alexclaber

I have a working crossover/tweeter assembly perched atop the wee Midget! Alex

[quote name='Mr.T' post='558642' date='Aug 2 2009, 06:02 PM']Do you mean try a Midget T sitting on top of a Compact?[/quote] Indeed I do. It's a very nice height so easier to hear plus the Midget is quite a lot more midrangey and less deep in the lows, and the two together sound really thick and punchy. Just assembling the first tweeter crossover right now so I can tell you how the Midget T plus Compact sound tomorrow! Alex

[quote name='Mr.T' post='558632' date='Aug 2 2009, 05:30 PM']Alex, I want to make it clear that I am in no way knocking the Compact. For what it is (a 1x15), it is (as you say) capable of going very loud. Also, it had more than enough bottom end. I personally think that an amp with a more flexible EQ could (potentially) get more out of this cab. (Less at around 50hz. more in the 100hz region?).[/quote] That makes sense. But also an amp that lets you push a valve gently to thicken things up. Honestly, try the Shuttle 6.0, it has that kind of thick fatness. [quote name='Mr.T' post='558632' date='Aug 2 2009, 05:30 PM']I wouldn't say that I am putting a thin sound into the cab.... Eden & MarkBass aren't usually known for sounding thin, are they?[/quote] No bass amp on the market sounds thin - otherwise no-one would buy them! But all bass amps can be made to sound thin - just put a thin sound into them. I think what makes it clear that you expect a certain thickness in the midrange is that you managed to comment on the Compact having plenty of bottom but also sounding thin - a lot of people would say that you can't have both at once - fat bottom and thinness are mutually exclusive. So it's a midrange issue and the Markbass doesn't thicken up the mids at all with its preamp, nor is the EQ voiced right to try to add it that way. [quote name='Mr.T' post='558632' date='Aug 2 2009, 05:30 PM']I agree with what you are saying, and think I need to go back to a multi-cab rig. I'll PM you about returning the cab, and rethink where I go next![/quote] If you're going to a multi-cab rig, I'd recommend hanging onto the Compact and I'll send you a Midget T at my cost ASAP. It really bugs me when I can't solve tone/amplification problems but I think this might do it. Alex

Yes. The flexible surround and suspension take some usage to soften up so the speaker parameters settle into their long-term state - basically you have less bottom to start with. You can push the Barefaced woofers hard straight-away, they won't suffer cone creasing, it'll just break them in quicker. A few hours with a sine wave generator pushing 20Hz through your amp so the cone is moving about 5-10mm total will do the job much quicker than playing through the cab. Alex

[quote name='Mr.T' post='558495' date='Aug 2 2009, 02:12 PM']The Compact is a very lightweight and easy to transport cab, but (For the sound I want) not a one cab solution. I felt it lacked clarity and doesn't have the top end that I like. It is very loud, but in a thin way (If that makes sense)?[/quote] I know why you're saying that but it isn't actually thin and has a surprising amount of top end - but if you put a thin sound without enough treble into it then it will sound like that. However, if you really do like a LOT of treble then it isn't the cab for you - you need a cab with a midrange driver or tweeter . [quote name='Mr.T' post='558495' date='Aug 2 2009, 02:12 PM']I played the first half of my gig with the Nemesis 700, and the second half with a MarkBass LM2. The LM2 although not as clear an amp as the Eden, did punch through the mix better. Towards the end of our second set, I switched from my usual Status bass (not known for being lacking in top end) to my recently built Jazz... still no joy.[/quote] The LM2 is a very clean amp, less woolly than the Eden. But as it is so clean, it doesn't have the punch of a Shuttle 6.0 or a 1001RBII. [quote name='Mr.T' post='558495' date='Aug 2 2009, 02:12 PM']Far from liking distortion, as you suggest, I like a nice fat, clean warm sound without booming... and just a bit of sparkle. My Trace rig always delivered this, my MarkBass SA450 with the Aggie/Ashdown cabc (on a good day) could deliver this sometimes better than the Trace, but not consistantly. Last night I could get boom, I could get mids that sounded distorted (too my ears), but couldn't get anywhere near the sound I want.[/quote] No, you're not understanding what I've been saying about distortion, but you wouldn't be alone in misunderstanding that. When I refer to your old cabs providing distortion and colouration that were obviously a key part of your tone, I don't mean that anyone would describe your tone as distorted. Distortion is not something that's either on or off, it's a continuum. The speaker in the Compact can work up to very high levels with less than 10% distortion, whilst the lower excursion drivers in your old cabs would be running at maybe 20 or 30% distortion at a similar level. That's not enough distortion for someone listening to you at a gig to say "that bass player's got a nice gently overdriven tone" but it's enough to add extra midrange punch and fatness. I believe that when you refer to the Compact having a thin tone it's because it doesn't add that extra punch and fatness. The Compact does not do sparkle - even the Big One doesn't do sparkle. If you'd said you wanted sparkle I would have said you needed a cab with a tweeter, it's the only option. I would suggest that what you describe as a nice fat warm clean sound without booming actually has a ton more midrange and treble than many think that equates to. That's where words fall down! [quote name='Mr.T' post='558495' date='Aug 2 2009, 02:12 PM']My concern from using the Compact at home was that it sounded thin when used on its own. It sounded better when used with the 2x10, but that wasn't why I bought it.... I was hoping for a one cab solution. Last nights gig just proved what I was already thinking.... A 15" driver on its' own doesn't get the sound I want.[/quote] If it sounded better when using it with your 2x10" then you clearly want more midrange, more treble and maybe more colouration in your sound. You'd probably like this little Midget, maybe with a tweeter - it's much more in your face than the Compact. [quote name='Mr.T' post='558495' date='Aug 2 2009, 02:12 PM']Maybe a 'top cab' for the Compact? (I asked you about this, but you didn't seem interested).[/quote] I was interested, that's why I replied, but once you suggested a price I found it's not possible for that kind of money and I don't think anyone would want to pay what's necessary. Since then I've returned to trying to work out a way of making a 'Super Compact' variant which doesn't cost too much more but has the extra top of a midrange driver or a horn that can go quite low, but it's a complicated job. [quote name='Mr.T' post='558495' date='Aug 2 2009, 02:12 PM'].... Or maybe I should rethink, and start again from scratch, with heavier cabs?[/quote] The weight has absolutely NO bearing on the tone. Just forget the weight thing! You could put a heavy old TE 15" in the Compact's cab and it would sound incredibly similar to the TE it came from (though you might need to remove the internal damping material) but still be very light. I also wonder quite how loud you're playing? I know that with a hefty enough amp behind it that the Compact can go very loud - but if you're asking for too much bottom (I think unlikely in your case) then it may start distorting, or more likely you're asking for more than your amps can give (maybe in the midrange and highs so attack transients are causing the problem) and the amp is clipping. Regardless, as you're used the 'sparkle' word to describe your sound then there's no point hanging onto the Compact if you're determined to have a one cab solution. You need a cab with a tweeter. Send the cab back for a refund and when I've got the first Midget T done I'll send you one to try out. Alternatively if you really are playing that loud, you may have to stick with a two cab solution (as low weight per box is critical), in which case you might find it worth hanging onto the Compact for now and waiting for me to get a Midget T sorted to stack on top. And if that doesn't work then I will be totally stumped! Alex

