BigRedX

There are some members with text only signatures that I have had to hide because they took up the whole of the screen when viewing Basschat on my laptop. Also it appears that if you change you signature it becomes visible again to those who have hidden it, because now Bobthedog has replaced his massive photograph with 3 lines of text I can see it again.

I think part of the problem is caused by the fact that if you are viewing the forum on your phone, which I suspect a lot of users are, then signatures are never visible.

So it would still be possible to have a massive signature simply by typing it as a single line in large size font...

Are these solid bodies or semi-hollow like the original Rumblefish Basses?

Looks like it might only be retrospective, otherwise it would affect the "ChangesTwo Bowie" image which exceeds the image size limits. How is "three lines of text" defined? Because the number of lines is partially a function of how wide the browser window is set.

Personally I think the latest way of applying BBCode when composing a post has been very poorly implemented in the current version of the forum software. It's all very well making things easier for less technical users, but when it also prevents those of us who know what we are doing with BBCode from making simple changes to post with code in it because there is no actual facility to show the code anymore, then that is very much a backwards step. I could understand if the code view was removed from the mobile version of the forum. It's hard enough to type a simply text reply on a phone or tablet let alone trying to get all the tags properly formatted, but it should still be available to those of us who prefer to use proper computing devices.

If there is a signal at the Bus Output sockets and your interface has 4 separate line level inputs then you will be fine. As others has said you need to record all 4 tracks simultaneously to individual tracks on your computer so that they all line up and stay in sync for the duration of the tape.

That's what you need to do. By copying and pasting text which already has code attributes attached to it you are going to run into problems with the current version of the forum software which has been designed to make it easier to apply simple coding attributes without needing to know any actual BBCode. However as soon as you want to do anything a bit more complex, or you want to edit anything that has BBCode already applied to it, then it becomes a problem especially since there is no longer a facility to show the actual code being produced by the forum software on your post. A bit of a backwards step IMO.

To get the best transfer you really need to know which 4-track cassette machine they were recorded on as you will need to use the correct tape speed and noise reduction when playing them back. Almost every manufacturer of recording equipment had their own 4-track device all with different specs. Some work at double speed, others use normal 1 7/8 ips cassette speed. Noise reduction could be DBX, Dolby B, Dolby C or maybe Dolby S on later models. With the wrong noise reduction your recordings will sound strange. Once you've tracked down a suitable machine getting the tracks transferred over is easy. You just need an audio interface with at least 4 line-level analogue inputs and software that supports recording 4 tracks simultaneously. Press play on the cassette machine and record on your computer.

I've found that because there is no longer the facility to actually show the code you are producing when using the post text entry field, things can get very complicated if you are trying to correct a mistake or edit something that already has code attributes attached to it. Often I have found it is simpler to delete everything and start again from scratch.

There are plenty of companies offering video transfer from Betamax. It might be harder to find someone with the correct front end device to do the AD/DA conversion. Edit: The company listed above offer PCM F1 conversion, which is probably what you need.

No. From I found out while trying to recall the system used you are spot on. Only the video part of the record and playback mechanism had the required bandwidth to transfer the digital audio to and from the tape. However I also found out that depending on the exact model of AD/DA converters used the recording may only be 14bit.

Just had a quick look on-line to see if anything jogged my memory further, and I think what you are looking for is the Sony PCM-F1 system. It's in two parts - the AD/DA convertor which is used in conjunction with a Sony Betamax tape recorder with the appropriate inputs. Ideally the technical spec of the recording should be written on the tape casing or box labels so that it can be played back properly on another system in the same way that stereo analogue reel-to-reel tapes would have the playback speed and test tone information on them. HTH

Before DAT Sony had a proprietary stereo digital tape recording system that used Betamax tapes. I suspect it will have been recorded using one of these. I have some recordings that were mixed onto this format from a session done in 1986. Unless you have all the technical details written on the tape or box, when you get them transferred makes sure that you get copies with the pre-empaphis both on and off so you can use the version that sounds the best.

I have found that playing music that I absolutely love is more than enough compensation for any perceived shortcomings (loss of "vibe") caused by not running a conventional rig on stage.

TBH since I don't have any of my Kramer aluminium-necked basses anymore I can't comment. To the OP any chance you can post some good photos of this instrument?

All the Kramer aluminium bass guitar necks start off the same. They simply slotted the finger board differently for the different scale-lengths - 20 frets for 34" scale and 24 frets for 30" scale, and removed the "tuning fork" head for The Duke.

