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AudioKinesis Cabs Part VI...

#5,281
I'm sorta looking for a similar sound as the OP. I just got a TC-115 V1 Composite, being shipped as we speak, and I will be using a Mesa D800 with it.
I had a TC-112 V1 for a while so I'm familiar with the tone of the TC cabs. I'm hoping to fatten it up with a Diamond Compressor.
The Tecamp IMHO, is a very clear and clean amp. Not super warm and to me has a slight brittleness to the attack of the note. The Mesa D 800 is far warmer and smoother to my ears. YMMV.
 
#5,282
adam montminy said:
I'm gonna be a real jerk and throw out an idea that just occurred to me, although I'm sure Duke must have already thought about this. What about a Hathor with a kill switch instead of the mid and treble switches? It could be like a full range woofer in the down position and full grindy mids in the up position. Or would the result be more is less what's already going on with the current switches?
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If you have some foam and some tape and some time, you might try covering the mids and stuffing the openings in the mid-chamber, simulating "mid drivers off". I'm hoping that what's left (woofer solo) will be in the ballpark. I'm thinking mid switch down as well, to smooth out the top end of the woofer.

If this works, that means we can probably get there by retrofitting a midrange killswitch. It would have to be in the right place in the circuit in order to not cause problems.
 
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#5,285
back to the puma, instead of just taking my word for it, i went back into my little area and did some quick experimenting with a tecamp bonafide and hathor 1203.

used a 6-string with flats tuned down a step, passive controls, tone rolled all the way off (also tried all the way up).

i pulled the high boost on the hathor, forgot to do the mids, though (rushing around a little).

i always have the tecamp taste pretty high on the dark side. i usually have the highs/high mids set flat or a little cut. low and low kids always a little bumped.

for this i bumped the lows/low mids. didn't quite get the sound i think we're looking for.

got out my old boss eq-20. bumped the lows, left the mids flat and cut the highs. much closer to my ears. better with the tone rolloff than with the tone wide open.

again, not scientific, down and dirty.
 
#5,286
DukeLeJeune said:
If you have some foam and some tape and some time, you might try covering the mids and stuffing the openings in the mid-chamber, simulating "mid drivers off". I'm hoping that what's left (woofer solo) will be in the ballpark. I'm thinking mid switch down as well, to smooth out the top end of the woofer.

If this works, that means we can probably get there by retrofitting a midrange killswitch. It would have to be in the right place in the circuit in order to not cause problems.
Click to expand...
Thanks Duke, I'll try that but I'm not really too attached to the kill switch idea. It was just a random thought. I think you were right on the money about trying a woofer-only cab like a Bassic. I think I'll try that eventually when funds permit.
 
#5,288
alaskaleftybass said:
Who makes the Bassic cab? Duke?
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The Bassic cabs are Greenboy designs: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

adam montminy said:
Thanks Duke, I'll try that but I'm not really too attached to the kill switch idea. It was just a random thought. I think you were right on the money about trying a woofer-only cab like a Bassic. I think I'll try that eventually when funds permit.
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Well unless I can do something that's in some way a worthwhile improvement over the Bassic, you might as well just get a Bassic! That being said, between now and "eventually", I'll try to come up with something.
 
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#5,291
adam montminy said:
Wow, that's awesome, Duke! I didn't expect that at all but I would be more than interested to see what you come up with!
Click to expand...

What I'm thinking is, Birdhaus 48 but in a bigger box (for a warmer low end), and with a top-end rolloff switch. This would give really good dispersion for whatever mids are left over when the top-end rolloff switch is engaged. The key would be getting the top-end rolloff switch right... the voicing you have described is something I don't have a good understanding of yet.
 
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#5,292
Interesting discussion on the neosoul tone. I have a t112 and hathor, and the hathor is definitely more colored, more mid forward by design and a little grindy by default. The TC112 allows you to shut off the tweeter and is extremely transparent. It can get whatever tone you throw into it and you can smooth it out a alot. However, since these cabs are so transparent, there is learning curve of how to configure your amp to work with these cabs, since most cabs color the tone SO much. I didn't even realize how much until I got the tc112 cab.
 
