December 23, 2006

The Unofficial Bose® L1™ Wiki is the new site for the Unofficial Users' and Performers' Guides. The information in this thread may not be as current as in the new wiki, but I will leave it here for backup and historical interest.

 Bose® L1™ Wiki is your new source for the latest Unofficial information.

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What follows is the older version.

If you just got your System or want to get to know it better, you are in the right place.

If you just got a gig and have found out the house system is a Bose Personalized Amplication System™ you probably want to read the Unofficial Performers' Guide.

This is a collection of advice, hints and tips from system owners and people-at-Bose gathered from the Bose® Musicians Community Message Boards. If you would like to add to this living document please post a reply in this discussion. Remember, there is also great information in the Official Product FAQs.

• A1 PackLite
• B1 bass module
• L1 Cylindrical Radiator® loudspeaker
• PS1 power stand
  • Interactive Tour of the I/O panel
  • Connections
• R1 remote
• Steve's Tips and Tricks

• Presets
• Gain Staging
• Mixers
• Effects
• Setup: 5 Minutes
• Hearing Yourself with the Bose...

Accessories

• Bags
• Deluxe Logo Bags
• Hardshell Cases
• Spares (just in case)

• Rock N Roller carts
• Using a dolly

• Stage Layouts
  - some illustrations that demonstrate principles

• Acoustic Guitar
• Amp Modellers
• Line6 patches at Vettaville
• Drums

• Terminology & Concepts

• Introducing Performers to the Bose System

If you would like to add to this living document or make suggestions about it, please post a reply in this discussion (thread).

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This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

A little history, and how you can help.

Guitarget had an idea for a Lessons Learned Document.

Since our message board is a dynamic (albeit big) document, I'll volunteer to help organize a living document.

How you can help - Links
Post a link (see link notes below) in this thread pointing to your favourite discussion or post with a memorable lesson.

Tell us what you thought was memorable or important in your post, and if you happen to have a link to a related topic in the official FAQs or support pages this will be a huge help. You can also send me a Private Message if that's easier for you.

How you can help - Favourite Lessons
If you just have a thought to share just post it in the most appropriate area of the forum (Technical, at the Gig, etc.) and then post a link to it here.


My part
I'll organize a page of your contributions and add links to things in the official FAQs that are related.

It's Alive
As long as you keep sending me links, I'll keep updating the page.

It's Sticky
If you are familiar with the common practice of having 'stickies' in forums, that's what we will do with the colllected wisdom.

So thanks to Guitarget for the inspiration.

Let's get it rolling.

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Posting a link is easy

For an Entire Discussion
right click in the area where the web address is visible (e.g. http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=tpc&f=.....) then click 'copy' in the popup menu.

Compose a message and when you get to the place where you want to insert the link, right click and click 'paste'.

You can use the fancy system for inserting the link, but for our purposes in this thread, displaying the whole address is fine.

For an Individual Post
In the post to which you create a link, right click this icon


click Copy Shortcut (Internet Explorer) or Copy Link Location (Mozilla/Netscape)

-or- simply click that icon and copy the web address from the address bar in your browser.

Compose a message and when you get to the place where you want to insert the link, right click and click 'paste'.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

B1 Bass Module

The most current version of this information is now in the B1 Bass Module section of the wiki.


New: 2006/01/20 - Checking B1 Connections
You may want to double check your Blue B1 cables. See instructions in the note above.

Lesson: Feedback
If you are getting low end feedback, especially with acoustic instruments try re-orienting the B1. Try different angles. It often doesn't take much.

Lesson: Keep the B1s together (revised - you don't have to stack 'em)
If you have more than one B1 playing the same sound source (instrument), keep the B1s together. You should get as much as 3 dB more than if you have them separated. This is due to acoustic coupling. This also avoids creating nulls.

You can stack them or have them side-by-side but you want to keep them together.

Lesson: Logos
You can rotate the Bose logo so it is parallel to the floor even if you have turned the B1 on its side.
Click the image below for more info.

-- click the image above to see how to do it --

Lesson: Port Orientation
"Theoretically, port-side-up may give a tiny bit better aligned floor reflection but in practice, the difference is so small that it isn't worth bothering with.
However, I would still advise when you stack multiple B1s keep them all in the same orientation."
See Hilmar's comments about this in context

When I read this, I had to go and look very closely to find the port. It's easier to figure out that when the B1 is on it's side, port side up is same as (on the back) connection panel down.

