cheddatom

the clipping we're on about here is pre-amp clipping, surely? If your amp has a warning light for the power amp overloading then you should probably take it fairly seriously. My peavey has this, and I make sure it almost never lights up. That doesn't stop me clipping the pre-amp though if I want (which I don't)

people are always whinging about the local scene here in Stoke but depending on the genre there are plenty of good gigs around. The problem is if you want to play doom-death-grime-core-step-hop no-one will come and watch. It doesn't mean there's no scene, it just means the people round here still want oasis covers.

it depends on the amp and what sound you're going for. There's no need to be cautious though, whatever sounds best is best!

I had a metal band in the studio a couple of weeks ago to do one song. Tracking it was easy, getting it to sound right is taking ages! I'm hoping to finish it off tonight With my folk band we did the bass and drums for 15 tracks in 6 hours, main vocals and main guitars for 5 of those in 6 hours the following day, and it sounds fantastic, will be dead quick to mix. It sounds like EBS-Freak is saying it's taking ages to mix AND master his track, not just master it? Which would explain the time involved.

Isn't there a cheaper option of getting a bass which looks the part, maybe even looks like a Ric, but doesn't cost the money?

I use mine when I have some space in the bassline, definitely not for a "driving" line. I use it with some dirt and it just adds variety E.G there's a verse where the bassline has space and is a bit funky, I use the envelope filter, then the next section is just a heavy riff, I kick off the envelope, keep the dirt on, and it provides contrast to make the riff seem extra heavy when it kicks in

done

I wouldn't waste my time trying to get in to music that doesn't move me. Elvis, The Stones, Pink Floyd, Sex Pistols, Guns 'n' Roses, Metallica... I could go on, but there are a hell of a lot of "universally" lauded acts who do nothing for me

Yep, although depending on your filter/overdrive you may want to tame the dynamics with a compressor first as SK8 likes

Played United FC on Saturday at their pre-match thing. It was ace! Great atmosphere

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1393250861' post='2377735'] No because after the 12th, 7th and 5th the next easiest harmonic to sound is roughly at 4th fret. [/quote] interesting, I thought it was the third, I'll be testing this later!

great pic wayne, made me grin!

I always thought the standard markers were based on where the harmonics* are *I don't know the proper word for it, but those harmonics that are easy to play, obviously there are harmonics all over but they can be very difficult to get to sound [quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1393240397' post='2377587'] Unlined fretless necks I think usually have side dots at the fret positions; with lined necks I think it's usually the dots in the same place as a fretted neck. [/quote] that would seem to make sense

on a fretless, (with markers) do they put the markers in the middle of where the fret would be, or where the actual note is?

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1392884833' post='2373724'] You know, if you use the right equipment, you can make almost any bass sound like almost any other bass. A 4-band parametric may solve all your problems. [/quote] This is my opinion, if it sounds too harsh, EQ it!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1392305041' post='2367046'] Looking at all the links, it seems rather strange how few of the studios show decent photos of the live room. Surely in this age of excellent and reasonably priced home recording set ups having a decent live room that can accommodate a full band playing together should be the main selling point of any commercial studio? [/quote] Good tip, I'll get more photos done, the best thing about my studio is the nice big live room

I'm just north of Stoke-on-Trent, www.rifffactoryrecordings.com A member here called Bassfunk came to record with his jazz band and seemed pretty impressed

I hope you're not considering giving up! You're way too talented!!! You know how busy I am. I work a day job 8-6 5 days a week, and then "work" in my studio 7-10 every night. Weekends are eaten up with sessions and gigs. I have literally no time just to sit and relax and collect my thoughts, and almost no time to spend with family or significant other. It all feels incredibly stressful, but I know that as soon as I have half a day to myself I won't know what to do. I'll be sitting there on the settee, TV remote in hand, looking from the TV to my bass or guitar and back... I mean as unhealthy as it feels when you're living it, it's nothing compared to the sense of emptiness when you stop!

not heard these but it looks like a good deal: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/228922-tapco-s5-active-studio-monitors-with-all-cables-and-manual-price-drop/

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1391181296' post='2354264'] No it isn't. Many amps (mine included) only have three "tone" controls - bass, mid/middle/midrange, and treble. In that scenario, advising someone to cut or boost the mids is entirely appropriate. [/quote] Well, no, because for every amp the mid control will be for a different frequency and with a different curve. Fair enough if you're actually aware of the amp's tone controls, and you know what the OP is lacking in terms of frequency response from his rig. I've yet to be able to find out what the OP is missing, or even if he has too much of a certain frequency range. [quote name='Conan' timestamp='1391181296' post='2354264'] ... EQ is a very dynamic thing, needing constant tweaking. There is no "one size fits all" solution... [/quote] Yes, you're right, but most venues with a decent PA will have that PA set up to sound good in that particular room. I would say the best advice is to get a sound that sounds good with the rest of the band on stage, and leave the rest to the sound man Could it be the case that the recordings OP has heard have been at gigs with a sh*t mix? The sh*t mix could be down to guitarists, or to the sound man, but I doubt it has much to do with the bass tone.

[quote name='NoRhino' timestamp='1391178709' post='2354208'] Pre-EQ [/quote] OK, so the soundman should be able to get a decent sound if all he gets is the sound straight from your bass When you listened back to recordings, what was missing? Low end? High end? Volume all round?

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1391175441' post='2354139'] As I said earlier round about 400hz [/quote] Indeed you did, which is much more useful than just saying "mids" Without knowing the actual problem we have no way of knowing which frequency is lacking and/or overpowering. OP - when you play live, do you give the soundman a DI pre or post EQ? Some amp+cab setups will accentuate or attenuate specific frequencies, so you end up tailoring your EQ to the rig. If the rig has a very different response to the soundman's PA rig, and you send the soundman a post EQ signal, it may be near impossible for him to "fix" it to suit his rig.

"mids" to me is far too vague a term. Quite often we see "noooo, don't cut your mids" but without specifying a frequency or smaller frequency range than just "mids" it's a pointless remark. You mentioned listening back to some recordings... what was wrong? Not enough bass? Or just low end rumble and nothing "cutting"? Or you just couldn't hear the bass?

I met a guy who claimed he'd written Purple Rain, and had the song stolen. If it was true this would be very ironic!

not sure I get "helicopter-y delay", can you explain? For helicopter noises I use tremolo and distortion