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#5,293
engedi1 said:
Interesting discussion on the neosoul tone. I have a t112 and hathor, and the hathor is definitely more colored, more mid forward by design and a little grindy by default. The TC112 allows you to shut off the tweeter and is extremely transparent. It can get whatever tone you throw into it and you can smooth it out a alot. However, since these cabs are so transparent, there is learning curve of how to configure your amp to work with these cabs, since most cabs color the tone SO much. I didn't even realize how much until I got the tc112 cab.
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Thanks for that great description. The neo-soul tone is something that is really big here in my neck of the woods and it's really one of my favorite bass sounds. I find that a very large portion of the music that I am listening to (and my fellow players) have very similar bass tones. It's true that some tones are great for recording but not great live, but I find that with a groovy neo-soul type of band where everyone is familiar with the recordings and the vibe, that smooth, mellow, round bass tone is amazing and completely necessary for the music. For me, it's what gives that style its whole vibe. It's deep but never boomy, fat and round, with super smooth mids (and pretty scooped in the right place), and just a hint of treble.
 
#5,294
adam montminy said:
Thanks for that great description. The neo-soul tone is something that is really big here in my neck of the woods and it's really one of my favorite bass sounds. I find that a very large portion of the music that I am listening to (and my fellow players) have very similar bass tones. It's true that some tones are great for recording but not great live, but I find that with a groovy neo-soul type of band where everyone is familiar with the recordings and the vibe, that smooth, mellow, round bass tone is amazing and completely necessary for the music. For me, it's what gives that style its whole vibe. It's deep but never boomy, fat and round, with super smooth mids (and pretty scooped in the right place), and just a hint of treble.[/QUOTE

It is one of my favorite bass tones as well. I think compression has a HUGE amount to do with it, especially on the records. I use heavy compression on R&B and soul type stuff to smooth out the tone. To my ears it fattens up the low end considerably and keeps the low end of the tone from decaying as quickly, therefor it makes it seem like there are less highs and mids when there really aren't-its just that the compression will keep the lows in the mix longer so to speak. I have found the secret sauce for my tone, both recorded and live is my Darkglass VU, and my Empress compressor. The darkglass is a super musical 4 band eq. I use it to dial out upper mids and highs and boost low mids and lows and then the compressor adds the polish and smooth factor. I have been doing some sessions with an artist that wants a neosoul vibe to his music and he wants a tone similar to what you are describing, except I am using rounds for sustain and little more bite. I don't pretend to be an expert by any means at neosoul, but I promise that the tones you are liking on the records you mention are crafted with careful compression and equing, most likely in post production and probably taking the bass direct the board. I have yet to do a session where I get to mic a cab, everyone always wants the bass direct, but I am sure engineers will love the AK if they will give this a shot lol.
Click to expand...
 
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#5,295
There's most definitely a whole lot of compression on the recordings and I think it works well live too. And you're absolutely right about going direct to the board in the studio. I used to use the EBS multi comp with my old rig but I haven't used one in a long time. I think some styles work better without comp and some styles are better with it. Maybe I'll pick up another comp pedal sometime. About the Microtubes, I never bothered trying one because I thought people just used them for distortion. You can get fat clean tones too? Are you using it into a power amp or into a bass amp?
 
#5,297
I have owned 2 versions of the Bassic. One by Don Oatman of LDS and the other was the Greenboy design.
The LDS was in a bigger box and had a much fuller low end. The Faital 15PR400 is very honky and ganky in the mids.
The Bassic had no real low end compared to the LDS version and because of the that, the mids stuck out even more.
Dukes TC-112 is a much sweeter sounding cab with much better lows. The Greenboy Bassic was a real disappointment.
I went through 2-3 heads trying to tame the mids. Sold both versions of the cab. Go to US Speaker and look at the graphs
of the Faital.
 
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#5,299
Type-55 said:
I have owned 2 versions of the Bassic. One by Don Oatman of LDS and the other was the Greenboy design.
The LDS was in a bigger box and had a much fuller low end. The Faital 15PR400 is very honky and ganky in the mids.
The Bassic had no real low end compared to the LDS version and because of the that, the mids stuck out even more.
Dukes TC-112 is a much sweeter sounding cab with much better lows. The Greenboy Bassic was a real disappointment.
I went through 2-3 heads trying to tame the mids. Sold both versions of the cab. Go to US Speaker and look at the graphs
of the Faital.
Click to expand...
Wow, I'm really surprised to hear that about the Bassic. It sounds like I wouldn't have liked it. Thanks for the input.
 
#5,300
Just chiming in to say that I too love the neo soul sound, though I must admit to not having much of an idea of how to get it as I haven't really tried. I have a TC112 v.1 with a shuttle 9 which I find to be quite smooth, but perhaps not quite enough "presence" to really nail that tone. I'd add a big +1 to the tally of folks interested in getting that voicing out of one of Duke's cabs :)
 
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