flyfisher

Hmm. Not as good as I was hoping, but I got through it all by dozing off a few times on the sofa. The thing that really struck home though (I don't know why, since it's not exactly news) is how much has changed in just 50 years and the dreadful social situation in the southern states in my own lifetime. A sober reminder indeed.

Thanks for that. I don't watch much telly these days but I've booked a place on the sofa tonight. Looking forward to seeing the Marshall Tucker Band. I seem to have missed them first time around but someone here (Burritobass?) mentioned them a while back and I've been enjoying catching up.

Yep, and the really mad thing is that there must be people out there buying this stuff. Perhaps those people are borrowing against their expected windfall from a kindly Nigerian businessman? That would make some sort of perverse sense.

Yes, I've heard that about 'proper' monitors. I can sort of understand it, though a laptop is always going to sound crap isn't it?. What made me laugh was the comment about the lack of bass in my mix from the guy who listened on a laptop.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1334321819' post='1614482'] I like the Joe Strummer method of putting it on tape/cd, and playing it through an ordinary stereo system. If it sounds good from there, sorted! [/quote] I claim no great skill at mixing but I have had a go and one of the biggest challenges I've found is getting a good sounding mix across a variety of reply systems. I've emailed out the results of a recording session ot my band members and received wildly differing comments because the songs have been listened to in the car, on an ipod, on a smartphone and on a laptop. Try getting a good mix for that little lot! The more mixing I do the more I realise how difficult it is to do really well. I'm now wondering how long it takes before this feeling is reversed and I start to think I'm actually making some progress!

[quote name='pete.young' timestamp='1334312531' post='1614202'] It might be OK with Windows 7. I have an Aten CS-62U which works fine with Windows 7. Unfortunately a lot of KVM switches, in common with many other USB devices, won't work properly with Windows 7. [/quote] Perhaps, but the KVM in question is a PS/2 keyboard/mouse device so USB is irrelevant . . .

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1334233687' post='1612934'] Snakeoil not allowed though [/quote] I didn't see that in the rules. It would probably disallow all manner of 'boutique' rigs.

[quote name='bassman2790' timestamp='1334228411' post='1612792'] I meant in terms of musicianship. They are very sloppy, in my honest opinion, not well rehearsed. And they are certainly more popular than my covers band because it no longer exists ..... couldn't get any gigs as we hadn't any friends to fill the venue for us [/quote] I understood your point and, to be honest, it's a very fair one. But surely everyone realises that there are many, many extremely capable, talented musicians out there who will never 'make it' in the music business? Being a good musician is a tiny part of being commercially successful.

I can't add to the good explanations above, except to note that this is a very fair question and one encouraged by equipment makers using the same connectors for very different signals - something that would be considered very bad practice in almost any other areas of electronic equipment. Fortunately, speakon connectors seem to be increasingly used for speaker cables and one can only hope this trend continues to the point where the use of 1/4 inch jacks for speakers completely dies out - though I suspect I'll die out before that day comes!

Some pricey rigs in this thread , but my Ashdown rig would cost more than any of them . . . . . . . if I used this to connect the cabs: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2011/02/08/the-most-expensive-cable-in-the-world/

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1334136697' post='1611286'] Frustrating but a lot of things work on popularity rather than expertise. [/quote] Almost everything, in fact. And in a business where the end product is entirely subjective then popularity is THE definition of what's good and what's not good. It seems very odd to criticise a band for being decidedly average even though they are clearly more popular (for whatever reason) and therefore more entertaining than a band of so-called expert players with 'great' songs but which can't get an audience outside their immediate friends and family. It's all a bit like that philosophical conundrum - if a tree falls in a forest and no one is there, does it make a noise? If the 'best' song in the world played by the 'best' musicians in the world never leaves the bedroom, what's the point?

If you just want an endless single chord why not just weigh down the appropriate keys on the keyboard?

Six string thing first, acoustic of course, then started playing bass on said guitar.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1333984159' post='1609163'] Mainly anecdotal but I was in a large band of 70+ musicians. [/quote] Blimey - sounds more like an orchestra. Seriously though, these discussions really only serve to reinforce that there are many reasons and motivations for playing music. None are 'right' and none are 'wrong'. The issues arise when a group of differently-motivated people form a band and things are likely to be more harmonious if all members have the same general likes/dislikes and motivation - whether that be bedroom rehearsals only, playing major tours or just playing one cover and all getting rat-arsed. What is wrong is to insist that rehearsals have to be 'task-orientated' or that no one must drink alcohol or . . . well anything really. it's entirely up to the band members what they do and how they behave. If they can't get along then it'll fall apart and they'll go their separate ways. That's life. I'm surprised this thread has run to 5 pages to be honest.

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1333837667' post='1607305'] Find your balance, bass players of the world. There's no right or wrong answer, if you're happy; the band are happy; and the music works. [/quote] Precisely. Are we such an insecure bunch that we need others to tell us how to behave?

