alexclaber

That's quite a strange drum miking arrangement! Start with the L & R room mics to get the basic drum sound. Then bring each other mic in and pan it so that it places the snare and hi-hat in the same stereo place as the LR mics do. If the LR mics don't get a decent sound then try a predominantly mono mix without them. When you listen to the track you can hear the hi-hat moving left and right as different mics pick up more or less of it - the drum image should be as stable as possible. Alex

I'd have thought a cheap used 2x10" or 1x15" will be a significant step up in loudness from your tiny 1x10" combo and thus be enough to be getting on with. Alex

[quote name='cheddatom' post='487808' date='May 14 2009, 12:50 PM']"guitar is small sounding" - can you think of anything I could do to make it "bigger" ?[/quote] Try turning it up and sticking some more reverb on it so it sits back in the mix. The bass sound is huge so I wouldn't be afraid of it getting lost. [quote name='cheddatom' post='487808' date='May 14 2009, 12:50 PM']The cymbals sound exactly as they do at practice IE they are badly broken [/quote] Ah. Decent cymbals are worth their weight in gold. Unfortunately they also cost their weight in gold... Even some cheap unbroken ones will sound better but it would be a shame to lose a good performance just because the cymbals sound nasty. Try sweeping some EQ to notch out the nastiest part of their sound, I think it's around 1.5kHz. They'd also sound nicer if you got the images of the drums better matched - at the moment you can hear the cymbals moving around the mix - you need to pan the various drum channels so the hihats and snare are in the same place from channel to channel. Nice to get to use my monitors for something productive, I haven't done any studio work for a year! Alex

[quote name='cheddatom' post='487687' date='May 14 2009, 11:08 AM']Isn't there an identical thread in Amps and Cabs?[/quote] Yes. I think it's a rare example of a Peavey lemon. Return it and demand a replacement, not a repair. I've never heard of Peavey's 2 ohm rated amps having problems with that load - in fact I think a lot of their bass amps use parts from their power amps which are almost always very happy at 2 ohms with demanding material. Alex

Good work! It's all pretty well balanced, vocals are a bit recessed and guitar is a little small sounding. Cymbals sound rather distorted but that may be the limitations of your cymbals/mic/preamp - also sounds like your stereo image on the drums is a bit muddled. But they're minor details - good vibe and energy which is the most important thing! Alex

Your best bet is the secondhand market as there aren't as many preamps on sale as there used to be and many of the remaining models are expensive. Look for SWR Grand Prix, BBE B-Max, Peavey Max, TE GP12, Sansamp RBI. Alternatively some FX pedals can drive power amps to full power, which could work out much cheaper. Alex

Parliament - Mothership Connection (funk) Donny Hathaway - Live (soul) Bob Marley - Babylon by Bus (reggae) Three of the best albums for bass playing ever. No argument. Bootsy (et al), Willie Weeks and Family Man. Alex

90% of the time he's really on it (though he'd be a lot more appreciated if his tone wasn't so trebly) but it's the 10% of the time pyrotechnics that's got him really well known and pays a lot of the bills. If you don't like the pyrotechnics (I'm not a fan) then really avoid Reggie Wooten (his big bro) because he does the same thing but on guitar - the horror! Alex

I think Marshall have just been rather inconsistent with their bass amps over the years. Then again the same could be said of Ampeg - but Ampeg are the bass player's brand, whilst Marshall are the guitarist's brand and we don't want to be assimilated. The dynamic bass range they did about 10-15 years ago which had huge burst power capability were a really bright idea, shame they were discontinued so soon. Alex

He definitely has a soul, he seems a thoroughly nice and rather spiritual chap. Oh, you mean soul?... Alex

[quote name='ped' post='486377' date='May 12 2009, 09:12 PM']My fingers are soft and woman like but then I have my action so low that I put more strain on them by stroking Nellie. (she's my staffie btw, not a nickname for my 3rd leg!)[/quote] Having played a number of Ped's basses I can confirm this. The action that is. Not his fingers. Or the dog. Or... Alex

[quote name='OldGit' post='486924' date='May 13 2009, 02:11 PM']I'm not disputing anything you say, merely giving one view on how such facts and figures may be perceived by your potential clients if you test and record them youself.[/quote] But without honest specs from the competition the only way to make comparisons is to either test their cabs or rely on anecdotal evidence from customers. Alex

That is really going to make some noise! Alex

[quote name='The Funk' post='486859' date='May 13 2009, 12:53 PM']A lot of bass players wouldn't understand what "padded input" means - even though that's all it is! -10db padded input usually.[/quote] My first bass amp had the inputs labelled high and low. I always plugged my passive bass into the low one thinking it was the one for low level inputs. Turned out it was referring to gain and impedance, not signal level. Only realised when jamming with a friend who had a Stingray which was insanely loud in the high input when I was in the low. Swapped round and enlightenment ensued. Nowadays I'd lean towards just having one input and a pad switch - or designing a preamp with so much headroom that you don't need a pad at all. There really is a lot of confusing terminology in the bass world, as my wife pointed out when I said (in reference to a Larry Graham youtube moment) "he's such a righteous slapper, look how he hard he spanks it". Alex

