Hi everyone. I've been working with Mike Bullis posted this in another discussion. We've been working on this in private emails but Mike has said it is okay to share this with the community.

Originally posted by Mike Bullis December 23:

I'm blind and new to my system as well as this forum so excuse the post in the wrong place but... I'm trying to figure out the presets. I have the list but can't figure out what they mean in terms of the four push buttons. Can anybody explain to me, how, if you were in the dark, you would set a preset to a particular number? There's gotta be a way but the manual doesn't explain how the presets work, just that they do, unless I missed it. Feel free to reply to my email as well as to the forum because frankly, all these "onmouseover" links have me really messed up. The speech on my computer doesn't like them.
Mike


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It's going to take about ten posts to get the whole story in here, so lemme get that done and then please join in with any suggestions or ideas you have.

Thanks

Edit - The story as far (December 25 8:45 my time) is all here. I'm going to write Mike with a link so he can join us here.

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

(originally sent in a private email)

Hi Mike,

This is ST from the Bose forum.

Just wanted to get back to you to let you know that the folks at Bose are probably taking time for the holidays. I don't work for Bose, but I have come to know these fine people over the past year and a half, and I'm certain that if there is anything they can do to help, they will. It may be hit or miss until mid-week.

I can try to help you with this. There are 8 buttons that you can depress, 4 for each preset. The 4 closest to the back straight edge are for Channel 2. The 4 closer to the founded front are for Channel 1.

The rear panel is actually designed to read from behind the the System. This drives sighted people crazy because the units are often pushed to the back of the stage. So we all have to learn to read the panel upside down.

If it helps, let's talk about a set of buttons - say for Channel 1. If you have the unit with the rounded edge toward you, the buttons on the left are UNITS and the buttons on the right are TENS. From that vantage point the buttons work like this: the upper buttons (farthest from you) move the numbers up. The ones closer move the numbers down.

Now the tough part is knowing when you are at preset 00. I've never noticed any difference in the feel of that position.

The very good news is that once you have your System set up, you may not have to access the presets very often. I pretty much never change Channel 1 that I use for vocals because I always use the same mic. I also tend not to change the preset for Channel 2 because I really like one particular preset for my Electric Guitars.

Mike, please let me know if this was helpful and if not I'm happy to take another run at this.

All the best.

ST


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To readers... in the original I managed to get my left and right backwards, something I do often. I took the liberty of fixing that before posting it here.

Mike wrote

Wow ST I think you've been very helpful. I thought it was some patterning like that. As you say, the only question is how to get the unit to zero zero because from there I'm good. Does the unit reset to 00 when you turn it off/unplug it?
If so that would give me the starting point. Or, if I remove the fuse would that reset the memory?

Thanks again for an unexpected prompt response. I figured everybody would be out for Christmas and didn't expect an immediate response. And, thanks very much for your posts. You contribute a lot to the forum from what I've read and it's all very understandable.

You run your mic out of channel one and guitar out of channel 2. I'm considering that as well but like a very little color from effects and the only way it's described in the literature is using channel 1 or two for effects. Do I need a small mixer or is there another way to get the effects into the system. I really just use so little it's a shame that I even need to clutter the system up with them but for most clubs there's just a little color needed with the pa's I've used in the past.
I have a ps1, one cylindrical speaker and a b1 base module.
Thanks for all your help.
Mike Bullis

ST replied


Hi Mike,

I've just got a minute and then I'm out for a couple of hours.
A few quick points.

Nope: the presets don't reset. This is good because it means that for most of us, once they are set, we can pretty much forget about them.
The same is true of the trim setting.

As for effects - seriously, once you hear the System in a room suitable for a performance, I'll bet you will at least ponder the possibility of going without effects.

Gotta run - but I'll check for replies when I get back.

Thanks for your kind comments.

ST

Mike wrote


I was actually hoping you would say that I might not need it.. I have a test site for next Wednesday where I can test how it sounds and begin tweaking it.
The idea of no effects would really make this system worth it's weight in gold. Your article on testing is very helpful, I'm using it to construct the tests. Thanks.

