alexclaber

[quote name='Etienne' post='457533' date='Apr 8 2009, 04:02 PM']Unfortunately, as I'm no longer in possession of the Genz Benz NEOX-212T cab that I had on trial from Niceguyhomer, the shootout that I had planned between it and the Compact won't be happening... nevermind![/quote] Dammit, I was looking forward to that! Alex

A bundle of Barefaced Compacts just hopped into the Fedex van, for arrival at their new homes tomorrow! Alex

Cabs have a habit of looking small in shops and on stages but ridiculously large in one's house - exactly what you don't want! Alex

In olden days... Alex

[quote name='escholl' post='456719' date='Apr 7 2009, 07:32 PM']sorry to keep going on about this, but the bit depth you record at has nothing to do with the headroom you allow yourself. 16-bit, 24-bit, it doesn't make a difference to the mic pre's or the ADC. Recording in 16-bit will not give you 14 bits. it will give you 16-bits, with a noise floor and artifacts after post-processing that are slightly higher than if you'd recorded in 24 from the start -- but it's still 16 bits! Like i said before, with proper dithering (meaning good or at least decent ADC's) the dynamic range is still huge![/quote] It is entirely to do with the headroom you allow yourself. For every 6dB of unused dynamic range you are giving up one bit. As 10dB is only twice as loud and few drummers are completely consistent in their playing if you set the meters so they peak at -10dB when setting up you are then recording a signal that is basically only 14 bits deep - the 15th and 16th bits stay as 0 all the time unless you have a moment of excessive volume (and thus you are protected from digital clipping). All the dithering in the world can't do anything with a number that has zeros at the start. Alex

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='456725' date='Apr 7 2009, 07:35 PM']Ah right. But have you seen the OPs opening line? "I want to start recording our practice sessions"[/quote] I was distracted by the talk of 8 tracks etc... A minidisc and plug-in stereo mic is more than sufficient. Or a digital camera that can record video (and thus audio). Alex

I played four from '96 to '08. Five since then and suspect I'll stay with that for good. Shifting to a 36" scale got me the feel and sound I wanted from a five that I'd never found with more petite instruments... Alex

I like the grrr of a P-pickup. And the burp of a J bridge pickup. And the smooth scooped tone of both J's on full. Glad I have a custom bass to avoid these decisions! Alex

Regarding 16 bit vs 24 bit, I'm not talking about making rehearsal recordings, demos, etc. I'm talking about producing a studio recording that I would be happy to release. The killer when using 16 bit for tracking a live band or rhythm section is that you have to throw away quite a few bits to avoid clipping in the midst of a good take. If you have nice compressors and limiters and are willing to get those tuned in and track through them then 16 bit is fine but running uncompressed into a 16 bit recorder you have to leave a good 10dB of headroom to guarantee being free of digital distortion. Thus if you record at 16 bit and then master down to 16 bit you'll end up with the resulting true bit depth being only about 14 bit at best. If you record at 24 bit you can have a very stress free time setting all the gains and still end up with a 20 bit true resolution to then dither down to CD quality. For recording gigs and rehearsals I'd be quite happy to go straight onto MP3, to hell with trying to get high quality when you're just using a little stereo mic! I wouldn't expect anyone to hear a difference between 16 and 24 bit when recording into stereo on a portable recorder. So I agree that 16 bit isn't low resolution - but I defy anyone to actually get 16 bit resolution when recording drums straight into an all-in-one digital recorder or soundcard! Alex

[quote name='AM1' post='455092' date='Apr 6 2009, 01:22 AM']Becoming a "technician" in terms of fast fingers/technique, in my view, is secondary to developing a great sense of groove.[/quote] I would argue that you cannot be technically good unless your timing is good. A horde of monkeys can play fast - doubtless if I drove through Longleat with my bass strapped to the roof they would demonstrate this ably before the bass disintegrated - but if the notes are not in time then the speed is irrelevant. The other overlooked part of technique is tone related - tone really is in your hands and again this is oft forgotten by those chasing the speed side of technique. Michael Manring suggested a great exercise for getting in control of your timing - play a repeated two bar, one note groove, the first bar: [b]1[/b] e + [b]a[/b] 2 e [b]+[/b] a [b]3[/b] e + [b]a[/b] 4 e [b]+[/b] a the second bar six 1/4 note triplets. Alex

[quote name='The Funk' post='456629' date='Apr 7 2009, 05:45 PM']It's that draggy, swingy 16th note syncopation that's hard to cop - but it can be easy if you're playing with the right drummer.[/quote] That's one of the funkier cuts on album but the grease is probably the least weird - on some of the tracks the bass effectively plays the 2nd half of a flam on every note - so far behind the beat it's almost a different part of the beat but it isn't. I've yet to find a drummer that will stay on top of the beat and not drop back when the bass is dragging that much! Here's some 16th note fingerstyle funk jamming from last night resulting in an atypical outcome: Alex

[quote name='alexclaber' post='452961' date='Apr 3 2009, 08:59 AM']D'Angelo - Voodoo Pino Palladino and Raphael Saadiq laying down the greasiest grooves against ?uestlove's unstoppable backbeat. Revolutionary! The most difficult playing feelwise I've ever come across.[/quote] Voodoo you do: Oh yeah. Alex

