Never heard that before. Never even heard of that band. But man, did I enjoy that.
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amp without controls to just be everything you want
- Thread starter Rumbledore
- Start date
Never heard that before. Never even heard of that band. But man, did I enjoy that.
I think I have the amp that you´re looking for it also comes with a bridge in San Francisco let me know if you´re interested
Honestly the only really viable way to have a computer solve these problems is to use machine learning. Feed an AI tons of data on what a wide selection of people consider to be good sounding bass tone, then let the machine try and choose the settings, for a show, get feedback on the settings, and iterate.
However when it was attempted to teach a computer to create Bob Ross paintings this was the result:
Now try and imagine that, only coming out of your speakers.
However when it was attempted to teach a computer to create Bob Ross paintings this was the result:
Now try and imagine that, only coming out of your speakers.
OMG! The song that consistently gets rated The Most Scratchable Record and is arguably the worst song ever recorded. Even worse than Donovan’s cringeworthy Atlantis that was spoofed in the Spinal Tap movie with the song Stonehenge.
And here I thought we had completely expunged the memory of Zager & Evans and their works from human history.
Must have missed a copy of that record somewhere.
You could have something there. What I particularly like is the that each venue is different, and what sounds good to me on stage may not actually sound good. Let me know when you invent one!
Al Kraft
Supporting Member
- May 2, 2016
- 10,771
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- Mesa Boogie beta product tester and player support
Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way, but dialing in my gear for the venue, the band, the style of music, etc. is part of "playing music" and being an artist for me. Everything from my fingers and playing positions and techniques to my instrument, effects, heads and how I set what comes out of the speakers are my tools to create my sound. If it was somehow practical/possible to have an amp that would by mental telepathy shape itself to what I want in any given situation, to me it would diminish my role as a musician in creating my optimum sound for that day/event.
It will only exist in your dreams. I dream of a world where people don't want to solve all of their bass woes with a Rumble 200. That will never happen either.
So a combo amp hooked up to an RTA at the soundboard that automatically compensates and adjusts bass EQ on the fly to fit it into the room?
Doable, with existing technology.
Easier if you’re using a DI straight to the board.
You want your “listening device”, that which monitors the sound, at the soundboard, not on stage.
Then, do you want your bass sound to be a flat responce, and the EQ adjusts to the room to preserve that flat responce, or do you want a specific curve, and the EQ adjusts to preserve that curve?
Would the bass be the only instrument regulated this way?
Also, does the “listening device & EQ adjuster” know to factor in dynamics? Or what if you use effects that might alter your frequency responce intentionally, as in an envelope filter or octave pedal?
Things to think about.
Doable, with existing technology.
Easier if you’re using a DI straight to the board.
You want your “listening device”, that which monitors the sound, at the soundboard, not on stage.
Then, do you want your bass sound to be a flat responce, and the EQ adjusts to the room to preserve that flat responce, or do you want a specific curve, and the EQ adjusts to preserve that curve?
Would the bass be the only instrument regulated this way?
Also, does the “listening device & EQ adjuster” know to factor in dynamics? Or what if you use effects that might alter your frequency responce intentionally, as in an envelope filter or octave pedal?
Things to think about.
for a minute there I thought you were going to say the perfect amp would just have one button, and I would have figured you to be an Apple employee ;-)
Al Kraft
Supporting Member
- May 2, 2016
- 10,771
- 40,450
- Disclosures
- Mesa Boogie beta product tester and player support
Great episode by the way! I think this is more like "they took the fun out of our jobs". It's a poor example, but I would simply say that sitting at the keyboard of a player piano is not exactly the same as playing the piano, even though the audience may not know the difference.
I'm all for progress and not the least bit threatened by technology. At some point in the last 40+ years I had a hand in much the super high tech stuff you know about today - maybe even more stuff if you work for DoD. However, there are things/technologies that enhance our ability as an artist and other things that at best substitute for lack of talent or ability. An amp that thinks for itself falls in the latter category for me. YMMV - especially if you use cruise control versus managing speed for yourself.
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When I ran 3 rehearsal rooms one was pretty big about 900 sq feet and we were having some trouble getting enough gain before feedback despite having plenty of speakers and amps. So I rented an RTA, hired an engineer and we spent 5 hours shooting noise and playing with the speaker positions and the 32 band graphic eq. We did get a few more db of gain but EVERY BAND that came in that week begged me to put it back to "how it was before."
RTA's have been supplanted and replaced by FFT analyzers like Smaart7 that actually compare what goes in electrically vs. what goes out acoustically. With them we can now model the coverage pattern and phase coherence of multi cabinet SR systems. That processing and the modern line array are a big reason why you can now understand what the singers are singing in sports arena concerts.
Yeah, it all starts innocently enough, having a computer set your amp for optimal sound, then the next thing you know it'll be telling you what songs to play, then what clothes to wear, and before you know it, world domination!
Some amps are equipped with bypasses for EQ and graphic EQ, some are simpler like Hartke LH serie.
It is easy to bypass the entire EQ with just a wire and some solder, but it requires some electronic skills and the schematic.
Keep in mind that an amp is an entire architecture and often they are designed with some filters that can affect sound but are mostly "protection" like High pass filter for sub bass, low pass filter for noise... etc etc.
It is easy to bypass the entire EQ with just a wire and some solder, but it requires some electronic skills and the schematic.
Keep in mind that an amp is an entire architecture and often they are designed with some filters that can affect sound but are mostly "protection" like High pass filter for sub bass, low pass filter for noise... etc etc.
Somehow I was thinking of something like this from another thread where musicians all turn their amps up to "10" to get their sound. Manufacturers could save money by eliminating the volume controls. Subtle changes could be made by simply swapping the 12AX7's with U7 or T7's, or to wow your buddies at the big party, pulling one of the output tubes. Or if you're a real badass renegade, put a low emission 5U4 in the rectifier socket.
