jimmyb625

Well, you seem to have missed this singer for starters... 🤣

We're called "Fine Lines" after the John Martyn song, as opposed to a reference to the aging of the band members 🤣

Our second night supporting The Long Ryders, this time at the Cavern Club (it's a small venue in Liverpool, you've probably not heard of it...) Really happy with the way we've played over the last 2 shows, everything just seemed to click into place and we did a good job. I had a slight pedalboard panic, where a high pitched noise appeared which at first I put down to the new wireless unit. Checking though the signal chain, it turned out the problem lay with the compressor where the output volume had been knocked and was maxed out. I think I'll be marking the settings from now on!

We've (Fine Lines) just played at this iconic venue, supporting The Long Ryders. We played an absolute blinder! The on stage monitoring and in-ear mixes weren't massively great, but we could hear enough through FOH to get by. Even though the audience weren't there to see us, they were very appreciative and I think we sold a bit of merch and picked up a few followers. It was one of those nights that makes me appreciate being in a band.

I usually look like a 🛎🔚 whatever I try to do, so I've decided to embrace it!

That's fair enough, like I said there's never going to be one solution that will serve everyone.

An interesting, if at times fractious, thread. Here's some of my own thoughts/observations, not that anyone has asked for them, but then that's the nature of the internet. First and in my mind, foremost, we're entertainers. People pay money to come and see us perform music, whether it's original songs or cover versions. As a result of that, I feel we have a duty to provide them with the best sounding version of ourselves that we're able to. If that means making a compromise, then it should be us that does it, as opposed to the audience. With regard to the size of venue, as a couple of other people have said, it's in the smaller places that it's even more beneficial to use in-ears. Reducing the amount of on-stage "noise" makes it easier to get a good sounding mix out to where the money is. On a large stage in a venue, there's naturally a greater distance between any backline and the audience, so audio spill and the interference with front of house is reduced. I still carry and use an amp from time to time, although "my sound" is all derived from my pedalboard (via the Origin Effects bassrig) and the amp only serves as a small monitor with which to annoy the drummer. Doing it this way ensure that I'm feeding FOH with the same sound every time I play. I've played before now without the amp (I forgot to load it into the car!) and it didn't cause me any issues, as I could monitor it through the PA. I've also played gigs at some pretty big places where I just used the drummers wedge to listen to what I needed. Like a few others on the thread, I also sometimes double up as the sound engineer, which has seen me strongly advocate for the use of IEM's, particularly for the three at the front who have mic's. At first, there was some resistance from the lead singist, but after a couple of gigs he realised he wasn't straining his voice and became an enthusiastic advocate. The main female singist definitely needed them, as she used to have her monitor so loud, it overwhelmed anything else on the stage. The drummer is still resistant to making the change, but he does use over-ears with his electronic duo, so I've not completely given up on the idea of getting him to change. Certainly the use of ambient mic's on the stage is of great benefit, as we can patch them through to the individual mixes and continue to hurl abuse at each other. Ironically, even though I'm hugely in favour of using them, I can't get to the stage where I'm completely happy with them for myself. I think it's because I'm still using a wired set, even though I own the 3 wireless units we use already. Having 2 cables attached was quite an annoyance and a bit of a faff when it came to starting the set off, having to plug in and untangle the things. I'm just in the process of going wireless for the bass, which fixes 50% of the problem, so I may look at going wireless for the IEM's as well. One thing that is really important, is to make sure you've rehearsed with them and to know what it is you want in the mix. With digital desks nowadays, it's a lot easier, as you can store your settings, so sound check time should be massively reduced (if you're using your own desk). When we play at other gigs where we're not bringing the desk, I try to make a record of the standard mixes that everyone has, so I can pass them on to the monitor engineer. It's not perfect, but it's a good starting point. Ultimately though, there's never going to be one solution that will serve everyone. There isn't a right or wrong, just a myriad of better or worse depending on your own situation. Over time though, I tend to think IEM's will become the norm, in much the same way as line arrays have done for PA systems, or indeed lightweight bass cabinets and class D amplifiers.

I loved his work on Vigil. "State of mind" is one of my all time favourites.

Is this the sort of thing you're looking for? https://cpc.farnell.com/pro-elec/psg02091/lead-dc-extension-2-1mm-1-5m/dp/PW01903?st=2.1mm extension

Our neighbour came around one evening and complained that my daughter was practicing the piano at 21.15, which admittedly may have been later than ideal. Strangely, he never seemed to be too concerned when he used to sing a variety of songs and show tunes from 12.30 to 02.00 on a Friday and Saturday night...

If it makes you feel better and you're not charging other people (financially, as opposed to electrically), go for it.

You can add "pro" and "professional" to that list as well, especially with power tools.

Probably a Stingray... I have £300, a credit card and a complete lack of responsibility! 🤣

I'm not sure the budget will stretch far enough for a poster for that one! 🤣

Wise words, so probably best to ignore then! 🤣

That's why I said to buy 2 cables. 😉

Another demo and some commentary. My interests lie towards the lower gain end of things, so I'm also not a fan of the "fizzier" sounds in some of the demo's.

There are a couple of threads here that are full of suggestions from people, covering all price ranges. What I would say, is if you want something that will give 100% reliability, buy a cable (or 2, so you have a spare). I'm not anti-wireless at all, but whichever unit you go for will always have the potential for failure, usually at the most inopportune time. Digital systems are generally cheaper than analogue systems, but there is latency with them (how noticeable that will be to use is subjective) and the frequency range commonly used (2.8GHz in the case of your Boss unit) is getting quite congested with all sorts of digital things like fridges and the like trying to talk to each other. The new Shure unit also operates in 5GHz (there's a thread). In the analogue world, you get what you pay for to a large extent. I haven't used them for bass, but I would be looking at something from the sennheiser G3/G4 range, or the equivalent Shure units.

Hmmm. Do I need one of these? No. Does the sound fit in with the style of music the band plays? Also no. Will I be buying one of these? Well, obviously!

Are they vintage hamsters?

We have a few support slots coming up. First off, we're supporting The Long Ryders for the Leeds and Liverpool dates of their UK tour in May. In July, we're supporting Kiefer Sutherland again, when he plays his re-scheduked Manchester date. We're also playing at a tea room in Cheshire in July, which helps to control the ego somewhat! 🤣

That's my go-to one as well.

I'm not sure which ones are being raved about on YouTube, but I have their version of the fretless lined Jazz bass. Plays really well and sounded good enough to record with (which I did). The only downside, is that it seems to be made from depleted uranium, so sitting down is the only option.

I'm reading threads on Basschat.

For some inexplicable reason, I'm really hankering after one of these new Shure units. No idea why, I'm usually rooted to the same spot on the stage and if I try to venture too far away, the drummer throws things at me!