Because almost everywhere I play with originals bands the venue has full PA support for all the instruments, I don't need to bring any bass specific amplification to the gigs I play. The PA gets a DI from the Helix and I only bring my FRFR cab if I don't know for sure that the foldback will be up to the job of giving me a bass sound that allows me to tell if I'm playing in time and in tune. IME all the covers bands I have been in or seen in the last 10 years have their own vocal only PAs which would require me to still own a conventional bass rig.

Get in touch with Newtone and get them to make set with the same characteristics as their Axiom Bass VI set but for 34" scale.

As I said my experience was from playing originals music at a variety of venues over the last 40 years. The fact that my "rig" can now be a Helix (and occasionally an FRFR for those venues where the monitoring isn't suitable for anything other than vocals) instead a traditional amp and cab set up is one of the many practical reasons why I don't play in covers bands anymore, and nor am I likely to start doing so again.

If you are set on a Kramer The Duke there are a few things to be aware of. 1. Make sure the one you buy is actually a Kramer. There's a visually very close copy in the Hondo Alien. However no every Hondo version has an aluminium neck and the hardware quality is very poor. The easiest way to see it's a proper Kramer is to check the neck plate where it will say so. Also the string retainer at the end of the neck only has a single bolt holding it in place on the Kramer and 2 on the Hondo. The Hondo also has a wooden fingerboard, while the Kramer has an ebonal one. Don't be conned by unscrupulous sellers. There were no exceptions, if it doesn't have all the Kramer features it isn't one. 2. Be aware that even the Kramer version is a bit of a bodge. Kramer made the bass headless by simply sawing the headstock off their standard aluminium neck. It has guitar type machine heads rather than bass ones and the string path between them and the bridge saddles is somewhat conveluted. Also the hardware used on the Kramer models, while being decent quality, varies from one example to the next. I'd make sure that you get one with the Schaller 3D bridge and Schaller machine heads. Because they are now old and no longer in production the prices are somewhat inflated over what would be expected of a bass of similar quality.

I can only speak from my own personal experience which is: 40+ years of playing in originals bands, none of the bands I have been in have owned their own PA that was used for gigs (I've been in a few that had their own rehearsal rooms with a vocal PA but we would have never consider using it for a gig). In the early days the PA was hired in and this cost was covered by the money we got from the venue/promoter. Apart from a few very small pubs that I played in the 80s, the bass always went into the PA. From the mid-90s onwards the PA was generally permanently installed in the venues I played. The few times that my bands had to hire one in was because we were playing somewhere that didn't have live music on a regular basis. I also think that a lot of the time musician's a overly precious about their sound. Yes we should strive for the best sound possible at all time, but unless you a regularly playing decent venues with a really good PAs, you also need to accept the fact that it's not always going to happen, and when it doesn't you should make the best of what you have. That means: can you hear enough on stage in order to be able to play in time and in tune as a band? and: FoH is it the required volume for the type of venue without it sounding harsh, and if the band has singers, are they audible?

The pre-amp is actually inside the pickup housing. There's nothing actually "active" about the pickup mechanism itself, that is a traditional wire around a magnet.

The gigs don't even have to be that big. Here in Nottingham if you play at The Bodega - I couldn't find a capacity number, but given that the considerably larger Rescue Rooms is 450, I'd be amazed if it is any more than 150 - the only people hearing your amp will be you (if you are stood directly in front of it) and a few people at the front of the audience directly in the "firing line" of the cabs. Everyone else will hear you via the PA whose feed for the bass guitar, at best, will be taken DI output of your amp. IME playing originals only the very smallest of gigs - venues well under 100 capacity - are vocals only in the PA, so for 99% of the gigs I play my bass rig was essentially a personal monitor, and often I was being asked to turn down so much, so as not to affect the FoH sound, that I could hear more bass guitar from the guitarist's wedge on the other side of the stage then I could from my own cabs directly behind me. IMO it has got to the point now where the traditional bass rig is just for pub covers bands where the PA is primarily for vocals and as stage dressing for bands whose whose image demands it.

Actually none, since the the phasing effect is achieved my mixing the modulated signal with the original and since there is no A/D/A conversion of the original signal there is no latency introduced. As others have said the system that will suit the OP will depend very much on what other equipment is in the signal path and what sort of usage they expect from a wireless system.