Happy Jack

Yes, it's working really well for us. We've been told that the Mackie is more intuitive when you first use it, and I'm prepared to believe that, but in truth it took just two days (when we were both off sick anyway) to be confident that we could march in to a venue and set the XR18 up first time without any drama. There are some excellent 'How To' videos on YouTube (and of course some pretty dreadful ones) and so long as you start by setting up using a laptop and NOT a tablet it's pretty easy to get things sorted out. Each new setup for a new band requires some effort and some patience from the band but, as with any decent PA, once you've got it right for Band X at Venue A it becomes a doddle to also get it right for Band X at Venues B, C & D. With The Junkyard Dogs we have allowed one hour for load-in, setup and soundcheck for years now. Last Friday we allowed 90 minutes because it was the first time with the XR18 (and we hadn't ... ahem ... actually told the band before the gig); we needed about 75. On Saturday we allowed 90 minutes again because we'd never played the venue before; after 60 minutes we were all twiddling our thumbs and wondering what to do for the extra 30 minutes. On both nights we played to full rooms with loads of mobile phones being flashed around. We suffered NO wifi dropouts at all. Doesn't mean it'll never happen, but it's a reassuring start. Our biggest issue by far is that the screens are different for laptop and tablet, and the tablet is harder to use until you understand the system. On the laptop screen you can see and adjust everything for every channel with rarely more than a single click being needed to get you to the crucial area. On the tablet you see roughly a quarter as much which means that you have to navigate your way to the desired area before you can even start to make changes, and some of the places you really, really need to navigate to (like Gain and EQ) are anything but obvious. We are also annoyed that we can't yet work out how to directly link the XR18 to my laptop using an Ethernet cable. A key factor for us in deciding to buy the XR18 was the knowledge that in the event of a total wifi meltdown we could go fully cabled in a matter of minutes, perhaps even seconds. I still don't doubt that the kit allows us to do this ... but I have no clue how! Not to worry. A band I dep for occasionally are big fans of the XR18 and have it fully sussed out. Silvie and I are visiting the band leader on Wednesday for a private tutorial.

Silvie and I have just invested in a Behringer X Air XR-18 to replace both the desks we have been using for the last few years (a Soundcraft and another Behringer). I say 'invested' but in fact the price has tumbled over the last 18 months, and we paid £340 for ours. We didn't need to buy any extra IT gear since we already have a laptop and several tablets knocking about. Before you buy another old-school desk, I'd strongly recommend that you take a look at wireless control by tablet or similar. Bear in mind that you DON'T have to walk out front to operate it! We link ours simultaneously (1) to my laptop which sits on the rack case and works exactly like a normal desk for me to operate between songs, if I choose, and (2) to Silvie's tablet so that she can adjust volumes and mix mid-song if she chooses. We've played our first two gigs with this rig over the weekend and we're loving it. All the weight is off my shoulders while I'm playing and I can concentrate on what I'm doing, knowing that if something goes horribly wrong then Silvie will fix it. In truth things very rarely go horribly wrong - we've been doing this a long time - but it's one less thing to distract me. You can save as 'Scenes' both different setups for different bands (I play in several) and also different venues for a single band if you work a repeat cycle of venues over the year. It's early days yet, but we have been thoroughly impressed.

Better woodworking skills than design flair. Good luck with the intonation, and I do hope that you can adjust the height of those lipstick pickups. I don't have a problem with the strap button placement, and I have some big-name basses with the same positioning ... my Ovation Magnum III springs to mind.

And a 4th is just bloody huge. I bought my first 5-string specifically to be able to play the bassline correctly on Whatever You Want. The original is in D and the bass line drops down to the E string for the walk up to A, but our singer couldn't sing it in D. We dropped the key to A, which was good for the singer (and for my BVs), but that forced me either to walk UP to the E or - even worse - to play the wrong bass line to get DOWN to the E. Yuk. We've been playing it in A for 10 years now, and I have never yet had a punter or a muso in the crowd come up to me and say, "Have you changed the key?".

I have more guitar straps than the average High Street music store. Does that help at all?

Yup to all the above. The casing for the receiver is so lightweight that it's a very good idea to anchor it somehow. When I use it on a pedal board it's a velcro jobbie just like any other small unit. It's easy enough to work around though. When not used on a pedal board, I route the patch cable from the receiver to the bass amp through one of the handles on the rack case, which takes any strain or tension out of the set-up. The one thing I'd really like is a Smooth Hound where the receiver unit contains a decent battery pack. Having to use a mains plug is often a right pain, and the weight of the batteries would settle down the receiver unit.

I really like my Smooth Hound, but it won't necessarily suit you if you're an energetic, jumping-around-the-stage sort of player. If your output jack is side mounted (i.e. on the 'edge' of the bass) then the only thing holding the unit in place is the 1/4" jack plug. I don't do much jumping about, but I've experienced momentary cut-outs when I get too excitable and jerk the bass about. Not a major problem and nothing I've complained about, but horses for courses and all that ...

I'm in the lucky position that my band only plays one song which is a real struggle even on a 5-string (Radar Love in E, with loads of passing grace notes on the D), so I bring along a 4-string tuned D-G-C-F which works perfectly for the song. That also means that I get to use my 'spare' bass at every gig, so I don't resent carrying around something I never use.

Contact Kris Kedzior (KK), he lives in Staines and will happily let you come and try one.

If you're after an upright bass with the DB feel but considerably more sturdy and gig-resistant, check out the KK Baby Bass range, which is a development of the original Ampeg design. Not cheap, but you could reverse your Transit over one and chances are it would survive. Might need to re-set the bridge, though ...

Softly, with her love ...

On the main drag, near the northern end of town. It's a pretty big place - that hall is the main music area but there's plenty more besides. Intriguingly, they only ever seem to book their bands a month in advance - they don't do the "sorry, we're fully booked until next year" thing. Really nice club, very friendly people, well into their music.

Really sorry to hear this - had a lot of time for Colin.

I remember the days when they were the House Support Band at the Hammersmith Odeon ... it didn't seem to matter who was headlining, the support act was always Stray!

Watch as we start a classic rock'n'roll song! Be amazed at the speed with which the dance floor fills up! See the dancer with the flailing hands! Gasp as she inadvertently unplugs @MacDaddy and his pedals and sweeps the cable onto the dance floor! Applaud as @MacDaddy makes a death-defying leap onto the dance floor to retrieve his cable! Laugh as the band has to go around the solo again!

Remember to take chewing gum. It will help prevent you from grinding your teeth when you watch them setting up the PA ...

I've yet to see a riverbank with wi-fi ...

I used to play CM0102 ... does that count?

So what we're saying is that Bohemian Rhapsody has nothing to do with the Czech Republic?

That's not you in the bikini? My dreams ... shattered ...

Yup, that works for me. In fact, you don't need to pick up an instrument. By the time I was 11 I was singing in three choirs and a choral society. I was a musician. People tend to over-think this.

OK lads, the heavy mob's arrived. Make with the new section already ...

If you're working on your own, what is the benefit of Trello over, say, pieces of paper or Post-it notes? That's not a disguised criticism - I'm actually quite curious.

Above all, ensure that whatever bass you buy is the 2013 model. That avoids having to buy a YOB bass later ...

How's your new phone?