Dood

Not necessarily for the pro market, but check out the YouTube videos for the handheld Zoom Q3HD. I bought one secondhand from a fine fellow here on BC and it is brilliant. It records in stereo and does not distort, even when right up against a drum kit - I see you'd rather take a feed from the PA instead for sound, but for a way of recording a gig quickly, it is rather good! ;o)

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1347422' date='Aug 21 2011, 07:40 PM']I still think you have to listen and immerse yourself in this style for a long period before you can master it.[/quote] Which is teaching yourself - so in that case, it can be taught! ;o)

YUP! I use ER15/25's too and I have tinnitus from playing without plugs in the past. I also have a drop in hearing response in certain treble frequencies. I too find it difficult to concentrate on some conversations in noisy places such as bars and pubs because of this, especially with background music and lots of conversations going at once. Even worse when the people talking have soft voices. I also have the problem of being 6'3". I'm usually towering over people and thus I cannae hear the conversation when they are facing each other.

[quote name='essexbasscat' post='1349307' date='Aug 23 2011, 06:55 PM']There's some interest in another thread about earplugs elsewhere. I didn't want to hijack that one with my question, so here's another thread about earplugs. Does anyone sing while wearing earplugs ? I have a pair of ER15's which have been a blessing to have in case the guitarist cranks the volume again However, singing with the earplugs in is a bit of a challenge, as some frequencies tend to be muffled by the earplugs. As a result, I tend to modify my singing voice, which just makes singing more difficult. I'm also not clear about the kind of sound my voice is creating, which leads into cycles of doubt, which in turn hinders performance. I've ended up removing the earplugs to get around these problems. I'm much happier with the clearer feedback I get for my voice, but it's back to square one on the earplug issue. Any thoughts BC ? Thanks [/quote] Yes! Infact I positively rely on my ER15/25's for singing! I've not used a vocal monitor for my own voice since using these 'plugs and my fellow musicians have reported that they have noticed a dramatic improvement in the tone and pitching of my voice. Ok, so I'm no Myles Kennedy, but even so - I can run my own harmonies without getting confuzzed! Here's my trick - I select the value of filter so that the music 'outside of my head' is near to the same volume or a bit quieter than my 'voice inside my head' if that makes sense. I can hear my bass clearly and I pitch my harmonies against my bass NOT the other band members. Thus I can concentrate on getting my notes right and leave the other guys to concentrate on theirs. Its particularly useful as I am 'one of those' who loves the sound of 3 and 4 part harmonies, but whilst I am busy enjoying them, I screw up - so sadly, it's best if I cant hear what the other guys are doing as much as what I am. I therefore ask for no vocals in my monitors at all! Hang in there with the plugs, I had a similar problem, but I found listening back to recordings helped me identify what I needed to adjust when I sing. Hope this helps!

[quote name='tauzero' post='1349514' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:21 PM']Play a little flurry of notes in chromatic runs and rapidly don my beret, trusting that the audience will recognise jazz when they hear it.[/quote] Ha ha! yup - play the same mistake twice, second time with conviction - yeh, I meant to do it... it's called Jazz lol..

'MU rates' gets a big plus one. Being an MU member also gives you access to downloadable contracts for the 'employer' to sign. Cover yourself every time.

I've just sold my Digitech Stereo JamMan to Rob. Very pleasant to deal with, great comms too!!! Thank you Rob!

[quote name='dood' post='1345416' date='Aug 19 2011, 01:25 PM']There has been a post on BC about changing the voltage on a MarkBass F1. I uploaded some pictures of the adjustment I made on my F1 one that I bought from the US - it's been working fine here in the UK ever since.[/quote] Sorry, I completely missed the bit about playing in Italy and Germany, thus ignore my bit about the US! ha ha ha!!!

There has been a post on BC about changing the voltage on a MarkBass F1. I uploaded some pictures of the adjustment I made on my F1 one that I bought from the US - it's been working fine here in the UK ever since.

[quote name='sprocketflup' post='1343112' date='Aug 17 2011, 01:51 PM']Sprocketflup agrees with Dood, and he also finds biog pages extremely cringeworthy [/quote] With Dood's incredible talent and ability to nurse the finest tune from just a single note, he is surely the next big thing at replying to a forum post.

The worst kind are the ones written by the band in the third person. MySpace having the most offenders. As soon as I spot one, they lose all credibility from me I'm afraid.

[quote name='oldslapper' post='1342823' date='Aug 17 2011, 10:14 AM']+1 for up to date CRB certificate. Even if you are teaching from home, and we'll assume you'll end up with some under 18's to teach, parents find it reassuring. Also, a current RGT certificate on the wall does help when selling your services. Also RGT have a good on line resource. Have you had lessons yourself? I found having a few lessons from a number of different tutors helped me find what worked, and, most importantly, what didn't (eg playing all your impressive chops to the student for the duration of the lesson). The most fruitful couple of lessons I had was from a guy who wasn't that impressive a player. But he could see what was needed, then explain clearly what I needed to do, how and why. He wasn't in the least bit intimidated by more "gifted" students, as there is always something we can learn, if we are open to learning. When you think about the best sports coaches, very few are particularly gifted players themselves. In fact very few "stars" make good coaches. Your job is to assess, instruct, inspire, review, assess, instruct, inspire, etc, constantly giving feedback to the student. It's not to make the student feel inadequate and dispirited by showing how great you are. It requires hard work, preparation and a willingness to adapt to each students needs. But it is great to see people develop, particularly when they grasp a new concept. Preach over....I'll bugger off and let the experts to tell you differently [/quote] Yes! Great post, I totally agree with your sound advice. There's nothin like planting that first seed and watching the idea or concept grow. I love my job and the teaching part is extremely gratifying!

