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If you're not getting enough volume (or the sound you want) with your current rig, have you tried a different amp with the cab & vice versa?

I think you could be right. The guitarist & the surface player can both sing, but neither want to be a lead singer. I can't sing worth a jube, thaough I sounded OK when I was full of the cold & recorded myself for the December composition compo. I'd like a frontman/woman singer that can ideally play an instrument, but doesn't play guitar on stage other than for the odd song. I'm not wanting a guitar band, so 1 guitarist is enough, though the drummer is also a guitarist (might even make musician status one day!).

As some might know, I'm putting together a band. It's the first time I've done this as prevous bands have been me joining them. I put a couple of ads up for various musicians, got a guitarist, a drummer (got rid of one that was stoned), and a control surface player, but one thing that struck me is vocalists. Every one so far has had no experience with a mic, don't know any basic music theory (what's a chord?) or play any instruments & then when they get in front of a mic, they struggle. The first singer I had did have a good voice, but as he hadn't used a mic before, he hated the sound of his voice & doesn't want to sing through a mic again. I've now got more singers interested, but again, no experience with a band or a mic & no writing skills either. I don't mind them having no experience if they're a good singer, but there's a lot of bedroom singers that can barely sing any better than me! I suppose I'm used to my last band's singer being an excellent songwriter & musician all round & finding someone with just a part of his skill is a task. So how do you guys go about getting a singer that has some skill & weeding out the bedroom singers? Do I have to have 5 turn up to an audition?

I know I can't sing. Everyone tells me. But give me a mic and I can hold pitch as I can hear myself (I still have a crap voice though). Using a mic is like any instrument, you have to get used to it. My Wife has always been a fantastic singer & when I first gave her a mic to sing through, she was all over the shop as it sounded totally different to what she's used to. After a little practice on her own & then with some music, she was every bit as good again.

MarkBass Micromark, Genz Benz Shuttle 3, PJB Briefcase to name just a few.

In my previous bands, one of us comes along with an idea (usually at rehearsal) & the rest of the band help write it, taking it home & working on their part & even contributing to other parts. If it's a cover, someone would say something like "Have you heard XXX, think we could do a good cover of it?" Then we'd get the basics of the song & take it from there. So a joint effort regardless of original or cover. I'd take the Bruno Mars song & put your own take on it.

I'm liking this stuff. Some I've heard before. That Tortoise live set is Jazz. No other name for it. Talking about other types of "post xxx" genres, I'll go for Manpat.

Sorry buddy. I was too busy looking at the pics. I guess you use TRS jacks from Moog to Moog? You don't need 3 core cable if the parameter is CV & not exp, just wire the tip & the sleeve (making sure it's the same at each end).

Me & a friend was just talking about this very subject this morning. Not ELO, but musicians wanting to play too much when it isn't needed. I was gonna write about how a good bassist can play flashy & technical, but a great bassist is one who knows when to shut up, when to play technical & when to play something simple (Flea was my example today & BSSM the album to highlight the differences). But Nig has hit the nail on the head. Whenever I cover a song I never do it the exact same as the original (I don't play a covers band). I like the band to do "their" take of the song. Better or worse is up to the punter to decide.

All that tidy wiring & then the blue & green wires hanging out the back. Could you not use George Ls or Lava minis for CV?

It looks cold, maybe it needs one of these...

Do they come with strings?

I'm curious too! I thought rock was still very much alive though?

I had a TE 4x10 combo that was good for the money, but it was heavy & not a patch on many of todays 2x10s.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1358701281' post='1943615'] He certainly has [i]A [/i]sound and, if he's anything like me, it's a sound that may show some variability from one room or gig to another but it's hardly [i]HIS[/i] sound in the normal sense as used here on BC to refer to a particular sound which has been searched for, successfully or not, over a period of time. [/quote] I get what you're saying, especially in relation to gear, but his fingers will give him [i]his[/i] sound (whether it's any different from many others or not is unknown).

