adamg67

You can rely on me to be close to a deadline I only knew when it was cos I started so close to it. Excellent stuff from everyone (again - this is the reason there's a few started-but-never-finished attempts for these sitting in my laptop).

Very last minute thing I put together for this, I had a mess about on the keyboard a few days before the deadline and liked it enough to do the rest of it. I try not to think too much about these, but if I had to say how it relates to the picture, maybe the insistent bass part feels like time inexorably passing and the piano and guitar are about what that's done to the subject of the picture. It is meant to sound a bit "loose" in places - honest! Drums: NI Studio Drummer, programmed by me, very basic! Bass: Me on my Maruszczyk Elwood (with flats) through Mark Studio 2 Piano: Me playing my NI S88 through the piano from NI's "Cuba" Guitar: Me on my PRS through a couple of different Amplitube Fender amps I'm a total novice at mixing & mastering so this is roughly mixed for levels and then run through the best preset mastering chain I could find in Studio One with no tweaks.

I feel like I've missed a trick with my Maruszczyk Jake, it has the Delano MC 5 FE https://www.delano.de/mc_5_fe/mc_5_fe_details.html at the bridge but nothing to switch series / parallel / single. For how easy it is to add I thought I might add the basic on/on/on switch version (same one that's on page 9 here: https://www.delano.de/downloads/installation guide_2018_1.pdf ). I've only ever done wiring on passive instruments though, so just wanted to check as the pickups have both wires going into the preamp (via the blend switch) and just the shielding going to earth, so I'm assuming I just leave the earth as it is and have the outputs from the switch replace the current outputs from the pickup, if that makes sense - drop the switch in between the pickup and preamp? I realise I'll get some output differences between the different positions but that's fine, and with blend and eq should give me an extra tone or two.

I just realised that I conveniently forgot a Darkglass pedal and a Radial DI as well. So basically, I didn't even come close.

I managed until the middle of November, 10 and a half months, 87.5% of the year, and then just blew it with a pair of Adam A7X monitors and a Barefaced Big Baby 2 cab in the space of 2 days. The only minor positive is that they are both upgrades for things I already have that will be sold (Adam A3Xs and a Markbass 151p). So I won't actually own any more stuff in the end, but still a complete bust as far as this goes. Mind you, if I hadn't bought them I would have broken another rule, which is that any money you get back from HMRC isn't real money and must be spent on gear.

Yeah I think it's guitar where it makes more of a difference, I've had guitarists say they need something pretty close or they don't play the same, and I think there's some truth in it especially with eg soloing with / without some nice reverb.

There's a few comments in the posts above about thunderbolt / low latency only being necessary if your want to run a lot of plugins while you track, and that being unusual. Is it still though, as we get close to 2020? I think more people would just run through a virtual amp when tracking if they knew it was rock solid and low latency (although there will be lots of people who don't believe virtual amps can sound as good or better) - if it was their own virtual gear with their favourite tones especially. You get a dry signal you can do what you like with, including reamp it if you really want to. I run a Presonus Quantum thunderbolt interface into what was a big spec but is now a couple of years old laptop and I would track through it for multiple instruments (3+ for sure) with multiple plugins on each no problem. I don't even need a Di box for the first 2. I'm pretty sure I'll never mic up an amp again, and it's not that long since I was Mr valve amps only. I realise that's not as relevant to using VIs, just curious what people think.

You come to my funeral and I'll go to yours.

JUST SIGN THE BLOODY TRADE DEAL!

Let me see if I can guess your day job... Hostage Negotiator?

Yeah definitely, it's not a BC deal unless the cost of the fuel is more than the cost of the gear.

Also, if the BB2 isn't what I expect, I bet someone on BC (typed BS first go there, must be my subconscious ) will be daft enough to lend me an F112 in case it is noticeably better (for my specific purpose), and if the BB2 loses Barefaced will take it back - which is a very good reason to try the BF first.