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='558384' date='Aug 2 2009, 11:47 AM']It can't be taught, only learned.[/quote] Spot on that man! Alex

[quote name='bythesea' post='558438' date='Aug 2 2009, 12:50 PM']Alex is also putting one of his cabs "on tour" for people to try out - have a look in his sub-forum for the latest itinerary [/quote] Mr T already has one, hence my conviction that the problem lies earlier in the signal chain! Alex

My gut feeling with the Mr T problem is it's all about the midrange - if the Nemesis sounds like other Eden amps then it's fat and warm, nothing like the more aggressive punch of a TE. On the modern lightweight-ish amp front I'd be looking at GK, Genz Benz, and Thunderfunk as good places to get similar punch. Alex

[quote name='51m0n' post='558156' date='Aug 1 2009, 11:40 PM']Promise no words with more than 2 syllables though please Alex [/quote] That's good because I'm now thinking I'm going to talk and tone tone and tone. (Not like Mr Wiggins...) Alex

What's crap about your sound? Just saying it's crap doesn't tell us anything! I know my cabs can flatten the old Trace Elliots you used to use so if you're not getting the sound you want it's because you're wanting the colouration and distortion your old TE cabs had. One Compact can move almost as much air without distortion as an old TE 2x15" so your problem has to be that you want that distortion. You're probably used to having the speaker distortion thicken up the sound of your bass in the midrange and less the depth in the lows. So why don't I use cabs that give that distortion? Because not everyone wants that and it limits how loud they can go. So if you want that sound you need to add a similar overdrive earlier in the signal chain, with something like a valve preamp or a suitable pedal. Generally if you're having to do a lot of EQ fiddling then you're doing something wrong. With a low distortion speaker cab the tone needs to come from your bass and how you play it, plus whatever happens before the power amp stage of your amp. EQ doesn't do as much to change your tone as you might think - it only cuts and boosts frequencies, it doesn't add the kind of colouration that, for instance, a lightly overdriven speaker can. I agree that tiny rigs can't have the sound of big rigs - but big lightweight rigs can. But if you want the sound of a big old rig with low excursion speakers with lots of colouration due to high distortion and a lack of internal cab damping, then you'll either need to fake those sonic deficiencies or you need to rethink your tone ideas. Tone starts at your hands but if you've been playing the same rig for 20 years and that rig added a ton of colouration, then remove that rig and you're going to have to invest time and effort into understanding your tone. Alex

[quote name='Musicman20' post='557973' date='Aug 1 2009, 06:13 PM']Any chance of emaling a pic to me ?[/quote] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=47013&view=findpost&p=557981"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&sho...st&p=557981[/url] It's really tiny! Weighs about 24lbs. Alex

