Dood

Sire goes headless

I'm not there in person, but my fellow staff members from Bass Gear Magazine are, so I'm looking forward to seeing some pics appearing in my inbox of kit I'll need to get my lil paws on for my usual in-depth video reviews! Keep an eye on our Facebook page for posts too.

If Tricky can't help, I'd recommend https://www.noisyhammer.com who have built cabinets and kit for well-knowns as well as doing custom, boutique and even interesting upcycling projects. I've also noted that recently they have brought a luthier in for instrument servicing and building too. Tell 'em I sent you as they're local to me.

For 32nd note percussive phrases, I like to incorporate second and third fingers on my right hand too. For example, Thumb, LH, Pop Index, Pop Middle. Played slowly, to practice, each can be played on the beats 1, E & A in a sixteenth note phrase. Up to tempo its sounds really cool. Aside from the Left Hand percussive slap, Dirk Lance (ex-Incubus) replaced it with a palm slap from his right hand. Coincidentally, this was covered in a Scott's Bass Lessons Instagram post recently, though I remember getting exicted about that sound when the album SCIENCE came out in, I guess, the late 90's. Turning triplets in to straight 16ths and incorporating the 4 note groupings above, it's possible to create some really crazy 'odd timings' without even thinking about it. (Thumb, LH, Pop) + (Thumb LH Pop1 Pop2) would give me a fun 7 beat phrase for example. Very tech metal / prog!

I do as a matter of course! I'm using EMGs on all my basses with the QC and the input gain definitely needs pulling back even as a starting point. Check the input level meters to see what's coming in to QC. I also keep an eye on the output level meters too, (hence the hard limit at the end of the chain). I do have one issue with the QC with regard to this, a post maybe for another day, but I wish that QC had an analogue "line driver" at the output to make up for lost gain in the DSP path by staying "in the green" when gain staging.

Oh! I forgot to add! I can't wait until nDSP bring the Cory Wong plugin over to QC. I love the SSL desk preamp and "4th position compressor" (in parallel mode). In fact, the sound I want to use 90% of the time is the Cory Wong plug-in. It's brilliant for fundamental bass tone.

I've got a little time off from gigging so I'm planning on getting my QC up on the bench to have a look at the live presets I use. I need to tweak a few things, namely the compressors. Theyt all nearly do what I want. They are good though! For general use I like the 1176. I like chaining the 1176 and the Opto together for the 1176/LA-2a trick as well and, at the very end of my chain I have a very fast comp for brickwall limiting. I'm pretty sure that's the 1176 set to 20:1. I am thinking about adding an always-on external comp as I have the rather amazing Becos Stellar pedal at my disposal which has a transformer coupled DI out that sounds FAT. It seems a shame not to use it.

It won’t unless: a) direct monitoring is enabled on the interface, in which case the computer is essentially bypassed or b) there is a configured application running that the signal path is flowing through, such as a standalone amp sim or a digital audio workstation

I teach all of this as part of my teaching syllabus. I think recording and performance is part and parcel, important even for the “kit bag” that a modern musician needs. I’d say to anyone struggling to set up recording gear, PA, IEMs and (of course my other day job), everything bass gear: Seek out some lessons with someone who knows what they’re doing and talking about. A few pennies on a face-to-face lesson or two can save ££££ in the long run

Yeah on reflection I agree.. I’m still dozy from having played a big corporate show last night 😴 😁

That’s the one! Thank you!

Right now, I treat AI in a similar way to the methods I use in teaching a new theory or concept. To use an analogy, it’s a bit like deciding upon the ingredients, cooking, then setting the table before you eat your meal.

In fairness, aside from the wheels bit, that’s a fair review of the ND410S. I had a pair of them way back when. They don’t go “deep” but they are definitely punchy and a lot going on in the mids with lots of clarity. 1200W RMS iirc?

There’s a quote that has been floating around the internet that sums up my feelings about it too. Why are we getting AI to take away our creativity whilst we’re plodding along still doing the chores and hard graft, shouldn’t it be around the other way! This stuff is supposed to make life easier! AI can be “taught” how to do specialist tasks and I’ve seen some great results doing so. Yeah, I want it to do my tax returns, create my spreadsheets and social media coverage, help write teaching slides and help order my busy life.. and with the right tools, it can.

I agree! It’s still in its infancy. I write manual prompts to prime AI to be able to dish up high quality output, but most specialised (paid) apps already have that built in (coding, image creation, creative writing apps/sites, whatever), but I envisage, like “Apple Intelligence” along with many other products, the functionality will be baked in to Operating Systems as standard and for the most part not even visible.

Ha ha yes! I remember in my ole days of electronics logic and later coding, the adage we used was SISO .. 😂 When it comes to A.I. dishing out nonsense, it reminds me of this 80’s (?) interview with Bjork, long before smartphones were even a thing. The first 20 seconds says it all. I feel that A.I, like electronic music will only get better when we’ve figured out how to use it properly and improve what we put in.

