mike257

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1431733643' post='2774562'] This looks good to me (yes, it makes sense..!) and is worth a try. You'll need a pair of subs, however, to keep the stereo image in the tops. As mentioned before, only one sub is really necessary, but if you've the logistics for a pair, this method would work well, I'd say. [/quote] Wouldn't need a pair of subs as the single Alto TS sub they already own has Left and Right ins and outs so can work as a mono sub under a stereo pair of tops. To be honest, in most small setups there's an argument for a single sub being a better solution than a spaced pair - less issues with phase etc. They're fairly omnidirectional once you get right down low anyway.

I make a big chunk of my living from playing weddings, so have to suck it up and play all sorts of rubbish, but Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol is the one song that makes me want to hang myself from the lighting rig every time. Can't abide it.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1431649506' post='2773707'] I'm glad you brought up this topic. For bands playing new venues, I'm talking pubs and bars. When the bar is in a separate room from where the band performs, that can and tends to be problematic. Blue [/quote] Absolutely - it can totally destroy a gig. On the occasion I mentioned above, the bar was literally downstairs in a completely separate room that also had its own music playing. Killed the main room stone dead, nobody was going to trek up and down the stairs all night every time they wanted a fresh beer.

I'd agree with the comment about not keeping kick and bass exclusively in the subs. The sub you have rolls off above 125Hz, the good stuff that gives a bass guitar its definition and clarity is above that in the mids. Same applies for kick, you'll get the very low end welly, but all the attack and the beater click is (depending on the tuning of the drum, type of beater, playing technique etc) will be up in the high mids between around 3kHz and 7kHz somewhere. Subs will give you the low end extension missing from the current setup, but they don't give a full range representation of bass instruments. In most PA systems, you would use a crossover or system processor to make sure only the relevant bits of the frequency spectrum were sent to each set of speakers, so (for example) you don't overwork the hi/mids by trying to make them reproduce sub bass frequencies outside of their capability. Looking at the kit you've got, you can actually achieve this by using the "Power Amp Insert" points on the mixer. From what I can gather looking at the manual, they're post master fader so you could pick up a couple of TRS to XLR insert leads and connect them from the insert point with the "Send" going to the inputs of your sub and the "Return" coming from the outputs. This will make the sub work as part of your complete system with no extra buggering about with monitor sends etc and have the added bonus of using the crossover built in to the sub to filter the extreme low end out of the signal being sent to your tops, so both the power amp in your mixing desk and your main PA speakers aren't being worked as hard. Hopefully that makes sense! It's late and I'm tired so it's very likely I'm excessively waffling!

Smaller crowds are definitely harder work. One of the function bands I sound engineer for also has me 'DJ' (as in, deploy a generic Spotify playlist and hope nobody asks for anything else) and at a recent wedding the bar was in another room on a different floor of the venue and everyone except one loved-up couple got off down there. DJing to just two people for an hour and knowing they could potentially hate the next song was surprisingly stressful. On this occasion, David Bowie, Chic and some obscure soul cuts saved my life and it was hugs and high fives all round when I finally got to shut it off. Give me a few hundred drunks any day!

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1431453083' post='2771556'] Thanks. It's the penultimate comment on this thread http://basschat.co.uk/topic/160414-has-anyone-here-upgraded-their-sandberg-pickup-advice/ [/quote] Interesting one - read the thread, definitely not a problem that I recognise. I've done various recordings with it and used it an absolute bloody ton live and never felt I've had to tame any excessive brightness. May be down to how peoples amps etc are set up too I guess. I do find it to be a Swiss army knife of a bass, with enough flexibility from the electronics to cover a pretty broad range of tones - if you cranked the treble on the preamp you could certainly end up with too much and it has no problem doing biting and agressive, but then I kept flats on it for a couple of years and it really nailed that warm, thuddy old set school tone too so it's more than capable of dialling it out.

Neck pickup on its own is a wonderful, deep thump. Sounds great all round though.

I've got an older Sandberg when they still had the pups Delano branded. Got a J neck and MM style bridge, haven't experienced any unwanted levels of brightness with rounds or flats and there's plenty of control available from the pre to dial in or out what you need. First I've heard of the issue to be honest.

I'm really tempted by that 5 string P that a few of you seem to have grabbed. Don't have a five in my collection but finally started running in to situations where I could do with one, seem a nice (and mod friendly) way to start dabbling!

[quote name='Bilbo'] 4,000 at a Jazz gig. [/quote] Really? Had they double booked the venue or something?

Oops, missed the other comment, sorry! I'd be interested to hear how you get on and how responsive the HTML5 interface proves to be in a real world situation. Look forward to your review!

[quote name='Monckyman' timestamp='1430518997' post='2762351'] The Behringer x-air range is about to be solidly thumped by the Soundcraft Ui range,sonically and financially. Got mine waiting to be picked up. Will report later! [/quote] That's been floating around for years as the SMPRO UMix series, Harman bought them out to get the tech. I tried the user interface demo before the acquisition and it doesn't appear to have changed under Soundcraft, just had the branding slapped on. I did a comparison on features for my boss at one of the production companies I work for, I'm angling for an X32 Rack or at least an XR18 for our small conference jobs, he's set on the Soundcraft because he gets a good discount from the distributor. I'd take the X Air over the Ui any day. It's definitely not a Soundcraft product in anything but name.

I think you should get right into PA stuff, I'd love to see a Barefaced take on a nice line array system!

