pantherairsoft Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 This week was a good week. A Barefaced Big Twin T arrived. This is a beast of a cab and I've made the move from a very very lovely EBS Neo212 to this in order to expand the low end in my stage sound. Moving from the EBS cab has been hard - It's the nicest sounding cab I'd ever used and for all 'general' bass duties I honestly think it's the best that money can buy! Things have changed in my musical life now though and I find myself needing something very unconventional cab-wise. I play live Drum & Bass, Dubstep & Electronica. You could consider me more of a synth player than a bass player in many ways, although everything comes from my Roscoe (No keys & no computer). I find the sounds I need to exploit are well amplified low sub and less of an emphasis on the 'full range' cab sound. I do, however need tweeter highs for my top end swell stuff. Usually I DI into a club PA and its fine, but more and more bars are doinf this kind of music and these gigs are more regular than clubs - many of these venues do not have great PA's and so supporting my own sound has become important. I have been investigating moving to PA cabs - A sub & a bottom - but have been totally put off by the weight this entails. My mission was to find a speaker system that can amplify 40-50hz to the same volumes as the mid range without it becoming a muddy rumble. Something that pretty much no bass cabs do well. Then, a few weeks ago at the Surrey bass bash I saw mcgraham play though a Barefaced Big Twin in the jam room. he gently played a low B with his thumb and I felt sick in my stomach with the amount of bass shaking my insides! So - A Big Twin T was ordered, its a 2x12 cab, plus a midrange driver (with 2 volume presets) and a tweeter as well as a huge amount of porting for some serious air movement. The bottom of the two 12 inch speakers is low pass filtered, so that it constantly runs low and doesn't 'waste' power trying to reproduce a full range of sound - much like a scaled down PA sub. Yes folks, this is a bass cab designed to go as low as (and be usable musically) at 21hz!!! The results... My god it's huge! Running the same EQ settings I usually do and at out usual rehearsal/stage volumes the cab sounds (to my ears) at least 25-30% louder and the bottom end was literally making my feet vibrate whilst still being clear. I was running my EBS HD350 at around 4 on the volume to reach the kind of live volumes I use! More interestingly still, this cab has proven my EBS HD350 to be the ideal amp for what I do. The 'mid' EQ on the HD350 has a selectable frequency. This goes very high, and as low as 50hz. This is done as there is a notch filter option so you can use it to filter out untidy artefacts of 50hz which most cabs can't reproduce - the Big Twin however can! By selecting the 50hz frequency and boosting the 'Mid' instead of the the bass, there it is - huge, earth moving, pure, clean 40-50hz sub. I tried this same thing (boosting the 50hz) with the EBS Neo 212 cab but it couldn't articulate the frequency so I assumed it was included purely for the notch filter (there was more bass, but undefined). HD350 + Barefaced = Drum & Bass dreams!!! The cab has a lot less in the top end than the EBS did (what cabs don't!), with the tweeter on 75% and the mid driver on 'high' I have reproduced the same highs I used to get from the EBS cab with the tweeter on 30%, however I think it just sounds quieter in the top end due to the gale force sub-wind coming through those ports!! This is one killer cab. I'll get more pics next time I'm at the studio, just a quick picture taken on my iPhone upon arrival... I've done one rehearsal and both me and my partner in music agree - this is sounding like a massively positive move. I'll do a little more in depth review work when I have a few more rehearsals underway, and I have a gig to play with this on the 16th so watch this space. Shep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Hey Shep! Great review! Think I'm gonna need to hear one of these myself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 [quote name='dood' timestamp='1317847892' post='1395483'] Hey Shep! Great review! Think I'm gonna need to hear one of these myself! [/quote] I have had a play without my effects setup - bass to amp, with a 'regular' EQ and I can confirm it does kick some serious ass with regards to regular bass sounds - Similar to an 8x10 but with more low end (to my ears). But the fact that it can reproduce such low frequencies so well is a winner with me (although something that most bassists wouldn't want! ) while still producing the high fizz needed for my sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOSCOWBASS Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 WOW, I'd like to hear one of these, the Midget t and Compact are very good, so I can imagine what that's going to sound like! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salt on your Bass? Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Ah man, I miss the sound of new cabs, particularly barefefaced! Sounds killer, I hope to play one........some day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Woah this sounds like it could kill the Super Twelve T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 It's a different kettl of fish to the Super 12 T. It goes much deeper. It is obviously not as articulate in other ways though. The cab is ideally suited to my needs though. It performs like a sub and a PA top in on box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkstrike Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 That cab sounds amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burno70 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I'd love to hear that in the flesh - sounds awesome - and I bet your also stoked at the weight? Hurry up and do a tour up north so we can check it (and your band) out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 It does sound immense, I had a good long play on one at the SE Bass Bash. I can only imagine how this will sound in a couple of months time after the drivers have gotten some running time under their belts.... Shep is right, totally different beast from the Super Twelve T, different goal all over, another great sounding cab from Alex! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Im taking credit for this one Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share Posted October 6, 2011 I'll give you that Si. I heard Si's set up with him doing stuff not too dissimilar to what I do and it was the reason I investigated the Barefaced option! Right move. [quote name='burno70' timestamp='1317856299' post='1395607']I'd love to hear that in the flesh - sounds awesome - and I bet your also stoked at the weight? Hurry up and do a tour up north so we can check it (and your band) out![/quote] The weight is pretty much the same as the EBS can, which is remarkable due to it being about 40-50% taller. Weight has become more of an issue being we're a 2-piece (let's not mention the weight in the pedalboard though!!!). Watch this space for tour dates etc. We're working on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Very nice. Good review (or should I say bad review as I now want one!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share Posted October 6, 2011 Awesome. Ironically I intended my post to be a 'look at my new toy' kind of post - unfortunately I rambled on so much it became a review. I'll do a full review after it's annihilated the Nottingham Playhouse on the the 16th! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 You need to get a gig down here so I can hear you live mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.i.stein Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 nice one Shep. cab envy. i love my compact/midget-t set-up, but for dub etc., that sounds like the one ! a Genz-Benz amp should be your next move.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted October 7, 2011 Author Share Posted October 7, 2011 [quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1317940978' post='1396622'] You need to get a gig down here so I can hear you live mate [/quote] One day - it's an expensive journey and I have zero contacts amongst drum & bass/Dubstep promoters down there. Tough finding a gig that far away without taking a huge hit to play the show. [quote name='phil.i.stein' timestamp='1317945336' post='1396663'] nice one Shep. cab envy. i love my compact/midget-t set-up, but for dub etc., that sounds like the one ! a Genz-Benz amp should be your next move.. [/quote] A Genz Shuttle 9 was next on my list. The initial maths said that the cab Would give me a clear 3db boost in the subs with my HD350, but If I can feed it with 900-1000w then I'll get 10db more sub. Fact is though, 3db is a hell of a lot when it's clear at 40hz and being able to reproduce the boost at 50hz upto 12db without the amp seeming to struggle at all, I think I'm sticking with the HD350. The bright control on the amp is great for tweaking what comes out the tweeter on stage as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 Having been (and still am) incredibly impressed with my Compact & Midget set-up, I`d like to hear one of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citymariner Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 [quote name='pantherairsoft' timestamp='1317923780' post='1396385'] Awesome. Ironically I intended my post to be a 'look at my new toy' kind of post - unfortunately I rambled on so much it became a review. I'll do a full review after it's annihilated the Nottingham Playhouse on the the 16th! [/quote] It built up a grand suspense to a grand looking cab! Just a (possibly naive) thought, how would you mic a cab like this? Would you need three mics and three different mics for the different types of driver? CM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted October 7, 2011 Author Share Posted October 7, 2011 [quote name='citymariner' timestamp='1318020927' post='1397468'] It built up a grand suspense to a grand looking cab! Just a (possibly naive) thought, how would you mic a cab like this? Would you need three mics and three different mics for the different types of driver? CM[/quote] That would certainly be where I'd start - though obviously phase becomes an issue. For recording I used to use 3 mics on my EBS212 - 2 different mics on a speaker and one on the tweeter. Takes some real care to get them exactly right but worth the effort. I'd suggest 4 mics on this cab if I can get the engineer to go that far (one on the low passed 12, one on the full range 12, one on the mid driver & one on the tweeter) then blend the 4 sounds. Given the overall phase of the cab I'd also be interested in trying just a room mic and a DI blend... As for live... I'll let the venue engineer figure that out. I assume most will Just DI and let the cab do it's thing. Pic from the rehearsal room tonight - [IMG]http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h44/pantherairsoft/Amp%20Cab%20Pedals/24ae5f40.jpg[/IMG] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 (edited) [quote name='citymariner' timestamp='1318020927' post='1397468'] It built up a grand suspense to a grand looking cab! Just a (possibly naive) thought, how would you mic a cab like this? Would you need three mics and three different mics for the different types of driver? CM [/quote] You could (and Shep would I think) mic each driver individually. To be completist he would been to mic the port too. Or, if you wanted to capture some grind from a simpler more rock and roll type sound, you could take a DI for the lows and highs (using a nice crossover VST at mix down to cut the mids out completely), mic the full range twelve for grind and cut the top and bottom off it at mix down so as to fit the two tracks of bass together really seamlessly. Or you could room mic the amp (assuming you're in a great sounding room and you want a really live feel to the bass) and mix it with a DI, or close mic, or DI and close mic. As soon as you have multiple sources you need to really concentrate on trying to get the phase right, especially if any of those sources are bouncing to a single track. If you keep all the sources seperate and mix them at mixdown there are various free vsts (phasebug, bootsy's prefix etc) that allow you to sort out phase issues at that point. Edited October 7, 2011 by 51m0n Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citymariner Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Thanks both of you for your response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 95% sure the point of the multiway BF cabs is they are true to the input, thus sound the same as DIing to a decent PA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted October 8, 2011 Author Share Posted October 8, 2011 Not wrong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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