BOD2

[quote name='7string' post='154607' date='Mar 10 2008, 03:13 PM']So it seems that the page cannot be taken at face value...[/quote] Someone will be telling us not to believe everything we read in the newspapers next ! I'm so disillusioned now (I think the 10 hours a day/fast playing was probably suggested as more of a "target" but, yes you're right. But then I've never even read the original article so why am I sticking up for it !)

[quote name='cheddatom' post='154593' date='Mar 10 2008, 03:05 PM']This topic has morphed out of your control![/quote] I accept that fact. I'm just happy it has morphed into an intelligent discussion

Getting back on topic, Janek's article was about practicing for modern improvisation - quite specifically.

[quote name='7string' post='154587' date='Mar 10 2008, 02:53 PM']Take an opera singer such as Jose Carreras. Great technical voice. Get him to sing West Side Story and he has a hard time with it. All the technique he had didn't help him apply that to another genre of music.[/quote] Ah but that surely depends on exactly what he has been practicing. In his case I would guess all his practicing would be geared towards opera singing, as opposed to a more general practice regime that would allow for different musical styles. If you practice different styles of playing then this would prepare you better for applying this in different musical fields. So you need to ensure what you practice fits your needs.

Are we not straying into the realms of "what works for one person might not work for others" here ? Most especially in an artistic context (as opposed to a purely technical one) I don't think you can generalise too much about these things. Everybody is different. Some have natural abilities that place them above others before they even start to practice their instrument. Others get to a level of competence by sheer determination and hard work. Neither is better than the other - just different. And when it comes to the end result (i.e. music) you cannot compare it at all - it's art ! Some people will love the results some will hate it. Having listened a little to the some of work Janek does I would say that he would have to keep up a rigorous practice schedule (yes, perhaps even 10 hours a day) to maintain the standards required for that work. And being able to play fast would also fit in with that genre of music. Furthermore I accept the argument that if you do practice uo to 10 hours a day and can play at those speeds, then you would be able to handle just about anything thrown at you. But he's a professional musician. That's what he needs to do to stay at the top of his game. On the other hand, many of us amateurs will have no need for that level of technical skill (although aiming high won't do us any harm). Also, even professional gigging musicians playing within the constraints of a single band format are also unlikely to need that level of technical skill - but it won't do any harm. The title of the article at the start of all this was "Modern Bass Improvisations". Surely that title is crucial. How many of use need to do "improvisations" regularly ? But if that's what you do then you'll need to get your technical skills in order and Janek's suggested practice regime will undoubtedly get you there. I don't play at that level. My aims are much simpler. Once I've worked out a piece I'll stick with the aim of being able to play it 10 times in a row without a single mistake (and if I make a mistake I have to start counting all over again). I'm still working on Mustang Sally....

[quote name='s_u_y_*' post='154246' date='Mar 9 2008, 10:33 PM']...Especially when there's pages and pages of adverts in the middle. [/quote] And even the adverts are useless because they're for US gear in US shops with US prices. Apart from that it's a good enough mag

[quote name='7string' post='154250' date='Mar 9 2008, 10:35 PM']...and when you get lots of the little "subscribe now" postcards in between the pages[/quote] And you can't use them because they're freepost within the US only....

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='154221' date='Mar 9 2008, 09:55 PM']I wasn't being sarcastic! I genuinley think its the best out there. It could be better, but it doesn't annoy me like that US one that clogs up newsagents.[/quote] Ok - I believe you I don't like the US one much either because I can't get on with the different "style" of US mags in general. It's a cultural thing I guess. I hate it when US mags split an article that reaches the end of a page and then they direct you to the rest of the article that's 40 pages away at the end of tha mag.

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='154209' date='Mar 9 2008, 09:36 PM']Bass Guitar Magazine is the best in my opinion.[/quote] Hmmmmm There isn't much choice to be honest. I think [url="http://www.bassguitarmagazine.com"]Bass Guitar Magazine[/url] is the only UK based one and which most people here seem to like.

