] In the sixties, columns were simply positioned either side of the stage. They didn't need stands. And the whole point of the Marshall 2 x12" and 4 x 12", which were ubiquitous over here, was that they *restricted" horizontal dispersion.

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='414703' date='Feb 19 2009, 08:26 PM']Next time in London drop into St. Pauls and check out the PA. Originally installed circa 1950 it was a shining example of how well vertical sources can cope with even the most difficult venues. It was upgraded a few years ago with modern electronics and drivers but the original column speaker design remains pretty much original.[/quote] WTF? And how does this system handle low B?

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='414500' date='Feb 19 2009, 04:55 PM']One of the regulars on my forum reported how he internally divided the 4x12 guitar cabs used by his sons band into two vertical sections, then added a switch to run either just two vertical drivers or all four. He did not tell them what the switch did. They vastly prefer the sound of the two drivers only.[/quote] Guitar cabs? What do guitar cabs have to do with the price of beans?

[quote name='Josh' post='414630' date='Feb 19 2009, 07:17 PM']Why can none of you married players seemingly ever put your foot down?[/quote] Hey, it has its compensations!

Can't help you there. I had two at one time, which my wife thought was ridiculous. She had a point. So, I sold one and am quite happy with the one I have left. I know I'm an exception on this forum, but everyone else is a bit odd here. How many basses can you play at once anyway?

I've got a midi file of the song. It's not brilliant, but it's better than nothing. Any help?

Nice job! It's always good to see how easily you can put a cabinet together that will outperform most of the shop-bought product. Just a couple of comments. I seem to recall that EV provides two alternative tunings. You should use the lower of the two, at about 45Hz, as this will increase power handling. I've sprayed steel punched grilles with Plastikote or Hammerite black spray paint. It goes on without an undercoat, looks very professional, and is quite tough. It should work on your aluminium grille.

Bought a Duncan Vintage P-Bass pickup from Geof. He packed it up straight away and it arrived next day - exactly as described. Good bloke.