alexclaber

I don't know dawg, you cats really need to get with the vibe and scope out the hang. Ain't nuthin' but a thang if you don't lay it down in the pocket, drop those big bass bombz. Get back in tha woodshed and work those grooves until it's sounding bad, mmmkay? Alex

I don't know dawg, you cats really need to get with the vibe and scope out the hang. Ain't nuthin' but a thang if you don't lay it down in the pocket, drop those big bass bombz. Get back in tha woodshed and work those grooves until it's sounding bad, mmmkay? Alex

[quote name='johnnylager' post='492071' date='May 19 2009, 07:21 AM']+1. Monster speaker cables, thick as a thick thing. EDIT: On thick day in Thickton.[/quote] When Mr Lager says 'Monster speaker cables' he is not recommending Monster (tm) speaker cables! (If you want to dispose of that much money then buy an OBBM cable and give the rest to charity rather than a litigious Monster of a company). Alex

[quote name='OldGit' post='491692' date='May 18 2009, 06:23 PM']Hey Alex, maybe you should target Marshall stack guitarists next [/quote] I do have a design in development for those guitarists using modelling amps - a 1x12" that'll go as loud as a 4x12" without the annoying beaming. Alex

[quote name='51m0n' post='491477' date='May 18 2009, 03:35 PM']And before anyone quotes exchange rates, the US prices have not hiked nearly as much as ours have, last time I checked.[/quote] But it is exchange rate driven - GBP has totally devalued against EUR and USD. Although EUR/USD moved quite a lot a couple of years back the flow of currency from UK to US has stopped USD falling further vs EUR. Alex

[quote name='sk8' post='491522' date='May 18 2009, 04:21 PM']that would be the very technical tilty thing for the cab [/quote] It's one of those things that keeps getting put on the backburner - just need to make some final decisions. However, you don't need it with the Big One - it's tall and the off-axis response is amazing. Alex

[quote name='sk8' post='491495' date='May 18 2009, 03:56 PM']Did anything ever come of the wedge idea for the compact and if so, did it have read across for the Big One?[/quote] Wedge as in tilty thing for cab or wedge as in floor monitor? Alex

Apart from calling it digital that's quite correct. The 'digital' power supplies are switch mode supplies, which rectify the incoming AC, and then use high frequency switching to turn this DC into high frequency (many kHz instead 50Hz) AC, and then a smaller power transformer (size of power transformer is inversely proportional to the frequency it operates at). You'll find these in tons of modern things, most obviously mobile phone chargers (not how much smaller and lighter they are than 10 years ago). Usually called SMPS. Then they use normal Class AB amps on the 500W models and Class D (which again use high frequency switching but aren't really digital) amps on the 800W+ models. Alex

[quote name='jakesbass' post='491285' date='May 18 2009, 12:41 PM']It's interesting that because I got one and heard of the hump (dromedary) but on my Alembic Pre the mid is boosted to 7 as is the bass with the treble at 5. So what I'm saying is that I don't really hear that in my rig... Could it be the Pre?[/quote] Near-flat response from the Alembic preamps is 2-10-2, so 7-7-5 is quite a bit of mid cut and bass & treble boost. Alex

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='491170' date='May 18 2009, 10:34 AM']Those cabs look great but im a very impatient sort of person and the waiting list thing puts me off. As i gig every weekend (not always with this rig but a lot of the time) and i would have to sell the 1201R to fund a new cab i would need one thats pretty easy to get hold of as i cant afford to be without ta cab for too long.[/quote] Generally the wait is about a month now, and others will attest that they've been skipped to the front of the queue if they've been in a similar situation to you - obviously if you have to sell your cab to fund the new one then you need the new one quickly! Alex

[quote name='Kongo' post='490984' date='May 17 2009, 11:07 PM']Nice. SOunds good man that the smaller speakers don't get hit with the massive low end some cabs do. That means I can dial in whatever my tone needs without panicing it's going to blow.[/quote] Exactly! [quote name='Kongo' post='490984' date='May 17 2009, 11:07 PM']I wouldn't say Metal needs the horn, more funk. I may be in a Prog metalcore band but my tone and playing style is a hodge-podge of many and I only like clear "Liquid steel" tone. By the sounds of it the Big One is already covered but a tweeter, with the switchable option, adds more to it. I think you'll get more funk players than metal players wanting a tweeter.[/quote] Well I play funk and I don't want a tweeter! But there is a certain type of slap tone that needs that last octave of treble, just not mine. [quote name='Kongo' post='490984' date='May 17 2009, 11:07 PM']I always keep an eye on my speakers. I detest cabs distorting and don't even use the effect either...barely...maybe at home but not in a band situation...that's where alot of bassists fail when playing in a metal band. I am but a tone freak who is interested in trying these underground cabs...and they sound like they were made with bassists like myself in mind. The more low end handling and Mids keeping the tonal quality up the better. I sure hope I can get by with this one cab...Only thing to do later is get another and a stereo head LOL![/quote] If you get two please don't rehearse after my bedtime... (Should I supply hardcore ear-defenders with the Big One?) [quote name='Kongo' post='490984' date='May 17 2009, 11:07 PM']Yes it will get it's testing in the band...of course I need a new head too to drive it...so I have many options. It's a shame you don't make heads too...completely different kettle of fish I know but still, bet you'd make them great too.[/quote] At some point I'd like to make some heads but to be perfectly honest there are tons of great heads out there - seems that most of the R&D effort in the bass amp world has gone into amps and the cabs have been ignored. I'm also a great fan of studio/pro sound gear for the amp side of things - if you're willing to carry a rack then the tone and power you can get is incredible - I use an Avalon U5 as my preamp and then bridge a QSC PLX 3002 into the Big One (an honest 2000W+). Take cover! Alex