Longer cables for B1s
See: Longer cables for the B1
Speakon Cables

Question: How low does the B1 go? 40 Hz - but my Bass, goes lower than that.
Answer: Hilmar-at-Bose talks about How low does the B1 go?

Cliff-at-Bose talks about Positioning the B1 and proximity to walls

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

L1 Cylindrical Radiator® loudspeaker

Lesson: Keep the audience in the column of sound
If you are on an elevated stage, remember that people above or below the Cylindrical Radiator™ will not be in the coverage area.
Hint: Tip the PowerStand by a few degrees from the back or the front by a few degrees. Easy ways to do this: Fold a B1 case and tuck it under the front or the back. If you have the logo bags with the wheels, then leaving the PowerStand in the case will naturally tip it down. I carry a couple of sheets of bubble pack packing material in the case and fold it to suit.

Lesson: Be careful how you insert the lower section. If you insert it upside down you may damage the connector in the PowerStand.
Kyle-at-Bose posted Pictures of the damage

Lesson: If you notice a change in the propagation properties of the System, check that the sound is coming from both the top and bottom sections. If not, dissassemble and reassemble the L1 making sure that everything connects firmly.

Lesson: Slapback echo
If you are getting echos from the wall opposite the stage tip the PowerStand a little (1 or 2° should do it).

Lesson: Do not remove the Bayonet
The Bayonet should not be removed from the top section of the L1. It may be a stretch at first, but you can get the top portion of the L1 into the carrying bag.

Lesson: The Bayonet can be adjusted for easier mouting/dismounting with lower ceilings.
Newer L1 Cylindrical Radiator(r) loudspeakers have bayonets with three holes. With the upper L1 on a table or floor, you can easily unscrew the two Phillips-head screws from the Bayonet and reposition the Bayonet so that it does not protrude as much out from the upper L1. This gains you an extra inch of space when mounting/dismounting the upper L1 in places where the ceiling height is less than ideal. Contributed by Kyle-at-Bose

Lesson:
If you have more than one System, you do *not* have to keep all the pieces in sets as they were delivered.

quote:

Quoting Hilmar-at-Bose
By "carefully matched" we mean that all components of the system (drivers, acoustic enclosure, power amps, EQ, limiter, pre-amps, protection circuits etc.) are designed so that they really work optimally with each other.

On the other hand we are manufacturing to very tight specifications and tolerances. One L1 is virtually indistinguishable from the next one, so it's perfectly ok two swap speaker and power stands.

See it in context

edit: Bayonet can be adjusted contributed by Kyle-at-Bose

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

PS1 Power Stand

Lesson: Leaving it in the bag
It is okay to do this if you like (and personally I find it a lot quicker for setup/teardown)

See:
Hilmar speaks about the heat (relates to leaving it in the bag).


quoting Cliff-at-Bose about the flip-up door on the Power Stand, and getting the L1 with bayonet into the bag:

"I took my cover off right away and couldn't even tell you where it is right now. The carry bag for the PS1 seems to do a good job of keeping things clean in storage, the trunk, in transit. For the upper L1 section, turn it upside down, grab it by the bayonet, lower it into the bag and the bayonet should tuck into the top just fine."

Lesson: No Sound? Look down the well.
See No Sound - thanks to Joseph for this one.

Lesson: Battery Power?
see: Battery Power not recommended

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

R1 Remote

Lesson: Packing it
Don't pack the Remote in the PS1 bag.
See:
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/397605594...6074194/r/9526074194

Lesson: Stiff Controls
If the knobs get stiff, you can pull them out a bit. Chances are they've just gotten jammed down during packing.

Lesson: Wiring it - Vocals on the Left
I always wire up the PowerStand so that the vocals are in Channel 1. This just means that it's always the same, easy to describe, and one less thing to wonder about.

Lesson: Wiring it - Two players
If you've got two players sharing a System, and hence the Remote, take a moment to wire things up so that the Channel strip that affects someone's sound is closest to them.

Lesson: Leave 'em hanging - NOT -
Here's and idea for a bracket you can mount on the mic stand. Sure, the velcro is fine but ...
See: Bracket for the Remote

Zipper sounds, latency - Hilmar speaks!

