Mr.T

[quote name='Fraktal' post='560846' date='Aug 5 2009, 07:25 AM']Hello Mr. T Based on Alex's frequency response description of the compact speaker, have you tried tilting the cabinet so the speaker is pointing directly to your ear? Because that mid-hump curve you describe on your old TE gear EQ sounds very similar to what Alex said.[/quote] Hi, No, I didn't try tilting the cab. I have come to the conclusion that a single 15" just ain't going to do it for me anway.

Hi Mark, With no more than 6db of boost or cut at any of the sliders, this amp should not be distorting. Do you have the input gain stage set correctly? i.e: The red should barely (if ever) ever illuminate. p.s. Do not boost the red sliders on the graphic.... cut only!

Cool. Sounds like you are a happy man!

Just wondering... How do you rate the Metro against the Nemesis?

[quote name='BeLow' post='560750' date='Aug 4 2009, 11:02 PM']Mr T I could give you some more opinions - but I suspect you have already had plenty of those. I did wonder if trying an amp/cab simulator would help to see if this gives you some of what you want. I have a basic floor pod which simulates a TE sound (I think) - I am not suggesting this as a long term solution, more a way of working out what you are after. I have also have omni 10.5 cabs which I am fairly sure is not what you want for your rig but but might work for top end and I also have some old school designed 4x8 and 1x15 cabs. Amp wise I have a LM2 (which you seem to have tried already) great amp but as an ex TE user myself I do miss the the 12 band graphic. In my back up rig I stereo graphic and vocal pre-amp / compressor unit which might allow you to identify frequencies you wish to boost out of your rig. I am not too far way from you, so if you want to get together to test ideas maybe we could even could rustle up a few more of the locals to try stuff out and I am sure some of them would be interested in hearing the Compact?[/quote] Hi, I'd be up for a get together, and you are welcome to come round and try the Compact (PM me to sort something out). The problem I am having with my gear is at gigs, so I am not sure what we could achieve, but hey! The LM2 (I still have one) is a great little amp (IMO) with plenty of power, although like you, I miss the fine tuning possibilities of the Trace 12 band graphic. I like the idea of running an LM2 with a graphic.

[quote name='mrcrow' post='559651' date='Aug 3 2009, 09:03 PM']it sounds like its stripped and slips under tension[/quote] +1... Sounds like a stripped thread.

I have read (somewhere?) that it doesn't matter and will not affect performance... just looks a little odd.

[quote name='Raggy' post='560010' date='Aug 4 2009, 10:49 AM']Hope you get sorted Mr. T, it can be so frustrating. I went down the lightweight route before and it just did not work out for me. It never sounded right to my ears.[/quote] I (and others I guess?) would be interested in your journey.... and what you were trying to achieve.

[quote name='51m0n' post='560003' date='Aug 4 2009, 10:42 AM']Looking at that list, and specifically your comment re: the compact (not enough bite, loud 15) can we assume that the Compact provides a thick enough bootom end for you? If so I would suggest The Big One is what you actually need. It has more extension upwards (particularly), and downwards, is very clear and very very loud...[/quote] Yes, I didn't find any lack of bottom end with the Compact. It was a bit boomy, but I'll put that down to EQ'ing and not get hung up on that at the moment. (I think I needed to cut at around 40hz and boost a little at 100hz?) It was clarity and top end that I needed more of... even when testing in my frontroom! It would seem that (at least some) of the clarity issue was down to not having the Trace horn at ear level. I really hope the BigOne does it for me!

Alex, I really appreciate your help with this! (And my dodgy back soooo wants you to be right).

