ratman

I recently joined an old school rhythm & blues band, and for those gigs I’ve pulled my Streamliner 900/Bergantino HD112 rig out of retirement. Bass > cable > amp > cab. It does sound pretty good.

Amir just bought a SA Hub from me. He's a nice guy, great comms too. Recommended. Thanks Amir.

Also, if you’re like me and hate the way the Behringer app works, Mackie’s Master Fader is a dream to use.

I have a DL1608. It was my main mixer for maybe 5 years until I upgraded to a UI24R in 2019. I love using it, the Master Fader app is simple to use (you can download it and play with it offline, without any feature restrictions) and I still use it regularly when my SQ5 would be overkill. It’s great for small corporate jobs, duo/reception sets or pub gigs. The only downside is that on my model, the pre amps are physical pots on the mixer, you can’t save or recall their settings. And I never have got the 2 track recorder to do any recording. No biggie on either count though. Aside from that, the EQs are warm, comps sound ok, it has VCAs too. Also, if you play break music (in my case, Spotify) on the iPad inserted into the docking tray, it appears in its own channel in the app and that doesn’t use up one of the 16 inputs. I have an Apple Airport Express router for wireless control. That’s never let me down either. Such a great little mixer. If you have any specific questions, fire away.

I am looking for a reasonably busy function band that needs a new bass player. I run a decent function PA system too, so a bass & sound gig is no problem. I'm also open to depping as I have 30 years experience playing in covers & function bands, my repertoire is huge. And I sing BVs and the occasional lead vocal. I live in North london and I'm willing to travel. My PA is also available for hire. It's good quality - tops & subs, high end digital mixer, wireless mics, wired & wireless IEMs, lighting, haze, multitrack recording too. I can handle corporates, functions, pubs, DJs, DJ live & parties. Cheers, Alex.

Unless everything is going through the PA there will always be some compromises. But even a modest outlay these days will help get you through a gig (and protect your hearing too).

I have an MA400 that I use for pub gigs. Very handy little unit that can mix 2 audio signals so you can blend in the FOH mix with your bass signal. Get some KZ AS10 in ears, upgrade the tips to Sonic Foam SF1 for a way better seal & fit, and you'll need a short headphone extension cable. All in around maybe £80.

And you can download a ton of other captures on it too.

I have the larger one. I bought it from the used section for a song. I don’t much like any of the effects on it but it did get me out of a fix on a gig, just using it as a clean pre amp with the on board DI. It didn’t sound too bad at all. And for that reason it stays in the back of my van as very handy back up.

I tried a few Tonex captures of the Noble and found one I particularly liked. But the Regal model on my HX Stomp is my go to pre amp now. My basses have never sounded so good. I’ve never had the opportunity to play a real Noble so I can’t say how accurate the digital ones sound, but I love what they do for my tone. A Tonex One might suit your needs. The Radial J48 has sounded really good in some recent YouTube DI shoot outs although it costs around £250, a little above what you want to spend.

That's kind of how I use my ASIs. Either mics fully off, just hearing aux mix. Or attenuated to taste like ear plugs, sometimes with bass signal from my board mixed in via a Behringer P2 belt pack. Either way, I usually flip the ASI volume up to 0db between songs to catch any band chat. And I also keep them in until I leave the venue if there's an in house PA running.

One of my bands is now ampless and all IEMs. My bandmates don't need to worry about FOH as it's my responsibility. (I made a bunch of XLR adaptor cables so we can all have stereo wired mixes which improve our IEM mixes a lot) I start each set without my IEM mix so I can check the main mix and I periodically check it during the gig. It definitely keeps me on my toes because if it sounds sh*t, it's all on me. Like @Al Krow just said, our singer can also now be clearly heard, which didn't used to be the case. I think it's working well for us and our punters like it, private clients & pub management too. It also means I can keep control of our volume too which can be a big bonus in smaller venues & pubs.

I liked the ASI universal tips but replacements aren't cheap. Although when I got my ASIs I had to buy them from the US so their tips may be less costly now they're in the UK. I've been using these replacement foam tips https://www.sonicfoam.com/ because I wanted a tighter seal and they do a size slightly larger that the usual foam tips you find on Ebay. Once ASI get their act together and start making moulds here I'll be all over that. I think it might be a big deal breaker for a lot of potential customers.

It's a cracking product and I wouldn't be without mine on any gig now.. The only thing that ASI need to sort out ASAP is the facility to make silicone moulds here in the UK. I chased up the UK distributor, 3dwaveaudio, and they told me they need a specialised 3d printer do do this that they don't have. If I get ASI in the US to make them it'll cost me $175 plus shipping and import duty too. @Dood - have a word in their ear please

It's great to see somebody else making an ambient mic IEM system. I really am surprised that there aren't more around. On the Hearmix the only controls are ambient mic volume and treble & bass EQ cut. It looks nice and simple to use. Like the ASIs you daisy chain your normal belt pack into this. A brief search suggests they cost around £500 in the EU, so importing to the UK would likely make them similar in price to the ASI system.