dannybuoy

Looks like Thunderbolt-to-Firewire adaptors can cause issues with audio interfaces btw: https://cooltechpc.com/articles/thunderbolt-firewire-and-usb [quote]Although Apple has released a Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter, it isn’t a direct conversion. The Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter actually places another chip in between the Thunderbolt port and your Firewire device, which requires a driver. This will cause issues with audio devices, which are particular about which chipset your 1394 (Firewire) card has. External devices (such as the M-audio Project Mix I/O) may not even show up, unless you use a 1394 card that has a TI chipset. If you need to use a Firewire device (particularly for audio recording), we recommend using a Firewire card that has a TI chipset, instead of using Apple’s Thunderbolt to Firewire adapter. Alternatively, you could use onboard Firewire, but beware onboard Firewire doesn’t normally include a TI chipset, and is subject compatibility problems. This is why we use Firewire cards with the 1394 Ti chipset in them when building our digital audio pcs (if the customer wants the option of using Firewire).[/quote]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1471341970' post='3112236'] I disagree totally. Maybe wet have different ideas of high quality mixer, I'm thinking digital, put an ampeg plug in into the fx rack. I've done almost all of my recoding and live playing pre eq di. [/quote] Are you running the ampeg plugin on the mixer itself, or via a laptop? I've always been wary of laptops live and would sooner just shove a VT Bass or Tonehammer in there instead, they don't crash as often! I have a rigless gig coming up soon and after auditioning various bits at home, I'll be going with a P-Bass with flats and an Aguilar Tonehammer pedal with the AGS on. Sounds amazing!

Obsolete as in you don't see them on devices any more. Mackie don't supply drivers for it after Windows 7, but Macs are still supported. No idea if needing an additional whatever-to-Firewire adapter in line will add latency, but it's a possibility. Anyhow, I've not used it in years, the base station with the extra ports is very hit and miss and would rarely fire up if ever, but the pull out unit (which has 2 line outs plus 2 mic/instrument inputs) always worked fine. Here's a review: [url="http://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/mackie-satellite"]http://www.soundonso...ackie-satellite[/url] Up for grabs for the price of the postage if Bubinga5 doesn't want it!

Does it have a firewire port? I think they are generally obsolete but if your machine has one I have an old Mackie Onyx Satellite going spare...

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1471204344' post='3111271'] I doubt I'll be buying much from Thomann until such a time as Sterling recovers against the Euro. Pound for pound it's quite possibly cheaper buying from UK retailers at the moment. [/quote] This. Unless you review everything you ever bought from them and get a €5 voucher for each one like I did!

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1471221361' post='3111386'] God that is a bargain! Shame it's collection only from Milton Keynes. And a month too early! [/quote] Ad says you can send your own courier!

Ever tried soaking your strings in denatured alcohol to bring them back to life? If you are seriously wanting to change them after only one gig, that would be far more cost effective if it would work out for you. Cheapest I've tried are the £9 Legacy ones from Strings Direct, which may well be the same as the ones you found but rebranded. They were ok but nowhere near as good as D'Addarios.

No mention of the Squier Classic Vibe 50s Precision? I would try and find a used example of the now discontinued butterscotch version: These are no longer on the Squier site but there are some white blonde ones knocking about still: https://www.hwaudio.co.uk/Product/Fender-Squier-Classic-Vibe-50s-Precision-Bass-White-Blonde-Pine-p428316

There's a fretless ShortBass One 14 on eBay at the moment. If you're open to fretless I would seriously consider it!

Punters will notice if an instrument/vocal is too loud or quiet, or if the overall sound is too boomy / weak bass, or overly shrill / muffled. But a lot of that is not the gear but how you use it. You don't need to spend a lot to get a good sound, but you do need equipment good enough so that the average punter thinks it sounds decent - no point going for audiophile levels of sound quality for a pub environment.

Yup, error that the device is trying to draw too much power! Oh well.

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1470995582' post='3109814'] I'm more or less in agreement with the Japanese Axeperson. In my experience the cheaper Uke Basses have poor intonation, with little option for adjustment. If I was buying again I'd go for Kala. The feel of the rubbery strings needs getting used to as well. What about a semi-hollow bass? Their looks might be acceptable to your band and if you're going have to use amplification a bass of that kind would be versatile for other ventures. Options; Chowny, Yamaha BEX, Fender Coronado, Ibanez, etc. Usually something good for sale on this forum! [/quote] The Kala is just as bad as the cheaper clones when it comes to intonation. The fretless would overcome it, or make things worse, depending on your accuracy! If the U-Bass appeals but want a bigger version, check out the Aquila ShortBass One. There was a used one up for sale recently on one of the Facebook groups. Ever considered an EUB or one of these? [url="http://baby-bass.com"]http://baby-bass.com[/url]

