Al Krow

I've used an NXT 212 and absolutely loved it. Actually gone as far as using my bass rig to put vocals and keys through, as well as bass, at a couple of venues where we had limited space (the 212 slots nicely below the keys!); have a listen for yourselves and see what you think: LA Mixtrax (@lamixtrax) (Shameless plug! - I've actually got mine it in the FS currently, although definitely in two minds about selling it and they're apparently pretty hard to get hold of new in the UK at the moment).

Your contradiction is neatly resolved in the form of a BB 2005 (providing you don't also hate 5 string basses, haha!)

"Unfortunately" Yamaha BBs are very notorious for being PJs...you may have stumbled on the wrong thread 😅

Aww buddy, I can tell you after one gig (although we do have another couple coming up, this weekend, but it will be my turn to take the PA so the 912As) - if you're happy to pay the extra and you feel vocals are important to your band's sound (and, frankly our singers are literally front and centre of both my covers bands), then just go for the RCF 732As. They're excellent.

None at Bass Direct? Just checked - they've one in stock

It's interesting how obvious it is, right, even via a compressed Instagram upload? In terms of recording: was my usual set up of Rode Stereo Mic --> Sony a6300 (with the internal camera recording levels cut to avoid distortion). The recording was done via my desk with all settings identical - I simply panned left or right. I was particularly interested in how the speakers handled vocals and I think that particular song illustrates it very well. I only recorded that one song unfortunately and the 732A PA is now in the possession of our lead vox. We did use at a gig last night for, bass, keys and 2 vox. It was very good. My conclusion from this past year (with some very helpful input indeed on this thread, thank you!) is that in terms of relatively compact PA set-ups, with no bass line or subs: RCF310A (relatively budget) --> RCF 912A = big improvement in bass handling --> RCF 732A = further significant improvement in vocals / mids (but looking at double the price of the 310As)

I managed to source a pair of new 732A Mk4s for our band at a reasonable price with the assitance of @Pirellithecat, so I owe him an A/B comparison of my 912A vs the 732A. The 732A are about 40% dearer, but as @EBS_freak mentioned, the 3" horn provides a significant step up for vocals and mids over the 1" horn on the 912A in terms of articulation and power. If you can afford the extra then I think it's going to be well worth it. Link to a sound test comparison 912A vs 732A Mk4

That makes much better commercial sense to me. Surely the point is what would a dep be happy to do a dep gig for i.e. what's their going rate? It will vary depending on the gig (pub or function) and travel involved and how good they are. If they can get their target rate, then it's a win for them and a decent night's work. It shouldn't matter at all to them what the band they're depping for get paid. Deps we use for our covers bands don't need to put a lot of time at all into learning new material - we usually tailor our sets to what they already know and the ones who regularly dep for us are pretty experienced and have a pretty wide rep, anyway. Generally speaking, we usually know quite a way in advance when we will need a dep, my bandmates know when they're likely to be away a couple of months ahead and put it on our shared band calendar, and I guess we've been fortunate in rarely having the last minute panic of someone dropping out, but obviously that can and does happen to any regularly gigging band.

I mean I take the exact same approach as you with all the bands I'm in. However, I think you've essentially asked the exact right question: "why should someone earn any more than everyone else unless you are hired as a 'session type' player for an agreed fee?" How about precisely if they are putting in more work than everyone else (e.g. providing PA, lights and do the majority of the booking). Should they be expected to do that extra work for free? If so, aren't they the ones being exploited by their bandmates?

My bands split gig monies equally and always have done. We may pay musicians depping who have done nothing to build up the "brand" or put anything into securing the gig a different amount - but that's a rate for the job as a "session" musician that we agree with them upfront and it's up to them to decide whether they want the work or not. Whilst it's not something I'm planning to do, I've wondered whether it's actually unreasonable: If bands are prepared to pay agents a commission for getting gigs, is there anything unreasonable about incentivising band members to get off their ars*es and maybe get half the commission rate you'd pay an agent for putting the time in to getting a gig? The same, if one of the band spent (say) £1k on a PA and transports it to/from gigs that the rest of the band benefits from? Or if you're in an originals band and have written most of the songs the band are playing? I guess regards the above, it's going to boil down to open an honest communication and, in particular, letting bandmates know that is the deal that they're getting into when the join the band. I guess if an uneven split was the premise on which you joined the band and you've never discussed it since, then everyone's going to assume the status quo is ok unless told otherwise? If you were fine with it at the start and you're not any more then my approach would be to have a chat with the two getting paid more and letting them know you're not happy with the situation anymore / asking them why it's ok if they are wanting to be a band where everyone is equal and to be putting in equal effort?

I've had them both (P35 and 735A) and know which one I defaulted to in wanting to pick up to play / gig and preferred the tone of. However I also know out of me and Mark who the (significantly!) better bass player is, so...

Sold a pedal back to Ben (one that I'd previously bought from him, in fact!) Super smooth transaction. I guess I should properly thank you for letting me have the pedal on (free) loan and giving a whole new meaning to the concept of "return period" 😊

That's a really interesting observation. I was struggling with a similar point when I played with the FI live - just found it glitchy when first engaged and it let out a bit of an unseemly squeal which seems to be similar to what you are describing. Part of the reason for my sticking with the Boss SY 200 - the quality of the tracking / non glitchy fx is the trade-off I've taken for it not having the same quality of synth tones that the FI undoubtedly has. I think it's partly down to the SY-200 having polyphonic tracking which the FI doesn't. I was advised to change my playing style to suit the FI. My preference was to change the pedal - maybe that was me being lazy, but sadly I've too much else to try remember and get right when playing live.

I suspect there's a reason they've not including an OC-10 sim. Probably the same reason that they've ceased production of their rather too accurate and much loved clone 😁

That's really helpful thanks @mcnach! Must admit I'm a little underwhelmed by the Zoom B2-4, given it's price point, which is a shame being the Zoom fanboi I am. I may just hold off now to see if anything decent comes out of NAMM 2023, or if Yamaha/Line 6 finally get around to upgrading their 8 year old Helix offering.

@Woodinblack - totally agree with where you're coming from. The compactness and plug and play ability of the Xvive U4s along with their price point were all key factors in us deciding on using them.

Well I hope that's not further fuelling your feeling of being very middle class and having to look down on us plebs with our cheap gear? 😁 But more seriously if you're in a successful covers band making £'000s annually from gigging, then it makes complete sense to be getting the best quality kit that you and the band can afford, whether it be KS12.2s or quality wireless to enable you to deliver a great sound for your audiences. Although Russ has previously commented that we're often paying quite a premium for Shure kit over sometimes equally good / better alternatives e.g. Shure SE425s vs KZ ZS10 Pros. I don't know if that point would extend to something like the PSM300 wireless currently retailing for £730+? I guess the other point is it's nice to have the option of something more budget, like the Xvive U4 which together with a KZ ZS10 Pro have together come in at around £200 / head all in, for those of us wanting to dip our toes into IEMs and wireless for the first time and see if "conceptually" it's a runner. Very much looking like it is for my covers band, I'm really happy to say.