Guitar lessons too and soon, beginner's drum lessons!

All of the above and I also urge you to seek even just advice from a group such as Business Link for help with setting up your business. You might ask 'why, what are they gonna tell me?' but there's a great deal of help out there to cover the stuff you haven't thought of yet. Been brilliant for me. Join the Musician's Union and read their handbook front to back. As much as you love playing Bass, the reason you are doing this ultimately is to make money and therefore being a business man and growing your potential as a marketeer is just as important as knowing your chops. CRB definitely. You can get one as a sole tutor via MU. Insurance is also a must both in your own home and others. Expect to spend money on advertising. It's very important and without it, you're relying on very little to get you clients. Finally, tell everyone, even complete strangers what you do. It can be a bit uncomfortable at first, but as an example, I was sat having my car exhaust fixed the other day and the chap next to me struck up a convo and I think he mentioned the cost of the work.. My immediate reply was that I needed my car for business and explained what. Straight away 'oh my son plays bass'.. Etc etc, I now have his details. Next up, I went to the counter with my bass clef hoodie on and the staff member said 'ah you've got to be a bass player with that on!', 'I've got a guitar but never learned to play it'.. So I offered him guitar lessons. He's on my Facebook now and I can talk to him about booking up. Cost me nothing for two students!

[quote name='libertino' post='1340307' date='Aug 15 2011, 08:42 AM']Thank you for your help, everyone! I ended up going for a Hartke 410XL 400 watts, £102 on ebay (+fuel to collect it). I found browsing through second hand listings quite a difficult process - restricted by distance (which on this forum for example isn't explicit in the ad title) and ad titles not always descriptive of the item's basic specs (probably not an issue for those who know what they're doing!) - but I got there in the end! I'll let you know how I get on when I've got the gear set up. Thanks again.[/quote] I'm a big fan of Hartke XL cabs - you chose wisely! Please do let us know how you get on - and of course, there's the obligatory rig pictures required!!

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1339443' date='Aug 14 2011, 11:19 AM']Went looking for some info on the BSP and found this review: [color="#8B0000"][i]There's some neat things about the BSP, but there are some things that aren't always desirable for a bassist. Keep in mind, the dirty channel is made for Billy! It lacks any meaty low end when played alone. It's a very guitary shred tone, and get really wild if you're using a cab with a tweet on. I think he uses this to branch off into guitar cabs live if I recall. However, for blending, it's actually really nice, you can retain all that meat and grunt you get from the clean channel and toss in as much fuzz into it as you want. Keep in mind, the eq settings ARE NOT FLAT as you are used to. The middle 12 o'clock is not considered flat. I believe the manual or some other source I've seen actually notes what the flat locations are for each knob, and they are all different. So don't be surprised if you have what looks like a weird eq setup that actually sounds right for you. [/i][/color] Fair comment, Dood?[/quote] I'll answer each in turn: ** There's some neat things about the BSP, but there are some things that aren't always desirable for a bassist. Sure, I guess not everyone likes or needs distortion, fair comment. ** Keep in mind, the dirty channel is made for Billy! It lacks any meaty low end when played alone. Yeah, I agree - the design is more of a guitar type distortion preamp / pedal and it is definitely better mixing both channels together by the flick of a switch. the individual clean and dirty channels can be adjusted separately still though, which is important. ** It's a very guitary shred tone, and get really wild if you're using a cab with a tweet on. It *can* get very wild, but it will back off to a mild break up. I use it at the point that the distortion just starts sustaining then EQ all of the top out, so the clean bass and treble sings through. ** I think he uses this to branch off into guitar cabs live if I recall. Ahhh, no - he runs to Bass amps into bass cabinets, but they are EQ very differently. (Along with compression) ** However, for blending, it's actually really nice, you can retain all that meat and grunt you get from the clean channel and toss in as much fuzz into it as you want. Yes yes yes yes!! This is why I love it. I also use a TC Electronic G Major 2 for effects; but also the ability to change the channels on the BSP via a relay on the TC as well. I can save an effects routing and channel change on one button of my MIDI controller. ** Keep in mind, the eq settings ARE NOT FLAT as you are used to. The middle 12 o'clock is not considered flat. I believe the manual or some other source I've seen actually notes what the flat locations are for each knob, and they are all different. So don't be surprised if you have what looks like a weird eq setup that actually sounds right for you. As I had said earlier, the clean preamp is a clone of the Fender Passive Tonestack and thus much the same as the Hartke, 'flat' will be more like 2-10-2 bass-mid-treble than all up at 12 0'clock which will be more akin to a smiley face pattern on a graphic equaliser. But as I say to everyone - you should be listening with your ears, not your eyes. - My mid controls on both the BSP and LH1000 are generally high, bass controls 5-6 and my trebles can be wound down a bit - I'm using Hartke 4.5XL cabinets and the have a naturally bright voice. The distortion (which opposes what many people seem to think about aluminium cones,) actually sounds really good through my cabinets! I'm really happy I managed to bag another BSP - It's be great to see if the Hartke Kilo can do the same with ref to the distortion section on the BSP - but I'm unlikely to sell the little beast anyway!

It's going to be awesome!!