Posts by Gary_W

  • Active Monitors

    As for the quietness of the monitors. I am also very fussy when it comes to hiss and noise.


    These DO have a tiny amount of hiss when no music is playing; most of this is pre-amp noise from having my interface cranked up. If I turn my interface to zero output, there is still a very small amount of hiss. If I put my head within 15cm of the speaker, I can hear it. If I don't do this I cannot :) So in my listening position (I'm close, around 80cm away from both cones) they are silent according to my ears. But someone OCD who puts there head right next to a monitor would comment on the hiss and they would be right. It's just that, real world, it's not loud enough to be heard from your listening position when there is no music on. You 100% cannot hear it if anything (even at low volumes) is actually playing.


    As for their performance in this regard vs the other monitors.... I've seen on-line comments praising the quietness of the Neumanns but again I haven't a/b tested against the others on your list so I cannot say for sure if they are better or worse in that regard.


    As to his moving around the room..... If he's moving around the room when he's playing then no near-field monitors are going to make him happy :) They will (by design) have a fairly narrow sweet spot and that is not very far away! In my (treated) room, they sound amazing 'where I sit'. If I move back 30cm they start to go off in terms of the stereo image.


    But frankly if he's used to listening to music whilst moving around then stereo image might be forgiven in that case? If not, he really needs to just look at stereo speakers and an amp for a hifi which will be a bit more forgiving of his movement habits but of course won't be so good for mixing.

  • Active Monitors

    Hi,


    I have the Neumanns. I am 100% blown away by them. Tiny little things but pack a serious punch! Great for mixing, great for general music listening and they work great with the Kemper.


    Two things that I can't help with though:-


    1. My room is very small and treated with lots of home-made acoustic panels.


    2. I have not tried any of the others you've listed so I can't categorically say that my monitor is better than any other :)


    Having said that, if he's sitting as close to them as you're supposed to with nearfields then size shouldn't really matter too much should it? After all, the large room will give the advantage of less standing waves / reflections / other crap that spoils your day :)

  • Looking for a Tokai Les Paul/SG/ES MIJ Lefthand (Germany or EU)

    Hi Against It,


    Have you tried the Tokai dealer in the UK if you want to stay within the EU? http://www.tokai-guitars.co.uk/


    As for Chinese guitars.....


    Once upon a time, you could indeed pretty much guarantee that a Chinese guitar would be terrible. Now those days are gone. Yes, there is still some poor quality coming out from there but it's not universal.


    I have a Burny Les Paul which is made in China and the build quality / fit / finish are better than you would expect at the price point. And I've heard good things about the Chinese Tokais too.

  • Playing at home at low volumes: studio monitors or loudspeaker?

    Hello Flod,


    Welcome to the forum :)


    A studio monitor is also known as a 'near field monitor'..... Typically, these sound best when you're near them.


    Loudspeakers designed to go with a stereo are meant to project a bit further so aren't ideal if you're sat close.


    As you'll need near field monitors anyway, just buy one decent near field and then you're half way to mixing in the future. You'll have to accept that the sound will change depending on your room position but that (to an extent) will be the case with ANY amplification system because what you hear is a combination of the direct sound and the reflected sound....


    On this last point, pop over to the Sound on Sound forums and look at all the info on home-made sound treatment. Basically, 4 inch acoustic grade Rockwool plus some wood and cloth will cheer up ANY speakers you end up getting for very little money and ensure you can crank it a bit louder without the room taking off :)

  • Which features would you like to be added next?

    Quote from Armin

    removed the new added features in OS 2.3.x
    -EQ pre/post
    -additional room effect


    Thanks for the clean-up Armin :)


    One thought..... isn't it the case that CK has stated that the Kemper as an interface can't happen and that 48KHz SPDIF isn't going to happen?


    I know a lot of people want them but, if it's already been stated that it's not going to happen, it makes the poll less accurate and maybe it would make sense to remove them? Just a thought. I'll put on my flame proof suit now :whistling:


    I also wonder if playing the rigs direct from USB is important to quite so many people now rig manager is here? I'm sure it's still important for some but for me I've changed my vote on that as Rig Manager means I'm not worried about that any more. I'm probably not alone :)

  • Ngd :)

    Yes, I'm a lucky man on both counts! Gorgeous guitar and wife :)


    27 years now. I didn't play guitar until years after we met and, whilst there is only one of her, there are 12 guitars now. Whoops!


    I think that part of our long-lasting success is that she knows where I am! If I'm not working or doing something with the kids, I'll be hitting the wrong note at the wrong time in my man-cave :)

  • The upcoming foot controller vs the FCB1010

    Thanks for the replies, folks.


