EBS_freak

[quote name='tonyf' timestamp='1386337536' post='2298962'] All the buds have come in this week so tonight's gig at my work's xmas party will be the first Second City Soul gig done completely with the IEMs. Quite excited! For me, Paul the guitarist, Dave the drummer and Brian the keyboard player, we've already had a couple of gigs under our belts with the erm IEM's attached to our belts. It's been such a step forward. I'm so excited for Fiddy and Jo as this will be the first show for them with IEMs. It'll probably take a little adjustment but I'm expecting the same jaw-drop smile that me and Paul had a couple of shows ago. Quite excited. Oh, did I say that already? lol [/quote] If you are a vocalist, it's the best. Defo. I hate singing without them now - the only thing that can catch you out as a vocalist is that because you hear yourself so loud in your ears, you tend to lay off the mic a bit... so especially on your lead singers, do a thorough soundcheck so they get used to singing on the mic and tailor the mix so they don't back off the mic... if you get what I mean.

[quote name='tonyf' timestamp='1386337237' post='2298953'] Hubba hubba #IEMperving [/quote] Ha ha. Addict.

[quote name='DaytonaRik' timestamp='1386333896' post='2298874'] Wow! But, if you're making a living out of the industry then it's worth every penny. [/quote] Of course, it all depends upon your situation - for example, I could do without an amp completely and put it straight through the PA. I don't need any monitoring on stage as it's in my ears. Given the cost of a decent bass amp, a couple of decent cabs, you could replace those with a wireless setup and a comprehensive inear monitoring solution. As I said to Tonyf, consider it as a Bergantino for your ears! [quote] I do have a pair of ultra-discreet AKG PP416 condensor mics that would do the ambient job nicely - just park them stage right/left angled in...job done! Nice idea - thanks! [/quote] Sounds perfect - just experiment with placement to see what you like best... being able to hear the crowd is always a nice thing to hear. One of the things I like about the ACS ambient pack solution is the return of my spacial awareness - like the fact that when I walk towards the guitarist's amp, it gets louder etc... I know that sounds like something you don't want as it means your mix isnt as consistent... but it's about getting the mix between the two just right so you've got your staple mix from the desk and a sprinkling of ambience on the top... so it sounds natural. I'm getting there... I think.

[quote name='mr zed' timestamp='1386328937' post='2298778'] Looks neat! [/quote] Quite impressed with their first release, it's a nicely made piece of kit and the software seems to be very well tuned. Now that I'm getting to grips with blending the ambient mix with my belt pack (I've tailored my radio pack mix slightly so it seems to work better with the output from the ambient pack) next thing to check out is the ALC on the ambient pack. I'm guessing that the software implementation here would have taken a lot of effort to get bang on.

[quote name='mr zed' timestamp='1386328864' post='2298776'] Thanks Russ, much appreciated. I bottled out of the MRI scan - didn't know I was claustrophobic. Horrible experience. So CT scan next. Looking forward to hearing your views on the ambient pack and it good that you're giving it such a good workout. [/quote] Conversely, I must be quite weird as I am quite cool with going in an MRI scanner(!) Hope you the CT is less traumatic for you. Yeah, I'm quite enjoying the ambient pack so far - I've actually got a night off and I'm going to a gig where I would normally be in the audience wearing ear plugs. I think my car will enjoy the break - according to it's trip computer, I've been in the car for 12hrs 40 minutes and done 647 miles in the last two days. Tonight, I am going to be in the audience wearing the world's most expensive earplugs! Swappable filters? Nah! I can do that on the fly!

[quote name='DaytonaRik' timestamp='1386331303' post='2298823'] I suspect it's out of my price range and that the ambient SM58's will be staying for a while [/quote] It's certainly a pretty penny and you'd probably want to be gigging a great deal to warrant it - especially when you add up the complete cost of the radio setup, the T1 lives/T2 lives and then the ambient pack on top of that. Retail on the ambient pack is £450. As for ambient with external mics, you'd probably notice a marked improvement if you considered using some condensors instead of dynamics such as the SM58... just keep them away from the drums!

Just to prove that it exists!