Midget! Alex

Shuttle 6.0 plus very first (unfinished) Midget: Alex

Change of plan! Two Compacts now going out on Monday: Route 1: musicman20 cleethorpes casapete hull finbar sheffield sean.robinson rotherham monz barnsley hubrad bradford rik (esa) bradford wateroftyne newcastle delberhot camelon lemmywinks blackpool josh3184 preston guyl manchester bassbunny manchester bass culture chester protium chester mike 257 wirral steve soar wirral Route 2: crez5150 wickford physcoandy ipswich pete young ipswich redroque norwich adee corby giblett123 birmingham bananaman leamington spa alien milton keynes sibob high wycombe phil the bassist newbury gunsfreddy2003 cheltenham mr foxen bristol bassbod bristol sk8 bristol barelyl4 salisbury dannybuoy london/surrey bythesea shoreham Alex

[quote name='pete.young' post='557944' date='Aug 1 2009, 05:43 PM']I think you should also wait until Alex Claber gets a Midget ready.[/quote] Got the first one here now, no paint on it but it's tiny, light and damned loud! Alex

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='557825' date='Aug 1 2009, 02:52 PM']Great - Please can you do a Barefaced workshop?? Proper space to demonstrate the different cabs and also, A/Bing with other cabs as well.. would be brilliant..[/quote] Be more than happy to! I'll try and make it more general, and in particular look at acoustics and psycho-acoustics which are so important to getting a band to sound good. Alex

[quote name='Linus27' post='557420' date='Jul 31 2009, 08:45 PM']So thats basically everything running flat apart from the high at 9 o' Clock which is just adding some treble right??[/quote] Cutting some treble I believe! Alex

Me! '87 Warwick Streamer, RIM Custom 5 with 36" scale and Q-Tuners, Avalon U5/QSC PLX3002, GB Shuttle 6.0, Barefaced Compact, Big One, Midget, Midget T, maybe Big Baby. Alex

It'll be absolutely fine. Only valve amps have the problem of always needing a load (rare exception being J.Hellborg sig. power amps) Alex

I have to say I used to really enjoy going to the Bass Centre in Wapping. Took my new to me '87 Warwick, Mackie power amp and Acmes in there in 1999 to pick a preamp and had a great time and left with an SWR Grand Prix. Tried lots of other nice stuff there too. In modern times The Gallery is very good and I've always been very well looked after in GAK (though I stomped out annoyed once when they wouldn't match their online price on a Line6 DL-4 (brought one back from the US instead, their loss)). Alex

[quote name='Bass Culture' post='557330' date='Jul 31 2009, 06:08 PM']You have PM! (If I could work out how to insert a winking emoticom thing in here now I would!)[/quote] Semi-colon, right bracket, no space in between! Alex

It looks like it just switches between EQ1 and EQ2 whilst the back panel of the SM-900 just seems to have 1/4" jacks on it (other than speakons and DI XLR), so I would expect it to be either a latching or momentary switch, with either a TS or TRS jack. It's very much a standard footswitch if it's one of those configurations, so the challenge is to find out from SWR which one it is. My bet is latching and TS. Alex

Volume needs to exclude the port and what the driver displaces. For a practice cab I'd consider making it a wedge, so even more than 15 deg upwards tilt. Regarding the 'detuned' cab, tuning a port that high means you get a big peak in the mid-bass and then response drops very steeply below that, whilst cone excursion goes through the roof. Fine for a guitar cab as the lowest frequency from a guitar is around 80Hz but with bass guitar just a handle of watts on low E or low B will make the speaker distort. Alex

[quote name='cheddatom' post='557109' date='Jul 31 2009, 01:52 PM']Alex - from your post it looks like Orange actually PMd you?[/quote] No, just another basschatter, I quoted what he wrote verbatim. Now edited to make more clear. Alex

From a PM discussion: "[re:] orange: Can I ask that on the forum for a public answer? It looks like a neat small 2x12 so whats the problem? Si" Here's the problem: Three things limit the output of a bass cab - thermal power handling and sensitivity (in unison), and speaker volume displacement (excursion x area). A 2x12" isobaric cab will have twice the power handling of a 1x12", however it will be 6dB lower in sensitivity. So the thermally limited output of a 2x12" isobaric is 3dB less than a 1x12" standard. And thus the thermally limited output of a 2x12" isobaric is 9dB less than a 2x12" standard. Then we come to excursion limited output - in a 2x12" isobaric only one of the 12" drivers is exposed to the outside so it has exactly the same excursion limited output as a standard 1x12". Bear in mind that a 2x12" isobaric will have half the internal volume of a 1x12" standard - clearly a good thing. But once you add the extra speaker, and the chamber between the two speakers and the fact that making the internal volume smaller means making the port bigger, I doubt that the Orange 2x12" will be any smaller than a 1x12". And the 1x12" will beat it on every front - lighter, roughly the same size, same frequency response and so much extra sensitivity that the 2x12"s thermal power handling advantage is more than nullified. Alex