[quote name='Len_derby' timestamp='1470903038' post='3109196'] Which strings have you found good? [/quote] I haven't experimented too much with 5 strings sets, I have a fair few sets left to try! But the Fender P5 I had was floppy as heck until I put some TI Flats on it - even though they are known as low tension strings. Right now I have a Yamaha BB1025X and the Warwick Rockbass Streamer. I've tried various Dunlop sets on the Yam but the D'Addario nickels that came stock with it work so much better. The Dunlop Super Bright Steels are the floppiest of the lot! The aforementioned Warwick hasn't seen much play time and still has the stock steels! But that low B is as tight as gnat's chuff. They are dead and due a change, but am planning to swap the pickups out as the stock ones are ridiculously weak. I have some DR Hi-Beams to try out, but I've been really impressed with the D'Addario Flex Steels on my 4-string T-Bird, so might try those or the Pro Steels. Making sure the string is dead straight with no twists when you string it up is also a big factor is getting a clear sounding string, many forget this, especially if they wrap the string around the posts a couple of times to save winding and haven't rotated the rest of the string through to the ball end to compensate for the twisting.

You CAN get a decent low B in a cheap instrument. I've owned a few 5ers up to the £1.2k price range, and the £280 Warwick Rockbass Streamer I have blows them all out of the water and can seriously hang with the super expensive stuff I've tried out. It has a stiff multi laminate neck and very tight neck joint. There are tons of expensive boutique basses out there that just use standard woods and traditional construction methods, so price isn't always an indicator of how well the low B will perform. The most important difference is the right strings, and making sure they are fitted properly. I've had bad Bs made great, and great Bs made bad, just by changing the string type.

I have a 34" Warwick Rockbass Streamer 5er, the low B is clear as a bell and the best I've found, better than 35" Sandberg etc basses I've tried too. Cost me under £300 new!

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1470860034' post='3109059'] Yes, I bought mine off the back of that and am very satisfied with. It takes up a lot of space on the pedal board though! [/quote] I just got a Hotone Bass Press, much smaller and sounds great. Miss the instant-on action of my old G-Lab though.

Here's a few to look into: Tech 21 VT Bass / Sansamp Bass Driver Aguilar Tonehammer Two Notes Le Bass / Torpedo CAB Ampeg SCR-DI EBS Microbass GK Plex DSM OmniCabSim Line 6 Bass Pod / Bass Pod XT / X3 / HD Zoom B1on / B1xon / B3 / MS-60B Digitech multis I recommend the Tonehammer for a creamy vintage sound (perfection with a P + flats), the Le Bass for modern grind (Jazz + rounds, mmm), and the VT Bass which can cover the lot (especially if you get the DI or Fly Rig with the new bite control). All of which happen to be analog, not that I've anything against digital. I haven't tried the PODs, but have not been impressed with Zoom's offerings. There are some great amp sims on iOS, the ones in Tonestack and the free ones in Garageband sound particularly good.

I suspected as much, if the master is pre fx-loop, it must also be pre-DI. Terrible design! Sounds great though.

Love mine too. The bite button, introduced on the DI model is perfect for a more mellow sound, e.g. P-Bass with flats... then turn it on for a more aggressive roundwound sound. It does have a few minor issues: - The clean portion of the blend control is very low volume compared to the Sansamp side. I thought I would be able to use it as a pure clean amp set to 0% blend, but it doesn't get loud enough set like this. - The level coming out of the FX send is affected by the master volume control. If you use the FX loop, turning up your master could distort or otherwise affect your effects! On every other amp I've used, it goes gain -> fx loop -> master volume, which is much more sensible. - I've not tested the DI yet but won't be surprised if it too is affected by the master volume. Pretty poor show if so, you don't want your PA volume affected if you decide to adjust your on-stage rig volume. Perhaps someone could chip in here?

You can connect quite a few USB audio interfaces to the iPad via a Lightning-to-USB cable, AKA camera connection kit. The Bighead also works as a USB audio interface, so I wondered if it would be possible to connect it and have ordered a cable off eBay to test. Has anyone tried this? I'll update with my results in case anybody else with one wants to give it a go! I currently use a Line6 Sonic Port but it doesn't have enough juice to drive my Beyer headphones loud enough so I use it in conjunction with the Bighead performing headphone amp duties. But if this cable works out I can eliminate the Sonic Port!

Almost, Low Frequency Oscillator. It makes things wobble. But I assumed our man was asking which pedal it was, not what an LFO is?

I would buy this if the price was right, always fancied building a stealth bass. I would of course have to fix the pickup hole and height out!

I forgot about the Deluxe Bass Big Muff in this pack, just tried it and it's decent! But in typical Positive Grid fashion, they screwed up at least one control, the LPF doesn't really do anything except go from on to off within the first 2% of the dial.

The Mutron on Tonestack is pretty good.

So there's a new bass expansion for BIAS FX. What a waste of £8! The bass envelope filter is supposed to be a Q-Tron. But it doesn't filter anything, just sounds the same as bypassed when I turn it on. Even worse than the Mutron which barely sweeps and has the direction control labelled the wrong way around. The octaver is glitch city and the rest aren't very good either.