Dad3353

I was intrigued by the harshness of the criticism of the videos; enough to have a look and listen for myself. Disclaimer: I'm not a BD customer, and play drums in a different country, so I'm not biased towards or against. Still, there is, in my humble opinion, not much to be said in defence of what I saw. It's left channel only, which puts one off immediately. The playing is not demonstrative of the bass's potential, consisting of a few seconds of 'noodling', either over the bridge pick-up, or slapping/popping. No real exploitation of the controls, not much variation to show a decent range of styles, just 'noodling'. Given the limited styles on display, there's very little to distinguish one bass from another; the recorded quality (even allowing for it being Youtube...) doesn't bring out much in the way of nuance in tone. One would assume that all are going through the same amp/cab..? Altogether bland, or slightly less. I would be surprised if anyone would buy a bass, or even enquire further, on the basis of these. It's true that I didn't watch every single one; only a a dozen or so, chosen at random. A shame, as it could be a decent 'shop window' if done with a bit more rigour. Very odd, in light of the shop's high reputation in all other aspects. Disappointing.

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1461358785' post='3034104'] I'm not sure the component/spec of top quality PA gear is the same ball park as bass amps. [/quote] Playing bass through a DI into the PA, the public could well be hearing the 'heft' of a Crown K2, whatever is used on stage.

Same here; our eldest (Guitar 1...) does the sound, usually, or I can do it if he's busy with whatever. We've both held consoles for festivals, so a voice+drums pub set-up is a doddle. We play for free, of course, so an equal split for an engi is easy enough to work out, though..!

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[quote name='gelfin' timestamp='1461321654' post='3033626'] You can either use two speaker cables using both speaker outputs on the amp or you can daisy chain the speakers from one speaker output. Both ways your amp will see [s]8ohms[/s] 4 ohms. [/quote] Fixed.

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1461263648' post='3033144'] Oh, yes, sorry. Well, is the badge officially licentious? [/quote] More of an off-license job, I'd say.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1461261336' post='3033104']... I use a short high quality patch from my bass to the transmitter... [/quote] Yes, Dave (OBBM...) makes those, too.

Our PA is a pair of HK Power Works RS152X,rated at 300W each, and that's all, for FOH. We use these for pubs, clubs and even intimate outdoor gigs, such as garden parties and such. We usual mic up the bass drum and one overhead, just to integrate the drums more fully into the stage presence. Other than that, it's voice only; the two guitars are half-stacks, the bass a 200w Hiwatt valve amp into a 2 x 15 HH cab. We've never felt the need for a sub of any kind (the bass drum itself provides a decent amount of low frequencies as it is..!); we play '80s pop/rock such as Radiohead, AC/DC, RATM, Sound Garden, Noir Désir, Bashung and much more. No, we don't play at dizzy volumes, but we're not that soft, either. Subs have their uses (in cinemas, for earthquake FX..?), but add nothing to a pub gig, in my opinion and experience, except for very specific repertoires, such as death metal and the like. Put a bass drum mic through the PA by all means, but don't think it'll add bass; that's not what is wanted. The sub frequencies 'thud' is not useful in those venues.

Just as there are amateur bassists (weekend warriors...), there are also amateur sound guys. I know several; most of them are very competent, especially in venues such as pubs and the like. The Royal Albert Hall with a full orchestra would be off the scale for most, but for pub rock (and more...), I'd have no trouble rounding up a couple of volunteers, either benevolent, or for pocket money. It's not [i]that [/i]hard to learn, either, if the fellow's keen and willing, and has anything like a decent set of ears. Not the same for a national touring band, I'll allow.

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[quote name='peteb' timestamp='1461224929' post='3032537'] On the other hand, if you join a gigging band that [b]aren't [/b]perfect for you then at least you are out there getting experience and getting your face known to put you in the frame for when the right opportunity [i]does [/i]present itself. [/quote] Fixed (I think; make little sense otherwise...).

