Al Krow
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Everything posted by Al Krow
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Hi, you absolutely can plug your IEM directly into the CQ18 with nothing in between! You don't need a separate amplifier if you are going wired, and wireless units all come with built in amplifiers to enable them to transmit wirelessly. In my band two of the band members use wired IEMs straight into the desk and two of us use wireless (Xvive U4s). In terms of tailoring the individual IEM mixes, this can be done: a) on the desk itself; b) via the CQ app on each band member's phone, so they can adjust as they go along. In terms of setting the overall IEM volume levels, this can also be done: a) on the desk itself; b) via the CQ app on each band member's phone, so they can adjust as they go along; c) the wireless Xvive U4s have an additional volume control on the receiver (which clips onto our belts / garments). We had a Soundcraft MTK12 before - a very decent mid-range analogue desk. The A&H CQ18T is a very substantial step up in its capabilities: - being able to tailor IEM mixes IMO makes a MASSIVE difference to how well band mates adjust to and are happy to accept IEMs vs stage monitors/amplifiers; - then add on the ability to set and store EQ / mix / FoH settings for different line-ups and venues, which you couldn't even dream of doing with an analogue desk; plus - better quality pre-amps that have my singers remarking on the difference on what they're hearing, and I've not even started on the additional fx and other capabilities that the desk has! So I guess it's easy to see why the CQ18T has been the best piece of PA equipment that we've bought for the band in some while! Hope that all helps? -
It's certainly a very straightforward option to set personalised monitor out levels on the A&H CQ desks - so I'm not quite sure about your point that most mixers don't have preamps built in or if I've misunderstood what you're saying?
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Speaking of showreels, I seem to have had a productive start to the year and managed to get the video editing done on an "interim" reel, which should hopefully be a step up from the promo clips we currently have, and assist with my second goal of getting a few more function bookings for us this year. Any other similar little encouraging tales that others have to share on their goals at the start of a snow-swept January?
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I think this depends on the capability of your desk. If it can deliver a tailored monitor mix to your IEMs, then you can go directly from the desk to your Swiff or U45 with no need for the Rolls. Our old Soundcraft MTK analogue desk provided 2 aux outs with personalised mixes, plus 2 group + 1 headphone out that were FoH mixes. Our current A&H CQ desk can provide up to 6 personalised monitor outs, which is ideal for a small band using IEMs (although additional outputs could be useful if we want to have personal stereo mixes down the line - not possible with the U45 btw as that is mono).
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Is that a comment on the cheaper Ibby models though? The EHB 1500/1505 have the Nord pups, I believe, which have always been pretty awesome! Looking forward to the new Sire F10 DX headless basses coming out shortly, too! Great to finally have some quality non MS 5 string options!
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Interestingly, the U45 has had superb reviews on Thomann: Xvive U45 4.9★ (28 reviews) Swiff WX520 3.8★ (21 reviews) and the older U4 which has been around the block a fair bit longer: Xvive U4 4.5★ (361 reviews)
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That's a very tidy haul, Muzz - congrats! (And hopefully you're not about to tell me that bookings were down 40% and it was actually a really crap year for you guys!) Are you guys doing a mixture of pub and function work or predominantly doing one or the other?
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Not denying I'm excited about your new project John (not least for the Beat Buddy content, which is on my own project list to get up to speed on this year). Will be following with interest!
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Thanks for pointing out the mixed Thomann reviews of the Swiff WX520 - very helpful. Given I've just recommended the unit to our singer, for whom it will be a significant outlay, I've had a read through (and pulled the reviews together in English translation in the attached note, in case of use for anyone else). I found the review by a chap called Jonz particularly good. He very helpfully listed the pros and cons and was obviously loving it, until it broke after 6 months! Shame. Swiff Audio WX520 - Thomann Reviews.pdf
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Thanks Greg - appreciate this is an aside to the thread, but you've confirmed my anecdotal evidence of working with guitarists over the years who all seemed to struggle with taming a harsh tone on their Stomps! Some, like you on bass, got there after considerable effort and do sound good, others gave up and switched to other multifx. Whereas those using Boss usually had a great sound "out of the box" - a big reason my current crew went for the Boss GT1000 Core and latterly the more budget GX10, in my case, on bass. I love my current guitarist's tone whereas the previous line-up's guitarist's tone from his Stomp often grated. Glad that the Anagram has avoided the same pitfalls!
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Sure, agreed. And they got folk to land on the moon with less computing power than a current pocket calculator. Hence my comment about the Line 6 software updates and its value in keeping the Stomp in the game, which is also true with the even the more basic Zoom pedals where some of their patches are decades old. However better DSP is going to provide an inherent improvement in chip capability, other things being equal? It's then up to the programmers to make the most of it.