    So collating this we have most complaints about '3 cables vs 1 cable' and then we have comments on the quality of the exp pedals and the hope that the 'official' pedal will be programable per rig. Also midi being used elsewhere in the system so a network cable would be better.


    Interesting that the Behringer may soon be 1 cable.... Wonder how that works??

  • Ngd :)

    Thanks :)


    This one really 'feels right' and the vintage style pickups are perfect in my book. They would be too tame for many but I can't do the speedy playing widdly diddly stuff!


    As my fingers are so slow, I need the beauty of a decent pickup as each note hangs around for a long time..... It's my argument for buying a decent guitar - with my playing you get to hear each note because it takes a while for me to play the next one. I think that's why I'm obsessive about harmonic content and the overall tone and am in love with the Kemper and guitars that shine through it :)

  • The upcoming foot controller vs the FCB1010

    Hello all,


    I know this is impossible to answer 100% until it's out but here goes anyway.....


    The 1010 seems to be well loved. For about £120 new (or cheaper used) you get the uno chip and the ability to talk to the Kemper with 2 expression pedals. Reliable, big, available, cheap. Upgradable as the Kemper grows (the uno chap seems very responsive to changes as shown by the recent tap tempo beat scanner developments)


    With the upcoming 'official' board, there are 2 proposed sizes. Neither has an expression pedal. So, to get the same functionality as the Behringer you'd need to spend far more than £100 to get two reasonable expression pedals AND you've got to buy the floorboard from Kemper which no-one is expecting to be at Behringer pricing.


    So what is the big advantage going to be to justify the extra expense? At one time I wondered 'looper memory in the floor board' which would indeed be a good reason to go with this. And I daresay it would connect via a single network cable as opposed to a pair of MIDI cables but that's really not a big deal is it?


    I'm getting to the position of needing foot control (on a live holiday at present but likely to play out again soon). I'm trying to figure out what is *wrong* with the Behringer to make so many people so keen on a more expensive future ;). I have one expression pedal that works fine with the Kemper but obviously if I wait for the official board it's still one more exp plus the board.....


    Thanks


    Gary

  • Ngd :)

    Hello all,


    My wife made me do it. This came home with me on Valentine's day


    [Blocked Image: http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/Gary_W_/IMG_1280_zps0856a7aa.jpg]


    It's a PRS Stripped '58.


    I love the looks but, due to mineral streaks not being to everyone's taste then some may feel different :) it either looks suitably vintage or imperfect depending on your viewpoint ;).


    Sound-wise, it's fabulous. Rings beautifully and it comes through the Kemper - It's got the 57/08 pickups (the ones that are wound on the thigh of the woman who drove Robert Johnson to the crossroads. Or that's the story I heard anyway). Whatever they've done, they sound great..... Low output and the Kemper loves them.


    There was a film in the UK a few years back called 'Shirley Valentine'. Due to the mineral streaks, the voicing and the day I got the guitar she's now called Dirty Shirley. And I spent some time tonight getting to know her through Andy's new Dirty Shirley profile.


    Anyway, very happy with it so thought I'd post :thumbup:

  • Redwire Impulses .... worth buying ?

    I have the Redwirez bundle. It was what I used before I got the Kemper...... Basically, home made dummy load gave me a line out from my real amp. Redwirez on the PC gave me a virtual cab.


    IMO they're great but I have never bothered using them since I got the Kemper..... Dial and go for me.


    If you want to play, he has a free Marshall cab on his site with all the mics so you can try that and see how you like it :)

  • A few AC30 Profiles

    Thank you for these - they are great. I'll crank a few of your other profiles tomorrow night too - got to love Rig Exchange as you can now instantly and easily see everything that a user like yourself has done and check out the rest of the fine work :)

  • Searching to find the good Profiles...

    On top of that, your mood on a particular day will alter what you perceive to be 'good'.


    With food, I love traditional favourites, French, Italian, Spanish, Indian, Far East etc. If I'm in the mood for a curry, Chinese just won't do despite my love of both.


    With films, some nights I want an intense drama. Some nights I want a comedy.


    With listening to music, I love *something* out of pretty much any style you could mention so my perception of a 'good sound' really depends on what I'm trying to achieve!


    I recently bought an Epiphone Casino which is really, really nice. Neck pickup stuck me as being really muffled at first. Then I picked up my Tele and thought 'man, this sounds thin.....'. Casino neck sounded right when I picked that up again :)