I'm pretty sure this topic is now about other things, but in case it helps: I'm not buying a bass cab. I'm buying a cab that I think will do a good job of reproducing the bass cab sims in my multiamp (and the guitar amp n cab sims from my iRig, but that's a nice to have). When I get it, I'll do a shoot out of the multiamp and BB2 vs the multiamp DI'd though my studio monitors as they are the closest thing to what I want live or in rehearsal. Yes I know it won't keep up with the studio monitors. I specifically don't want it to sound like a 4x10 bas cab. Carry on...

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, plus anything with a PA I can put the bass through a monitor (which also includes anything extra they're doing to my sound - always interesting, though I try and remember that they're doing it for the room first and me second).

Well, you have failed (or refused) - I have not been talked out of a BB2 and have just ordered one. Why the BB2 not the F112? Well, in my head they were quite evenly matched but in the end I think Barefaced's reputation and the 1 month return deal swung it. Based on everything everyone's said (including Alex at Barefaced, and yes I know he's trying to sell me one ) the BB2 is just perfect for what I will be doing. I did consider a Super Midget but the BB2 is the better cab unless you really care about the slightly smaller size and weight of the SM. Cheers all for the good advices.

Just goes to show, you don't need to be in a "band" to be doing fun stuff with other people. Bands can be a lot of work, one off projects are a nice alternative. Easy with all the tech that's about now as well.

Probably worth mentioning that I'm expecting jams, rehearsals and maybe a few small gigs in the near future, and not needing anything beyond that until the back end of next year (and when it gets to that I'm likely to go through the PA and just use the cab as a monitor) - that's what's leaning me towards a super midget now I know it has the high end to do everything I need. If I get to needing something more I can add another midget or compact as suggested by @JohnDaBass

And now I've been through the Barefaced site, I can see that the Super Midget is probably what you mean, and it's a chunk lighter than a BB2... that might actually be the front runner now, as it's a smidge cheaper as well.

Looking here: http://trickyaudio.com/wp/enclosures/#page-content the Fearless F112 is £900 base price (which is probably what I'd get). Looking here: https://barefacedaudio.com/products/big-baby the BB2 is £779. So the F112 is maybe (based on one comparison on TB) slightly better and I like the wedge angle (bad pun intended). BB2 is slightly lighter, cheaper and has the try for a month and send it back if you don't like it thing. Quicker build, but that's not a huge factor. Damn, now I'm further away from a decision instead of nearer!

A quick extra question, does anyone know how much better the Big Baby 2 is vs the older Big Baby T? There's a T for sale at the moment and it's collectable distance.

Yeah, so not ideal as a guitar modelling rig - not my main thing but the BB2 would do it no probs.

@jrixn1 and @Al Krow, I will definitely check out the fearless F112. @JohnDaBass I'm not sure if the Super Compact is full range? I thought it was more specifically a bass speaker but I'll check.

My to do post-it for tomorrow includes "Ring Barefaced", because I've just about talked myself into needing a Big Baby 2 to replace my Markbass Traveler 151p. There are a few reasons for this (apart from just GAS). My head is a Markbass Multiamp, so amp models and cab sims, and for gigs or recording I use the DI from that, so the presets I use all have the cab sim turned on. That means that for practicing, jamming etc with just the amp I basically have a cab sim and then a bass cab. I've got the treble on the cab up full to help neutralise that a bit but I've realised a bit late that something more FRFR might be better. Also, when I'm at home I sometimes use the amp head via DI for messing about and recording (mostly I just use the Markbass plugin) and sometimes I'll just play the thing, and again it's not the same sound - and that's usually when I play with the presets and set the thing up. I'd also like to be able to jam on guitar, I can run my iRig into the Multiamp with it just set up as a power amp and it actually sounds pretty good with the 1x15, but again it's 100% modelling so a bass amp isn't going to give the best sound. Seems to me that for a completely model based setup, but with an emphasis on the bass sounding excellent, I'm going to have a hard time beating a Big Baby 2.

Bought a Darkglass pedal from Will; good price, mint condition, sent recorded and well packed - perfect!

What you have got in the way of ventilation? It's easy to try and have everything nice and insulated but you need a bit of air movement as well.