Class D - What's next?

[DoctorZee]

Wireless electricity

 

[okcrum]

Personally I want unicorns but that might be a few years off hahahaha

In all seriousness though, are some of the new high powered amps reaching the limit of what Class D can achieve, or is it likely that the Class D architecture will remain the go-to for the foreseeable future?

I think the number of cabs you have to haul might be the practical limit on class D amp power in this application.

EDIT: That is, if you don't hit the limits of the AC power available first.

 

[sawzalot]

I guess the obvious question is "what do YOU want from new technology"?

Just like how every so often somebody invents something incredibly great that we didn't know we needed, I suspect the same thing will happen in this market.

 

[JimChjones]

TBH it amazes me we haven't seen more legal restrictions on volume. That's something that would make a significant change.

 

[Vinny Vincenzo]

In the yeeear 25 25!

 

[Drang22]

Not sure what's next, but pretty sure it eventually ends up with us all beating on hollow logs with sticks. Again.

 

[red_rhino]

Zombie amps, or as they'll be known, Class-Z. Totally reliable; you can't kill them and they never die! Plus, they've got an unmistakable signature "growl".

 

[Rich48]

I think we will see improvements in amps an pedals that use DSP to accurately model any sound we are looking for. The Holy Grail for me would be a pedal that would make a bass guitar sound exactly like an upright.

 

[bassliner50]

I guess the obvious question is "what do YOU want from new technology"?

I always look for ease of portability, high performance (tone and versatility), long term reliability, at a reasonable cost. (usually in that order) I understand, these attributes would require design trade offs and compromises. Clearly it is desirable to get as close to this ideal as possible. Come to think about it, these have been the goals all along for decades even as technologies evolved. I am relieved to say, I have seen (and enjoyed) many audio reinforcement advances and refinements in my lifetime. It is reasonable to expect more.

 

[packhowitzer]

I want technology that will allow me to be able to put the sound that's in my head into the heads of the audience. So they can hear and perceive sound exactly the way I want them to.

 

[cheechi]

Have some predictions for the future.

touchscreen pedalboards.

Bassists will largely use the SVT & fridge. Trust me it will catch on.

Peavey gear will continue to not die no matter how badly abused.

 

[Wfrance3]

Class E.

[EDIT]
And when it happens, I want to have credit for being the first to say “that’s one Class E bass amp!”

 

[TigerInATrance]

So, "future bassist" will need a bass, a set of IEMs, and a DI on his/her pedalboard. Of course, the bass of choice - the visual element that we see, will always be a Fender P bass, beat up a little bit with a tort pick guard. Bass manufacturers have little worry of modeling technology. We like the part of the signal chain that we touch to be the real thing. Everything else can be a black box. If they get a high quality IO for the iPad, maybe that will be future amp. The processing power of the latest iPad Pro exceeds most current laptops. So, maybe our amps will be $19.99 app downloads and double as our personal monitor mixers, and setlist / (dare I say) sheet music displays.

Nothing "future" about it... My band is in the middle of moving to this right now. In fact, in the last 24 hours we've convinced the lone holdout (the drummer) to move to his e-drums for gigs. The best part is that we don't have to change anything but the PA speakers to play any stage. I can't imagine a time when I'll need to bring a bass amp to a gig again.

The PA, however, will always need to be there. The special part of live music is that it's a shared experience. Whether it's a band or a DJ or whatever, compartmentalizing it by having everyone listening individually makes it worthless.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Nothing "future" about it... My band is in the middle of moving to this right now. In fact, in the last 24 hours we've convinced the lone holdout (the drummer) to move to his e-drums for gigs. The best part is that we don't have to change anything but the PA speakers to play any stage. I can't imagine a time when I'll need to bring a bass amp to a gig again.

The PA, however, will always need to be there. The special part of live music is that it's a shared experience. Whether it's a band or a DJ or whatever, compartmentalizing it by having everyone listening individually makes it worthless.

One thing I’d like to see is a rollup flatscreen that we could hang two behind the band and play a light show similar to the big stage performers.

 

[gumtown]

I want a huge stage, huge PA system and lighting rig, SVT and fridge 810,
and at the end of the gig, press a button and the whole lot compacts itself into a briefcase within 30 seconds.

 

[gumtown]

I want technology that will allow me to be able to put the sound that's in my head into the heads of the audience. So they can hear and perceive sound exactly the way I want them to.

You would want to be careful of any misguided distractions or rude thoughts

 

[agedhorse]

Hopefully something better than the standard speaker design. It has never changed much, although it has improved.

Yes and no IMO. Some of the improvements have resulted in major changes in performance, the simple transition from electromagnetic magnets to permanent magnets was one such monumental change, others include things like edge wound voice coils, inside/outside wound voice coils, stronger motors with deeper gaps, differential drive motors, cloth surrounds with unique geometries, linen-Kevlar spiders, polyamide insulation systems, Kapton and fiberglass bobbins, epoxy adhesives, polyester filaments within tinsel wire, advancements in cone materials, double spiders, demodulation rings, vented motors etc. All of these improvements have contributed to speakers with 1/10th the unintended distortion and close to 50x the power handling of earlier speakers while maintaining within 3dB of the best sensitivity of the day.

Personally I want unicorns but that might be a few years off hahahaha

In all seriousness though, are some of the new high powered amps reaching the limit of what Class D can achieve, or is it likely that the Class D architecture will remain the go-to for the foreseeable future?

Good question. Based on my perspective, class D will continue to evolve, become more reliable, more efficient, wider bandwidth, greater power, etc. Looking forward 10 years, I don't see any major changes, though if my crystal ball is correct, we may see algorithms that allow digital audio directly to class D under DSP control without going through the discrete PWM conversion that may simplify amplification for the guys working strictly in the digital domain (modelers and profilers).

 

[Jeff Scott]

Not sure what's next, but pretty sure it eventually ends up with us all beating on hollow logs with sticks. Again.

Are you saying that we're all going to become drummers in the future?

I thought most of us left that all behind us.

 

[hbarcat]

Smaller and lighter, with more features. On-stage bass amp and cabinet will be a small combo with an 8" speaker that weighs less than 20 lbs and mounts on a stand to put it at chest level.

FOH will have 12" subs in cabinets that are cubes 2' on a side and mids will be stacks of 6" drivers plus small horns for the highs. Everything is digital with presets and smart software wizards will automate many processes.

Gigging musicians really don't like hauling heavy gear and spending lots of time setting up and tearing down. An Ampeg SVT with a fridge is way cool but 90% of bassists would much prefer a Mesa Walkabout Scout.



I have a great sounding 2x15" EV bass cabinet that I never use because it's huge and weighs 130 lbs. I now use a 1x12" that weighs 1/3 of that and sounds as good or better.

I've been trying to sell the EV cab and I can't get $150 for it.

 

[SgtHulka]

Tiny amps built into the bass with the on board preamp so you can simply plug into any cabinet.