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All of my extended crew have been on IEMs this past year, which is so much better than just half of us a couple of years back with a previous line up, which felt a bit like a dog's breakfast with the guitarist still using a stage amp for monitoring. We're still a mix of wired and wireless for mics, IEMs and instruments, but, as it happens, one of the singers has been making noises about getting a wireless for her IEMs so I'll be recommending the Swiff WX520 to her and suggest she gets it off AliExpress which seems to be considerably cheaper. I'm definitely tempted to join her and then have my old Xvive U4 as a back up for the occasional dep. And yup she and I could both go stereo...
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Not sure 5G has anything to do with 5.8 Ghz, though, Dave?
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Had a similar issue, but I found getting a decent wide shoulder strap and adjusting the playing height via shortening the strap length a touch transformed my experience and enjoyment of my LX-5.
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Excellent outcome and you're welcome, haha! I know exactly what you mean about the sound quality in the way you've described it. I've experienced the exact same thing at the other (budget) end when upgrading from my cheap-as-chips Zoom B1-4 to the more mid-range Boss GT1000 Core / GX10 (and fwiw I do prefer both of those multifx's to my own experience of Helix Stomp and HX Effects). I suspect that this sound quality you mention is very much related to the processing power of the chipset in the unit (the Stomp has a relatively ancient 2015 PSU still in it, the Ampero and Boss units will be more up to date) combined with the quality of the software patches which, to their credit, Line6 have been excellent at updating. It would be interesting to find out what the DSP capabilities are in some of the leading multis - perhaps an analogous yardstick to SPL in amps & cabs?
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Cheers Dave - it depends what you mean by "typical"? Any covers band looking to do function work (e.g. birthday parties, weddings and corporate events) needs very good quality promo material to have a decent shot at getting work through agencies, given that the competition will all have it, and it's all the punters have to go on when deciding which band to book. If you check out agencies like Alive or Encore it will give you a good feel for what bands are doing. If you're purely focussed on pub work then you don't need something quite so formal/high quality to get yourself into new pubs venues, in my experience, but having some video footage (even decent phone clips) can be helpful in getting your foot in the door.
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Xvive U45 is still mono, but moves frequency from the crowded 2.4 GHz of the U4 to the less busy 5.8 Ghz
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Very nice! Your point about getting a promo video done - can't recommend doing this strongly enough! In my experience it can be one of the best investments to getting more work, certainly for covers bands which is my particular niche.
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Great review, thanks Woody! Looks like the Swiff WX520 is definitely worth putting on a "buy-list" for anyone thinking of going wireless and presents an even better upgrade over the Xvive U4 than Xvive's own recent U45 update? Lack of sufficient monitor outputs on my desk is going to prevent us all going stereo and feels a bit cheeky for that to be an option for just a couple of us and not the whole band, haha! I'm guessing without that key benefit the decision to switch over becomes a little more marginal?
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Sorry to hear about the drunk punter incident. I guess no chance a good clean is going to eliminate the stain without leaving a "cleaned patch" on it? "Sound wise it's a big step up from the Stomp and Ampero II" is a key comment though - that's obviously a big reason why folk might be prepared to fork out a hefty premium. Can you elaborate on the sound difference you're hearing between the Anagram and the other two and on what particular fx it's most noticeable on, for us please?
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Hey Andy, have you found a particularly good way to motivate yourself? I dunno, maybe by setting some specific targets like: "I will be able to play these particular songs in six months, and these others by year end" or doing grade X of a guitar course exam? For me, I always find having a general goal like "being better" ends up in the "must try harder" bucket, which inevitably gets kicked down the line! But I appreciate there's not one right answer or magic bullet here!
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Aha! Are you going to let on what your 'dream bass' is? Who knows - if you make an offer the seller can't refuse, he might just not be able to refuse? 😊
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Oooh can you go into a bit more detail on why you're liking this better / what the key improvements over the U4 are? Our drummer recently got one off AliExpress and has been very happy with it. About time you returned some of GAS I seem to regularly put your way!
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Thanks for sharing that. I've recently got a mint used Boss GX10, which I'm really loving in terms of its capability and form factor. Being a multifx fanboi, I've been following this thread with interest and wondering whether the step up in cost (a new GX10 is just a third the price of the Anagram) was going to deliver something "extra". But I think with the number of experienced folk on this thread who have given this a decent shot and are deciding to return it, I'll head back down to the Boss multifx thread and stay buried down there a while longer.