Daisy-Chain the Remotes?
No - Please don't try to connect more than one Remote to a Power Stand (or more than One Power Stand to a Remote)
See: Daisy Chain Remotes

Connecting the Remote - is it required?
If you power up the System without the Remote Connected, the PowerStand operates as though the Remote is connected with all controls straight-up (12 o'clock) position.
See: Connecting the Remote

The PS1 power stand continuously senses activity at all preset selectors and what is connected at the input/output jacks. In general, it is not recommended to operate without the remote connected. The PS1 power stand can however function without the R1 remote control. If you power the PS1 power stand on without the R1 remote control connected, it will operate as if the R1 remote control was connected and at a fixed setting of 12 o'clock (center position) on all the control knobs. Alternatively, if the unit is powered on with the R1 remote control first connected and the user then disconnects the R1 remote control, it will retain the last settings of the R1 remote control before you disconnected it. This is helpful in the case where sharing may be necessary.
Source: Official Bose FAQ

Lesson: Channel 1 and 2 Controls on the Remote don't mute the channels.

quote:

Quoting Hilmar-at-Bose
The channel volume controls have about 40 dB gain from all-the-way-down to all-the-way-up but don't completely mute the sound.

See it in context:
Volume Control on the Remote



edit:
- Channel 1/2 mute
- Connecting the Remote (thanks Chuck-at-Bose)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

Steve-at-Bose shares tips and tricks
• Use the loop side of the Velcro sparingly. We gave you plenty so that you could put some in several locations (on both sides of the L1, your keys, your mic stand, etc.) and you’ll find that the hook is quite aggressive. It only takes a small strip, say 1” x 2”, to hold the remote.

• The bags are a bit tight when you first get them. They will “relax” over time.

• When the top section of the L1 is in its bag, there is room in there for the remote (knobs away from the L1 is best).

• If your remote gets “thumped” and a knob is hard to turn, you can pull it off and re-insert the knob. What’s happening is the bottom of the knob is rubbing on the cover of the remote.

• Put a piece of tape (or several) on your remote and mark where you like your settings (much like people do with stomp boxes) so that if they get turned by accident, you’ve got a mark of where you left it last. I’ve also seen people put a little dot of white out for this. Just remember, you probably want something that will be removable in case you change your mind. Then again, there’s always black paint to fix any boo-boo’s.

• Put your cables in the PS1 bag’s “outer sleeve”.

• The fuse will fit nicely in a couple of the recesses on the PS1 panel door. Tape it in one of the larger rectangles on the “channel 1 and 2 side” of the door. Now it’s always with your PS1.

• If the PS1 panel door pops off, pop it back in. It is designed to pop out during a “stepped-on-it” event, and is readily reattached.

• The Bose® logo on the grill of the B1 can be rotated. If you’re like me, and use the B1’s on their side and stacked, it looks nice with the Bose® going horizontally. The trick to rotating them, I’ve found, is to grab the “B” and “E” (not the tails) and pull straight out, then twist.

• Saving the nice packaging foam when the system arrives with is a good idea. It can be used in a hard-shell case if you decide to go that route at some point in the future.

• The L1 is slightly loose in its fit in the PS1. This is intentional so that it has some compliance when it gets bumped. As such, it is less likely to tip when someone accidentally pushes on it.

• And lastly, though I don't recommend you try, the socket in the PS1 where the L1 is placed can hold, and drain, pint of liquid.

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See the original discussion

Bags for the L1

Lesson:
The Bayonet should not be removed from the top section of the L1. It is not necessary to remove the Bayonet to put the top section of the L1 into the bag.

See:
The L1 doesn't really fit in the standard carry bag

PS1 Bag
Can I leave the PS1 in the bag while running it?
Yes

Is the PS1 bag washable?
For at least one person the answer is Yes

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

Deluxe Logo Bags

Clarification: There is a thread about the "free" upgrade to the Deluxe Logo Bags. This was during August 2004. These can still be purchased separately as an option. See: Accessories


quoting Steve-at-Bose talking about the Bose® Logo Bags

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The PS1 bag: Yes, Steve Z you figured out the buckles on the PS1 (that was quick). I've got to warn folks though, the fit is *VERY* tight by design. Inserting the L1 bags in the panel pocket requires a fiar amount of fiddling. There are along list of reasons why we didn't make it loose (the major being if it's loose things get sloppy as you're wheeling the PS1 around with the L1's in place) so if you give this a try be warned ... it's a tight fit -- but it works.

We're not calling this a "feature" of the bag because candidly I don't think it meets the standards of quality and excellence you've come to expect from Bose. You can do it, but I'm warning you, it's not "beautiful". Once you get the L1's in the pockets, slip the buckle through the handle on the L1 bag and away you go.

I'm also worried about the handle on the PS1 bending and the "tippy-ness" of the PS1 when the L1's are in there. The handle is tough enough, but it may bend if you, for example, pull the system down a set of stairs with the L1's in the PS1 bag.