FWIW I'm happy to share my experience with lights if it helps make anyone else's choices better. Started off with DIY stuff - homemade boxes with domestic batten holders and coloured 100 W spot bulbs. Had 4 boxes with 3 lights each. Initially static lights - they were OK but a bit boring. Modified these to be controlled by a light controller so that they would flash. This was an improvement but the DIY aspect of them made mounting them somewhere useful difficult. Also started to realise the limitations of the 100W spot bulbs in bigger venues. Changed over to PAR56 cans on lighting stands. Two sets of four 300W PAR56s on a T-bar. Good effective professional looking lighting but was time consuming to set up. The hefty 6-core mains cable needed to connect them to the light controller was also a bit of a pain. Even devised a way to keep them on the T-bars between gigs but they were heavy and awkward to carry. So they worked well but were heavy and time consuming to setup. They were also very hot and it was quite expensive to change a lamp if/when they blew. Enter iColor-4. Two units, one each side on a speaker stand. Quick setup, fan cooled. Controlled by a DMX lighting controller which meant the unit plugs into any nearby mains point and connects to the lighting controller with what is effectively a microphone cable. Quick setup, easy to use, much lighter in weight and more convenient to move around. Lamps are very cheap to replace and you can even get them in B&Q if one blows. The only drawback to the iColor and the PAR56s are the power consumption (and resultant heat). They do use a lot of power (which is a consideration if you have to power lights, backline, and PA of a single dodgy mains socket in some grimty pub venue). If buying lights all over again I would definitely at look at these LED lights. Low power, low heat, solid state reliability (even if one or two LEDs go all the others will still work). You'd be back to the hassle of setting up PAR cans on a T-bar but at least you just plug them into a nearby mains socket and if you want to use a light controller they're DMX which makes it easy to connect them. None of these options are cheap. But if you want good effective lighting you have to be prepared to spend a little. If you just need something cheap and cheerful then we're back to OldGit's suggestion that started this thread. Way cheaper than anything else and better than DIY at those prices.

C'mon guys this is getting childish

Unfortunately I'm not a mod on THIS forum so I can't lock it. I think the thread has run it's course now so can we please stop posting in it. Thanks.

[quote name='markyboy2106' post='153769' date='Mar 8 2008, 11:18 PM']I think one of the big issues, and one of the more demoralising aspects of using effects is the loss of your own bass's unique sound, and I think the use of a blender that mixes your bass's Dry signal with the Wet signal of any given effect may enable you to improve the usefulness of some of those pedals as some of their rawness may be removed. I am absolutely no expert, but it is something I believe helps. I believe there are a few around, Xotic X-Blender for example.[/quote] Aha - but therein lies the problem ! You're suggesting (to a man who has stated he suffers from GAS) that the answer to his problem with FX pedals is to buy another FX pedal. Where will it end (I'm just kidding, of course, but there is an element of truth in that search for the next piece of kit that will magically fix everything, when sometimes the answer is to pare things down)

[quote name='synaesthesia' post='153901' date='Mar 9 2008, 01:46 PM']Safe advice but not necessarily completely true. unless you have a regulated transformer, a 9V unregulated one will most certainly fluctuate quite a bit in output voltage, - send the output of a few unregulated ones to a multimeter and you 'll see. Also most chips 'see' a range of voltages, as opposed working only with a specific voltage. Chances are highly likely that the tuner chip will see up to 18V, but chances are also likely the 15V supply may fluctuate to higher voltages if unregulated.[/quote] Yeah you're right but the problem is you don't know the voltage tolerance that the device has as it's never usually stated. Your last statement is always the best advice [quote name='synaesthesia' post='153901' date='Mar 9 2008, 01:46 PM']For the uninitiated, get a regulated power supply for your device at the designated voltage and current spec, watch the polarity of your connections.[/quote] Stick to this advice and you won't go far wrong.

A lot depends on the type of music you play and what kind of sound suits that style of music. Personally the only "effect" I would use for bass is some compression but then I happen to like a simple, straight sound and that has suited all the music I play. I have nothing against effects - as a guitarist in a previous life I was happy to use them when needed and I play through a Line 6 Bass POD (but I use it for the amp sounds not the FX). I have to say I'm quite surprised when I see some of the pedal boards on display here, but then I have no idea what various styles of music these players cover. If you need an FX unit for a specific sound then there's no substitute. I just hate to drag around more gear than I need to. Think hard about what sound you want, what sounds are needed when you play, then work out what you need to get those sounds.

