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AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...

#181
DukeLeJeune said:
So my wife comes into the living room while I'm switching back and forth between the cabs, and wants to know why the cab with the smaller woofer has deeper bass. So I launch into a quick overview of T/S parameters. She listens very patiently and then neatly sums it up for me:

"So what you're trying to tell me is, size doesn't matter."

Baby, I've been tryin' to tell you that for the past eleven years!
Click to expand...

Having met your wife, I'm finding the coffee stains on my keyboard exceptionally difficult to clean up...;)
 
#182
DukeLeJeune said:
Thanks guys for helping out with the microphone placement question and the small amp question! I'm embarrassingly under-qualified to respond to either.

LeonD's first-of-its-kind TC115-8 will be shipping out on Tuesday, to coordinate with his schedule. I've enjoyed having it here a few extra days - usually it's build it test it pack it ship it.

The TC115-8 uses the stock Kappalite 3015 (non-LF) woofer, which has good efficiency and good extension up into the midrange but trades off the monster low-end of its LF sibling, though the non-LF is pretty tight with two of the ports plugged. Alongside that cab in my living room right now is a little TC112-8, which uses the Kappalite 3012LF. Well in this case the smaller cab has deeper bass, inevitably trading off efficiency to get there. Okay that's the background.

So my wife comes into the living room while I'm switching back and forth between the cabs, and wants to know why the cab with the smaller woofer has deeper bass. So I launch into a quick overview of T/S parameters. She listens very patiently and then neatly sums it up for me:

"So what you're trying to tell me is, size doesn't matter."

Baby, I've been tryin' to tell you that for the past eleven years!
Click to expand...

Too funny, Duke! :)

Q: How do you audition your cabs? With recorded bass tracks?
 
#183
Mark Sacchetti said:
LOl!!
Click to expand...

Passinwind said:
Having met your wife, I'm finding the coffee stains on my keyboard exceptionally difficult to clean up...;)
Click to expand...

Jazzdogg said:
Too funny, Duke! :)
Click to expand...

Thanks! Yeah, I thought her quick summation there was too good not to pass along.

KJung said:
Hey Duke! I forgot that you are now using the HO in your 15. That is a wonderful, beautiful sounding driver. I LOVE that driver... plenty usable bass, and midrange, thank god, midrange that sounds beautiful (i.e., that upper bass and mid mid presence that slots a bass so nicely in a mix, and kind of vibes the 'post mastering' tone that is desired and achieved on so many great recordings). Combine that with your crossover, that is going to be killer. And, the 8ohm HO should be about the same sensitivity as your original 4ohm OEM LF. Cool!
Click to expand...

Thank you very much, Ken!

The LF version has been getting all the love, making all the other 15's "green" with envy, but if you don't need that massive bottom end then there are some things the non-LF version does better. In particular, I like what its upper-mid bumpage sounds like on bass guitar, and I actually use a trick in my crossover to emphasize that bumpage by a few more dB. That would be with the switch in the "grindy" position. And then with the switch in the "smoothy" position, that upper-mid region is filtered back into the hi-fi camp.

Now that I have in mind a target curve for a deliberately "voiced" bass cab, I've gone through the published data of available woofers looking for likely candidates. And it just so happens they all come from one manufacturer: Eminence. How 'bout that.

Jazzdogg said:
Q: How do you audition your cabs? With recorded bass tracks?
Click to expand...

I use a bunch of different recordings, including some direct-feed, controls "flat", unprocessed bass tracks of Ironjaw (Jeff Hedback) on his P-bass. Of course this still doesn't replicate the demands on excursion of a live electric bass, but I figure that if I start out with Kappalite-class woofers to begin with, I'm already addressing the excursion issue as much as I reasonable can.

During the R&D phase I also compare with other bass cabs and one or two home audio speakers, and often end up making a tweak here or there. I want my Thunderchild series bass cabs to be all-arounders in "smooth" mode. If anyone ever compares to similarly-priced home audio speakers, I want him or her to be pleasantly surprised.

About a week ago I had a pair of 8-ohm TC112s on hand, and so I spent most of a day playing swamp blues recordings through them while I worked on a couple of other cabs. Not really bass test material, but I've heard the artist (the late great Coco Robicheaux) live more times than I can count, and imo it worked. I think I could transplant the guts of the TC112-8 into larger veneered boxes and charge 2.5 grand a pair and get away with it.
 