As far as the presets go, I'll just have to get somebody to tell me what it's on right now and when I move it, I'll remember, (well maybe).
Mike Bullis

ST wrote:

Hi Mike,

I think we were both typing at the same time, so at the point that I hit send, I had not seen your most recent message.

The nice thing about going without effects (besides the simplicity) is that you can actually hear how the room sounds. You get to hear the natural reverb in the room. And that part is really nice.

I meant to ask... could we start a new discussion for this? Your original post is in a kind of funny place right now.

What you could do is just start a new discussion with this link:
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=ptpc&f=6806048934&x_popup=Y

This will create a new discussion thread in the At the Gig and Rehearsal section.

I would then send you a link to the new discussion so you could check periodically to see if there are any responses. There is a way to turn on notifications - but I it might be tough for you to do that because you have to turn that on using on of the JavaScript popup menus.

Just repeat your original post, and I'll go back and take care of the other one for you.

I don't know if you'd like to share, but I'm sure that the other folks on the forum would like to know what kind of music you are performing, and the kinds of places you play. It's just a bit of the fun stuff we all ask each other. So you could add that to the message if you wanted.

I'm done for now, just let me know if you need anything. You won't have to write if you do start that new discussion. I spot it.

ST

ST wrote:

Hi Mike

I just reread my first message and I got my left and right, backwards. The correct statement is:

Let's talk about a set of buttons - say for Channel 1. If you have the unit with the rounded edge toward you, the buttons on the left are UNITS and the buttons on the right are TENS. From that vantage point the buttons work like this: the upper buttons (farthest from you) move the numbers up. The ones closer move the numbers down. (aside: I have already fixed the post in which this error occurred - ST).

Now that we have that out of the way, the switches surprisingly (feel like they) are mechanical. That is, as you press the buttons
- there is a click you can feel,
- a wheel turns inside,
- and the numbers show up.

This is a very sturdy and reliable setup for switches that you want to hold their position through power cycles, fuse changes (although I've never heard of anyone having to change the fuses). If you press a button say, 10 TIMES* it puts you back to where you started. The switches are probably sealed units. There is a plastic cover over where the numbers are visible so you can't feel them.

Okay that was all the bad news about the preset mechanism. The good news is that you tend not to change them. Not sure if you caught this, but the presets are intended to 'tell' the System what kind of input you are providing so that it can provide the best match with the digital signal processing. These are not like patches you would typically find with Guitar processors or electronic keyboards where you are trying to emulate different instrument sounds.

So these tend to be set and forget settings.

Now something you will use all the time is the Remote.

You have two vertical columns of four equally spaced rotary controls. The column on the left is for Channel 1 and the right is Channel 2.
The controls are, from top to bottom Hi, Mid, Low, Level.
The Hi, Mid, Low are tone controls and these have a center detent at the mid point so you can tell by feel when you are running flat.
The Level control does not have a center detent.
Most often we describe the settings like a clock face. The dial starts at 7 o'clock - the mid point is 12 o'clock and the maximum is 5 o'clock. There are hard stops at the extremes so it is pretty easy to tell when you are at either end of the spectrum.

In the center, below the two columns of controls is the Master Volume. No center detent here but it operates just like the level controls for the channels going from zero at 7 o'clock to +12 at 5 o'clock.

So when I start a gig, I almost always start with the Master Volume off and everything else straight up at 12 o'clock. Then I bring up the master to a point where the Vocal is good and balance the Guitar against that.

Out of habit, I always put the Vocal in Channel 1 and the main instrument - usually a Guitar into Channel 2. It just means I don't have to think about that a lot when playing.

I wrote a long article about finding presets that work for you. In it, I strongly suggest that you sit or stand in roughly the same distance from the System as you expect will be typical in performance. Then have a friend push the buttons on the presets while you sing, play and listen. Given that most of us have very short auditory memory, it is pretty much impossible to switch presets back and forth fast enough to really compare them if you are trying to get back and forth from the playing position.

Here's a link to the article:
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/301107819/m/2861005661

About the effects. I'm not going to attempt to dissuade you from your artistic expression, but I will encourage you to try the System at least a couple of times, without.

That's all I can think to talk about right now. If you have any questions - fire away.

Hope you're having a great night.


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* I left out the word TIMES in the original email and edited the part where I talk about what you feel and see when you press the preset buttons.