[quote name='Steve_K' post='153273' date='Mar 7 2008, 05:55 PM']You could achieve 6ohms with a little rewiring (Assuming the 410 is comprised of 4*8ohm speakers) Rewire them all in parallel and then run the cabs in series. 1/(1/8ohms*4)+4ohms = 6 It could also be done to bring it to around 3.5, though that is still a bit risky for the amp.[/quote] Technically that is correct, but it would mean you could only ever pair the 410 IN SERIES with another cabinet that was also unusually wired to allow a series connection. And if you forget and hook up the 410 2ohm cabinet on its own.... It's better (safer) to keep things standardised.

[quote name='clauster' post='153142' date='Mar 7 2008, 03:28 PM']Problem solved (I think) I've found a monitor mixer that does snake splitting.[/quote] Good stuff. Can you post the make/model of the monitor mixer here so that if the same question comes up again we can refer back to this thread, please.

cheddatom's diagram should do the job. If you mount it in a metal box, then you can connect all of the earths from all 4 jack sockets to the metal casing and then ignore the earth contacts on the jacks - they will all be connected together. If you use metal jack sockets then the action of screwing them to the metal box will do this. To remember how a DPDT switch works, think of it as two SPDT switches that operate at the same time. Each SPDT side of the switch has 3 contacts in a row. The action of the switch is to connect the middle to contact to either of the outer contacts. Press once and the middle contact connects to one of the outer contacts in the same row. Press again and it connects to the other one. [attachment=6267:Looper.jpg] Looper wiring using metal jack sockets mounted in metal box for earthing.

What it means from the viewpoint of your amp is that you should always ensure that the speaker load is within the range specified the manufacturer. That's all you need to remember from a practical sense. So if the manufacturer says "minimum load 4 ohms" then make sure you don't connect anything less than 4 ohms. If it's a valve amp, make sure the speaker selector is set to the same load (ohms) as the cabinets that are connected. If you don't follow these manufacturer's instructions then your amp might well be damaged.

[quote name='tauzero' post='152368' date='Mar 6 2008, 01:41 PM']Throw away your gaffa tape![/quote] Blasphemy .... wash you mouth out !!

It's sometimes called "ear training" and is the ability to play the notes that you "hear" automatically. Some information here [url="http://www.bothner.co.za/articles/importantskill.shtml"]bothner.co.za[/url]

The Inserts are pre-EQ, pre-fader and pre-AUX send. The output level will be controlled by the Trim pot on the channel. To use them as outputs you need to use stereo (Tip Ring Sleeve) jack plugs with the Tip and Ring bridged together at the mixer end, going to a mono jack at the monitor mixer end. Some of the Behringers also have "Direct Outputs" on the back for some of the channels. These are "post EQ", post mute and post-fader" so they're taken from the end of the signal chain.

The reason I asked about the type of mixing desk etc. is that if the desk has "insert" points on the channels and these are not currently being used, it may be possible to extract the signal from the channel at the insert point and take this to another desk, in which case you wouldn't need any extra hardware, just appropriate cables.

Neither of them will do. Rules for matching an AC-DC adaptor 1. Make sure the voltage is correct (i.e. 9 Volts). It MUST be this voltage. 2. Make sure the currentr capacity is sufficient (i.e. mAmps). The rating on the pedal will state how much current the device needs (in this case 300 mAmps). The rating on the adpator states how much the adaptor can suppy ( 200 mAmps). You can match a higher capacity adaptor with a lower capacity pedal (the pedal only draws what it needs) but NOT the other way around. 3. Make sure the polarity of the connector is correct. The pedal uses DC volts - this has a positive and negative contact on the plug. The plug can be "centre positive" or "centre negative". A small diagram on pedal and adaptor should say what each device is. Make sure they are the same. [attachment=6228:wartdetail.jpg] Typical rating on a power supply (centre-positive) [attachment=6229:powerplug_negative.jpg] Symbol for centre-negative In this case, both 15V supplies are the wrong voltage for your 9V tuner and would almost certainly damage it !

They do tend to flash quite quickly. They're supposed to be "sound to light" but I think the internal mic level is designed for quiet bedroom volume levels so they're almost on all the time at gig levels. They're certainly better than nothing and cheap at that price - but bear in mind you do need a few of them to get enough brightness. One on it's own is a waste of time.