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[b]Microphone 101[/b] Dynamic Microphone Effectively a speaker in reverse, but tiny. Literally has a diaphragm that moves a coil in a magnet to generate electrical energy in time with the sound pressure change it senses. Robust design, often used on drums and guitar amps, sometimes on vocals (ie Blood Sugar Sex Magic lead vocal was recorded on a Shure SM7B, as was Thriller) Condenser Microphone Has a diaphram that is conductive and acts as one plate of a capacitor, typically this is very very thin indeed, and therefore light, and therefore picks up detail in the high end and transients more accurately than a dynamic microphone. Requires 48v phatom power to run. An electret mic is similar but has the charge built in effectively. There are two flavours of condensor Large Diaphragm and Small Diaphragm, Large is typically your big sexy studio vocal mic, small is your go to studio mic for things like drum overheads, acoustic guitars etc etc. Ribbon Microphone A ribbon mic uses a corrugated strip of aluminium foil several microns thick suspended between a pair of magnets. Its an old fashioned design, is prone to damage from wind, but has a lovely rounded tone compared to the other two, its ribbon is so heavy and slow to react compared to both the above that it effectively behaves as a mechanical limiter. Sounds fantastic on a guitar amp, or as a drum OH or room mic or for horns or percussion, anywhere where not have wodges of top end is a good thing.

The XLR lineout from your amp may be line level (it is on Markbass amps), which will overload thecrap out of those inputs.

I have an H4n and it's superb

Do yourselves a favour buy a Zoom H2 for recording rehearsals You dont need a desk you need to hear the sound you make in the room

No, I get lockjaw though Janek Gwizdala is pretty vocal when he's playing, he reckons it helps his phrasing a lot....

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1383569579' post='2265904'] Silly question, can you get multi track mixers that also have a recording function so that we can use the same desk to record ourselves and deal with a PA? [/quote] Problem with that is that what goes through the PA is not all that is heard in the room, and so you cant really get a fantastic mix off just the PA inputs as a rule, and as with all rules in sound engineering someone has managed to break it under special circumstances but its generally accurate, certainly in smaller venues. Of course if you have mega cash then you can do it with an RME UFX and a pair of the new RME 8 channel pres or a pair of the audient ASP008s giving you 20 inputs on stage, and crucially the RME TotalMix software. You wouldnt use a mixing desk at all, and the way the TotalMix software works you can capture everything to disk at sensible levels, but only put what you need to through the PA. Thats the Germans for you, utter genius bit of software! In fact with the UFX you can record directly to an SD drive at the same time as a backup incase you get a disk write fail or an OS error. Seriously clever stuff. Of course you are looking at spending the better part of 4 grand (not including laptop, mics and leads etc) but what does that matter!

Pulled the trigger on an Audient asp008 today.... Its still not here (twiddles thumbs), still not here....... Gaaaaaaaarghhhh!

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1383319373' post='2263148'] It's alright , I didn't mean you . Or at least statistically speaking, it's very unlikely, anyway . But probably less unlikely than if you lived in Middlesborough. [/quote] You must have meant me then, I dont remember, it was a heavy evening......

Reaper for the DAW is the best bang for the buck. 8 channel interfaces go for a Steinberg UR824 - gets a lot of love for good pres, decent software, decent converters for the money. Not top of the tip top kit, but good enough fo rmost home applications easily. You could happily record an album with it for sure. 2 channel (expandable via adat) then you are looking at an RME Babyface or Audient iD22 (which doesnt do midi so you would need a midi interface too - more infor on their site), with the option to get whatever 8 channel device you want later (Audient ASP008 is the best out there). If thats too much outlay to start then Focusrite Scarlet series gets a lot of love n the budget range of kit. But you really do get what you pay for in recording I'm afraid.

Nige, bloody awesome track and great, truly entertaining video, only let down by the lack of the Nigester exuding hipness to all around Love and hugs to the lot of you!

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1382584823' post='2253982'] I get that. And I'm all for having fun and playing something that others enjoy. (Though I personally was bored by it after 30 seconds). But I don't see the analogy with climbing a mountain. That's a personal accomplishment, not art. And it isn't something you do very often. I have nothing against the e-bow or climbing a mountain, I'm just thinking in terms of practicality. Like with many effects, they're fun for minute and then the novelty wears off and you realize the band needs a bass player. [/quote] You dont see playing an instrument like that as an accomplishment? How many people can emulate what he's doing there? And as I said before you cant do that on a keyboard anyway, you cant bend/portamento a single note in a chord on a keyboard. Its not about playing bass in a band context at all, this doesnt need a bass player. Its not that sort of performance, it just happens to be played on bass. As it goes he plays bass in the standard 'approved by yourself' role incredibly well (studied under Jaco, but plays with remarkable restraint as a side man), but that isnt the side of his creativity he's explring when he is doing this, clearly. If you dont dig it, thats fine, but dont compare what he's doing to a keyboard, its a different thing, you could get close with a keyboard for sure, you could emulate it exactly with a sequencer, but what kind of a challenge is that?

