Posts by Michael_dk

  • Bought a new tube amp. Regretted it instantly.

    Quote from RosboneMako

    NOTE: I dont play loud. That extra high freq may be a good thing at volume. I will have to do some profiles some day. I have heard people say a TubeScreamer and the DSL are all you need for metal. Maybe they are playing really loud.

    Yeah, that's something I've heard as well - that there is some bad high frequency stuff going on until the amp is turned up loud.

    Thanks, I was curious, since I have a DSL 20 HR (I think) - that came out some years back, that is supposedly better than the earlier versions. I never turn it on though (in fairness, my Kemper doesn't get turned on a lot either; life with small kids and an old house :-))

  • Bought a new tube amp. Regretted it instantly.

    Quote from RosboneMako

    Hmmm. I have a DSL40C and I am not a fan of it. I put in a good Eminence and it got better, but it has this ridiculous high frequency that I cant get rid of. Its built into the power amp section or something, using effects loop makes no difference. It is always there. I always run it with treb and pres full off and its still too much.

    The irony is I cant even hear highs anymore and its still too much for me :pinch:


    The good part is the DSL is so bad, it prompted me to get my Kemper.

    Is this the new or the old DSL40? (sorry, can't remember when the new ones were release, so I'm not very specific here)

  • Manual DOES NOT explain how to manage & turn on & off effects; how to copy and paste favorite effects into a new rig ..etc

    I dunno...


    I must admit I opened up the manual to slam the OP with "look at page xx, it's right there". But I decided against that, because I definitely agree with the manual not being very accessible on this point.

    Yes, you can dig out the information, but not very well described in my opinion, and definitely not well structured. Sorry to say. It's almost 400 pages, it would make sense (for me at least) to have a more structured overall explanation. I understand the frustration.


    As I remember it, it was much more accessible when I got my profiler back in the day (OS version 3.x, can't remember when that was).


    My two cents.

  • Liquid Identifier

    Quote from Wheresthedug

    You can see which Tone stack has been used but that doesn’t necessarily mean a true liquid profile has been created. You can retrofit any tone stack to any existing profile but that isn’t the same as making a liquid profile where the volume and tone knobs are matched to the amp being profiled.

    Ah, in that sense. I get it.

  • How do you eliminate string squeak on Bass guitar?

    Quote from lbieber

    There are two general electric bass setup approaches. One is very low action which requires softer string plucking and that results in less sustain. The other is higher action which allows for harder plucks and more sustain. These two scenarios are also kind of dictating how the amp/compression is setup. I am in the low action camp and like a hotter amp as a result. To get a smooth bass sound, I want less of a transient when plucking, more sustain from the amp/compression. This creates a smoother bass tone. I let the amp do the work not the string. My opinion is that most bass players in general hit the strings too hard and the result is not as pleasing. This is my opinion regarding fingestyle plucking.


    Slapping is very different situation than what I am discussing. Also, many players just prefer a more aggressive right hand approach. Bass strings have always 'told' me to pluck lightly.

    What kind of music do youplay I wonder?


    And what is your experience re. effect on the clackiness of the two approaches you mention?

  • How do you eliminate string squeak on Bass guitar?

    Quote from BayouTexan

    If that's okay then I won't complain. :) I thought that sound on the slides was not desirable. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    Yeah, I agree with GearJocke here. There may be a bit of squeak, but nothing egregious. To me, it just sounds like a bass :) there is a certain sound to bass that you don't hear much with guitars. This is present both during picking/plucking, hammer-ons and slides. I think it's what is called "clack" or "clackiness". It can help bass be more audible (sort of like the attack). Sometimes you want more, sometimes you want less.


    My two cents based on the sound bites above - from when I listened to it earlier (please chime in, anybody who disagree!):

    • Your bass signal (or rather, the "notes") seems a bit weak to me. It could be that you pluck or pick the strings a bit too softly. You shouldn't go overboard, but what my untrained ears hear/interpret is a very restrained pluck or pick, where the notes are not singing.. Since you especially notice the clack on slides (or are especially annoyed by it here), I think that may support my theory :)
    • Adding compression to the bass can enhance the clackiness - the more you can compensate by playing technique (even, singing notes), the less compression you need. And what compression you add will work WITH the part of the signal that you want to strengthen rather than work against it.
    • I think the tone of the guitars or the FX has a frequency clash with the clack of the bass, which makes the issue worse. And in that sense I agree that something should be changed. I think working on your bass technique as mentioned above (also my earlier point about more even picking/plucking) would help, but I also think that the guitar tone/FX should change a bit. A different bass tone with a bit less clack might also be part of the equation, but since you like the tone as it is, start with the technique and the guitar tone.



    Take all of the above with a grain of salt, knowing that I'm not really a bass player (like you I play bass on my recordings, but that's it).

  • How do you eliminate string squeak on Bass guitar?

    Can you upload one without the deesser (but including the compression)?

    Maybe also a sample without compression altogether. I suspect that you could get a long way with practicing more even playing and thus get away with less compression.


    I don't hear as much of what I would call "finger squeaking" as expected from your description.

  • How do you eliminate string squeak on Bass guitar?

    Quote from BayouTexan

    The depth of the low end drops too much for me as you go to higher strings. The note on E will be deep and sustained then the same note on A will be less deep and less sustain. I can keep the sustain across strings the same using a compressor, but the difference between string tone to me is like the sizes of the strings are too far apart from each other. That's the best I can explain it.

    Based on my limited experience, I think this is just the name of the game with bass instruments. The two basses I've had both had the same going for them.

    If that is the case, it's a matter of adapting playing style and expression to this. Happy to hear from more experienced bassist on this subject.

  • How do you eliminate string squeak on Bass guitar?

    If it's mostly an issue on the DI, I would first try to find or tweak a profile to get the mids from the profile rather than the DI.

    Well, maybe second, after working on the technique :)


    Is it an issue when all the tracks are playing? Sometimes we zoom in on what we think is bad because we've listened too much in solo...

  • ToneX vs Kemper Player

    Quote from Edward Dixon

    1. Kemper has 110 FX and the ToneX has 4 . Kemper has 27.5 times the FX for a price difference of $300. That alone seems enough to justify the cost difference. Plus, upgrades paid and free will be coming for the Player, idk about the ToneX.

    Note that the Player doesn't have this amount of FX - far less than its big brothers, in fact.

    Just a word of caution :)