If you use this option, PLEASE use good judgement and don't let the bag sit unattended. It balances but it's tippy. And treat the handle well, especially when fully extended.

The L1 bag has two "saddle bags" down each side, great for cables, and we've made the bag longer so inserting the L1 is very easy. Each L1 bag comes with a shoulder strap that connects to the "D" ring on each end of the bag. And you can use the buckles to connect the two L1's together and use one shoulder strap for two L1's (but it's heavy at 30lbs or so). Or use the buckles to attach a mic stand (folding legs kind).

The B1 bag now goes all the way around (the best way to put the B1 in the bag is an "over the top and pull it down" with the bag versus "put this heavy square object into a flexible bag sitting on the floor". It has two "D" ring attachment points, but I doubt anyone will use a shoulder strap with it (it does not come with one). The B1 is not a fun thing to sling over your shoulder.

And the Back Pack is really nice. The firm that did the pack does work for surf/skate companies, and the big sneaker companies, and we said "make it top of the line" and it, IMO is really nice.

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See the original discussion

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

Presets
NEW: July 2006: What is Preset #58
NEW: March 2006: Get Plugged In - check out Ken-at-Bose talking about Presets in a mini video.
December 2005: Four new sets of Custom Instrument Presets

Q: I just got a new System, does it have the latest presets?
A: Quoting Kyle-at-Bose: "You can easily tell if you have one of the newer power stands- those that come preloaded with Presets 2.0- by looking at the rear I/O panel. If the Amp 3 Output connector area (where the B1s plug in) is a light blue color, then the Presets 2.0 have been preloaded at the factory."


Lesson: Finding what works
The captions beside the presets are recommendations and these are a good place to start.
Still, you want to do a little exploring. See:

• Presets 2:0: Anyone listening? by Cliff-at-Bose
  
• Presets: Finding What Works for You
  
  
• No voodoo or making things bigger and badder. Steve-at-Bose talks about the presets
  
• Cliff-at-Bose had these general comments about working with the presets.
  "They were all developed to make CLOSE VOCALS (as in eat-the-mic) sound more natural through our system. When you back way off, say 6 inches or more, all bets are off. The same goes for even close miking of musical instruments. Actually, close miking of a Dobro might be fine in the flat setting, maybe turn up the HF on the remote for some sparkle. In the studio, a B57 sounds pretty useful 4-6 inches away from a guitar. Stay away from the sound hole if the sound gets too dark. Too much signal from the sound hole will also encourage low-mid feedback. As a hunch, try preset 35, assuming you recently purchased and these are v2 presets. This is probably the most radical one in the catalog, but will give you an idea of the extremes. It's for a very midrange-heavy electric guitar (PRS) to be played direct. Also, try all the presets on a spare evening alone. Lots of tone variations here. Forget the titles and just listen.
  
  Also, on the mics for singing, try presets 01-04 as an alternative to the ones we recommended for your mics.
  
  No one really knows the sound you want but you, when you hear it. So experiment with the presets and turn the knobs. Write back and let us know your results. Lots of players like you will benefit from your results."
  See the original discussion.
  
  
• Cliff-at-Bose had more to say:
  
  The mic pre's are really good ones, recording quality. Compare them to anything. You'll be amazed how they stack up to tweakier high-dollar units. We worked real hard on this and we're happy we did.
  
  About the presets: No mic that I know of sounds good for close vocal, even for recording for that matter. All our presets compensate for this. A lot of these mics sound a lot more natural when you back off a foot or so from them. Of course this is true in the studio too. No one does this for a live performance (backs very far off the mic) since you want to maximize gain before feedback by eating the mic. And so then you get funny sound and so then you need our presets to make it natural.
  
  If you need more channels for all-the-same mics, use a small mixer into channels 1 or 2. The presets work on line levels too, so a mixer full of mics using the recommended preset will all sound great. Use the presets always. They are one of the really great features of our system and they really give you a no-brainer great-sounding place to start for any amplification.
  
  See the original discussion.
  
  

Print your own copy!
Presets 1.0

• PDF, Format A, 15 KB
  
• PDF, Format B, 89 KB
  
• Text File, 3 KB
  
• Excel File, 10 KB
  

Presets 2.0

• PDF, Format A, 52 KB
  
• PDF, Format B, 83 KB
  
• Text File, 4 KB
  
• Excel File, 12 KB
  

See Upgrade Your Software to learn how to get the latest.
- and if at first you don't succeed -
Software Upgrade Troubleshooting

Preset 2.0 - Una panoramica - Italian - Thanks to Marco-at-Bose-Europe.

edits:
- NEW: March 2006: Get Plugged In - check out Ken-at-Bose talking about Presets in a mini video.