[quote name='escholl' post='456450' date='Apr 7 2009, 02:32 PM']how do you find that? i've got a similar thing but find it's easier to just take a laptop usually...hence i've never really used mine. but mine is a bit older than yours, i think. In fact, i'm considering selling it, if the OP is interested.[/quote] I like it very much. If you know what you're doing you can definitely produce release quality material - the four track EP linked in my sig was done entirely on it bar final mastering. Drums and bass were tracked simultaneously and the unit is simple enough to use that it was then passed round the band for overdubs until the tracks were ready to mix down. If you want to make high quality digital recordings it is essential be able to record at 24 bit IMO. Avoiding clipping with 16 bit involves throwing away too much resolution. For our next recording we may track the drums onto 1/4 tape for squish and fatness - we've acquired a gigantic reel-to-reel Portastudio: Alex

Tascam 2488 Mk2: [url="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun07/articles/tascam2488mk2.htm"]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun07/arti...scam2488mk2.htm[/url] (I actually ordered a Mk1 version which was dead cheap due to being superseded but they mistakenly sent me the new model!) Alex

To over-simplifiy, play the root on the strongest beats, the fifth on the next strongest and then the minor third and minor seventh on the other beats. Try to make a melody or riff that outlines the chord by using the relevant chord tones (1, m3, 5, m7) and passing notes in between. Also try to make your bassline lead from one chord to the next. Note that often you'll get the best results from using fewer notes but using rhythm to make them melodic - listen to almost any Motown for a masterclass in this from James Jamerson. Alex

With a solidstate amp the key issue is that the impedance does not drop too low for the amp to handle, thus causing overcurrent problems in the output transistors - hence the nominal impedance just provides a guide to the actual impedance by showing an indication to how low the impedance actually goes. On the other hand with a valve amp the key issue is that the impedance does not go too high for the amp to handle, which I believe would thus end up causing a lack of current flow out from the output transformer and thus problems in that part of the amp. In that case the height of the resonant impedance peaks are more of a problem than the lower wide troughs. I haven't measured the final version of the Big One but I'm pretty certain there would be no problems running the Big One on an 8 ohm tap. Alex

[quote name='KASH' post='453421' date='Apr 3 2009, 03:22 PM']So tell me what is the best 15" cab in the market today?[/quote] Well what do you think I'm going to say?! Alex

Cars wear out, basses don't. Alex

[quote name='KASH' post='453391' date='Apr 3 2009, 02:30 PM']Hum...interesting. Is there any 2x15 good bass cab with powerful wattage in the market? I just loooved the low end. Or two 1x15 for that matter that make a good rig? Any 15" freaks around here? PS - has anyone ever played a 18"? curious about the sound[/quote] The size of the speaker doesn't tell you anything about the sound - it just tells you how big the speaker looks! However, I currently have a few 15"s in my house: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=13344&view=findpost&p=451359"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&sho...st&p=451359[/url] And the 15" that goes in the cab in the foreground can make more bottom than any 18" bass cab on the market. Alex

[quote name='KASH' post='453071' date='Apr 3 2009, 10:43 AM']Ok, so it looks like it's a sub. What if one get a normal PA woofer (not a sub), would it be the same as a bass cab with say a 15"?...or play through a sub and a cab with 10"s perhaps? That way would it cover the entire frequency range?[/quote] Almost any PA cab that is light enough and cheap enough to be considered as a bass cab alternative will be too poor at handling the lows. If you have the money and can cope with the weight then I highly recommend one of these: [url="http://www.meyersound.com/products/concertseries/cq-1/"]http://www.meyersound.com/products/concertseries/cq-1/[/url] Alex

Thinking further about it, there could easily be one divider you'd be able to see, plus another couple behind that which are hidden, and then the final length that looks like the port. That would have sufficient length to be a useful transmission line. Alex

[quote name='pete.young' post='448628' date='Mar 29 2009, 01:01 PM']And by the way - there's no need to chastise me for breaking this cab. I'm gutted. It arose out of a set of circumstances that I really should have prevented - using it for too loud a gig, using a head that had the potential to overpower it, not wearing my earplugs and being deafened by the drummer to the point where I couldn't hear the sound breaking up until it was too late.[/quote] In your defence it's much harder to spot when a 3-way cab is being overdriven because although the woofer may be sounding dirty you'll still be getting clean midrange from the separate midrange driver. Conversely with a 3-way (or woofer+mid) cab it's much easier to spot when the amp is being overdriven because the midrange driver will make the distortion all the more obvious. Am wondering if your description of the cab innards does make it a rather short transmission line? Alex

I see such potential for a hook-up with Jeff Berlin. Alex

[quote name='chris_b' post='452880' date='Apr 3 2009, 12:10 AM']I played with Jess and James in Europe, Python Lee Jackson...[/quote] Awesome. I was obsessed with "In A Broken Dream" as an eight year old school boy doing his damnedest to avoid the music of 1986! Alex

D'Angelo - Voodoo Pino Palladino and Raphael Saadiq laying down the greasiest grooves against ?uestlove's unstoppable backbeat. Revolutionary! The most difficult playing feelwise I've ever come across. Alex