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[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1033350' date='Nov 22 2010, 11:05 PM']I've only used Brighton Electric a couple of times and the Markbass equipment and cleanliness are very good. However, we suffered from the lack of sound proofing when we had a metal band in the next studio when we are a relatively quiet band. Monster in Hove has mostly Hartke bass rigs and is also clean and tidy. Another Brighton studio is slightly cheaper but is unclean, unpleasant, and the bass gear - which is a mix of Ashdown and Hartke - is in poor condition. It's often easier to get a room there at short notice.[/quote] I didnt think Electric was that clean when I was there last, had huge ugly sounding Peavey rig (was awful) and a Markbass combo (112 of some kind) which was really nice. Much prefer Monster, its the cleanest, best looked after rehearsal space I've been in, only downside is the supplied old Hartke rigs are very underpowered, you have to thrash the nuts off them to keep up, I generally take my rig (or at least my head) down and use that, to me its worth it.... There's another one off the Lewes road (sorry cant remember the name) with shockingly awful 810s in it with Peavey heads, my god they sound rubbish! The old Peavey gear was never exactly luxury sound, but the newer stuff I've had the misfortune to run into in reheasal studios has been dreadful IME.

[quote name='paul_5' post='1033358' date='Nov 22 2010, 11:11 PM']If you're not recording more than two tracks at once why not consider a small Protools setup. Reason being that if you nail [i]that[/i] take on a home demo and want to use that take in an eventual studio recording, then most good studios will be running some incarnation of Protools, and you can simply open your project on their machine. Also you'll be learning how to use industry standard software and getting to know what it can do , so that if you're ever recording in a bigger studio then you'll be able to make better informed choices about editing etc... instead of relying on the in house engineers. Just my 2p worth.[/quote] Its a complete nonsense to suggest that you can only use Protools recorded stuff in protools! Because Protools just like any other DAW will happily use a stem from any other DAW. If you arent happy relying on the inhouse engineers why on earth would you be in that studio? To my mind there are only three reasons to go to a studio and they are (in order of importance), the quality of the engineers, the quality of the live room, the quality of the kit. If the engineers aren't on their game I wouldnt consider going there. I would feel completely at ease asking an engineer/studio for examples/references before booking a session too.

[quote name='xgsjx' post='1032885' date='Nov 22 2010, 05:01 PM']I'm wondering if it's more to do with the actual bass in relation to this "muddy" or "wooly" sound as opposed to just the MB cabs?[/quote] I'd put money on it being incorrect use of the filters 9 times out of 10. They arent obvious, they arent very clearly marked, they are different from the rest of the controls in their operation. All bad UI design decisions... Shame 'cos the cabs aren't as bad as people make out IMO, and the amps are superb...

[quote name='Sibob' post='1032059' date='Nov 21 2010, 11:09 PM']Hey it was a semi-serious question lol! My gf wanted to come, I assured her that she'd be bored silly, but thought I'd ask anyway Si[/quote] She wont be bored, she wants to learn all about compression you see

I'm pretty sure he means the Concorde 2 in Brighton? You would need to follow the link though [url="http://www.concorde2.co.uk"]www.concorde2.co.uk[/url]

VLE is very like a passive tone control, it is a shelving eq with -NdB. In the off (fully anticlockwise position) the control is operating over 20KHz, so you cant hear it, as you turn the control clockwise the frequency drops - at full clockwise its way down at 250HZ. Sorry I cant remember exactly what N in -NdB is, but its around -9dB IIRC (ie plenty). VPF is a variable mid scoop type control, centered around about 380Hz. Again its off when fully anti-clockwise but as you turn this up the frequency doesn't shift, the amount of dB reduction does. As with any mid scooping the perception is more bass and treble. On its own this sounds great, the danger in a band mix, though, is that pulling out your mids too much makes it very hard to hear what you are doing. Personally turning either of these over 10 O'clock is way too much for me. The VLE is nice for curtailing the extra perceived top from the VPF if it gets too much. I prefer to use the more tunable sweepable mids off my sa450, since I can get them just how I want them. I can't imagine how many other people have been turned off Markbass amps because they didnt understand these two controls, surely a sign that the facia graphics are not clear enough...

ouch! Bet he rues the day that got out

I'd bet on the Roscoe Century Standard - my 5 is unbelievably light. Not ceap though, but light

Imagein a 7 string each string a different colour!

