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To go wireless ..or not..


Chaos Daveo
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I used to use a wireless kit, it was invaluable in the band I was in at the time as the rest of them were so clumsy that leads would get wrapped round their feet and amps would topple. So we all got wireless kits and that all stopped. So I`d say only really practical in small venues if you have a clumsy band. Oh, good for soundchecks though - you can walk right to the back of the venue and hear the mix which does help a fair bit.

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I've been wireless for years. You can soundcheck, as has been mentioned, you can roam around the stage if there's room (we played a really big stage tonight and I had a great time moving around) and, very importantly, you are isolated from any dodgy wiring in the venue. Also, not standing on your own lead, or anyone else for that matter, is always nice.

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Soundchecking is a big plus .

also you can get out front and do some moshing with the air guitarists , only you have a real one .

last weeks gig was at a truck MOT garage next door to the guys house , when we said to get the air guitars out he went next door and got an old bass out , when some dude was throwing some shapes with it , I got him to come on stage to do it ...and I cleared off . so I was behind the audience playing and he was acting it out , it was hilarious half the crowd were so confused but totally running with it !!

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I got my G30 when they first came out and I was still using a 6U rack rig, so it was easy to hide the receiver in the back of the rack and it was great to be able to take the front and back covers off, plug in one speaker cable, one mains and one XLR for DI if needed, strap on the belt pack and just play. Plus the rack tuner I was using at the time had an input on the back which I used for the wireless, but which was defeated by the input on the front so I could keep a cable on top of the rig as a backup and if anything went wrong with the wireless, just plug into the front and bypass it. Nothing ever did go wrong...

These days I generally use a combo which is smaller than my old 6U rack and just plug in using a cable, so the G30 lives on my pedalboard (nothing fancy - wireless, tuner, compressor, sansamp) which gets used when I have to plug into a provided rig. They're the gigs where I think it's probably best to be isolated as much as possible from any potentially dodgy equipment, it's most useful to be able to get out front and hear what needs to be tweaked as a result of running into somebody else's gear, and generally it's most cramped on stage (which is why everyone's been told they're playing through the provided rig in the first place) so there's a greater chance of getting tangled up.

I say go and get yourself one!

Edited by Ed_S
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I've been wireless since Dec last year (big red guy brought mine) I love it, although I do always have a lead with me as back up. Obviously the big bonus is freedom of movement, as well as never standing on your own cable any more.

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I like wireless, but I already bring a shedload of gear to gigs. IME the more gear you have, the more scope there is for things to go wrong, and I have found wireless particularly flaky in the past.

I'm now trying the Smoothound unit, largely because it's tiny and it's very, very simple. I have two gigs in the next two weeks and I'm hopeful that this will deliver for me.

Something I haven't worked out is using wireless with a pedal board. I only use a tuner, which of course I won't need to stomp on midway through a song. How do you benefit from wireless if you're tap-dancing on fuzz and octaver pedals?

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[quote name='Chaos Daveo' timestamp='1438465518' post='2834762']
So debating wether to go for a wireless setup as I've never had one.I'm quite poor at present but heard good things about the g30 line 6 setup.first gig with the new band is friday...i have no idea if its worth it.Opinions good people :)
[/quote]

I have a g30 and its a great little unit for the price. Small receiver not much bigger than a packet of ciggys that sits on my amp, batteries (Duracell procells) usually last two gigs + (2x1 hour sets+). Only issue I find is that the transmitter battery cover doesn't sit well so I wrap a cable tie (hundreds bought in bulk for about a fiver) around it to secure it! Very rarely get dropouts, maybe one note lost per ten gigs or so! Plenty of channels so not much chance of interference. It does tend to knock out wifi in the immediate area, I was checking my kit at my gfs and her son came bowling out of his room thinking everyone was online and messing his gaming about! Switched to cable and all good! I'm a clumsy bugger so it's ideal, doesn't colour the sound and of course is a good pose if you get out in the crowd!! Here's me playing to my godson at a festival, my rig is to the far right of the trailer so good range!!!

Edited by barneyg42
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[quote name='Chaos Daveo' timestamp='1438465518' post='2834762']
So debating wether to go for a wireless setup as I've never had one.I'm quite poor at present but heard good things about the g30 line 6 setup.first gig with the new band is friday...i have no idea if its worth it.Opinions good people :)
[/quote]


The G30 is pretty good. Good sound, no dropouts, good battery life.
Drawbacks? Not made to withstand a foot stomp or dropping it many times, but look after it and it'll be ok. Had mine for over 5 years now.