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1382608463' post='2254226'] Moaning about digital modelling for bass sounds is mostly pointless, since for the last 15 or so years pretty much every recorded bass guitar has had some digital modelling applied to it whether it be a "vintage" EQ or compression plug-in to a full-blown amp sim (or more). [/quote] I dont quite agree with this. Using some simple saturation algorithm and a very simple EQ (btw for those interested the maths for all digital eq's boils down to the same thing, if they sound different then they are doing something else as well as that maths, ie saturation or applying some not flat eq and labelling that as flat in order to suggest that the eq is 'sweeter' than a less coloured one), or maybe some supposedly accurate (but actually woefully inadequate) theoretical model of a compressor seems a very different ball game from accurately modelling the behaviour of a tube amp circuit and all the variables that that can entail, especially the very nature of the analogue saturation and break up. The vast number of VST vintage compressor models that are proven to sound a long way shy of the original only goes to show how far off they can be and yet still get marketed as such and such... The two seem similar, but I think the amp is probably pretty tough to do, simply because more people have access to a real one to compare it too, and also there is more knowledge of how the modelled amp should [i]feel[/i] to play compared to how a Fairchild compressor should sound as you start to bring up the input gain for instance, or what a Pultec eq actually sounds like as you raise the low frequency boost and then raise the low frequency attenuator as well.....

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1382605720' post='2254170'] The presets on modellers are pretty much universally rubbish, generally they insist on over using the processing capability of the unit. IMO it is this that accounts for most of the "it sounds artificial" comments from people. The only sonic difference I can detect between modellers and real amps is the slight processing delay which is about 5 ms on modern units which is not much but I still find it mildly offputting on bass (not so much on guitar). [/quote] Its strange isnt it, 5ms is equivalent to standing 5ft from your amp. Seriously, sound travels 34cm per 1ms. Personally I can stand 5 ft from my amp and its not an issue, but I personally find a delay of 5ms when hooked up to an interface noticeable enough to be a real distraction. I cant figure out why that is, maybe because when I'm hooked up to an interface I am concentrating with headphones on producing the tightest possible performance, and in that case 5ms feels an age, whereas if I'm funking it up with the band then the environment is very different, far more visceral and I dont notice the delay at all.

Also I can't think of any keyboards where you can slide or bend a single note in a chord live in real time, something he does repeatedly in this piece of music

It's called 'art' he is expressing himself on his chosen instrument in the manner that gives him (and his many fans) greatest pleasure. Why climb Everest?

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1382538607' post='2253380'] I'm sure it is very good at this and SO much more. The trouble with Reaper (and DAWs in general) is that whenever I've tried one, I feel like I've just walked in here: [/quote] Lol Yeah fair enough

Only one?? Tough choice, it would probably be another Roscoe, almost certainly a Century Signature, with some gorgeous wood on it and things and stuff, and maybe not a 35" scale, or maybe, and it would have to be as light as my current bass (which is light as a feather), and it would need to oooze funkiness striaght into me, and be all fab and whatsit !!!!

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1382516850' post='2252996'] Bit of a powerful tool just to pitch shift an MP3, isn't it? [/quote] Yup, but that doesnt mean its not very very good at pitch shifting, and all that extra power is super helpful, slowing down tracks, looping sections, recording your own efforts so you can analyse where you are going wrong better, pitch recognition if you are struggling to work a line out. The list is endless.

No mention of Reaper yet....

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1382475485' post='2252732'] OH MY GOD! Not in the signal chain! Think of the tone loss man! Yeah, that aside, seems like a valid solution too! [/quote] I know, I get over it by enduring regular self flagellation with a sea bass...

No, he's a twunt...

I have a Korg DT2000 hooked up as follows:- Amp FX Send -> Korg rear input 1 Korg rear output 1 -> Amp FX Return That way I can use the mute switch on the tuner. There is absolutely no tone loss at all.

Nice one! I really really love Lalo Schifrin's work, just awesome, great take on it here though!

Sounds like you are after a digital interface. Lots to chose from whats your price limit?