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='559921' date='Aug 4 2009, 09:08 AM']...and another lesson, folks: It doesn't matter one jot what an amp, cab or bass sounds like in your living room, or in the shop. At the gig is where it's at.[/quote] Yes, I should have remembered that from when I was in my 20's.... many moons ago! I went through a similar exercise of buying and selling bass after bass, before settling on a Status Empathy. It cost me a small fortune at the time, but the guy I bought the Status from (A 'name' player) assured me that the Empathy would do anything I asked of it... and he was right. I have recently dabbled with building a few Fender 'customs' for fun, but I know my Statii (I have a few of them now) will never let me down. On the amplification front, when I first started playing seriously and gigging regularly, I just went to the Bass Centre in London and bought what was then considered to be 'The Best' work-a-day rig... Trace. Then about every 10 years, I just bought a new one... Job done. If it wasn't for my dodgy back, living out in the sticks (and no longer having a roadie) I would never have even considered moving away from TE amplification. Ok, maybe they are not the most hi-fi or whatever... but for my purposes they work great in a gigging situation, week in week out with no fuss. Since the end of last year, I have owned: Eden WT800 (Beautiful sound but 'crapped out'). GB Shuttle 6.0 MarkBass SA450 Eden Nemesis 700 MarkBass LM2 Ashdown 2x10 neo (The clearest cab I have ever owned) Aguilar GS112NT (Used as abottom cab with the 2x10 with unpredictable results) Barefaced Compact (A very loud 15, but lacking in the top end I need) I am not chasing sonic perfection, I don't think that's realistic in the kind of venues I play. I just want a 'classic rock' loud, clear, warm tone with some top-end bite.... without any boom or clack. I am no Mark King or Jaco.... but I need a sound that I can live with. I have seen a few local players who seem to be Ok with having a thin, boxy, nasal kind of sound... but that's not for me. I have done my homework before buying any of the above pices of kit, but now seem to be going backwards. I really question whether modern lightweight kit can compete with the heavy stuff tonally (No offence Alex... or anyone else), for the sound I want. I know that I have rambled (and moaned at times), but I will not accept a tone that is not right for me. I only really play for my own amusement these days... so I have got to be happy with my sound.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='559800' date='Aug 3 2009, 11:13 PM']Actually, a while back I asked you to try your 2x10"+5" and your 1x15" separately and report back on how you found them. You responded that they sounded very similar and you'd be perfectly happy with either, hence my suggestion that the Compact would be fullrange enough because it's just as fullrange as those old TE 15"s. If you had said that you needed the top-end of the 2x10"+5" then I would have told you that the Compact wouldn't work. Wait for the Big One, see how that works. Alex[/quote] True. They did sound similar at home. I never tried gigging with just one of them. I now realise that I needed that horn up by my ears when I play with the band. Ok, I'll calm down and wait to try the BigOne. I assume it will be more full range than the Compact, but will I hear the horn with it being lower down?

[quote name='Musicman20' post='559779' date='Aug 3 2009, 10:53 PM']Awww man....I feel bad for you![/quote] Thanks, I am a very patient man, but this is starting to do my head in!

[quote name='redstriper' post='559682' date='Aug 3 2009, 09:30 PM']Mr T's problem is tricky and I wish him all the best in finding a solution - I think it may be a simple matter of adding another cab.[/quote] Thanks Steve, Yes another cab on top will solve the problem of top end and being able to hear myself, I could just put my Ashdown on the Compact, but... That puts me right back where I was with the Aggie & Ashdown set-up, which was at times superb but inconsistant! It totally defeats the reason I bought the Compact, i.e to be a one cab solution.... which as it turns out, it isn't (for me). I am not knocking the Compact, for what it is, i.e... A loud portable 1x15. However, I was led to believe it was a full range cabinet.... It isn't! I thought it would replace both my cabs.... It doesn't! I want my Trace (or something similar) back!

[quote name='alexclaber' post='559258' date='Aug 3 2009, 02:44 PM']As your band is LOUD and your amp isn't hugely powerful I'm starting to think the Big One won't be the right move - for a band that loud you need more like 750W+. Personally I'd go for the Midget T + Compact to get the sound and volume you need. Alex[/quote] Now I am (even more) confused! ... and my Trace was only rated at 250w @ 4 ohms.

We are loud, but I wouldn't say 'seriously' loud. Having said that, I never (ever) struggled to get the tone I wanted out of my Trace rig.... anywhere! Also, I never (ever) struggled to hear it! I used it with this band and a full on blues band with 2 x guitarists, keyboard and horns... without a single problem. No constant messing around with EQ. No putting things on boxes, tilting speakers or asking anyone else to play more quietly, etc. I think I have just answered my own question as to what to do next..... Buy another Trace rig, and a trolley! The band will just have to help me out with carrying... which was all I wanted to avoid in the first place. This whole lightweight thing has gotten silly, and god only knows how much I have spent? I am kicking myself for selling my mint condition Trace for £500, when I can't even get a decent speaker for that. Alex... I will take you up on your return policy, unless someone else wants to buy it directly from me.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='559258' date='Aug 3 2009, 02:44 PM']Personally I'd go for the Midget T + Compact to get the sound and volume you need. Alex[/quote] If you are right about the dispersion thing (and I think you are), then probably for all these years I have been listening (on stage) to the 5" horn in my old Trace. With my more recent set-ups, I must have been turning up louder in an attempt to hear myself... hence all the booming and brittle mids thing going on! I am inclined to agree that I would need a small cab as well as the Compact (to get my top end back, and be able to hear myself clearly), but I really can't afford to chuck any more cash into this. I struggled to justify buying the Compact, but genuinely believed it was going to be the answer to my recent (post Trace) problems. This has been an informative, but expensive learning curve, and I hope that others can/will learn from my mistakes and misconceptions! I am going to have a think about this, and what to do next.

[quote name='jonthebass' post='559202' date='Aug 3 2009, 01:41 PM']Hi Mr.T, To be honest the 2 x Compacts with the SA450 is a great match for me. They do sound slightly different from my old Boogie cabs but I think it was just me getting used to the new speakers. I play in a band with 2 x Marshall's and a LOUD drummer and have the Gain & Volume at 12 o'clock, EQ flat, VLE off and the VPF at about 10 o'clock. The sound is all there and sounding great IMO! To summarize I don't miss the heavier cabs at all and still get the sounds I need, at the volume required. Hope that helps, Jon.[/quote] Thanks Jon, I am glad you are enjoying the SA! I think Alex's last post has hit the nail on the head.... with 2 x Compacts the dispersion thing won't be an isuue for you!