#185
KJung said:
Hey Duke! I forgot that you are now using the HO in your 15. That is a wonderful, beautiful sounding driver. I LOVE that driver... plenty usable bass, and midrange, thank god, midrange that sounds beautiful (i.e., that upper bass and mid mid presence that slots a bass so nicely in a mix, and kind of vibes the 'post mastering' tone that is desired and achieved on so many great recordings). Combine that with your crossover, that is going to be killer. And, the 8ohm HO should be about the same sensitivity as your original 4ohm OEM LF. Cool!
Click to expand...

Not to confuse the passersby, the HO versions come in the 12" driver (& IIRC 10" driver), the more efficient 15" in the neo Eminence Kappalite drivers is the 3015 as opposed to the 3015LF. Not sure why Eminence's model nomenclatures aren't a bit more consistent, but it is what it is.
 
#186
I finally got to test out the TC112 in a rehearsal situation - four piece band, average volume with loud drummer, tasteful guitarist and keys through the P.A.

Surprisingly, no one noticed the difference from the TC115 that I had been using and when I pointed it out they were in awe of the sound coming from that little cabinet.

Load in is twice as easy and packing the car is easier than ever. The TC112 sits in the front seat which leaves much more room in the back seat for other stuff. This was the perfect solution for smaller get togethers - and obviously it'll do way more than I've asked of it thus far.

I'll still play the TC115 with the 8 piece band in loud venues, but the TC112 has been as advertised - an amazing cabinet that far exceeds expectations of a cab that size.
 
#187
Duke your new Tc112 v2 8 ohm rocks!
Pete Skjold and my good friend Ruben came in for the weekend. We played a few Skjold's through Duke's TC 112 and a Hathor 1544 using Jule's Monique , a DeM Tardis and a Dove Cage. All I can say is wow! What a great combo of gear! Your cabs are amazing! Ruben loved the Tc112 so much he had to buy it after playing it all weekend.

We made a video of Pete and Ruben playing through the rigs. So stay tuned for the video clips.

Thanks Duke for your kindness and building these great lightweight cabs!
 
#189
Just wanted to check in and say how much I'm loving the portability and tone of my cabs. I have a Hathor 1544 and a TC112af.

I'm looking forward to what Duke is going to come up with next.

By the way got to play thru the TC 112 v2 8 ohm and it's a killer cab. My friend Ruben has it and loves it. He just took delivery of a TC 115 v2 with the new horn Duke's using. I'm eagerly awaiting his review after this weekend gigs.
 
#190
I've recently been playing with a lot of effects. Especially "shimmer" reverb, delay, and chorus. It's a bit one-dimensional and muffled through the rig at the practice space.

Through the TC112, though, it is absolutely stellar-sounding. I get lost making soundscapes and textures for hours!
 
#192
coyoteboy said:
Hm. If thread denizens dont mind, is there anyone whos used a TC112 with the Mesa Walkabout? I know this is the BG side, but by application would be DB.
Click to expand...

My buddy koobie has that amp/cab combination, you might try PM'ing him. My EUB sounded very good through the WA/TC112AF, we didn't try an AUB though.
 
#193
Mark Sacchetti said:
Just wanted to check in and say how much I'm loving the portability and tone of my cabs. I have a Hathor 1544 and a TC112af.

I'm looking forward to what Duke is going to come up with next.

By the way got to play thru the TC 112 v2 8 ohm and it's a killer cab. My friend Ruben has it and loves it. He just took delivery of a TC 115 v2 with the new horn Duke's using. I'm eagerly awaiting his review after this weekend gigs.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much, Mark! And thanks for introducing me to Ruben, very glad my little cabs are working for you guys.

IntrepidCellist said:
I've recently been playing with a lot of effects. Especially "shimmer" reverb, delay, and chorus. It's a bit one-dimensional and muffled through the rig at the practice space.

Through the TC112, though, it is absolutely stellar-sounding. I get lost making soundscapes and textures for hours!
Click to expand...

Thank you very much, my intrepid friend! Your TC112 was among the very first batch I made, glad to hear that you can take it with you when you journey off into new worlds!

Passinwind, thanks for replying to coyoteboy's question, it was well outside of my range.

On another subject, about a year or so ago I was all set to do a Thunderchild 118 cab, and then chickened out at the last minute. It just seemed to me that there was too much prejudice against 118 cabs, and that it would be a tough uphill battle. Some of you were disappointed that I abandoned the project.