If it's worth going wireless... that is up to you.
If you're asking whether the G30 is worth it, I'd say yes... but use a separate holder for the transmitter: the built-in clip is rubbish and it will break. I bought a leather holder for just over £10 and it works very well.
edit: sometimes I keep it in my pocket!

I liked wireless for a number of reasons, none of them related to playing on big stages (which I very rarely do):

1) no cable mess for me or somebody else to trip over. It seems like a small thing, but when you try it's oh-so-liberating.

2) dodgy mains supplies? It's very rare, but I liked the idea of a physical separation between myself and the source of power. Admittedly this is a small point that can be addressed in a number of ways (mains testers!)... but it's still a nice one, for me.

3) sound checks... I get to walk out in front and have a better idea of what we sound like, and the balance. It won't be the same when it's full of people, but I get a better idea than onstage.

4) you don't have to move onstage much... but without a cable you can

5) sometimes, just sometimes, the situation arises where it would be good to jump out of the stage and mix a bit. I haven't done that in ages... but in the RHCP tribute band I used to be in, singer and guitarist also had wireless and we once ended up creating a big conga line while playing "Rollercoaster of love"... that was fun ;)

Edited by mcnach
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[quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1438476311' post='2834828']
Soundchecking is a big plus .

also you can get out front and do some moshing with the air guitarists , only you have a real one .

last weeks gig was at a truck MOT garage next door to the guys house , when we said to get the air guitars out he went next door and got an old bass out , when some dude was throwing some shapes with it , I got him to come on stage to do it ...and I cleared off . so I was behind the audience playing and he was acting it out , it was hilarious half the crowd were so confused but totally running with it !!
[/quote]


ha ha :lol: excellent!

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Stage Clix system for me........... As mentioned several times above, soundcheck confidence alone is worth it. Knowing what you sound like out front instead of relying on a thumbs up from someone who has no idea on how you want to sound is worth the cost alone. Also, if you are tight for space in a small venue, it allows you to at least stretch your legs a bit without trailing a lead behind you.

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I bought one of the AKG WMS45 wireless systems a few weeks ago, mainly for soundchecks and to hear what my bass sounds like out front. I've used it for two gigs so far and it's working well. I've found that not having to worry about stepping on my lead is an added bonus plus it's nice to be able to go walkabout on the dancefloor when I want to.

Had a little problem last night when we were playing at a workingmens club and they had a function going on in the room next door. Had a couple little glitches when the sound cut out and then at half time I switched off the transmitter and left the receiver on and the DJ's announcements from next door started coming through my bass amp. Changed the channel on my setup and all was well in the second set.

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Wireless is great! Wouldnt go back to cables now.

Isolated from the mains.
Can have a listen properly at soundchecks.
Can go for a pooch around at big gigs.
Not tangled up at tiny gigs.
No accidental lead pulling out moments or leads going wonky cos theyve been trodden on or tripped over.


I have a Sony DWZ system (£150) which has a bombproof metal transmitter and clip and a receiver the size of a boss effect that sits on my board powered from my Diago thingy. Used it for about 60 gigs in 18 months with not a single issue. Nada interference, batteries dying unexpectedly etc.....
Highly recommended.
http://cvp.com/index.php?t=product/sony_dwz-b30gb-k

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I had a Line6 and, as mentioned above, the belt clip was dodgy and broke after a year or so, so I moved to an AKG SR40. It's brilliant - uses only one AA battery and you'll easily get 8 hours out of it. I have a Hiscox 'shaped' case with an inner compartment and everything fits comfortably in it, even with a Tech21 box and extra cables/strings.

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I put off going wireless for years, thinking that as my bands rarely played on big stages, there was no need. Ironically, it's the smaller stages where having less clutter on the floor is the biggest help. I'm another Line 6 G30 user and I've had no problems at all with it, I've popped the receiver in one of those Maplins silver mini flight case dealios with my Zoom single pedal multi fx and that's my set up for many of my gigs. A kettle lead, instrument lead and an amp and I'm good to go. I also use rechargeable batteries too...I shelled out for Duracell ones and a super rapid (15 minute) charger. I'll get a three hour rehearsal and a two hour gig from one charge. They paid for themselves in about two months. The clips on the G30 aren't the best tho,so I bought a cheapo camera case from Amazon (£3?) which sits on my strap and can be moved easily from Bass to Bass. Thomann do a pouch for it for about the same money, but it will only fit straps which taper to a thin end.

Edited by rushbo
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