ratman

I’ve been using a Baby Sumo for a few years now with my Berg HD112s. My board is built around an HX Stomp and I’ve not been wanting in volume. Tonally, it’s the best rig I’ve ever had.

Nik came round to buy a cab from me. It was an absolute pleasure to meet him (and pooch Millie), hang out & talk music and bass for a while. I definitely recommended him as a great BCer to know and trade with. Cheers Nik, and thanks. Alex.

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.