[quote name='alexclaber' post='559199' date='Aug 3 2009, 01:38 PM']Well the first issue is that I'm sure your brain is so used to the sound of your old rig that it finds it easier to hear - just like a parent can easily pick our their child's voice amongst a cacophony of other children - we are programmed to be good at hearing familiar sounds, it's just something evolution has done for us because it helps us help our offspring to survive. The second issue is that the sound from a cab exhibits different dispersion at different frequencies. If the cabinet has good dispersion at all frequencies than it will perform much better in difficult acoustics because the direct sound (that going in a straight line from the cab to your ear) is very similar to the reflected sound, so it doesn't matter whether your hearing mostly reflected or mostly direct sound. Although the Compact has better dispersion than a 4x10" or a horizontal 2x10" it does not have as good dispersion as a cab with a midrange driver like the Big One or your old 2x10"+5". Alex[/quote] Thanks Alex, that makes perfect sense. That would explain why my current sound issues are driving me to despair. My drummer said she can't hear me cutting through like I used to, and the guitarist and singer just think I am going mad! So in a nutshell, the Compact is not for me... or I need to put another cab on top of it. What do I do next?

[quote name='JTUK' post='559190' date='Aug 3 2009, 01:27 PM']Mr T.. sorry, what have you replaced with what...? If I just use a 15 with a tweeter, I can't expect it to get near to a 15 and 2x10's... as there is only so much compensating I can do on the amp... but again, that is why I want my on-board pre to be as flat as poss..so at least I stand more of a chance of getting something useable.. I only down-scale now if the gig really doesn't warrant taking both cabs...and then I have to be reasonable with my expectations.. I can't see a tiny cab working its nuts off doing the same job at a bigger cab that will move air...it just isn't the seems physics to me... but I have tested my set-up extensively so at least I can ID what I am mssing and try to dial it in...as opposed to twiddling and hoping FWIW..I think a 15 and 2x10 cover an awful lots of basses and is hard to beat.. so it will be interesting to see how far/close 2 1x12's get... Whatever the spec, they still need to fill the room or it isn't going to work.. I look at it this way... you have revs and torgue and supplanting one for the other doesn't always get you there..fine in theory, but the ears may say 'NO'[/quote] I have (tried) to replace a 1x15 & 2x10 and more recently a 1x12 & 2x10 with one of the Barefaced 1x15 compacts. I appreciate what you are saying, although I bought the Compact on my understanding that it would indeed replace my other cabs. I am also confident that Alex (Barefaced) will help me to sort this out.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='559180' date='Aug 3 2009, 01:24 PM']I doubt it. The inconsistent sound thing is consistent to most rigs with typical polar response - acoustics always affect your tone. Apart from the psychoacoustic issue (which I swear must be having some impact) I wonder if you're one of the rare few that has got used to using a cab with a midrange driver and has thus got used to its improved polar response and thus the more consistent performance from gig to gig? Alex[/quote] Sorry, I don't really understand what you are saying?

[quote name='alexclaber' post='559170' date='Aug 3 2009, 01:14 PM']I wouldn't stress about mixing drivers - if it works it works! I just wouldn't ever try to accurately predict whether it will work or not - you need to find out in practice. Alex[/quote] Ok, I was thinking that was the problem I had with inconsistant sound (at different venues) with my SA450 Aggie Ashdown setup?

[quote name='jonthebass' post='559155' date='Aug 3 2009, 01:01 PM']I use a MXR M-80 DI+ for a bit of grit/oomph, it's a lovely sounding unit.[/quote] Hi Jon, As the new owner of my SA450, I would be interested in your thoughts/experiences when using it with your Compacts. In particular, how it compares with your old heavy stuff!

[quote name='sixshooter' post='559116' date='Aug 3 2009, 12:14 PM']After an exchange of views on here I went down the route of an external active pre-amp between the bass and amp, and first time out yesterday I had my sound back![/quote] Sounds feasable. What are you using?

[quote name='redstriper' post='559132' date='Aug 3 2009, 12:34 PM']The LM2 through the big one might be the best compromise.[/quote] Hi Steve, That might be the answer. I have just had another play around with my set-up. Using my Eden Nemesis, I found that by boosting at around 200hz and cranking the treble up full, it was sounding a bit more to my taste. The problem with the LM2 is that it is not really possible to boost the very low mids without it getting boomy, and the high mids sound brittle to my ears. I think I need a speaker system that is more full-range than the Compact! It was a shame that I didn't take my 2x10 to the gig I had at the weekend, as paired with the Compact it seems to deliver an almost infinite range of tones.... (In my frontroom). ... But if I went that route, I am back to mixing drivers again.