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mrtcat

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Posts posted by mrtcat

    sound woes

    in Amps and Cabs

    Posted

    Your guitarists have to take some responsibility here. You are a team and how the sound fits together is totally different in different bands so they can't just take the approach "well it works in my other band so it'll work here". In my experience the heavy metal guitar distortions carry a lot of low end and eat into your space. Maybe why so many metal bass players tune lower than norm to get under the guitars.

    Band as juke box scenario

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    We get it all the time. Weddings seem to be worst but its a simple case of if we know it we'll do it (but not necessarily straight away as more often than not they want one of your big closing numbers while half the people are next door watching the bride & groom cut cake) but if we don't we tell them "book us for your wedding / party / funeral and we guarantee we'll learn it".

    Is Your Sound In Your Head?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    My perfect bass sound and the sound that works with a band are two different things. I don't stress it when playing with a band as i start with a nice sounding bass and a simple but quality amp and make minimal adjustments (using the guitar's eq first and the amp's eq as a last resort) to fit with the drums. I prefer to let the guitar flavour the sound and not the amp. The amp is purely a tool to increase the volume of the guitar. Everything else should be tweaked to fit on top. I like to use technique over compression but am realistic and will use a little compression here and there.
    This is all for live work tho If I were in a studio i'd use anything that sounds good within reason.

    Who Does Your Sound Check?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I do everything sound wise for our band. I own the pa and am the only member of the band who really understands how to work it. I mic drums (kick, snare, toms and overheads), guitar amp (our guitaristis a legend, has a nice little 60w marshall valve combo and doesnt mind being told toturn it down if needed - this means he can drive the amp well without being stupid loud) and all 4 of us have vocal mics. I DI my bass unless its a tiny venue (my amp head vol rarely goes above 3) .
    Once set up, I turn mixer vol to 0 and get everyone playing and singing to make sure input gains are ok. Then I set mixer master vol to about 15% below unity and stand out front and start by getting the drummer to play. I'll tweak him as needed then pick up a bass (wireless) and start playing along. I tweak my settings to fit then get guitarist to join in and make any necessary adjustments to make him fit. I then set lead vocal mic to unity gain and all other mics to about 2/3 of the main vocals. The last stage is to play a song that uses all mics. I then make sure vox are coming over loud and clear. If needed ill boost the vox a little but 9 times in 10 i have to pull them back a little.
    Finally i set monitor levels so vocals are clear on stage. Sometimes I put some guitar into the mix but I'm lucky that our guys are all sensible with vol so I can use the PA to build a sound and not rather than use it to compensate for someone being too loud.
    Our PA is really good and can cope with big events so I can make us seriously loud out front whilst being totally in control. If needed I'll push the master vol up a bit. We have a brickwall limiter system and an eq that will kill feedback so I can confidently just slide the master vol up if customers want more volume.

    How was your gig last night?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Played at Sooty & Billy's custom bike show in Northampton this afternoon. Our usual drummer was being a cock (as usual) and said £300 wasn'tenough for a covers band on a Sun afternoon so the drummer from my other project, who is friggin mint (spinal tap drum tech and session drummer for multiple big names), stepped in. Gig went flawlessly but we had to let a "Burlesque" group dance in the interval. Nowt against burlesque but these were just fat heffers in underwear. Agreed to play their songs thru my PA but got the hump big stylee after one lump gave me her iPhone to plug in so I could play her tune from her itunes. Halfway thru her dance her mate rang her and she blamed me. No offence love but if you don't put your phone on airplane mode first, dont look at me when your tune cuts out and the room is filled with the sound of an old phone ringing.
    Great bike show tho. Lot's of mint bikes to see.

    Fender Ashtray and Neck pickup covers on a jazz bass

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    [quote name='dakanoosh' timestamp='1342610267' post='1737761']
    I'll have a search around, I'm using an American Deluxe Jazz and was more worried if the actual size of the bridge could be a factor.
    [/quote]

    Yeah defo try before drilling into such a nice bass.

    [quote name='Bloc Riff Nut' timestamp='1342633597' post='1738413']
    pupcoverless planks of wood).
    [/quote]

    Brilliant terminology! Love it

    Ear Plugs

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    [quote name='JakeBrownBass' timestamp='1342802172' post='1741286']
    I've got a pair of ACS 15 and they're great for me.
    [/quote]

    +1 ACS plugs are great. £130 may seem like a lot but if you get tinnitus or worse you'd give anything to be able to go back in time and buy some.

    I took a few months to get used to them as initially you can feel a little detached from the music but you MUST persevere as you will get used to them and then you're set for a lifetime of playing. Too many folk have had to give up due to ear problems. Plugs should be as impoprtant as an amp and a bass to you.

    I always keep some cheap spares in guitar cases, amp bag, glovebox and microphone case - onceyou get used to them you'll never know how you lived without them. If you take bass playing seriously then you have to take looking after your hearing seriously too.

    First time with no amp / backline

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    How would this work if you're using an amp with 2 channels? Some sound guys are a pain and I don't agree with the "my way or the highway" approach. I've run sound at several big venues in the past and it makes chuff all difference if the bass player wants to use his amp's di or a mic. As long as the signal is reliable and safe then you work with the sound the bass player provides. It's up to him as long as he knows his time constraints and works to them. Sounds like the guy is a bit of an amateur. I used to love it when bass players used sansamps. Great tone served up in a nice clean signal. Players who constantly tinker with the sound throughout a gig are a nuisance tho.

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