I remember the SWR Grand Prix was star grounded so IIRC a tech could lift the ground to deal with these problems. However, I would not recommend putting any 9V powered effects in the effects loop. Effects loops should be ignored unless you have rackmount effects, the signal levels and impedances are all wrong for pedals. I understand your logic behind your compression and wet/dry blending but I think you'd get better results with dedicated line level rack gear. Alex

I have to say that even I'd just come across £4k I'd really struggle to spend it on one bass! There is a lot to be said for taking your time about your big instrument decisions - it took me about two or three years to get all the details nailed down on exactly what I wanted in a custom instrument and consequently when I finally received it I was over the moon and can't see myself having bass guitar GAS for decades. (In no small part due to the fact that no-one makes a stock instrument like mine and I've yet to even see any true customs like it either). Alex

[quote name='51m0n' post='489085' date='May 15 2009, 05:07 PM']OOOFFFF - Er no mate, gotta disagree with you there, from Freaky Stylee to Blood Sugar are all top IMO. Then it all started going terribly wrong, they never got back to the greatness of Blood Sugar, not even close in fact [/quote] I'm not talking about whether you like the vibe of the albums, I'm talking about the quality of the songwriting. Could you perform any of the material from the Chili's first three albums in a coffee shop with just a voice and acoustic guitar? Mother's Milk has some gems on it, BSSM is astounding. Thereafter it's more mixed but the songwriting remains mostly strong. When a band's first significant hit was a cover there's good sign that the writing was subpar. (And yes, I've listened to every one of their albums countless times). Even if you don't like their single choices from the last album, some of the other tracks are outstanding, reaching an emotional depth that little they've done previously comes close to. I think when they wrote Knock Me Down they'd really found their missing ingredient. I know it isn't popular to admit that there is a correlation between commercial success and songwriting quality but sadly it is broadly true. Look what Californication did for them! Back to Skunk Anansie I love Cass's playing but their songs don't really move me. Alex

[quote name='Kongo' post='489199' date='May 15 2009, 06:57 PM']Add a tweater and I'm sold. Trust me, there are a lot of bassists out there that would rather that "Marcus Miller" sound on top as you said LOL![/quote] I'm planning to add an optional tweeter - it'll be £75 extra and will be switchable so you can have if off/flat/boosted. Be interesting to see if it's mostly the metal fraternity that want even more top to cut through the wall of guitars! [quote name='Kongo' post='489199' date='May 15 2009, 06:57 PM']But defo consider adding a tweater...then you technically get 3 speakers in one...A LOT more bassists will buy them then it makes a lot of difference with harmonics for example.[/quote] Actually I find with harmonics the midrange driver goes more than high enough - the tweeter really just adds that very top-end sparkle and shine, if you see what I mean? [quote name='Kongo' post='489199' date='May 15 2009, 06:57 PM']Oh and how does the cab distribute frequencies? I've used a 15" with a 2x10" enclosure before and I swear the 10" was being pushed as much as the 15" and just wanted to pop out...Needless to say I cut the bass a bit to avoid it.[/quote] There's a complicated crossover inside that splits the power in the midrange, so the lower half (where most of the power lies) goes to the woofer and the upper midrange and treble goes to the midrange speaker. And if you have the switchable tweeter there's another crossover that looks after the transition to that. Even when you're pumping huge power in the midrange speaker doesn't appear to move at all because absolutely no lower frequency energy is hitting it, so it can handle tons and tons of power without distorting. If you push ridiculous amounts of distortion into it then eventually the protection circuit will kick in to stop you burning out the voice coil, but that really takes some doing and it self-resets once it cools down. You won't need to cut the bass with this woofer, push it as hard as you like - it'll be producing tons of bottom before it starts complaining and once it does start distorting there's a really wide margin of error before you break it. But as with all speakers, don't ignore the warning signals. [quote name='Kongo' post='489199' date='May 15 2009, 06:57 PM']Forgive me for questioning everything but after trying a lot of equipment, and money is soon to be on the table, I have to.It's not like I can try one of these in a shop anywhere and even if I did, in a shop and then with 2 guitars and a drummer...things get a bit different HAHA![/quote] They do indeed! Hence the trial period - test it to the limits with your band and send it back if it doesn't work for you. But I'd be very surprised to see it return! Alex