Just had a listen to the entries so far. Another good selection of completely different interpretations! Not sure if I'll be able to get an entry this month.

Well we had our first get together on Friday night & it was interesting. I couldn't contact the original drummer but another one got in touch with me & said he played in a few HipHop/Funk bands & was interested in playing breakbeat, so we all met up. Me, the drummer, the singer & the guitarist. The singer started off quite wobbly, but I put that down to nerves & fair enough, 1/2 hour into the sesh & he was fine. Not a bad singer either. The guitarist wasn't able to join us from the start & arrived about 45 mins later (he was on a late shift at work). When he plugged into the rig in the rehearsal room (Laney thing with a 4x10) he immediately drowned out everyone. Thankfully he wasn't too bothered about turning down. The drummer is probably a typical HipHop drummer. Stoned & can't play over 116 BPM. He wasn't a bad drummer, but he can't play breakbeat & struggles with faster patterns (especially if they have 16th note hihiats). The singer decided that he doesn't have the confidence to sing (he's never been in a band before), so he left on good terms (still gonna meet up with him just as a friend). I've decided I don't want the drummer due to the fact that he couldn't hold a steady rhythm & kept disappearing every 30 or so mins for a puff, so it looks like I'm back to square one! Loads of guitarists interested but no musicians. I think I'm gonna give up on this idea. It'd be different if I lived nearer Glasgow or Edinburgh, but despite there being a college that has music courses & a drum shop, this area is just full of guitarists. I'm gonna keep an eye out for any bands looking for a bassist see what comes up.

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1358688071' post='1943300'] Sounds to me much more like he has found [i]A[/i] sound not [i]HIS[/i] sound. [/quote] Oh, I don't know about that. He might well have a sound that sounds similar to a few other folk, but if he likes how he sounds, then hasn't he got his sound?

I think some folk are getting mixed up between a drop tuning & tuning to A 440. Songs with the tuning to Eb is usually done for the singers abilities. Tuned to a standard tuning of A440 would mean you just drop a semitone. A lot of Stevie Wonder songs are in a flat key as it suits horn sections better. If an instrument is tuned to A 432, when you play the same note on another instrument tuned A 440 then it would sound like it does when you're tuning 2 strings & one is slightly down in pitch from the other. A lot of older recordings the pitch is due to someone wanting to change the tempo of the song.

"Your sound" is the sound that You like that fits with what you play. This could be from your playing style, from your gear or something else. So it sounds to me like you've found your sound.

I think you're making assumptions on how loud this'll go based on the wattage? That could be why TCE led people to believe that their amps put out @ 500w so they didn't jump to conclusions.

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1358634302' post='1942719'] My Markbass LMII must be getting on for 10 years old by now, and has a parallel loop with no blend control. However it also has a jumper inside the case that allows it to be switched to serial. [/quote] I tried using the loop. Tried the different jumper settings & could hear the difference. Best thing for me is bass>pedals>amp & I only use the loop as a send to the mac for home recording (I have a mono jack to 1 side of a stereo minijack).

Like Conan said, there shouldn't be any issues re watts & ohms. If the PF 350 put's out 350 watts at 4Ω, then each cab will get a maximum of 175w. They're capable of dissipating upto 250w, so there's no issues there (the amp puts the power to the speakers, nothing comes from the speakers back to the amp unless there's a short). But, please ignore the watts. If it does sound bad at any point (not in a personal taste thing & more of a farting sound), then do turn either the volume or the bass down.

I agree. Behringer are hit & miss, so try one out first. Ignore the wattage, go with your ears. If it sounds bad, turn down.

I wouldn't rule out a good combo. I tried countless rigs when I was looking & settled on a MarkBass 2x10 combo which covers all the gigs I've done so far (this includes a DB player using it for the same gig). If I ever needed more, I could easily add another 2x10 cab. The only thing you have to make sure is that You like the amp & cabs from whoever makes the combo you get.