[quote name='mr zed' timestamp='1386265735' post='2298021'] Had a test myself not long ago. Investigations are progressing - CT scan booked for 19th Dec. [/quote] Best of luck with the scan! I remember mine - found out I had a vascular loop in my left ear. I remember saying to the specialist - well that doesn't look right!! Turns out that it's harmless but looks pretty cool on a scan. As for the ambient pack... Well, don't want to say too much until I've tested it in anger but yeah, it's certainly a pretty special piece of kit... I think that it's potentially a big game changer. I've done two gigs on it since I picked it up on Wednesday - pretty much gigging everyday in some capacity for the next two weeks in a variety of different places (corporate peak season what with Crimbo parties and the odd winter wedding) from pokey venues to huge venues so I shall be able to get a good feel for it by the end of it all. Of course, shall post my finding for you all as it may influence where you choose to go next.

Called in via ACS on the way down to a gig... did a gig on my ACS T1s with an ambient pack... but more on that later. [quote] I've an appointment to go back in a couple of weeks to pick them up and whilst I'm there, I'm having a hearing test. TBH, after almost 30 years of playing in bands, I'm not looking forward to the results. [/quote] I had a test not too long back - still better hearing than the majority of people my age... and thats with tinnitus (gained when I had a pretty horrific ear infection when I was 21) in my left ear!

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1386117067' post='2296170'] I was hoping someone might be able to send me this one without weighing out for the whole book ;-)) [/quote] You are aware that that is Stu's book...? So basically, you want to rip Stu off?

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1386094503' post='2295694'] As Wayne said, people generally don't criticise Barefaced on here much. Probably because of the aggressive responses they receive - as we see in this thread. "I waited five months, paid in full, and a month later couldn't even elicit an email from the company!" "Don't worry son, they'll turn up eventually. And when they do, they'll sound amazing. Did I mention they were lightweight? Oh, yes." "If you want a Michelin starred meal, you must be prepared to pay in advance and wait a month. Didn't you know that? Maybe you should have gone to McDonalds instead. Ho, ho. Lightweight. Light as a feather they are. I'll come back later and patronise you some more, OK?" "You should be grateful you're being allowed to buy them. I have my bass on my back, my Barefaced in one hand, and my walking stick in the other. Hey ho!" "What do you mean, the feet fall off? May your dick fall off and your balls shrivel up, you horrible piece of sh*t." "I have a SuperDuper 12 and I'm loving it. I go to bed with it and give it a good seeing-to every night. Have I posted a picture of it in my living room? I have? Several times? Oops." "What do you mean, you sent the money and haven't heard from them since. They're craftsmen, they are. And craftsmen should be allowed to craft and not be bothered with things like writing emails. Do you know that they are lightweight? Well, they are - so there!" "I waited patiently for five years for mine - and bloody hell, it was worth it!! You can knock a candle out at ten paces with these buggers. Pity I gave up playing in the time being, but my god, they're lightweight. Lightweight I tell you" "Sorry, I'm not having that. What do you mean UNPROFESSIONAL. I challenge you to a duel with pistols, sir. How DARE you!!" "My pal Alex was professional when I ordered my cab. So you are WRONG!" "Barefaced should put the prices up. I mean, £30 for carriage - that's too cheap. It should be £100." "I can't be doing with a cab that weighs 40kg. I mean, my back would give out if I just looked at one of those. Give me a B, give me an A, give me a, errrr..... what's after A?? Anyway, they're as light as a feather, and that's all that matters. End of." [/quote] Ah... there we go. (PS handles come off/f**k up too)

[quote name='DaytonaRik' timestamp='1386084354' post='2295496'] A really useful feature of this model is the front mounted 'Engineer Out' headphone socket which can be used to run a wired feed to a 2nd band member - usually the drummer. [/quote] Alot of them do nowadays - agreed very good feature. In other news... ACS have made an announcement that their ambient packs are available! Shall hopefully get one to review!

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1386087399' post='2295539'] Ah yes, but it mentions the word "Barefaced" in the thread title, so all the usual suspects pop in to make their usual comments and digs about BF cabs, BF owners and BF management. It is all getting rather tedious. [/quote] I don't believe that to be the case at all. The guys I would expect to have commented as the "usual suspects" are missing from the entire thread... unless they haven't chosen to speak up yet.

[quote name='DaytonaRik' timestamp='1386081204' post='2295434'] I never looked back and I still have the same DB2200 system, albeit with Shure earpieces as opposed to the original Sony buds.[/quote] What is a DB2200? EDIT: Found it!

Check these - [url="http://internetsiao.com/buffalo-rj45-ethernet-lan-cable-comes-with-unbreakable-lan-connector/"]http://internetsiao.com/buffalo-rj45-ethernet-lan-cable-comes-with-unbreakable-lan-connector/[/url] [url="http://www.westek.com/images/whats-new/Unbreakable%20L%20Plug.pdf"]http://www.westek.com/images/whats-new/Unbreakable%20L%20Plug.pdf[/url] I think if the actual clip is prone to breaking, you need to start looking at mechanisms that protect that from happening...

