51m0n

Cant remember who but I had a chat with someone at the bash about replacing the valve in an LH500, and what I'd used on Plux's. It generally tidied up the rather harsh top end and sounds all round a tad tighter in the bootom end too. Anyway it was [url="http://www.watfordvalves.com/product_detail.asp?id=1423"]one of these Harma Cryo / ECC83-STR/HARMA CRYO [/url]from Watford Valves. Worked a treat too, instantly noticeable difference. Recommended

It may shock some of you to learn that a lot of the time if a mixer cant get any upper harmonics out of a bass then they will mix in a large dose of saturation (possibly frequency specific) to your precious bass tone, using any of a number of VSTs rather than some esoteric tube device. Yes even the most Motown of dull string sounds work in the mix because they have plenty of saturation (back in the day from a B15, a tube desk and who kjnows where else in the signal chain). If you have the harm

From the perspective of a mix engineer, new strings every time for every genre. I can easily eq out harmonics, I cant eq them in. With more and more music listened to on laptop speakers as well as TVs and tiny radios (telephones speakers even) I need plenty of 3rd and even 4th order harmonics to get a sense of the bass line to pop out on these speakers and systems. If the harmonics arent there (old strings) then the bass will not stand a chance on any of these systems. If the harmonics are there I can dial them down to remain pretty much masked by other instruments on a 'big hi-fi' set up, but still pop out enough on the poorer end playback system because the low end is not there at all. Help your local mix engineer, use new strings when recording! Your mix will translate better if you do....

A lot of people want to see what each others rigs will do at serious volume though, and that is best done in a decent sized space...

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1380031029' post='2219800'] Ooo, also, I won some velcro in the raffle....those who know me will understand how useful this is Si [/quote] Pervert....

[quote name='urb' timestamp='1380023307' post='2219602'] To be fair I didn't slap a note through that cab and as far as I can remember was playing for all of about 5 minutes all finger style (OK maybe maybe one or two slapped notes on the B-string - but there were no 'machine gun' triplets) - the cab was too much for me to be honest but it was fun witnessing such insane power - re any slapping I actually stayed away from the main room after about 1pm as it was getting very loud and retreated to the jam room for some actual bass playing - had a good little play with Kiwi and Nige and our friendly drummer who's name escapes me - but after that the only slapping I did was at my talk - but it was all at a very civilised volume [/quote] True, I think we were more about how hard it outputs a low filter sweep... Cant say it wasnt thoroughly obnoxious of us though I think it was mainly me slapping (badly) though it - largely due to the unbelievable trouser flappage it produced!

Nah mate, I love a bit of slapping me, something like this would tickle me all day long.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqKTXBK3oPg

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1380014192' post='2219396'] The issue I have had, and I am not complaining, was that a couple of people attenting, maybe more than a couple didn't just turn up with a small amp set up, like for instance, a head and speaker or a combo, oh no! They've turned up with such large rigs as if they were going to play Wembley, this resulted in a watts war between the few individual with such large stacks whereas those like me who carried only a medium sized combo couldn't hear myself thinking, and was unable to let people try stuff or even play a riff as I was completely dwarfed by this geezer next to me with a rig bigger than John Entwistle. Oh and one last thing. Every time there is a London Bass Show at Olympia, the most repeated comments by members of this established forum are complaints about those individual who spoil the show for them with all that [b]slap[/b] clickety clackety noise pollution, and yet. you go to a place like this and [size=6][b]YOU'RE ALL AT IT! [/b][/size]like if it was going out of fashion, saying one thing and doing the other. tut tut.... Fair is fair, if volume and large rigs belong in this Bass Bash meetings, I am not against it by all means but they should be set up in smaller insulated rooms or a dedicated auditorium and then those with smaller rigs can enjoy a more peaceful room with speaking voice level. I am all for a headphone set up next year [/quote] I imagine URB and I didnt help playing with the new Alex monster cab. That thing is insane! Apologies, sorry! Mind you when I was helping Billy Apple later with his compressor I couldn't talk to him over someone battering a Status next door, for hours and hours and hours (it felt like). Got a reasonable result in the end, but it wasnt easy, and I couldnt explain what I was doing or listening for at the time at all.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1380014481' post='2219401'] .... as I suggested earlier, set up in the middle of the room facing outwards (with the big rigs at the end) then no one else is in the "firing line" except the guy playing. [/quote] Bass (anything beloww 200Hz) is omni directional.....

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1379970359' post='2219023'] I'll send you mine now... [/quote] I cant download it yet though

Whatever you've got for PA, learn how to mic stuff up with the kit you've got, a single drum overhead mic rather than a snare mic can sound a lot better in a lot of circumstances than all the fancy close mics in the world, add a kick mic and you are golden for any larger PA gig. Learn how to set up a graphic to cut out feedback - you'll need a reasonalbe 31 band graphic to do this, but its worth it, you can get twice the vocal level, or half the chance of inadvertant feedback when this is set right. Get a wireless so you can listen out front to the whole band whilst wandering about, it doesnt matter how great it sounds on stage if the FOH sounds like toilet! Have funm and doint let anyone off moving kit, especially the vocalist!