- Preset 2.0 - Una panoramica (Presets in Italian)
- Software Upgrade Troubleshooting
- Custom Instrument Presets

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

Gain Staging
Vocal Microphone

Ken-at-Bose talks about setting the gain for your microphone.
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/397605594...661011102#8661011102

General Applications
Reference from the Bose FAQs
What is the proper method for setting the gain on the PS1 power stand?

Owners - several of them talk about Gain Staging
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/778102955...011018032#5011018032

General Principles
General Principles from ST
Gain Notes from Chuck-at-Bose

Gain setup for a microphone
See the video on the main Bose site. Get Plugged In

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

Setup

This one is copied in from my blog and describes how we have things organized for really quick and painless setup and teardown. Most of the my 'lessons' learned with respect to dealing with the physical aspects are covered here.

See: Setup: 5 Minutes
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/1031041922

Unofficial Users' Guide (this document) in pdf format.

Let me apologize in advance, the PDF file looks a little rough as it is a 'capture' of various posts on this site. This doesn't turn out very well in Adobe Acrobat. Still, it is readable (sort of) and you can take your time and read it offline.

I'm still collecting information and until we got more, I will hold off formatting an offline document. Or, it may simpy make more sense to drop the offline document idea. Anyway, you can treat this as an experiment.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

unnofficial050808.zip (364 KB, 81 downloads)

Acoustic Guitar

Internal microphones (blender systems) and feedback:
You may have to turn off the internal microphone:
Not an an issue unique to the Bose Systems, but an issue when playing at significant volumes.
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6366055944/m/5501022022
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/680604893...681006602#4681006602


Acoustic Guitar and the Line6 Pod XTLive?
Check out the tips from Chuck-at-Bose

-- click the pic for the story ---

edit: Acoustic Guitar and the Line6 Pod XTLive

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

Mixers
If you have a mixer in your setup you will want to read this how-to guide from Gittar-Jonz
Mixer Set up

This includes setting the trims, channel strips and other controls you will encounter.

Specific Model - Output Notes:

• Alesis MultiMix 8USB
  
  
• Behringer UBX 1222FX
  
  
• Behringer XENYX1204FX
  
  
• Mackie CFX Mk II series mixer notes
  
  
• Mackie DFX6
  
  
• Numark CDMix-2
  
  
• Numark PPD9000
  
  
• Yamaha MG8/2FX
  

Mixers shown in this list are just ones where an owner has inquired about the connections. Inclusion in this list does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

Effects
To the uninitiated, connecting effects using the Insert Points on the Power Stand can be daunting.

Here are some notes for various devices.

Alesis NanoVerb/PicoVerb using Insert Point
VoiceLive (TC-Helicon) using Insert Point
Effects Connections 101 from Hilmar-at-Bose

Edit (added Hilmar's excellent discussion)

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,

Hi ST:
An earlier post of yours (
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/150604105.../456107507#456107507 ) where you discuss the problems of adjacent louder players and close quarter sound shadows,
was very helpful to me in grasping reasons for relative placement of speakers and performers. I think it is worth including in this unoffical user's guide.

Thanks,
Jim Mead

Thanks Jim,

The discussion was called
Hearing One's Self with the Bose ...
In the early days of playing I had to remind myself of things like "let the amp do the heavy lifting" (instead of my fingers), so over the past little while I've come up with a few points that seem to be helping with the System. I'd really appreciate your comments on these little maxims I try to remember when setting up and playing.
-- more ---



I've been meaning to rewrite parts of my contributions there because I wrote it very early in my experiences with the System.

In the meantime, I'll add a link to it in the lead post above.

Terminology
Like many others, this community is developing its own lexicon. Look for a few terms and quick references here.

Terminology

Stage Layouts

Last time I looked at the numbers, we had around 150 discussions in the Illustrations section.

Here are a few that illustrate general principles.

• Inside and Out with 2 Systems
  is for ensembles using 2 Systems to replace a traditional PA.
  
• Quick Stage Layouts for a 4 piece band
  This includes ideas for tiny, small, medium, and larger stages.
  
• Raked / Angled Seating
  See this for ideas for setup when the floor is not level with the stage. (In this case, a converted movie theatre).
  

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ST,