[quote name='OldGit' post='486863' date='May 13 2009, 12:55 PM']If you report any testing results yourself it may be seen as hype, just as you perceive Eden's figures to be hype.[/quote] Interesting. So a properly referenced measured plot wouldn't be of use? Or distortion tests that show exactly how much power a cab can handle in the lows before it overdrives? I don't perceive Eden's figures to be hype, I know they are hype. Fact. If they weren't then every live sound company would be using a small pile of their cabs to replace the monstrous arrays of pro audio subwoofers used at stadium gigs. I'm just going to borrow one of Greenboy's responses to someone who refused to believe that SWR's specs couldn't be inaccurate and demanded proof as to why they were not: "I told you where it is. On driver datasheets and in cab sim programs. Load up the most sensitive drivers you can find from any brand, money no object. From the leading edge companies in the world. Then look at LF response. The incredibly sensitive drivers don't have anything going on below 100 Hz, sometimes even 200 Hz, and they are NOT designed to do BASS. There is NOTHING out there from anybody that can make an enclosure do what Eden and SWR routinely claim. And you would think that these driver companies have tried their hardest, because they SURE do want to sell drivers! They want to sell to end customers, and to companies like SWR and Eden. C'mon, blue pill takers! I know you just want to keep on sleeping. If you took the red pill your world view would be shattered, that view that somehow the tiny companies like SWR and Eden have done things that the amassed knowledge, wealth, and effort of an entire scientific community based on audio research, and an entire industry of which bass cab companies are a drop in the ocean, somehow has not discovered yet (even though any canny realize that if Eden and SWR have had this supposed Superior Technology for decade, that any decent reverese engineering or industrial espionage could quickly duplicate it). I had to applaud Aguilar a year or two ago when presented with this. Aguilar took the high road and revised their sensitivity figures DOWNWARD to realistic numbers for their enclosure products. That took a lot of courage, being surrounded by many companies who they must compete against who are NOT using realistic figures, and a market with many customers in it who are clueless about this and just see that "high numbers are better". The sad and funny truth of this whole matter is, that all 10" drivers suitable for bass cab use tend to be within a dB or two of each other in sensitivity, regardless of what company has its logo on the enclosure. Only cabs like Acmes, which sacrifice midrange sensitivity for LF extension, fall outside that range." Alex P.S. It was me that contacted Dave Boonshoft (CEO Aguilar) about the inaccurate specs - kudos to him for doing something about it!

[quote name='OldGit' post='486854' date='May 13 2009, 12:48 PM']Schroeder make cabs that are different to most mainstream ones too: [url="http://www.schroedercabinets.com/21012.htm"]http://www.schroedercabinets.com/21012.htm[/url][/quote] I'm not being negative about Schroeder because he's a very nice guy, provides excellent customer service and makes loud cabs that a lot of people like and which for some will definitely be a better choice than Barefaced, but the fact is that they're not engineered like mine. And like many others he's using comedy specs. But this debate is really for another thread! Alex

[quote name='farmer61' post='486826' date='May 13 2009, 12:27 PM']Really ????? [/quote] Yes, really. You only need to use the active input if your bass is so loud that it clips the passive input - usually it does explain this in the manual but as no-one ever reads manuals why not label it 'padded input' or something along those lines? Alex

[quote name='OldGit' post='486824' date='May 13 2009, 12:26 PM']I'd like the figures, please. If I've never played through a fridge or a 2x12 I'd have no comparison.[/quote] But the figures won't tell you anything useful at all because almost all the benchmarks provided by the other manufacturers are wrong. A good example - Eden's 210XST's specs imply that the maximum output at 30Hz = 128dB when the actual max SPL at that frequency is about 100dB. They are exaggerating the output over five hundred fold! [quote name='OldGit' post='486824' date='May 13 2009, 12:26 PM']Also offer pop-out casters. [url="http://www.peavey.com/products/browse.cfm/action/detail/item/1512/Pop%20Out%20Swivel%20Caster%20Set.cfm"]The Peavey version[/url] Yes your stuff is light but anything that rolls gets my vote. If it's big and rolls it saves my back and if it's light and rolls I can put more stuff on top of it and roll it - at least over the dance floor to the load out door or for manuverability inside a van or storage cupboard... Stuff like that shows more thought for the working player.[/quote] The bigger cabs already have casters. The smaller cabs are so light they really don't need them, just makes them bigger, heavier and more expensive. However, your point about a more organised comparison page is an excellent one! What I really need to do is borrow a selection of cabs and then do some proper high power testing, so that'll take some time to organise. Alex