White LX tape and a Sharpie here too. Even on an LS9! The decent stuff is easily removable and leaves little to no residue behind. Awfully fond of the "scribble strip" LCD screens increasingly found on new digital desks though. Much more elegant solution!

I find I can play pretty much any gig with my Sandberg JM4. J and (tapable) MM pickups, two band active preamp that can be bypassed if you want to go old school. I don't tend to fiddle much during a gig though. I'll usually dial in a sound that broadly suits the whole set and change playing style for different tones. Might roll the pickup blend about a bit but that's about the extent of it.

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1431090847' post='2767724'] I saw those Naughty Lumps a couple of times at Eric's in 1979ish. They were excellent, with Julian Cope on bass, Dave Balfe on keys and Bill Drummond: [MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXDWm8WE8S4[/MEDIA] [/quote] They reformed a year or two ago, I got asked to play bass for them. Had no idea who they were and passed on it - I was only born in '84 so missed the Eric's scene completely. Bloody terrible name, which was one of my first thoughts when I read the email!

Most good engineers/producers I know get their kicks from working with talented bands who do what they're doing well, moreso than honing in on a narrow genre. One of the best guys I know is building himself a really diverse portfolio but is also a great guy, easygoing and professional so people like working with him - this side of things is just as if not more important. You need someone who you can work with and have an honest exchange of opinions and ideas in a constructive way.

[quote name='geoham' timestamp='1427640104' post='2732558'] We're not exactly the youngest band. I'd probably have been a million times keener if I was ten or fifteen years younger minus the wife, kids and job! I'm 33 and the band range from 28 to 44. [/quote] I'm always wary of these types of setups, although ITB are the real deal in terms of booking agents (go have a look at their roster if you need any confirmation - http://www.itb.co.uk/roster). As others have said, I'd want to know if it was genuinely an event endorsed by them and who is attending. Agents are also listed by name on their site so you can see soon enough if that ties up. I've lost count of the times I've heard some one is coming to gig to check a band out and is nowhere to be seen on the night. The other thing to consider, unpleasant as it may be, is even if they are there, are they going to consider a group of thirty/forty somethings with careers, families and mortgages to pay a viable business investment in terms of breaking you as a new band. From what I see (I'm a sound engineer and occasional tour manager in the "day job ") everyone is looking for bands that are already doing it on their own steam to invest in. If you're not already up and down the country pulling good crowds into 200 cap venues across their the UK, and your personal circumstances mean you can't really go out and may the groundwork to do that, is it worth investing (probably, after all your expenses) the best part of four or five hundred quid on the off chance that a gig in a little run down Camden venue will be the catalyst you need? Apologies if that's a bit presumptuous as I don't know your band and circumstances, but that's pretty much the reality of it at this level of gigging.

Nothing with the same reach and impact, no. We got lucky with timing and caught the crest of the wave - every music loving teen was on it and we had nearly 400 through the door on our debut gig in late 2005 thanks to a mix of heavy MySpace promo and good old fashioned "pounding the streets with a bunch of flyers" work. By the time that particular band died two years later it had already peaked and was becoming less useful as a promotional tool because of all the spam, oversaturation from bands and audiences migrating to other sites. Fun while it lasted!

You might find some music to listen to on there but in terms of its use as a tool to reach an audience, it's dead. Used it heavily for my band back in its "glory" days c.2005/6 and it enabled us to build pockets of support all over the country and tour moderately successfully under our own steam but it peaked then really died out (much like the band at the time, haha!)

blue, If you make it to Liverpool, we'll grab a beer. There's a thriving Beatles tourism industry here so you'd find plenty to enjoy, although there's much more to the place too. I recently worked with The Shakers, one of The Cavern Club's house bands and they nail that early Merseybeat vibe better than pretty much any other band I've seen attempt it, sure you'd love them.

Watching this with interest as after never really feeling the need before, I've recently found myself on lots of key change filled dep gigs and having lots of "so that's why people play fivers" moments. Reluctant to move on either of my fours for now so a budget option is very much of interest!

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1421064307' post='2656652'] Now you mention that... I currently use just the one pedal. A tuner. One input, one output. All I need to do is put the lead from the 'tuner out' at the back of the amp into the 'input' of the tuner. Without my glasses on I can't see what is written on the tuner, nor can I remember which way round it is from the general shape and configuration. But even statistically you would think I could get it right half the time? No. [/quote] Next time you've got it out at home and can see it, tape over the "wrong" hole. You won't be able to plug in to it then!

What JapanAxe said. Repeated listening is great and has worked well for me in the past. It's much easier to busk your way through a song when you're familiar with it, you'll pick up on the musical and lyrical signposts to the changes more intuitively and won't need a mountain of notes in front of you. I do a lot of fairly last minute deps and i'm not a proficient sight reader so i'll listen as much as I can, work out the bulk of it by ear as I go and occasionally look at a dodgy tab or YouTube video to nudge me in the right direction for any tricky bits. I'll maybe have the starting chord marked on my setlist on the night, find it more useful than the key when the count in comes quick and you haven't got time to think! I will occasionally write out the changes for a section of a song that I'm not overly familiar with - rarely write out a whole tune though, verses and choruses usually stick, it'll be the odd middle eight or bridge that isn't repeated enough to be drummed into you. Most pop, rock and soul material you'll play on function gigs is fairly straightforward in terms of structure and changes, picking up the basic form of it and getting any majorly prominent hooks or riffs down will get you a lot of the way there when you've got to learn a set or two in a hurry.