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Was perusing this morning and came across an article on reverb. Now I'm all about using any kind of effects on my bass, but here's a rule that I never break: If the natural sound of the room you're in creates a reverb, then don't use reverb as an add on. If you have to add reverb that is stronger than the natural sound of the room, it has become an effect. If it has become an effect, leaving it on all the time defeats the purpose of the reverb in the first place. If your guitar/vocal is soaked in massive amounts of reverb, don't bitch to me when you can't hear yourself in the mix. Reverb as an effect will push an instrument back in the mix. If you can't hear your instrument, start by turning off the reverb. As you can see, I have a love/hate relationship with reverb. I prefer my mixes to be reverb-free, and let the room create the special imaging. Hint: if your venue is a gymnasium or a concrete walled basement, skip the reverb and the mix becomes lots easier/better. A dry mix is a good mix. If you have to "fix it in the mix", you're already well on your way to a crappy mix. If I, as a bassist, add reverb to my bass tone, it only works in a very sparse mix that is playing as "solo" as the tune requires. (Read: less is more. I ONLY use reverb on my bass when I'm the only instrument playing. Example: a breakdown where it's just bass and drums, or just my bass. Guitars come in, the reverb is removed from my bass.) Not sure why I'm ranting already this morning, but there it is. I'm sure many will disagree with me, and I'm also sure those same people can't figure out why they have a problem mix. Reverb=headache. A drier mix is a happier mix. Discuss? Not quite done with this one, but had to set it aside for a few while I ponder my next move. I had wanted to set this up as a piccolo bass, but the shorter scale length is making finding strings, shall we say, entertaining? Playing games with this one, a total experiment in sound. It's either gonna be awesome or a really expensive turd. Woods used: Walnut top and back; Sapelle core; Flame maple spacers; Birdseye Maple neck-thru; Still gotta find the right fretboard. I'm thinking fretless, maybe a wenge board if I can find the right piece, otherwise maple. I've got a thing for maple fretboards. Yup. I'm a devious little fucker, ain't I? Been awhile since I've updated this, so let's catch up a bit. The current herd, L-R 2011 Fender MIA 60th Anniversary Precision; 2004 Ibanez BTB405QM; 2011 Dillion 5204 Heavily Modified, AKA The ThunderPea. The Opium fretless is done!! Maple neck-thru, Bocote fretless fingerboard with white fret lines, African mahogany body wings, EMG active MM pickup. As I struggle to make sense of the year that has passed, one thing keeps ticking away at me. As a people we have become so concerned about political correctness that we have lost what it means to be individual. Take a second before the clock ticks down, and feel. Don't try to make reason of any of your thoughts, other than to be sure of your true feelings. Don't focus on why, just feel. If we all take a second and breathe before our mouths open, if we all look at the person next to us and try to picture the world through their eyes, then maybe for just a second this year we can all see eye to eye, without the silly fucking fear of offending each other. I've said it before many times, so many that my tongue dries in it's socket. If my words offend you enough to make you think, to make you look at things just a slight angle away from the norm, then maybe for once we can all see things without the veil of correctness and make a damn difference. Instead of bitching and moaning that my words don't agree with the rated fucking G, watered down version of ourselves that we feed each other every day, why not throw all caution to the wind and speak our minds. Reach out to someone in a worse spot in life than ourselves. Take a second and help someone without expecting something back. The one thing I've taken away from the recent Duckshit is that we as a society analyze everything we see each day, looking for any little thing that offends, so we can pluck it out. And as we pick away at these dirty scabs, we inch by inch lose what it means to be truly alive. To take so much time focusing on the negative, that we tick away days and months from the calendar with the most important thing we discuss being whether or not the whole world turns around someone we will never even meet. Come on, people. Surprise me this year. Step away from the selfish, violent beasts we have become for just one minute, and accept the differences and one of a kind joys that each person has to offer, so we can be one big happy mutt of a world, living together like one big ball of peace. Or something like that. Happy New Year everyone. The Opium fretless is almost done. Waiting on a battery box to arrive. Kinda dropped the ball on that one. Tonight I audition with a new band. After the fiasco with my last band, I've been extremely careful in choosing my next project. I'm currently working on an acoustic rock EP of my own music, but I need a paying gig to keep me out playing (and a few bucks won't make me bitch, either!!) Tonight, though, I'll be auditioning with a classic/modern rock band very similar to my last band. Several of the same songs, which will give me an edge at the audition. During those tunes I'll be able to relax a bit and let my playing shine. The best part? No amps. Yup, everyone in the band runs direct to the board at rehearsals. I hope that translates to live gigs, too. With the hearing damage I suffered with my last band, I now prefer to leave my amp at home and let the PA do its job. Here's my "gig bag" for tonight. It's the case that came with my Roland CD burner. It's the perfect size for everything I need to take to the audition. Apogee Jam, One-Spot power supply, Behringer DI (I never turn it on, just used as a DI box),IEMs, and cables all fit perfectly. The only other stuff I gotta take is my bass, my Gruv Gear Duostrap, and my mic stand. Let's rock!! |