Seems a lot easier to use an A/B switch on the instruments and then plug that into the passive input. Just because a bass is active it doesn't mean you should use the active input on the amp, about 90% of the time the passive input is a better bet (yes, they're very badly labelled!) Alex

[quote name='OldGit' post='486757' date='May 13 2009, 11:24 AM']Build your Chinese production plant now whilst things are still cheap[/quote] Would have to change the badges if I did that! Seriously though, I have some plans to handle production increasing to hopefully avoid going overseas. [quote name='BottomEndian' post='486770' date='May 13 2009, 11:38 AM']If there were metric measurements and weights, I'd be able to visualise the cabs much more easily. As it is, I have to use a tape measure or a conversion website.[/quote] Honestly, the youth of today... But doesn't everyone still talk about being 5'10 and weighing 12 stone or whatever? Everything's designed in metric but I've alway preferred imperial for visualisation as the units are a more useful size. I was planning to add metric measurements for my continental customers so that'll kill two birds with one stone (or 6.4kg) Lots of good suggestions, we are taking note! Though don't expect the new site any time soon, am too busy getting the current models built and the forthcoming designs finished and working with various suppliers on the PA side of things. Once all that's sorted then it'll be easier to deal with the content as we'll know exactly what the full product line is, plus we'll have decent and consistent photos. Alex

[quote name='slobluesine' post='486674' date='May 13 2009, 09:58 AM']so why do i need another pre amp when LM2 has great EQ? [/quote] Another preamp with a higher input impedance may allow your piezo pickup to work better without loading it down so much. Alex

There are devices out there for doing this with guitar heads but I'm not sure they can handle the power of modern bass heads. Try the Radial website. Is this just to give you two different EQ settings? Alex

[quote name='Kongo' post='486511' date='May 12 2009, 11:45 PM']Coasters huh? Useful...very useful. I'll be taking one of these at least twice a week bare minimum out with me so the coasters means I can wheel it in the door. Boy...that 15" sounds cool. I know you say there's no need to add another on top but I do like my 4x10"'s too so with this bad boy I would couple a 2x10" at a later date...But this should do the trick.[/quote] Absolutely no point stacking a 2x10" on top, it will fart out long before the Big One gets going. [quote name='Kongo' post='486511' date='May 12 2009, 11:45 PM']It'll blow the band appart and give me a clear ammount of space for my sound. My band is a Prog Metal band of sorts so I have drop-B guitars to go against but the Bass is very important to our sound too both sonically and structurely and alot of the time amps I use let me down and I'm only against a 50 Watt Orange RockerVerb and a Line 6 40 watt both all valve.[/quote] With a powerful head or pre/power rig the Big One will be plenty for that environment. [quote name='Kongo' post='486511' date='May 12 2009, 11:45 PM']It's 6 ohms! Coupled with an 8 ohm cab means I'll be under 4 ohms...and that's one fried head![/quote] Possibly! But it is one cab solution, no need for a second cab. [quote name='Kongo' post='486511' date='May 12 2009, 11:45 PM']I see the Compact is the same as the Big One except power handling, one speaker etc...Is there anything else different about this?[/quote] It's completely different - different woofer, different alignment, different tuning, no crossover, no midrange. More traditional sound, much less bottom and top. [quote name='Kongo' post='486511' date='May 12 2009, 11:45 PM']I was thinking of adding a Midget-T when you make them on top because I do need some crisp high end too (I use a 6-string bass with a High-C string foe one). Having a 12" with a Tweeter would make for a great sound coupled with one of your humongus 15" speakers...then when we add this I feel the Big One a bit overkill so maybe this is a better option?[/quote] For your situation I'm pretty certain the Big One will be enough on it's own. The high end very nice and bright but I am working on an optional switchable tweeter, will hopefully get that sorted by the time this batch is done, so if the midrange doesn't go high enough for you then you can switch a tweeter in. Alex

[quote name='stevie' post='486298' date='May 12 2009, 08:04 PM']Just to amplify that, the magnetoelectrical performance of a loudspeaker driver is often characterized by the force factor B1...[/quote] Shouldn't that be Bl? Alex

I saw Baby Charles a few weeks back, a funk diva* who sings in a few other bands with part of the line-up works with my lady. Their guitarist is excellent, a real funk monster and they have a great vintage vibe. Personally I think their bassist isn't quite on it - he's a double bassist and doesn't seem to have twigged that on bass guitar the notes sustain much more and need dealing with. Still hard grooving but it was just bugging me that he could have lifted things more if he worked both ends of the note. *In fact, she was asking me about joining a funk band she wants to put together but I'm a little busy right now, so if you fancy a funk entrée do let me know. Alex