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Sadowsky NYC's Better Suited For Studio??

#41
Guess what...EQs that only boost lows and highs is a classic formula that sounds musical in a wide range of conditions.

Fender amp tone stack
Music Man 2-band preamp
Sadowsky preamp
Acoustic 360 amp

Because the treble rollover frequency is voiced relatively low, most of the midrange loss is in the "mud zone". What these EQs cannot do is emphasize parts of the midrange spectrum.
 
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#45
scottrolf said:
I've been enjoying the heck out of my NYC PJ in my little home studio but have yet to hear how it does in a live setting.
I have, on more than one occasion, heard that they are better suited for the studio than live due to the belief that these don't really cut through the mix all-that-well.

I'm hoping this is an unfounded belief as I am looking forward to playing it live.

First-hand live experience will be welcome.

Thanks,
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I don't own a Sadowsky, but feel the need to say that that's a bizarre opinion... to say an entire brand doesn't cut through a mix, is like saying a Ford can't win a race. Well, put bad gas and a bad driver in it, and enter a GT40 in a formula one race, sure, the Ford won't win. And who told you that anyway? A guy with a Calvin-peeing-on-a-Ford-logo sticker?

Do you need to "cut through" the mix in the first place? Because a picked Ric-o-sound going through 2 overdriven amps will do that, but if you're in a smooth jazz band, that may be frowned upon.

That said, spending $3000 on an instrument does not guarantee you the right sound, and trying to push out a sound that a bass doesn't want to make on its own is frustrating. But if you already love how an instrument sounds in the studio, you've already got a decent indication that it can produce the sound you want.

That's a very long winded way of saying, if a bass, an amp, and a player are suited to a job, you've got a good start, but there is literally no way to know how it will perform for sure without trying it out. Anecdotal evidence can be helpful, especially from the mouth of an experienced pro, and it may prove to be true. But if you like the way the thing sounds, I certainly wouldn't leave it hanging on a studio wall just because someone said it wouldn't work.
 
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#47
AngelCrusher said:
So here is the deal - the bass preamp scoops the mids when you boost the bass and treble. The reason people say they sit in a mix so well is because the mids are already dropped when the preamp is engaged. That eq trick sounds like a more mixed bass track.

It really matters what kind of bass tone you like. I tracked through a Sadowksy pre for a year and I liked it a lot until I heard the mixes sent back to me. It was the "felt, not heard" mix of bass, which I do not like. I like more audible bass, lots of mids. The audible part of the sadowsky sound is more in the upper mids, which can sound thin for the type of music I play. Basically, I like thick notes even when I am up high on the neck. The Sad is more glassy and clear, which is real nice for wide open mixes if you like to add a lot of low end, and I mean a lot. You know what I mean, if you turn the bass knob up on the pre. It's insane Boom.

I am more into the flat response of a precision style bass and find it more articulate for the sound I go for. It's also an easy bass to mix. It really boils down to what type of sound you dig - on top of the kick or under it with some sizzle on top (Sadowsky).
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What gets me, is that the two most called-for basses around, are that these two basses, Sads and P's, are pretty different animals. They differ in tone, though...one has scooped mids and is clean and refined (Sad), and the other is all about mids with a very raw sound (P)....
 
#48
The only experience I have with an NYC is when someone came to try out an amp I was selling and plugged in their NYC to test. I couldn't believe what I was hearing and would not describe that thing as "scooped" in anyway. It had a super growly mid response that leaped out of the speaker. Totally unlike anything I'd heard out of that amp. It was absolutely awesome. If you can't make that thing stand out in a mix, something is wrong.
 
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#49
bucephylus said:
I presume you had the humcancelling pickups, and were therefore comparing a bass with single coils to a bass with humcancelling?
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I bought the sadowky singlecoils, mounted them. The behaviour improved a bit, but it was still not convincing. It was a feeling thing. I am used to change tone and dynamics-volume with my hands while playing with the band. The Sad felt like I was using something to kevel my dinamics when I was digging in, and this required a greater attention to gain and volume setting on the amp. Quieter passages, no problem, but when the band was hitting hard I was not capable of keeping the feel up with my hands. Before any unfair judgement about my skills on tweaking amp and setting gain structure I may add that I am a studio guy, I own quite a bit of techy gear that I use to produce records and provide FOH for local bands. Almost 30 years or so as a semi-pro, I know how to use gear for bass. It's only that I had a more rewarding bass in my arsenal, so the Sad had to go. It may be that I got a bad one, dunno.
 
#51
sratas said:
I bought the sadowky singlecoils, mounted them. The behaviour improved a bit, but it was still not convincing. It was a feeling thing. I am used to change tone and dynamics-volume with my hands while playing with the band. The Sad felt like I was using something to kevel my dinamics when I was digging in, and this required a greater attention to gain and volume setting on the amp. Quieter passages, no problem, but when the band was hitting hard I was not capable of keeping the feel up with my hands. Before any unfair judgement about my skills on tweaking amp and setting gain structure I may add that I am a studio guy, I own quite a bit of techy gear that I use to produce records and provide FOH for local bands. Almost 30 years or so as a semi-pro, I know how to use gear for bass. It's only that I had a more rewarding bass in my arsenal, so the Sad had to go. It may be that I got a bad one, dunno.
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Well, that's about as close to apples to apples as you are going to get. I'm gigging both passive Fenders and the Sadowsky onboard, and they are different beasts. Just goes to show that we all have our different prefs.:thumbsup:
 

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