Best Wireless Bass rig

[SuperK]

Shure recommends keeping the GLX receiver as far away from any WiFi devices as possible. That includes cell phones. Keep your phone away from you and turn off WiFi if possible. Also, turn on the GLX receiver AFTER turning on all other WiFi devices. It will look for an open channel and it helps if everything else is turned on.

 

[Aidil]

Tried out the Shure GLX-16 last night. Set up during sound check and it was making crackling sounds all through the check. I ended up going back to wire for this gig.

I use a digital mixer, and a router for my laptop, which I use to mix the band. Since in am running the sound from the stage, the mixer is close to me and I have to assume that the router could be the cause of the problem.

I'll be trying out the PRA Wic on the next gig. I'll keep you all posted.

Did you try another Channels/Group on the GLX-D when experiencing the crackling sounds?

 

[walterw]

Tried out the Shure GLX-16 last night. Set up during sound check and it was making crackling sounds all through the check. I ended up going back to wire for this gig.

I use a digital mixer, and a router for my laptop, which I use to mix the band. Since in am running the sound from the stage, the mixer is close to me and I have to assume that the router could be the cause of the problem.

check that the thing is synced up properly and make sure it has adequate DC power (like 200mA or more).

my last band the guitar player used one with tablets and routers and wifi everywhere (including light controllers that would sometimes mess up my line 6) and his GLX-D16 was bulletproof for the hundreds of gigs we did, most of which involved us running around the back of the club and up stairs and out into the street while playing.

it's possible you have an actual defective unit, or maybe even a bad cable.

 

[Dp1363]

check that the thing is synced up properly and make sure it has adequate DC power (like 200mA or more).

my last band the guitar player used one with tablets and routers and wifi everywhere (including light controllers that would sometimes mess up my line 6) and his GLX-D16 was bulletproof for the hundreds of gigs we did, most of which involved us running around the back of the club and up stairs and out into the street while playing.

it's possible you have an actual defective unit, or maybe even a bad cable.

I tested it thoroughly at home before the gig and it worked fine. It wasn't until I got to the gig that the noise started to happen. My cables are all good. The power cord is what came with the GLXD-16. Syncing was fine.

 

[Dp1363]

Did you try another Channels/Group on the GLX-D when experiencing the crackling sounds?

Unfortunately no as I ran out of time to adjust manually. I thought it was supposed to automatically change channels within the group setting.

 

[Dp1363]

Did you try another Channels/Group on the GLX-D when experiencing the crackling sounds?

No because the other groups are subject to much greater latency.

 

[Dp1363]

My digital mixer's router was close by and my lead singers wireless unit was also close by. But I assumed I would get drop outs, not crackling noise. No drop outs. Just the noise.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Tim, Ken, and I all use the Line6 G50.

Riis

 

[Dp1363]

Shure recommends keeping the GLX receiver as far away from any WiFi devices as possible. That includes cell phones. Keep your phone away from you and turn off WiFi if possible. Also, turn on the GLX receiver AFTER turning on all other WiFi devices. It will look for an open channel and it helps if everything else is turned on.

I read that about turning on the GLXD last. I turned it off and on several times hoping it would clear up. But it kept producing intermittent crackling. Strange it wasnt a constant crackling noise it would sound clear for a second then the noise would kick in.

 

[Dp1363]

Contact the guys at PRA. They are very helpful. If you're experiencing noise, then they may need to increase the gain in your unit. There is a write up on a violin forum where they worked with an artist and tweaked the settings for him. That was one of the reasons why I selected them.

Reach out to their support.

I spoke to Paul directly. Apparently they don't roll off the high end like most wireless systems, which makes for great tone but way more noise level.

I run the bass boost and treble boost on my Mesa D800+. The Treble boost does cause more noise but I want that clarity on my tone. The Shure unit I tried did not have any noise but the tone wasnt quite as good. I also do have the gain on my amp higher than normal. But I should still not be getting that noise level.

The noise level on the ELF version was unusable. PRA said they have tweaked the Standard version and it works for bass just fine, and should have a low noise floor. I'll be trying out the Standard version this week.

I saw a video on YouTube of a guitar player and you could hear a lot of white noise coming through his amp as well.

So far the customer service from PRA has been great, and they are working with me to find a solution to the noise issue.

 

[Dp1363]

I read that about turning on the GLXD last. I turned it off and on several times hoping it would clear up. But it kept producing intermittent crackling. Strange it wasnt a constant crackling noise it would sound clear for a second then the noise would kick in.

I wanted to report back, I tested the Shure GLXD-16 again on a gig tonight. This time I had the unit scan the open channels after turning on the Wifi, and moving my singers wireless mic receiver to the other side of the stage.

The result was that the GLXD-16 worked flawlessly. No crackling or dropouts! It was a blast to use and the tuner was big plus! I have to admit it was fun being wireless. Got to go or on the dance floor and mix it up with the crowd. And no tangled cords!

I will be using it on tomorrow's gig at an outdoor venue.

 

[Dp1363]

I spoke to Paul directly. Apparently they don't roll off the high end like most wireless systems, which makes for great tone but way more noise level.

