stevie

I'm not surprised you're confused.

For a 12" speaker to produce 137dB, it would have to be able to handle 5,000 watts and have an xmax of 12 inches. Just sayin' 😃

I think I need to do some research on this. I loved the DS61 but also like the idea of using the midi keyboard with plugins. We have a Roland A-49, which seems to have a good reputation and has midi and USB sockets. Computer-wise, we have the choice of a (fast) Windows laptop, an iPhone or a fairly recent Samsung Galaxy tablet (Android). I've also got a small USB mixer that could be pressed into service. Amplification isn't a problem. The big question is the software. I had a listen to VB3m and it sounds amazing. My impression is that a fully-featured DAW could be a bit overwhelming for live work and that something simple (with high quality plugins) would suffice. My lad is doing A level music and can probably get hold of software through the school.

No iPad, I'm afraid not. iPhones only.

I'm afraid the Stevie household is Microsoft-based. 😊

This one keeps coming up. I think you'll find, @Downunderwonder that the attenuator is just that - an L-pad attenuator as found in most bass cabs with a tweeter. A lot of people seem to believe it's more complicated than it is. An L-pad by definition changes the crossover point, which is why nobody but bass cab manufacturers - and 1960s Japanese hi-fi speaker manufacturers - use them.

I've used their rehearsal studios a few times. I think a visit is on the cards.

Software suggestions, Woody? And is latency a problem?

My rule of thumb is to match the amp output with the AES power rating of the speaker. That usually gives a good match in my experience and should be relatively safe as long as you're careful. Many of the popular 500W amps produce about 300W at 8 ohms, which makes a 300W speaker a good match. The driver manufacturers test their products to AES standard and publish the results, but some bass cab manufacturers use their own figures, which can be much higher. Look for an AES rating, sometimes stated as rms. Anything else is likely to be 'music power', or twice the AES rating. Having said that, there's a lot more to it than power ratings. Ideally, you want your amplification to be cruising. So if in doubt, use speakers with a much higher power handling spec than the amp you're using - if you can.

I suggested that to him. He's already got a Roland 61-key midi keyboard. I thought he could hook that up to a laptop to get his sounds, but he didn't seem all that keen. Could that be a way to go, I wonder?

It hadn't occurred to me to try a shop, but Absolute Music isn't a million miles away. So that's a good option. I checked out some YouTube videos on the DS61 and it looks ideal. Unfortunately, it's a bit outside the budget at the moment, and used ones are hardly any cheaper than new. I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Good advice, thanks all. The keyboard's for my son, who is Grade 7 piano but has never played a synth. So I really think he'll want something that he can get usable sounds from without too much messing. I wondered what was happening with the prices. A used DS doesn't seem to be much cheaper than a new one. I also found the used Juno D £250 D on Ebay. I'll keep looking now that I have a shortlist.

£100 sounds good. The Roland DS loooks ideal but it more expensive. Thanks for the tip about the buttons.

Thanks - I'll take a look. I know absolutely nothing about portable keyboards.

Some good, usable sounds including piano without the need to programme is the idea. I'll check the Rolands out.

What's a decent and cheap piano/keyboard that's band-capable? Preferably used and not requiring a degree in electronics. Thanks!

They're both fine components. You could spend a lot more and do a lot worse.

I've never been a great fan of plastic speaker cabinets. They've always had a certain sound signature - like they're playing in a bucket. I'm aware that the technology has improved somewhat recently but I'm not impressed by the fact that the top-of-the-range RCFs still need a wooden side-to-side brace to keep them quiet. We did a direct comparison recently of the Basschat MkIII DIY cab with one of the 12" active plastic boxes mentioned above (no names, but there was a Q on the front of the box), and the difference in the quality of the bass at volume was marked. On the other hand, the midrange of the active cab was excellent with voice - which is what you'd expect from a PA cab. The other thing is that the drivers in these cabs are nowhere near what you find in a Barefaced or Vandkerkley unless you're prepared to spend well over a grand. And even with the superb top-of-the-range RCFS, you're spending your money unnecessarily on large-diameter compression drivers - which are great for voice but total overkill for bass guitar. Apologies to anyone using these as their backline. Even though I'm a huge fan of full range, flat response bass cabs, I'm sticking with cabs specifically designed for bass guitar, thank you.

That's a shame. His reviews are outstanding.

These have a very good reputation on the German-speaking musicians' forums. They look well made and offer the widest choice of cabinet options I've seen anywhere.

It's easy to become confused when trying to compare speaker power handling - and the manufacturers don't do much to help. Allow me to clarify. The Eminence Eminence Beta 10 that Bill says is used in the Orange cab is rated by Eminence at 250W. That's the thermal power handling of the coil. Barefaced also rates their 10" driver at 250W. So there's no difference there. The 40W Bill mentions is the calculated power handling of the driver in a cabinet based on its xmax. The published xmax of the Beta 10 is 3mm. If we accept the Barefaced 7.5mm figure, the equivalent power handling of the Barefaced driver would be 100W. I'd be very wary of treating xmax as a reliable yardstick unless you have more detailed information than just a single figure. A bit like car fuel consumption.

During a previous discussion about flats on here some years ago, there was mention of Status flatwould strings, which are sold direct and are half the price of the usual brands. I've used TI flats before, but the price is a bit eye-watering nowadays. So I thought I might try the Status ones. Any recent experience?

A 4-ohm speaker load is only useful when your amplification is struggling for power. Your amp has plenty of power on tap - so go with an 8-ohm driver.

I don't really have a lot to add to what Phil said. I'm not a big fan of doubling up on cabs. I appreciate that people like a "wall of sound" behind them, but it tends to emphasise the low end at the expense of everything else. I would definitely advise against doubling up on the tweeter in the BCIII system, however, as two widely spaced tweeters is a sure-fire recipe for comb filtering and won't add anything useful. As Phil said, this is a really loud system. I can't see many situations where a second would be needed. Also, the compression driver configuration means that you don't need to raise the cabinet off the ground to hear it. The full range of the bass reaches your ears standing from about 1 metre in front of the cab. It's nice to see another one of these coming together.