MoJoKe

[quote name='Leonard Smalls' timestamp='1506325846' post='3377814'] I like the look of the Mark Audio AC2, but annoyingly their website only lists one dealer - in Italy... [url="http://www.markaudio.it/dealers/2/"]http://www.markaudio.it/dealers/2/[/url] A google search for the UK finds no mention anywhere! [/quote] Its brand new. UK Dealers will have stock from mid-October (second only to Italy!) and the dealer locator on the MarkAudio website is waiting to be updated (note - I do s hows and demonstration work for it's distributor, MSL, who is also the UK dealer for Markbass but I don't work [i]for[/i] them!), and I have access to the demo systems they have - lucky me, and I will be acquiring a pair of the first ones to land in the UK! Anyone interested in seeing them, give me a shout via PM, and I will also update here as soon as I hear they have arrived!

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1505811655' post='3374413'] Anybody compared this amp to the VT500 (or just a VT Bass through an uncoloured amp)? I've been digging the VT lately but really like the sounds I am hearing from the demos of this. [/quote] You're probably going to wanna get you hands on one and try out for yourself, as the answers are likely to be subjective ! The grittier amp models are authentic and very useable, though I think the key is that you can reinforce the varying levels of drive with a solid, clean and punchy underpinning with a clean amp mixed from the other channel. It makes for a characterful sound which still sits strongly in the mix. The gain staging is also incredibly versatile. Using the midi footswitch (or any midi control, the PC/CC's are published) you can also effectively add several layers of gain - up to 5 in fact! Ch1, Ch2, Ch1&2, Boost On, and if you really need it, put a compressor in one of the channel effects and drive the gain even further, but thats probably getting silly!

[quote name='JamesBass' timestamp='1505893502' post='3374967'] Personally the easiest and simplest option is all powered or all passive. Mixing both is a ball ache... [/quote] Yes, no question. I have one of each. The passive rig is conservatively 8000w, and the amp has a built in crossover (and Dante... very neat, but not cheap). I can do anything up to small festivals with this rig. The smaller rig is the MarkAudio Audio Chain, as per link above. I have 2 x System 2's, which, by comparison to my big rig (and most "sub-pole-top" type active systems too) it disappears on stage, but each is rated at 1000w RMS or 2000w Peak (bearing in mind they are the same MPT power amps in Markbass gear, these ratings are almost certainly a real-world underestimation!) and they are very loud, but still very musical. Don't risk being misled by claims of wattage and SPL figures. It is known that the majority of the industry is a joke when it comes to these published figures. Nearly all the cheap/budget manufacturers will quote peak wattage (until you dive into the small print! 2000w peak but 150w RMS is not uncommon on ebay!), which means absolutely bugger all in the real world, and claims for SPL (Sound Pressure Level), may well be accurate in a lab, at a specific peak frequency, for 10 seconds before the drivers pop out of their cages, but again, don't give any idea how loud or musical they really are in the real world. You need to give several options a proper listen. The AC2's are louder, more musical and don't sound compressed when compared to a full set of Bose F1 tops and subs (I was able to A/B them in a music shop), which are often seen as a benchmark for this class of gear. I also listened to their ERGO system, which still wallops 1400w RMS a pair and sound as nice, but less headroom if you need lots of power, but fine for a band who just want to put vocals and a kick drum through the PA Getting back to the original point above! Most active PA systems have reasonable DSP and crossovers built into them, and are designed to work and play well together in a top/sub combination, and you simply send them a single XLR feed for each. Trying to do it with a mix of different gear is going to be very complicated. If you have a digital desk with matrix sends, you may be able to do the crossovers on the desk then use 2 x outputs for the subs and 2 x outputs for the tops (though I would probably recommend making your life simpler by running the subs as mono, as these frequencies don't provide stereo imagery at all well, and having each one do slightly different things is gonna give you a world of muddiness), though this is hungry on aux outputs. Alternatively an outboard crossover will do this as long as it has some decent EQ-ing options as you will need this to match your gear to get the best frequencies from the speakers you have. And this is all very well with the gear in a nice dead sounding marquee at a wedding, until the next gig is in a small stone barn with a 90db room limiter on the power supply, in which case you'll have to start from scratch! If you are still heading down the crossover route, see if you can pick yourself up a XTA DP424. Expensive but will certainly be the best chance to take all your headaches away. If you want a simpler (and more reliably musical!) life, sell what you have and re-invest in a full active system, or a full passive one.

If smaller/lighter but uncompromising is your quest, build up your funds for a few more gigs and buy some of these. I used some in a very large pub for a 6 piece band who don't use any backline a couple of weeks ago. Full range (ditch your crossover ideas), with a warm musical sound, 1000w RMS a side, they weigh nothing (the subs are 23kg, the satellites just 6kg!) and looked tiny, but massive bass, averaged 94db and still had plenty of headroom... http://www.markaudio.it/product-detail/ac-system-2/ New to the world from the makers of Markbass, and pretty epic!

[quote name='obbm' timestamp='1505766759' post='3374205'] So sad to hear about this in someone still relatively young.... ...Tragic. [/quote] So,so tragic. As you said, a very genuine, giving man. Dementia is a horrible and destructive thief, all too close for us here in Devon at the moment.

sh*t, its all over his FB page...

I have just read in several places that TM Stevens is suffering from dementia and has to stop playing. He's such a lovely bloke, please tell me this is a hoax...?