I run the bass boost and treble boost on my Mesa D800+. The Treble boost does cause more noise but I want that clarity on my tone. The Shure unit I tried did not have any noise but the tone wasnt quite as good. I also do have the gain on my amp higher than normal. But I should still not be getting that noise level.

The noise level on the ELF version was unusable. PRA said they have tweaked the Standard version and it works for bass just fine, and should have a low noise floor. I'll be trying out the Standard version this week.

I saw a video on YouTube of a guitar player and you could hear a lot of white noise coming through his amp as well.

So far the customer service from PRA has been great, and they are working with me to find a solution to the noise issue.

So...I got the standard version from PRA but it suffered from the same high noise floor as the ELF version. Shame, because the PRA had the best bass tone of any wireless I tried, but the noise floor makes it unusable for my rig.

I'm also bummed because it was the most elegant solution of any of the wireless units I tried. Lightweight, and the clip was very simple to use. The Shure unit I am testing has a very annoying clip to deal with.

 

[Rocksolid]

So...I got the standard version from PRA but it suffered from the same high noise floor as the ELF version. Shame, because the PRA had the best bass tone of any wireless I tried, but the noise floor makes it unusable for my rig.

I'm also bummed because it was the most elegant solution of any of the wireless units I tried. Lightweight, and the clip was very simple to use. The Shure unit I am testing has a very annoying clip to deal with.

That's such a shame to hear. I really was considering getting a PRA WiC ELF to use on my battery powered board. Disappointing.

 

[SuperK]

I wanted to report back, I tested the Shure GLXD-16 again on a gig tonight. This time I had the unit scan the open channels after turning on the Wifi, and moving my singers wireless mic receiver to the other side of the stage.

The result was that the GLXD-16 worked flawlessly. No crackling or dropouts! It was a blast to use and the tuner was big plus! I have to admit it was fun being wireless. Got to go or on the dance floor and mix it up with the crowd. And no tangled cords!

I will be using it on tomorrow's gig at an outdoor venue.

Glad everything worked out! It really is a solid unit. I like the tuner so much I sold by TC Polytune and just use the Shure tuner. It's solid and has nice big letters! I also like that the transmitter pack is rechargeable. I hate having to deal with batteries. It always seems that I can't find any when I need them most.

Enjoy the wireless freedom!

 

[mapleglo]

I have the Audio Technica system 10.

I've had it for a few months, and it's been great. Have to change batteries every gig though.

 

[Aidil]

I have the Audio Technica system 10.

View attachment 3165269

I've had it for a few months, and it's been great. Have to change batteries every gig though.

I've been a user of couple AT System 10 units (both amp top & stompbox versions) myself in the last 3 years or so.

After reading quite a lot of posts about other digital wireless systems, I'm glad I chose the AT System 10. It's a way better wireless system as it is capable to manage the wireless 2.4 GHz channels by itself. It continuously evaluates the best channels to use and changes them to better ones when necessary without even need the user to know.

No need to waste batteries if you use rechargeable AA batteries. I use Eneloop Pro ones.

 

[walterw]

Have to change batteries every gig though.

pretty much true of any on stage wireless anything, it'll suck down the batteries in one gig, two if you push it. (that's why rechargeables make sense here where they wouldn't say, inside a bass where a regular 9V lasts a year)

 

[Dp1363]

Glad everything worked out! It really is a solid unit. I like the tuner so much I sold by TC Polytune and just use the Shure tuner. It's solid and has nice big letters! I also like that the transmitter pack is rechargeable. I hate having to deal with batteries. It always seems that I can't find any when I need them most.

Enjoy the wireless freedom!

I used it last night at an outdoor gig. There is definitely a lack of distance when using it outside as stated in the instructions.
And the clip on the transmitter is brutal to deal with on the Shure.

I do miss the overall tone and simple operation of the PRA wireless unit but the hiss was way too loud to use on a gig.

But overall the Shure worked well, great battery life (after two gigs I still had close to 90% left), and I agree the tuner is a nice plus. Kills two birds with one stone.

 

[Dp1363]

That's such a shame to hear. I really was considering getting a PRA WiC ELF to use on my battery powered board. Disappointing.

When I spoke to PRA they said they tested it and got no noise on the amps they tried it with. But, they weren't able to test every amp. I run the bass boost and treble boost on my Mesa D800+, and the more treble you have the more subject to hiss you are.
So I would try it see if it works for you.

However, the Shure GLXD-16, has zero noise and was dead silent, just not as clear and organic of a tone as the PRA. I wish I could combine the best features of both.

 

[Jack]

I wanted to report back, I tested the Shure GLXD-16 again on a gig tonight. This time I had the unit scan the open channels after turning on the Wifi, and moving my singers wireless mic receiver to the other side of the stage.

The result was that the GLXD-16 worked flawlessly. No crackling or dropouts! It was a blast to use and the tuner was big plus! I have to admit it was fun being wireless. Got to go or on the dance floor and mix it up with the crowd. And no tangled cords!

I will be using it on tomorrow's gig at an outdoor venue.

I used to think wireless units were all a bit rubbish until I learned to do that. Turn on last, find an open channel, work beautifully. The other option is to use a wifi scanning app on your phone to visually see which channels are busier and which are less busy.