DO put new heads on the drums and tune them properly DO put fresh bass strings on (fresh by your standards) - you can always roll treble off, you cant put more harmonic content in.... If the guitarists amp is really noisey, record a track of the noise, then put it out of phase with the real take at mix down, the noise will large cancel out....

[quote name='cheddatom' post='1028051' date='Nov 18 2010, 03:34 PM']I'm using VSTs so it's pretty impossible to "print". Maybe that's one of the features of Reaper? Still not tried it at least it's because i'm too busy with music, rather than too busy with work![/quote] Even with a vst if you put it into an insert point can be recorded on a lot of DAWs - they even allow them to work out the delay of the extra processing in some of them. Sometimes its what you want to do, sometimes it isnt. If you arent sure, then dont!

+1 very good point!

Clipping is clipping is clipping. TE suggest you dont because it would sound less lovely (in their opinion). It wont damage the speakers (we are talking preamp clipping here), it will sound like plop in all probability. Damaging speakers comes from over excursion or too much heat, clipping a preamp, like clipping in a pedal does neither. Driving a speaker with too much juice so that it over excurts or overheats does. Not the same thing at all. Just my 0.02. And far too late I was with said 0.02!

I'm doing sound for a charideee gig in Selsey mate. Typical, all the best though, looks like a brilliant evening!

[quote name='jakesbass' post='1026823' date='Nov 17 2010, 12:58 PM']I'm also sorry to be pulling out of this as I now have to be in deepest darkest Wales on the day. Very sorry folks but the lesson in the raffle offer stands if anyone wants it... [/quote] Shame Jake, hope its good things (Wales though....). See you next year?

Really I've always wanted gold, but its not gold enough (think 1960's Brabham F1 cars), but yellow would work (Lotus 49, mmmmmmmyummmmyyyy)....

[quote name='clauster' post='1028015' date='Nov 18 2010, 03:11 PM']Hi Chris, Singer bod doesn't know where he's stored the pics, but here's a link to the studio's kit-list page - [url="http://www.brightonelectric.co.uk/techrecording.html"]Brighton Electric Studios - Kit List[/url] I'm certain last time we were there they had even more comps![/quote] Its their mic list that makes me moist though.... (sorry)

Errrrrr, never use fishing line, its too high an impedance (not thick enough). Old 70's string is usually OK as long as its not high in asbestos. It might be worth a bob or two even.

Sorry, I'll get me coat....

[quote name='DanOwens' post='1027968' date='Nov 18 2010, 02:40 PM']Hi Simon (sorry for the hijack). I've been developing my understanding of elitism in performance and subverting the supply/demand aspects of music recording. As such I'm employing a transient, dynamic process to the distance-listening experience that I see music recording as. I've developed a vocal-only system whereby the performance is only heard by one listener at a time and once the performance has been completed, it is destroyed (in truth, it was never truly recorded except by the listener's own consciousness). My signal path is this: Voice > cup > string > cup > ear. What is the best string to use in this setup? Dan [/quote] Good question. In the early days of recording it was often the case that engineers would have to make do with any old string for this purpose, ordinary post office grade packing string was popular, but when this wasnt available ther were many case of normal garden twine being taken off the bean poles in the allotment, often with excellent results. Once the colonies got involved though, notable engineers over this side of the pond noticed the increased level of detail in their recordings, which it soon became apparent was attributable in large part to the use of a higher quality military GI Issue string. Techology has improved throughout the last two decades, with higher and higher fibre level strings becoming common, and a general shift towards fatter corded strings. All of this was surpassed in the late nineties with the instroduction of hosepipe, a massive improvement in quality, not to mention significantly less skin irritaion and general itchiness from the fibres of twine based medium. Hosepipe is also said to improve your chances of finding a partner apparently, but needs to be very long and with a particularly high bandwidth (girth in modern parlance) and needs to be kept in the 'trouser department' to do so. I hope this helps!

Ooooh wonder how the orange ones would look on my green bass - damnably funky I would imagine!

If I might add one last teensy bit of advice:- DO make sure the band know the material, exactly how they are going to play it, before they walk into the studio.... And DONT let them chnage the plan!

Do absolutely anything you like to the signal to the cans by all means! But note that at some point you will get that wrong and print it (see the point about the big swooshy reverb I accidently tracked ))

If you really do not want to go the software route for a kind of mastered feel, then I think you would be looking a t getting a TC Finaliser (secondhand) - they work to a point, and are quite old so a cheap 2nd hand one may be the way forward for you. It wont get the same result as doing it with plugsins, and you wont learn as much or have the same control, but it will get you some of the way there....