[quote name='51m0n' post='489037' date='May 15 2009, 04:28 PM']Wow, that describes Level42 to me perfectly [/quote] The finest example that slap does not equal funk. One other thing - you've mentioned that your guitarist is unfunky, so don't try to force a funky peg into an unfunky hole. You can't simply throw some funky bass playing into a straight rock band and expect it to sound good, let alone funky. Funk relies on the whole band working together as a giant rhythm section to make the groove bounce, it's a very organic thing. However although funk has never been a mainstream genre it's been hugely influential in the use of syncopations and other rhythmic cunning in popular music - disco, house, hip hop, garage, drum n bass, big beat, modern RnB, etc and much commercial pop would not sound the way it does if funk had not come first. So because of the inevitable exposure to funk ideas your bandmates may be more receptive than they realise - try subtly slipping in syncopations and so on and see how they react, if they catch on and adjust their playing. Better still, work out a nice funk groove at home and take it in to start a jam and see how they work with it. There is also a LOT of rock that has some serious funk action going on in the rhythm section - not just the obvious stuff like the Chilis (they're by far their funkiest on BSSM) but a lot of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, etc. Listen out for rock drummers doing 16th ghost notes on the snare in between the back beats - that came from James Brown funk. Alex

If I were you I'd use the power amp in your Shuttle and run any outboard preamps in through your FX return. However the Shuttle 6.0 has as much of a tube preamp as the SWR/Eden offerings - you'll need to look at Alembic, Demeter, BBE B-MaxT, Warwick Quadruplet, Aguilar, Ampeg, DHA, for some seriously tubey action. Alex

Who or what was TTD? Hang on, brain wave - Terence Trent Darby? Sadly I don't hold much hope for their writing skills having improved - though you never know, it took the Chilis three or four albums to get the hang of it! Alex

HUGE tone! Fantastic player, lays it down hard, leaps out front with brilliant fills, FX pedal madness, really works the groove. Paranoid & Sunburnt is full of bass gems, it's a shame their songwriting isn't strong enough for me to have listened to the three albums I have all that often. Alex

Listen to James Brown, The Meters, Sly Stone, Parliament. I'd avoid slap for now, and much in the way of books at all - listen to the music and really focus on your note lengths. A lot of funk is about how you make the pulse as deep as possible without actually playing it simplistically - you imply it through dancing syncopations around it. Take a normal 8th note bassline and play short-long-short-long etc - that's the classic Sly Stone / Larry Graham funk groove. You can hear me doing this on the track entitled 'Funeral Song' in my sig. No slap, just plenty of grease (though it sounds a lot greasier on my new bass, damned excessively punchy old Warwick). Alex

It'll be fine as long as you can hear yourself wel enough to hear whether it's distorting. I wouldn't worry about how much you turn up the volume knobs because the power that comes out is a product of how loud the signal is going in and how much gain the volume knobs add, so if your bass is quite quiet and you have a light touch you might end up turning up quite 'loud' but all you're really doing is adding extra gain. The big killer potentially with that cab will be if you add much bass boost - because it's a sealed cab the excusion is better limited by the internal back-pressure so you could pour quite a lot of power in without the speaker farting out or audibly complaining, and thus overheat the voice coil. Alex

Difficult. You see the LR mics are hearing the drums in stereo but then all your closer mics are putting them down the middle in mono, so the attack of most hits will come down the middle but the sustain will shift to the stereo mics, and thus shift position in the mix. Listen to just the LR mics and then pan every other mic to place each part of the kit in roughly the same place as where the stereo image puts them - don't just simply put them in the middle. The usual approach is to position the LR overheads so that the snare and kick are dead centre but obviously that has to be done in tracking, mixing. The rear overhead is particularly strange, that's just going to mess up the stereo image whatever you do. It would be more usual to have LR overheads and then a more distant mono mic for the room sound. Remember that the HF transients are the dominant contributor to the stereo image - I'd take the rear overhead out and try mixing without it. Alex

I've been meaning to sort this out for ages but haven't got round to it. Putting the logo on them is a good idea - I shall get on the case! Alex

Play through it quietly, preferably some recorded music rather than your bass, and go round the cab listening carefully for the problem. It should be fairly easy to hear where the problem lies. Alex

[quote name='The Funk' post='487870' date='May 14 2009, 01:30 PM']Try to find a used Warwick Quadruplet or Ampeg SVP-CL or SVP-Pro. If you're really lucky and spot an Aguilar DB659, take it! Can't go wrong with a decent valve preamp.[/quote] If you spot a DB659 you'll be very lucky to get it that cheap! I'd forgotten about the Ampeg preamps, both a nice way to get that sound with more power and less money than an Ampeg head, and the Quadruplet is an amazing little beast with a real tube power amp and output transformer driving a dummy load, plus a 4-way voicing switch that totally changes the flat sound and all the EQ. All sadly discontinued... In the 2U arena there's also the Eden Navigator, various Trace Elliott preamps, the original Demeter (1.5U), and my personal favourite the Avalon U5 (which has next to no EQ so possibly a little too intimidating for a relative beginner). Alex