You make a strong point actually. After over 400 gear reviews, videos and magazine columns, sometimes it's challenging to find new ways to describe the same tuning keys ha ha!

I'm not sure what I have done with my diagrams, but I created a 6 way switching system when I was a Dingwall tester. (Prior to the aftermarket switches becoming available). I tested the prototype SF2 and FDV's before they went to production along with swapping out the P-Tone, FD3-A and FD3-N pickups on my basses. Interestingly the 'All On' and 'Middle Only' selections came from my own configurations and recordings! Sheldon really liked them! I also rewired coils for parallel and series winding to see what I liked best and, for the most part, option paralysis started taking over, or, some configuration changes were so subtle it wasn't worth it. As mentioned above, I think the selections Dingwall have come up with are tried and tested and the best of the bunch. My own favourite settings were: All three pickups, series wound and in series with each other. BONKERS! I think that was using the SF2 and ran in to a Glockenklang 3 band with the mids slightly attenuated. Absolutely monsterous sound! P-Tone (series coils by default) in parallel with Middle and Bridge wired in series (series coils). Again the Glock preamplifer was necessary to offer impedance buffering as well as keeping those mids under control.

They're coming for our jobs! Well, not yet maybe as every single A.I assisted (ehem.. written) review I've read lacks any tangible technical understanding. 9/10 the technical specification and marketing blurb has been dumped in to the "writers" AI of choice and then it is asked to write a magazine review based on that information. Some are good and aren't too painful to read, but, none pull on years of deep learning and experience, rather regurgitate what it can copy from elsewhere. I suspect even my own reviews have been used! Gosh, if only there were a magazine that was free to read and subscribe to, run by knowledgeable bassists who record high quality videos to demonstrate equipment accurately!

Unless you’re playing massive stages, don’t waste money on a wireless set up. Hardwire. Redirect that money towards a better set of moulded IEMs, and better quality kit to improve the in-ear mix for you & everyone. Doing it properly is often expensive. Doing it on the cheap in my experience has frustrated more musicians than the issues it tried to solve. Never run with just one ear piece in and any IEM you do wear should be seated, sealed and ran as quietly as you can get by with. If the band have little or no experience of professional mixing or efficient IEM set up, I’d get someone in to set stuff up, including providing yourself with an ambient system to make up for the disconnect suffered by IEMs (rightly) doing their job of attenuating the stage level. oh and finally, sadly it’s a luxury to have on cheaper digital mixers, but if you can monitor mix in stereo (properly) it is so much easier to hear everything in the performance rather than banging all instruments in mono towards the centre of your skull.

The aluminium driver speakers in, for example, the XL cabinets (of which I have owned many) are far from flat response. They’re not even hifi. They have peaks and troughs in the response on and off axis that are a veritable rollercoaster ride in audio. Either by design or by accident, it just happens that those peaks and troughs (and great low end extension in the case of a pair of 4.5XLs) work well with bass guitar. Another superb facet of the design is that our tiny GAS driven brains find those peaks and troughs in the response to sound better (less..flat sounding haaarrr) than flat response comparisons. The 4.5XL always sounded great up at a decent volume for its ability to underpin the low end, cut through with the classic peak in the lower treble frequencies but it also had a big scoop in the mids, perfect for guitars to sit alongside in the mix too. That scoop and peak combination is what makes the cabinet sound bright. The 4.5XL also included the benefit of a 5” upper midrange/treble driver in the centre which I always thought was a brilliant idea for modern bass guitar. They are heavy cabinets and at 99dB/m aren’t necessarily the most sensitive and you wouldn’t want to push them beyond their limits when they stop getting any louder. But.. playing tag team with the “how many watts do I need” thread, I ran a pair with an SVT 2 for donkeys years, a combination that was a great match for everything from prog metal to acoustic rock. I’ve always had a soft spot for them and enjoyed many a chat with Larry as a long time endorser of their products.

Here's 320 of my gear review videos, there's a few amp and cabinet combinations in there to have a look at! I hope this helps! Save the playlist

Absolutely, I'd definitely suggest try-before-you-buy, though in the UK for example, its actually quite difficult to audition even just a few heads together up at a comparable volume in any shop. I agree with you that Watts is not a measure of SPL and I've said that many times, however, when we are limited to what "specifications" manufacturers give us, a rough ball-park figure is better than nothing at all. Or, to put it another way, using reasoning, a ≤ pub-band novice is more likely* to find something suitable if we start with "500W RMS and a 2x12" from nearly all of the current well known brands.

If you're looking for some reference articles aimed at the beginner to intermediate player covering most bass related needs, here's a big pile I wrote for Bass Player Magazine: - https://www.guitarworld.com/author/dan-veall