ST wrote:

Hi Mike,

I think we were both typing at the same time, so at the point that I hit send, I had not seen your most recent message.

The nice thing about going without effects (besides the simplicity) is that you can actually hear how the room sounds. You get to hear the natural reverb in the room. And that part is really nice.

I meant to ask... could we start a new discussion for this? Your original post is in a kind of funny place right now.

What you could do is just start a new discussion with this link:
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=ptpc&f=6806048934&x_popup=Y

This will create a new discussion thread in the At the Gig and Rehearsal section.

I would then send you a link to the new discussion so you could check periodically to see if there are any responses. There is a way to turn on notifications - but I it might be tough for you to do that because you have to turn that on using on of the JavaScript popup menus.

Just repeat your original post, and I'll go back and take care of the other one for you.

I don't know if you'd like to share, but I'm sure that the other folks on the forum would like to know what kind of music you are performing, and the kinds of places you play. It's just a bit of the fun stuff we all ask each other. So you could add that to the message if you wanted.

I'm done for now, just let me know if you need anything. You won't have to write if you do start that new discussion. I will spot it.

Mike wrote:

Hi ST. Don't worry about the errors. You've been very helpful.

Unfortunately, I can't send my original post on the link you sent because since I sent it through the message board, I don't have the original and well, I can't seem to find it on the message board. It's this java that's messing me up. I think I can get the hang of it over time and will try and practice. In the mean time, if you don't mind I'll pass along questions if they rise to the level of something unanswered elsewhere. I've been reading through the faqs and manuals and message boards. What a wealth of information to digest. I'm discovering that most of my questions have been answered, or at least debated, somewhere.

I'm taking the pas to a large echoey hall on Wednesday for a test. They also have an old cavernous church (vintage 1819) which I think I could take a whack at with different equipment. I might move the pas in there just to see what happens. Turns out that the front of the church (sanctuary, or whatever you call it), is just as high as the pughs so perhaps a pas would radiate straight along the room axis. Right now they have these speakers placed 15 feet high pointing God knows where (well, it is his house). Echoey, cavernous, muffled, mumbly, impossible to hear.
Boy, this software upgrading seems complex, gotta go and read some more.

Have a very Merry Christmas ST and thanks for all of your help.

ST wrote:

Hi Mike,

Merry Christmas to you too.

May I have your permission to post our conversation so far on the message board. I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone else has some ideas on how to make things easier.

I'll send you a link when I've got it all posted.

Is that okay ?

As for your echoey hall think that you will have far fewer issues with echoes because the Bose System sends very little above and below the Cylindrical Radiator. A lot of the echoes that we hear (that really mess with intelligibility) come from reflections of ceilings and floors. The are a lot fewer of those with the Bose System. If you hear slap back echoes from the opposite wall, you can tame those by elevating the rear of the PowerStand by just a tiny bit (the edge of the soft B1 case might do fine for this).,

ST

Mike wrote:

Sure you can post ST. And, yes, as to the hall echo, that was my thinking. If I can keep all of the noise at ear level I should win because the real problems are up in the ceiling, not at floor level where there are carpets and fairly good accoustics. As I mentioned, the peughs might have been a problem until I realized that the sanctuary is just at their top level so the sound should move right over them and not reflect back from them.

I saw my post and your response on the thread I created last night and will get to a response later today. For right now I have a three year old who is in need of a present opening experience.
Merry Christmas.

Hi Everyone.

Okay - this ends the transcript of our conversation to this point and if you've read all of this, thank you.

Anyone have ideas on how to make this easier?

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

You know… when I got my first PSA and I was looking for the right presets I didn’t real have the mic that would match up with the recommended one So I just started sing and changing them just to see which sounded the best. It’s not really that important for Mike to be on the recommended one, so much as it needs to sound right to him.
Wow! A blind man who performs live, and has a three year old. What an amazing man!

Hi all,

I asked Mike about the title for the discussion.

Mike replied:
No, I like it because it's potentially applicable to people in a dark club, Etc.

What I've really got to put together is a verbal description of each connector from right to left because until I get comfortable with this I keep getting confused.

