alexclaber

Ah yes, don't buy Monster cables because the oversized plugs cause correctly sized leads to form poor connections and the Monsters eventually knacker your sockets. Alex

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='252190' date='Jul 31 2008, 05:32 PM']So should replacing a ceramic magnet driver with a neo driver (of similar spec... assuming that is possible within small tolerances) essentially mean that the tone of a given cab should remain consistent?[/quote] Yes. Alex

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='252169' date='Jul 31 2008, 05:03 PM']So it is safe to say that a neo driver can and will sound different to a non-neo just like any two drivers from different manufacturers can and will sound different. Your analogy of the cars being useful here in that I may well prefer driving the white Fiat panda to the black Beemer So replacing a neo driver with a non-neo driver would be like replacing any 2 drivers regardless of material... would they then sound very different as I assume no 2 speaker manufacturers drivers sound the same; or is it just that the handling characteristics are different?[/quote] If the neo driver has been designed to sound exactly like the non-neo driver it's replacing then I doubt you could hear a difference - I know this is true for some of the new Eminence pro-audio neos. You may well prefer the white Panda to the black M5 but you'd then be disappointed if given a white M5 because you told your wealthy and generous friend you liked white cars. Your preference for the Aguilar non-neo 1x12"s over the Tech neo 6x10" can tell you only one thing - that you prefer the sound of the DB112 to the Tech neo 610. It can't tell you that you prefer ceramic magnets, nor can it tell you that you prefer 12" speakers. Just those specific speakers in those specific enclosures/configurations. It's a shame really because there's nothing like a good over-generalisation for keeping musicians happy! Alex

[quote name='Balcro' post='251749' date='Jul 30 2008, 11:41 PM']Even if it does nothing else on this bass, the crosstalk could muddy the sound at high volume levels.[/quote] You could of course mute all the unplayed strings... Remember a bass guitar and amp system is far more like a cello than a hi-fi. Knob positions and so on mean very little because your hands have the ultimate control. When I was changing my preamp for one with switched positions I was worried that having my gain only adjustable in 3dB steps would be a problem because I wouldn't be able to get the exact right volume - I was SO wrong, I simply pluck harder if I needed to be louder, or more softly if I need to be quieter. Alex

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='252116' date='Jul 31 2008, 03:49 PM']I'm sure someone very learned explained to me that there shouldn't be a tonal difference between neo and non-neo drivers and that it was the cab design that gave the majority of tone but I can't help thinking that I prefer the tone of non-neo drivers in general.[/quote] For direct radiator (i.e. non-horn) cabs the cab design only really affects the tone in the lows. Above ~200Hz it's all down to what the speakers sound like. The difference in tone between your neo and non-neo drivers was just the difference in tone resulting from them being different speakers - the fact that one had a neo magnet and the other a non-neo magnet is immaterial. Replace the non-neo magnet with a neo one of equal strength and the speaker would sound the same. And vice versa. It's a bit like saying that you used to have a white Fiat Panda and now have a black BMW M5 and thus you prefer black cars because they're bigger, comfier and faster than white cars. Alex

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='252083' date='Jul 31 2008, 02:56 PM']yes. Ampeg developed the 8x10 cab because it was the only way to get enough drivers to cope with the 300 watt SVT.[/quote] Though with modern technology it would only take two 10" speakers voice coils to dissipate that heat without suffering damage, which I believe is due to higher temperature resistant materials. You could clip an SVT all day long into a modern neo 2x10" without hurting the woofers - survival of the tweeter would be much less likely, though hopefully there'd be some kind of bulb or polyswitch protection that would blow or trip to prevent it burning out. However, crank up the bass knob on the amp and slap some B-string notes and you could easily drive the woofers into suffering mechanical failure from over-excursion, which is by far the more common failure mode for bass cabs. Alex

[quote name='The Funk' post='252069' date='Jul 31 2008, 02:43 PM']That's a good tip that people keep bringing up: remember to enjoy it. Sometimes you can start to forget that that's what it's all about.[/quote] No, we must suffer for our art! Alex

[quote name='Fraktal' post='252000' date='Jul 31 2008, 12:57 PM']This is pure speculation cos Im no sound engineer, but I suppose the hardest work you can ask a speaker for would be a "perfect" square wave at full power (very unlikely to happen) since it will probably force the speaker to violent movements, shifting the cone between the limits of its excursion violently and fast... Though the physical limitations of a speaker are likely to "round the edges".[/quote] This is the common misconception about a square wave. In reality the cone position is the double integral of the current (which is proportional to voltage though the relationship varies with frequency) over time. Furthermore the rising impedance of the voice coil with frequency will filter out higher harmonics and thus make the square wave look more like a sine wave. Alex

Bad idea generally. Very few 'power conditioners' can handle the current demands from high power amps. Any well designed gear does not need 'power conditioning'. A surge-protected power strip has the useful functions at far less cost and without wasting a rack space. Alex

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='251494' date='Jul 30 2008, 05:44 PM'] Can you imagine the music that'd be played at a bass players disco...??[/quote] Disco surely! Alex

[quote name='mcgraham' post='251458' date='Jul 30 2008, 04:32 PM']2) ETA: 1st half of September 200[b][u]8[/u][/b].[/quote] That's a bit quick, where's the schadenfreude in that?! The neck woods and solid body make a lot of sense as you've said you want a clean, clear, crisp sound. Alex

Try to make equal numbers of clockwise and anticlockwise stage moves. Also if you venture round a mike stand be sure to go back in the opposite direction. (Excerpt from "Cables for Dummies") Alex