[quote name='la bam' timestamp='1503407621' post='3357960'] The nicest sound without tinkering with the eq too much (as we had 9 new songs to go through) was the channel 1 ampeg svt (yellow led). There's also some real nice valve break up if you start to go past 12 o'clock on the gain.... [/quote] I have personally found that a blend of LM3 (position 1) or Trace Elliot (position 2) on the first channel, blended with the SVT as above is pure gold! It creates a solid, clean underlying tone, over which the SVT gives a nice warm growl as you add it to the mix. I also found this combination sits better in a DI mix for the Front of House, as it is a little more clear and punchy over the PA. (you need to make sure the DI push switch is set to "Post Mix" and you are plugged into DI 1, otherwise it will send each channel separately on 1 and 2. "Pre Mix" is a great feature if you want to give control of the blend to the sound guy, but he may not agree with your mix!). [quote name='la bam' timestamp='1503407621' post='3357960'] I've ordered a barefaced super compact so can't wait for that to come so I can try it with that! [/quote] The EVO plays REALLY nicely with the NY122, which is an 800w 4 ohm cab, and £30 cheaper than a Super Compact, so you'll get the full output of the EVO1. You'll need to rotate the badge on the front to make it look neat when standing on its end though!

[quote name='HazBeen' timestamp='1503337918' post='3357391'] Okay, I have been trying to ignore MB because without exception their stuff is FUGLY... [/quote] I don't like the look of single cut basses, but if I found one which played like no other and I had to have it in my life, then I would see beyond the look of it. Me, I like yellow speakers, and yes, the new EVO1 head is amazing - everyone should try it..! so much so that its pretty much sold out in the UK at the moment....

trust me, not remotely like the bass pod to use! awesome tone...

The Evo1 has just been reviewed in the most recent edition of BGM... Kev Sanders bloody loved it! check [url="http://www.markbass.it/news-detail/bmg-reviews-the-markbass-evo-1/"]this[/url] out. I think most of the larger stores have stock if if you want to try one out (including Absolute, Chienmortbb), but best phone to check first.

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1498163591' post='3322947'] Was he good? [/quote] He's always good! As Barking Spiders said, he's not my thing really either, but the man can definitely play! He really could have done with a band to bounce off rather than tracks though... he even said himself he wished he had a drummer there....

This is due out in the next month or so:- [url="http://www.markaudio.it/products/audio-chain-systems"]http://www.markaudio...o-chain-systems[/url] [media]http://youtu.be/vVF4q4VE-Fo[/media] From the guys at Markbass. I had the opportunity to give it a listen at Musikmesse in February. Its one of the few small format line array systems which sounds warm and musical. Most of them compromise audio quality for compact-ness. With the AC system you can start small, but you can add more subs, arrays and amps to make up a much bigger system. I should know more in a couple of weeks. PM me if you want more info.

Would you think of turning up without a spare cable? I have been playing live since 1978, and I have never NOT turned up at a gig with a spare bass. Wouldn't even dream of it. If its a small stage it'll stay in its gigbag, but otherwise it is kept within reach. Whether the audience is 10 or 10,000, there is no excuse for having to stop a show because of a breakdown. In all honesty I could probably still count on both hands how many times I have needed to swap, and that is mostly down to luck and trying to keep my gear in good order, fresh strings, batteries, wiring, cables, checking strap-lock screws etc. This is a no brainer subject.

Has anyone else posted about this? Can't find anything in events! Bass Direct's 10th anniversary, a clinic this evening with Hadrien Feraud in Leamington Spa. I'm doing sound,anyone else going? Don't know if you'll get tickets now, but check out Bass Direct's web/facebook....

[quote name='timhiggins' timestamp='1497091191' post='3315783'] dont be daunted by the pre amp though its much more straight forward than you would expect [/quote] I was hugely impressed with the one I tried out - didn't seem complex at all. I understood it as having a passive, vol/tone/pan set of knobs and an actlve, treble/mid/midsweep/bass set, right next to each other on the same bell plate... worked for me!

A fretless PJ 5 for me when it is available...!

Hiya, I'm free and could do it. I'll PM you my details..

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1495978566' post='3307874'] I've never seen a vintage Kustom tuck & roll head with matching cab for sale here. Some them look so cool - especially in blue sparkle 😁 [/quote] My first "proper" rig in 1981 was a black Kustom 250 head into a "tall" 2 x 15 Fender Bassman cab. It sounded utterly amazing, but the cab was so knackered it wasn't to last, eventually it came apart at the joints and rattled, so was replaced with a big Trace Elliott rig!

[quote name='la bam' timestamp='1496233329' post='3309742'] Not too sure how good the amp modeller is for bass - but the guitar one sounds awesome! [/quote] I've been using a Multiamp for a couple of years now, the amp models on that are really very good. I have also now had plenty of time to play around with and have gigged the bass EVO1, and it really is very solid. [quote name='la bam' timestamp='1496233329' post='3309742'] Only 3kg for a 500w amp, tuner, modeller, fx and 2 channels! [/quote] And, more importantly, only £670 ish for all that! There have been the odd conversations here about how the LM3 could be improved. Variously its been suggested it needs a mute switch, a compressor, a tuner, an aux in, a headphone out, effects loop.... hmm, I wonder who's been listening...?