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1461199912' post='3032443'] No, but an option to consider.... [/quote] ...as is the very excellent [url="http://www.smoothhound-innovations.com/"]Smooth Hound system[/url], but ... [quote name='Malcspring1' timestamp='1461001337' post='3030549']...Cost is not the only consideration, but I don't want to be spending megamoney... [/quote]

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1461200466' post='3032447']... Does soundcloud do weird stuff to the upload??? [/quote] I, too, claim surdity, but am happy enough with the sound quality from Soundcloud. Yes, it's better than Youtube, I find. I get best results by uploading a WAV file, recorded at 44100 Hz, 24-bit (and playing like a god, but that's more difficult..! ). I don't know if there's any better way; others may have other tales to tell..?

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[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1461174977' post='3032213'] Sorry double post... How do you delete posts on the mobile site? [/quote] I dunno, but if a post is 'Reported', a Mod or Admin will see it 'flagged' and deal with it. This goes for most problems encountered. Hope this helps.

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[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1461150875' post='3031854']... There are also lots of great midi files on the web, which give you a full arrangement that you can read if you have a proper midi player. [/quote] I use Guitar Pro 6 as a MIDI reader; it does a great job, showing all instruments on staves (or tab...), able to re-assign bass clef for treble, transpose and much, much more....

[quote name='joey1234' timestamp='1461147888' post='3031799']...my question should have bee which jazz standards should I learn... [/quote] To which I would reply with another question: why do you want to learn these..? Is it for your own, private study, or have you a band audition lined up..? Will you be playing these with others, and if so, with whom..? Are you in any hurry, with a date in view, or looking for 'the long haul'..? Sorry; that's several questions. Well..?

[quote name='police squad' timestamp='1461149328' post='3031825']... if you can sing, chuck in some backing vocals. [/quote] ... but if you can't, dont.

Heed not these siren calls from afar. Look no further than OBBM, for all cable needs, including special needs and unusual combinations of connectors. Top quality, top pricing, top lead time (free pun in there, somewhere...), and [s]Mike's[/s] Dave's a real Good Egg, too. They don't get any better than those, word.

I've posted this before, but it's still relevant; here's a link to Ralph Patt's Jazz Web Page, when one can find the 'vanilla' chords and structure to most jazz standards... [url="http://www.ralphpatt.com/Song.html"]Ralph Patt's Jazz Web Page ...[/url] Extremely useful for understanding the very basics of these tunes, too often obscured by ornementation and enriching. These basics give the key to following what's going on, and on which one may, in turn, improvise or elaborate. Hope this helps.

An anecdote..? Oh, go on; only a (fairly...) short one. I can..? Ah, well then... My parents met and courted during WWII, and founded a (large; 8 children...) shortly afterwards. They both worked hard, but money was pretty tight, so luxuries were...well, luxuries, so we seldom had any. One of the fashions back in those days were for fur coats; all the 'stars' had 'em. Too expensive for most folks, but one could dream, couldn't one..? The children grew up and left home; Mum and Dad would have, little by little, a bit more disposable income. In secret, and over a decade or so, my Dad put away a medium chunk of money and, as a surprise 50th wedding anniversary, presented my Mum with a splendid mink coat, just like the ones seen on the silver screen in their younger days. Of course, she was delighted. However, their social circles and way of life had changed a lot over time, and she had less occasion to wear it than in the past,and, frankly, fashions had moved on. The moral of the tale..? It's a question of dreams. My Mum had gained a much-coveted fur coat, but had lost a dream of having a fur coat. She was the first to admit that, whilst being very grateful for the intention and attentions of my Dad, the dream was, in fact more valuable to her than its concretion. Back in the '50s and '60s, rock'n'roll, and modern music in general was a dream for many of us, and an almost unobtainable luxury. Not so these days. The current generations have their own aspirations and dreams (X-Factor..? Top footballer..? Fashion designer..? I dunno...); it's the dream that's got value. The realisation of one's dreams is not, always, desirable, or, at least, should be followed by further dreams to aim for. Are we really luckier these days..? Hmm... Not for those still dreaming...