[quote name='yelees' post='251430' date='Jul 30 2008, 03:50 PM']Just a thought as to volume, I'm not really up on the phsyics of the whole thing but would a 4x10 be pushing the most air? or is a 2x12 going to push out everything the shuttle has to offer anyway?[/quote] The amount of air a speaker can move is basically the speaker area (Sd) multiplied by the max speaker excursion (Xmax), and is referred to as Vd (volume displacement). The reason I went for 15" speakers in my designs is that suitable higher Xmax speakers are available - one fullrange 15" can move as much air as two 12"s or three 10"s (top quality ones that is), whilst my dedicated woofer 15" (that needs an additional midrange speaker for clarity) can move almost twice as much air as that! If you don't have much power then you need to maximise the sensitivity of your speakers - but with the power of the most modern bass amps you can drive most cabs to full volume (which is limited by how far the speakers can move). Don't simplify things to 10"s vs 12"s vs 15"s - the nominal diameter of a speaker is almost its least important parameter! Alex

Just to update, I shall be bringing this with me: I intend to have a few more finished by then so we could hook them all my to my PLX 3002 and see if the various myths about excessive bass have any truth to them... Alex

[quote name='yelees' post='251412' date='Jul 30 2008, 03:30 PM']Thought I'd add to the question: 1) Where can I buy Epifani UL cabs in the UK?[/quote] The Bass Gallery in Camden. Alex

I wouldn't bother with the rack case or the compressor if I were you - spend that money on getting the 1001 instead of the 700, or keep it for lessons/strings/etc. Otherwise a nice rig! Alex

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='251309' date='Jul 30 2008, 01:28 PM']I get the impression that the recomendation to have more amp power that cab power is so you hear the speakers farting out (which is bad but not too fatal, and quickly remedied) before your run your amp into clipping and put a square wave dc current into your speakers which will just make them die right away without necessarilly making a prolonged nasty noise. The explanation of the 'run your amp into clipping and put a square wave dc current ' bit you may want is the reason why people just say 'have more power in your amp'. Course, that might not be the reason at all.[/quote] I'm just writing an FAQ for my website, and here's what I've just typed out on this subject: Q: "What about clipping, does't that damage speakers through putting DC into them?" To clear up the DC issue, a correctly functioning amp, however badly it is clipping, should never generate DC. However clipping does have two risks - firstly that a fully clipped amp can produce almost double its rated power. This is only a problem if you keep the amp running fully clipped for a length of time and your speaker's thermal power handling is less than twice the amp's rated power output. Fortunately in the real world this will never happen - we play bass, which by its nature has loud moments and quiet moments, thus power output is never constant. If you use an amp within the recommended power range for our speakers then you will not have a problem unless you are seriously abusive. The second risk with clipping is that most of the extra power is actually in the high frequencies. This means that if the cab has a tweeter it is likely to receive more power than it can handle. However if you have a tweeter then you should be able to hear the clipping and react by turning the amp down. The plus side for our designs is that the rising impedance of any woofer with frequency actually protects the woofers from having to handle extra power (amplifiers are voltage amplifiers and the power that comes out is simply the voltage squared divided by the impedance at that frequency). So to recap, although your amp can produce more power when it is clipping, the majority of that potential extra power won't actually flow through your speaker unless you have a tweeter, in which case it will make a really ugly noise before the tweeter dies (which is why a well designed speaker should incorporate tweeter protection circuitry). Alex

I am taking dancing like an eejit to new heights... Alex

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='250394' date='Jul 29 2008, 12:55 PM']Can i ask if this is still as effective if the cab has feet?[/quote] The foam is about 4"x2" so I can't see feet being a problem. Note that although this mechanical isolation will stop cab vibrations going into the stage it will not prevent acoustic output from your cab from vibrating the stage. Furthermore a well designed cab should vibrate very little from its own vibrations. However I do find the tilt aspect rather useful. Alex

[quote name='OldGit' post='249984' date='Jul 28 2008, 09:42 PM']Hey Rich, Spill the beans, What's the foam? [/quote] Auralex PlatFoam. About £10 per strip from Studiospares, cut it into two strips the width of your cab, place one under front edge and one under back edge. Throw strips in bass gigbag to transport. For tiltback, don't use the back strip or for extra tilt place both at front. I have been saying this for years but it keeps flying under the radar... Alex

A length of 4x2 or some Auralex PlatFoam works well. Alex

Is the question which 12" or is it which cab of similar size/weight to a typical 12"? Alex

[quote name='karlbbb' post='249866' date='Jul 28 2008, 06:55 PM']Would using the GK through Hartke cabs be detrimental or could it work quite well (I'm well aware you can't use the HMS, and that the amp runs in 'full range' mode)?[/quote] It'll work just fine. GK head on Hartke cab was one of the 'classic' rigs through the 80s and 90s. Alex

I'd recommend either two smaller cabs (1x12" or 2x10" size) or one larger one (4x10" or 2x12" size). I wouldn't recommend going for the traditional full 4x10" plus 1x15" stack - its overkill SPL-wise, a pain to move and not the most efficient way of getting that SPL. Having owned a rack tuner for years, I concluded they're fairly pointlessly large if you're moving the gear yourself, as are larger rackcases which people often just get for The Look. Alex

I'm now endorsing these: [url="http://www.barefacedBass.com"]http://www.barefacedBass.com[/url] Alex P.S. I'm still punk though.