[quote name='paulwillson' timestamp='1333931569' post='1608502'] . . . . I assume the police have quarantined it :S i wonder if the promoter is gonna buy that... :S [/quote] Bizarre story indeed, but I wouldn't just assume the police won't let you get your gear. I would contact them and explain your situation and ask if you can get your gear. If not then at least you'll have a contact who can confirm the story if you have to cancel the gig.

"in the zone" WTF does that mean? Within walking distance of the correct note?

Either will be fine for simple wiring jobs but I'd go for a 30 watt iron on the basis that you might want to solder pots at some stage and the extra heat capacity will help a lot. Alternatively, if you're likely to start soldering small electronic components then I'd probably opt for the 15 watt one. Solder-wise, I'm a bit out of touch with the availablility of the 'old' lead solder as I've still got a large reel of the stuff. If it is still available then I'd go for it, otherwise you'll have little choice but to go with the lead-free stuff . . . which actually might be another reason to go for the 30 watt iron because of the higher melting point of lead-free solder.

[quote name='AMPEG' timestamp='1333803087' post='1606703'] Also to run 2 x 8ohms cabs should i be connecting them via the two speaker inputs on the reverse of the amp rather than connecting the second cab via the dual jack inputs on the reverse of the speakers. [/quote] On all the cabs I've seen it these different ways to hook things up are electrically the same. This is because the multiple sockets are usually connected in parallel. I prefer to connect two cabs using the two amp outputs because if they are connected amp-cab-cab then if the connection to the first cab fails for some reason then the second cab will go quiet as well. Also, splitting the power over two cables will, in theory, reduce power losses in the cabling. But, frankly, these are very minor points and in practice there's little difference in these two ways of hooking things up. They certainly won't address the other points you're raising.

Ah, fair point - hence your point about half the speaker not touching air?

.I need several questions answered. 1. Does the amp automatically deliver the higher wattage to a 4 ohms speaker (there's no switch on the amp) [b]Yes[/b] 2. can i change the ohmage of the speaker without a 'switch' [b]You could change the CAB ohmage by messing around with switches and rewiring the SPEAKERS, but not to 4 ohms[/b] [b]A two speaker 8 ohm cab will have speakers of 16ohms in parallel or 4 ohms in series. You can't rearrange these to give a 4 ohm 212 cab.[/b] 3. Can i daisy chain another 8 ohm cab and will this deliver an ohmage platform for the amp to deliver its higher wattage of 600w or will two 8 ohm speaker still only produce and 8 ohm capacity. [b]Not daisy chain (that would be in series and give you 16 ohms to the amp), but you could connect another 8ohm cab in parallel to give a 4ohm load to your amp.[/b] 4. Why when the speaker wattage is 600 watts and I presume the amp is only delivering 375watts is the amp clipping. [b]The speaker wattage is a measure of what the speaker can accept. It has no bearing on what the amp can deliver. The amp will go into clipping if it is over-driven in some way, which is not really a speaker problem.[/b] 5. Can I daisy chain speakers of 8 and 4 ohm [b]Again, daisy-chaining means connecting in series. This would give 12 ohms and would do no harm but the amp could not deliver full power.[/b] [b]I suspect you mean connecting in parallel, in which case the amp would see a load of 2.7ohms, which is probably below the minimum for your amp and would therefore not be a good thing.[/b] 6. Should i just admit the speaker and amp are incompatible and buy a 4 ohm speaker with enough wattage headroom [b]If you really want to get the max power out of your amp then yes, though 375W into a 212 cab should be pretty loud. I guess it depends on the venue but my after a certain size wouldn't you play via the PA as well? 600W on stage seems like an awful lot to me.[/b]

A USA friend of mine runs a part-time PA/sound engineer business and he bought one of those smallish covered trailers for all his gear. Something like this, though there are loads of sizes and variations: The advantage is that it doesn't mean running a big estate car/small van when you're only occasionally hauling loads of gear around plus it provides storage space between gigs. A disadvantge is finding somewhere secure to keep it. Anyone tempted by the idea should check their driving licence though. Towing trailers is pretty simple for us oldies who passed our driving test back in prehistoric times but since 1997 (I think) the rules changed a lot and I think specific tests are now required.

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1333657826' post='1605072'] Questions : who would normally pay the PayPal fees ? The buyer or the seller? Is it expected that the despatching seller pays the carriage insurance ? I assume if it's damaged in transit the seller should refund the buyer and then claim off the carrier for repair or replacement ? [/quote] There are no real 'rules' as such, everything is by negotiation but - as others have pointed out - the seller usually states a price that they want to receive, which seems a reasonable starting point. Also, the buyer may want to stipulate a certain courier and perhaps even the type of packaging, so it seems reasonable for them to pay the relevant costs. But the really important thing, I'd say, is good communication so that both parties are totally clear and fully understand their own responsibilities as part fo the deal.

[quote name='Hutton' timestamp='1333615699' post='1604159'] No wonder Alex Salmond is winning his independence argument! [/quote] Last I heard, Scottish independence is more popular in England than it is in Scotland . . . .