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MarkBass
- Thread starter GaryM92009
- Start date
Not to get off topic, but mods, would you seriously consider stickying that link?
BTW, I love my Markbass. Amp AND cabs.
I was truly impressed with two Markbass setups I tried at GC. First, the SD800 head into the 610 cab (the ported one, not the sealed one). That was a really great sound, punchy as all get out and *loud*. Second was sort of the opposite end of the Markbass spectrum, the MiniMark. I plugged a Pedulla Pentabuzz fretless 5 into it, and it sang for days. Nice low B even, considering what it is. For coffeehouse gigs, or maybe for upright, that little thing would be great.
As you can tell, I endorse another company, Genz Benz, and love their gear. I ended up with a Shuttle 3.0-10t combo instead of the MiniMark, and use Genz for my bigger rig as well. But I have nothing bad to say about Markbass. Especially those two rigs I described above.
Cheers
As you can tell, I endorse another company, Genz Benz, and love their gear. I ended up with a Shuttle 3.0-10t combo instead of the MiniMark, and use Genz for my bigger rig as well. But I have nothing bad to say about Markbass. Especially those two rigs I described above.
Cheers
I love my CMD102P, if I had one complaint about it (or most MB stuff) is that they tend to sound a little dry or maybe sterile is the word - like you said, describing tone on paper.
But nonetheless it sounds pretty darn good to me... I want to add a 4x10 extension cab to it (like you) so I tried this set up at GC and it sounded great - better than the single 15, IMHO.
What made you decide to get it if you didn't dig the sound or you felt it was just ok?
I caught an SWR Redhead at one of my local shops the other day, it was the natural consideration for me being that I was an SWR guy before buying the MB... Well, in short it reminded me of why I loved SWR - but that fact that it weighs almost 2x as much as the MB, I think I made the right decision.
But nonetheless it sounds pretty darn good to me... I want to add a 4x10 extension cab to it (like you) so I tried this set up at GC and it sounded great - better than the single 15, IMHO.
What made you decide to get it if you didn't dig the sound or you felt it was just ok?
I caught an SWR Redhead at one of my local shops the other day, it was the natural consideration for me being that I was an SWR guy before buying the MB... Well, in short it reminded me of why I loved SWR - but that fact that it weighs almost 2x as much as the MB, I think I made the right decision.
I bought it because I have not played in over 15 years. I'm doing a 40 year reunion concert with a band I played with long ago. So I'm re-learning etc. I love Stingrays, so that was a no-brainer. However with amps, I felt stupid. Could not play much at GC since I sucked. So I went with salesman's suggestion and on-line reviews. Started with the 2x10 combo. Was loud enough but not full & thick. So I added the 4x10 cab. My other dilema is tone vs tunes. We are doing Chicago tunes (Pete played flats w/ a pick) and "soul songs" (fingers & flats) B4 the Stingray, I bought a Pbass w/flats for the vintage sound. Great if one owns 2 bases. But with only 1 bass, it was too limited; no "modern" tone. So I switched to the Sting w/ rounds. The VLE emulates the old school/flats sound a bit, so I'm OK with the Stingray. It's just that there's something missing with the rig that I can't place my finger on. Maybe I'm out of touch and it's just my ear. Or maybe it will sound better louder & live with the band as opposed to quiet playing with CD's. Or maybe I'm just used to my rig of 15 years ago: Stingray/Rick/Fretless with 2 SVT stacks.
Have you tried using a Sansamp in front to give it a little grit, maybe ... or an EBS Multicomp in Tubesim mode? Either of those might warm it up a bit.
Or, as you say, it might sound tons better in the mix than it does to you right now.
Good luck!
+1, I play 3 basses (active 5, passive 4, semi-hollow w/ flats) through my combo and can hear a distinct difference in them. And MB themselves advertise this fact, the manual says that it's what they're after - that with a good instrument you shouldn't have to eq too much. IMHO, the MB signature tone is whatever your bass puts out.
How are you setting everything? That should've been the first question.
How are you setting the gains and the EQ? How are you setting your bass?
If your rig sounds quiet, IME it would either have to be malfunctioning or it's something you're doing. Should be pretty easy to figure out.
The cabs are best judged at gig volume with the band.
Set the input gain just before the clip LED lights and once your master is set to about 8.30 - 9 o'clock the tone should start to fill out. If you're too loud back the input gain off a little to compensate. However I find that if the input gain is backed off too much you lose depth and punch in the tone. YMMV of course.
Set the input gain just before the clip LED lights and once your master is set to about 8.30 - 9 o'clock the tone should start to fill out. If you're too loud back the input gain off a little to compensate. However I find that if the input gain is backed off too much you lose depth and punch in the tone. YMMV of course.
For those of you who don't want to plow through all the MB threads, here's a quote from the thread entitled "Markbass cabs: the conclusive thread..." from Peter Murray of Markbass:
"Markbass cabinets are indeed designed for use with live bands, either in rehearsal or performance.
Some cabinets sound great in the store, and/or your bedroom, but when you use them live, they simply don't CUT. Sometimes they don't have enough pitch definition, and your melodies get lost. Or the low end is muddy and obscures your tone. Play them alone, and they might sound "pretty".
But pretty doesn't cut it if you're playing live with a band.
I can't tell you how many times I hear from people the morning after their first gig with Markbass cabinets. It's usually a revelation. You simply can't understand what it is until you hear it in context. And to be honest, that's the experience that initially sold me personally on the gear.
If you do any recording at all, you will understand even better that things have to sonically make sense in CONTEXT.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how sweet or beautiful it sounds on its own, because that's simply not how it's going to be heard when you use it most of the time. It's gotta work in context.
So yes, that's definitely the philosophy behind these cabinets."
Hey, maybe this could turn into a "Greatest Quotes Compilation Thread"
"Markbass cabinets are indeed designed for use with live bands, either in rehearsal or performance.
Some cabinets sound great in the store, and/or your bedroom, but when you use them live, they simply don't CUT. Sometimes they don't have enough pitch definition, and your melodies get lost. Or the low end is muddy and obscures your tone. Play them alone, and they might sound "pretty".
But pretty doesn't cut it if you're playing live with a band.
I can't tell you how many times I hear from people the morning after their first gig with Markbass cabinets. It's usually a revelation. You simply can't understand what it is until you hear it in context. And to be honest, that's the experience that initially sold me personally on the gear.
If you do any recording at all, you will understand even better that things have to sonically make sense in CONTEXT.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how sweet or beautiful it sounds on its own, because that's simply not how it's going to be heard when you use it most of the time. It's gotta work in context.
So yes, that's definitely the philosophy behind these cabinets."
Hey, maybe this could turn into a "Greatest Quotes Compilation Thread"