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1386074652' post='2295278'] I agree that in an ideal world EtherCON is definitely the way forward. However Line6 in their wisdom don't appear to have implemented on their foot controllers (although they do on the latest versions of the Variax guitars?) [/quote] Maybe it's their long term goal to get there in the end then! I'm guessing it would take a lot of rework on the tooling front and PCB design for existing products. Next gen probably the thing on the cards... [quote] I had a look at the feasibility of replacing the standard RJ45 socket on the Shortboard with an EtherCON one. However even after removing all 10 screws on the base it still doesn't come apart. And I'm very reluctant to take either my Bass Pods apart. If I was going to get this done it would have to go to a VERY reputable tech who would guarantee the work. There's no point in eliminating one point of unreliability only to replace it with another. Do you know anyone you would trust with this kind of a job? [/quote] The only guy that I can think of who is both amp tech and electronics tech savvie to that kinda scale is Dick Straker - through GB Guitars. I certainly wouldn't be trusting your average amp tech to something as small and fragile as this kinda stuff. [quote] Finally I've used a booted cable in the past. I don't recall it lasting any longer than the non-booted version. [/quote] Yup. I think it's well and truely the case that Line6 have chosen perhaps not the best cable connection mechanism in the world here :/

Just a thought - I presume you have tried using RJ45s with a plastic boot over the end. That should protect the little plastic clip from breaking off. The ethercon connector negates the use of that plastic clip - it's actually held down by the connector itself. The mechanism is provided by socket which locks onto the male "jack" when it connects.

The industry standard for a hard wearing RJ45 connector is the Ethercon. I use them on my digital desks and they hold up perfectly. Thing is, you are probably looking at a modification to your line 6 gear in order for them to have an Ethercon socket installed. Looking at the back of the bass pod rack unit, it looks like you have enough space to drill out a circle to install an ethercon - you'd need to probably but flying leads on the socket though - I'm guessing that the connector is soldered directly to a PCB inside. As for the floorboard, I'm not sure - I haven't found a pic of the back of one to comment. I remember gigging in a band with somebody who had a flextone. Thought that the use of a RJ45 connector was a bad idea way back then. A parallel port connector or something would have been so much better... and certainly, with Line6 products now, it should be a given that they are all installed with ethercon connectors. Clearly not though :-/

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1385899027' post='2293257'] ... cos I don't understand how this works. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Midnight-Rider-The-Essential-Collection/dp/B00BQEHUUW/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&sr=1-1&keywords=midnight+rider Buy the MP3 download for £5.49. Or buy the actual CD for £3.00 and they give you the MP3 download. [/quote] It's actually quite a smart move... Means they get twice the record sales hence pushes them up the chart listings... ;-p

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1385769086' post='2292146'] Are you sure, as they all look as if they were photographed identically orientated( that's cos they're from the Far East-boom boom), with the same lighting and backdrop...? [/quote] No... But just because they have been photographed in the same manner doesn't explain why the supporting text is so poor.

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1385734651' post='2291661'] I looked through the Basses under £500 section for the relative weights of the different instruments. Some had the weights, others hadn't. Why? Surely if you had them all in to photograph, it takes seconds to hang them on a luggage scale and weigh them all? [/quote] Because they are commenting on basses they haven't even seen and presenting information ripped from the vendors websites.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1385486640' post='2288862'] My Ibby disagrees [/quote] Black and gold looks awesome -

Blame accepted. And it sounds like you are keeping LD in business! Is Fiddy taking the leap too? You'll notice that the backline volumes will really drop - it'll almost become a competition to see who can be quietest! As I've suggested, the backline will be neither here nor there to you if what you are hearing in your ears is spot on. The biggest thing you'll notice is that your back will thank you not for carrying a load of wedges... Sleeves? You see, you are already on the path to spending more money... OK try this on for size... £120 for ACS moulded tips... or £190 for a UM reshell....? (Also take into account you'll be adding on the cost of ear impressions for both of those options unless you can wangle a freebie...)

[quote name='2004gdavi' timestamp='1385717742' post='2291385'] Perhaps some encouragement needed. Playing bass is great but only two magazines available. When I was in Smithys I counted 15 titles for getting a tattoo! Mind you sloppy mistakes in the tattoo parlour, now there's something to think about. [/quote] There has been plenty of encouragement on here alone for the magazine. I think it's beyond help.