I've got another question and will post it separately. You can name it however you like. For now, and I really appreciate your help, you're my only touchstone to this forum because I can't even repeat my success at sending you that first post. LOL.

It'll come.
Mike

ST wrote:
Hi Mike

Okay, I've got our conversation up on the message board.

If you actually want to read the whole thing, you could start at the beginning
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=820604893...1007282&r=1181017282

Here is the most recent post where I invite others to join in.
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/680604893...181017282#1181017282

Sending Replies
If you don't want to read through our entire conversation again, assuming you are logged into the message board, this link will take you to the popup window where you can write a new post:
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=prply&f=6806048...2131007282&x_popup=Y

Notifications
I don't have a way to test this but I think this link might lead you to a place where you can turn on notifications. If it works, the message board will send you an email when anyone replies to the discussion. There should be a button for you to click "Update my notification" Here is the link:
http://bose.infopop.cc/eve?a=scfrm&smod=70910125&ty...p;time=1135529844503

If that does not work, if you like, I can send you an email when there are replies.

Mike wrote:
Yay, the notifications worked great.
Mike

Mike, I didn't want to lose this request.

quote:

What I've really got to put together is a verbal description of each connector from right to left because until I get comfortable with this I keep getting confused.

The good news is there are two rows of inputs and controls. One for each channel, these are identical. These run parallel to the straight edge at the back of the System.

Let me assume that you will use Channel 1 for the microphone and Channel 2 for your instrument.

If you can tell me what kind of mic and instrument you are using, I can suggest the preset numbers.

Typically, you will have
- two cables for your inputs,
- one cable for the Bass Module,
- one for the Remote,
- one for Power

Tell me about the mic and instrument and I'll describe things in greater detail.

I'd like to be consistent in the Left and Right of things, so please tell me which way you will be facing the Power Stand.

From the front: curved part that faces the audience closet to you.

From the back: long straight edge facing you.

The applications where I plan on using the pas are varied.
1. I'm involved in politics and will some times use it for speeches/convention audio. I get really tired of muffled audio. I may not agree with what someone says but I'd sure like to be able to hear it comfortably so I can disagree coherently.
2. musical environment --small to medium size venue with accoustical guitar and two vocal mics.
3. Musical environment --small to medium size club with 1 vocalist (that'd be me) using instrumental wav tracks to sing with. Unfortunately the soune level for some of these tracks varies so quick but subtle adjustment of volume is often necessary. These are stereo tracks with excellent and broad instrumentation including bass, guitars, horns, keyboard, Etc. The quality of these tracks is key. I don't want anybody feeling like this represents (or looks like) karaoke in any way. I initially considered getting two pas for true stereo but have since concluded that that would be unnecessary. I have the l1 b1 package and (as of today) a second b1 bass module.
4. Ocasional outside gigs with unknown instruments from unknown persons at this point.

I guess all of this goes to say that I really need to understand this system backwards and forwards because I can anticipate bringing a mixer through the system on ocasion and even punching through to house audio for larger venues.

So, all of this I guess leads me to say that I need a general understanding of each connection from a physical location perspective and I can read up on them for uses.
The nice thing about not being able to see is that I really don't care about the difficulty of facing the curved front of the system and everything being upside down.
Since most of my work begins from right to left I guess that's the perspective to think about--beginning with xlr's for channels 1 and 2, one being the closest and so on. As everyone responds I'll keep track of replies and cobble it all together into a single description of the unit for other blind or "operating the system in the dark" folks.
From the descriptions in the manual I start getting confused more completely after channel 2 inputs and going on left from there. I assume that the female xlr's are just that, female inputs and that the males are same, just inputs.
For the time being let's work from front to back in cases where there is a difference. For example, I can't figure out the bass outs and can't figure out which is the data in jack for updating presets.
Any help would be appreciated.
Mike

Hi Mike,

Okay - thanks for all the scenarios. I'll get started on this and get back to you soon.

As far as getting confused from Channel 2 inputs, I'll take a run at that too.

Back soon.

Hi Mike

Quick questions:

Will you ever use the Guitar and the vocal mics and the instrumental wav tracks at the same time or in the same performance?

Could tell me what kind of mics and Guitar (and pickup system) you've got? This will matter.