Dayummm they cant just be teaching anyone this s***!

How long is a piece of string? Styles will vary what the best choice is for amps and cabs, and there will be endless debate for ever on the topic on this forum. However for DIs you'd have to go a long way to beat the REDDI, its a thing of great beauty indeed....

I have one, sounds great, very robust enclosure, tracks perfectly well for my needs...

Okeedokee, I've got a few in, not that many this time, was everyone rather daunted by this one do you think?

[quote name='five-string.co.uk' timestamp='1379932049' post='2218289'] + position in room too. I still find it amamazing how much a room and your placement within it distorts the recorded sound of an acoustic instrument- even with a close-up microphone. [/quote] Critical Distance in mic position is vital to understand, and entirely dependant on the type of mic you are using.

[quote name='ern500evo' timestamp='1379926895' post='2218198'] I understand there was a Big Twin 2 at the SE bash? [/quote] Yes there was, and with the measely 500w on tap from my sa450 it managed to pretty much empty the hall, as no one else could hear what they were doing at all, and URB and I got rather over excitred by the sheer power of this full functional [s]death star[/s] [s]earthquake machine[/s] [s]trouser leg drying device[/s] uber cab. Deep filter sweeps it can handle, slappity tappity nonsense it can handle, walls of distortion, it can handle, befuddled fat old geezer having a mad stab at his bass on mega war volume, it can handle - apologies to everyone who had to hear me (reckon they could hear it as far away as Dartford)! Apparently its rated to 1600w, it definitely goes deeper and far louder than anything else I've played since I borrowed the original Big One for a bit way back when - its much much more efficient than that cab was though, the tweeter is amazing too. Really really impressive. I would say there was no drummer, and no pair of rock guitarists in the land who wouldnt s*** themselves on hearing it. Fear the bassist with one of these beauties ya b*****ds! When Billy Apple ran it off his Matamp 200w head with the Big Baby as well it was utterly earth shaking too, sounded immense! Still grinning about it now

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1379857504' post='2217448'] The bash was great, not just because of the talks from the pro's and all the amazing gear on display. What made it for me was the fact that an enthusiastic amateur such as myself took a piece of kit along that he was not understanding too much and found an industry pro who totally sorted it out. Of course I'm talking about my M87 Comp pedal and 51mon. Over the machine gun barrage of slapping Si took the time to explain the principles of compression, and he had a good old fiddle with my knobs. At this point I've got to apologise to Happy Jack, who I was previously talking to in the hallway, mentioning that some people would perhaps like to turn down. Now I was banging way with Si encouraging me to 'Hit the thing as hard as I could!' And can you believe it, Si found the sweet spot, and I had a grin a mile wide across my face! It was as if my bass and rig had got rid of years of bunged up sinuses and all of a sudden were breathing properly. Blimming marvelous! Up until that point I was feeling a little morose about my rig, and now it was ringing like a bell.. A very noisy bell! And to top it off I then got the opportunity to blow the hall windows out with Alex's Barefaced stack. Priceless. For me this was what the bash was all about. A group of like minded people turning up, swapping stories, sharing expertise, meeting old friends and making new ones. I might not fully understand compression, but I know a chap who does.. and he photographed my knobs.. The answer... Thanks 51mon [/quote] No worries matey! I heard at least two people saying that there should be a compressor chit chat (or how to do compressors dude!) chat like the other year's one every year. They might have a point, what with the blog gone away

A great sounding instrument, played by a good player, in a great sounding room, mic'ed by a good engineer, with a suitable mic in the right place to best capture it. Printed via decent Mic pres and DA converters. Bust one of those and you might get lucky, more than one and you'll have an inferior recording every time.....

They were at the SE Bass Bash. Epic doesn't do them justice at all. They are utterly magnificent cabs...

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1379680978' post='2215646'] I've just bought an MXR M87 Bass Compressor, if you fancy teaching me how to rub the thighs on that one [/quote] Absolutely! Just rock up and ask mate

No Dad, thats called Special Brew, its not the same, its analogue for a start....

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1379668373' post='2215395'] If I can fit it in, will you rub my thighs too? [/quote] I would, but I know a queue would form, and I'd be stuck all day rubbing other men's thighs.... [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1379669172' post='2215412'] Dammit! If I'd known there would be thigh-rubbing... [/quote] See! See!! See!!! I'm afraid all offers of thigh rubbing are going to have to be rejected, in principle. Now if You'd just PM'ed me, HJ, we could have kept this between ourselves, blabbermouth!

[quote name='andyonbass' timestamp='1379607558' post='2214794'] I'm off to Maidstone on Saturday morning to hopefully do a trade deal, I was thinking of popping in on my way back to Swindon - It'd be rude not to!. If I can fit it in, I'll bring my [i][b]EAD Foundation 212[/b][/i] and Markbass TT500 [/quote] Oooh yes, now then, now then, that would be lurrrvely <RUBS THIGHS>

[quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1379665678' post='2215349'] Ermagherd! Finally! Download link? [/quote] Mans got keep some secrets baby