Well, the TC118 is back in the pipeline. Maybe we can bust a few myths about 18's being inarticulate.
 
#195
Just realized I hadn't had a chance to gig the Hathor yet and I've had it for four months. Several real life things have conspired to keep us from gigging but we have at least 2 coming up and one tonight. Its been killing in rehearsal and tonight is a bar gig with no bass reinforcement, not that I'll need it.
 
#196
Shipping a TC118 in Okume today. 31 x 24 x 14 and about 52#.
We were worried that the mids might be a bit reticent. They're not. It goes LOUD and sounds great.

(note to mods)

I'm not building Thunderchild's anymore---this was a one-off. So I really don't have any commercial interests--any future orders--all the dough goes to Duke!.
 
#197
Duke still enjoying the TC15AF the 4 ohm. I know you have been making many of the 8 ohm type cabs yet you still have the older 4 ohms on your site. Looking forward to seeing some of your newer designs and specs. Or is it Freudian and you can't get away of your love for the older designs:)
 
#198
DukeLeJeune said:
Thanks! Yeah, I thought her quick summation there was too good not to pass along.



Thank you very much, Ken!

The LF version has been getting all the love, making all the other 15's "green" with envy, but if you don't need that massive bottom end then there are some things the non-LF version does better. In particular, I like what its upper-mid bumpage sounds like on bass guitar, and I actually use a trick in my crossover to emphasize that bumpage by a few more dB. That would be with the switch in the "grindy" position. And then with the switch in the "smoothy" position, that upper-mid region is filtered back into the hi-fi camp.

Now that I have in mind a target curve for a deliberately "voiced" bass cab, I've gone through the published data of available woofers looking for likely candidates. And it just so happens they all come from one manufacturer: Eminence. How 'bout that.



I use a bunch of different recordings, including some direct-feed, controls "flat", unprocessed bass tracks of Ironjaw (Jeff Hedback) on his P-bass. Of course this still doesn't replicate the demands on excursion of a live electric bass, but I figure that if I start out with Kappalite-class woofers to begin with, I'm already addressing the excursion issue as much as I reasonable can.

During the R&D phase I also compare with other bass cabs and one or two home audio speakers, and often end up making a tweak here or there. I want my Thunderchild series bass cabs to be all-arounders in "smooth" mode. If anyone ever compares to similarly-priced home audio speakers, I want him or her to be pleasantly surprised.

About a week ago I had a pair of 8-ohm TC112s on hand, and so I spent most of a day playing swamp blues recordings through them while I worked on a couple of other cabs. Not really bass test material, but I've heard the artist (the late great Coco Robicheaux) live more times than I can count, and imo it worked. I think I could transplant the guts of the TC112-8 into larger veneered boxes and charge 2.5 grand a pair and get away with it.
Click to expand...

ill be playing some CDs through my 112AF tomorrow on my gig in between sets. bet it will sound good.
 
#200
coyoteboy said:
It may have been mentioned previously, but has the 4ohm TC112 been updated along with the intro of the 8ohm? Thanks!
Click to expand...

The 4-ohm version now uses the same "baby butt cheeks" horn as the new 8-ohm version. The advantage is better vertical dispersion, so that you can hear the overtones better from up close on a tight stage.

Bassist30 said:
Duke still enjoying the TC15AF the 4 ohm. I know you have been making many of the 8 ohm type cabs yet you still have the older 4 ohms on your site. Looking forward to seeing some of your newer designs and specs. Or is it Freudian and you can't get away of your love for the older designs:)
Click to expand...

Yeah, the website needs updating, my bad. I have one or two other new designs in the pipeline as well, so at some point there will be a major updating to the website.

Mike Arnopol said:
Shipping a TC118 in Okume today. 31 x 24 x 14 and about 52#.
We were worried that the mids might be a bit reticent. They're not. It goes LOUD and sounds great.

(note to mods)

I'm not building Thunderchild's anymore---this was a one-off. So I really don't have any commercial interests--any future orders--all the dough goes to Duke!.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting, Mike. I was a bit hesitant to volunteer what your role was in the revival of the TC118, as it can come across as just a bit too self-serving for me to say that my competitor told me this cab is great and I need to put it into production, but it was that phone call from you yesterday that made all the difference.

Thanks, man.

And thank you too Christw, for without you, that first TC118 probably never would have been built.
 

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