Well I Finlay broke down & bought a T1 & got my self set up to do a show. I had it for a week & it's going back! I got OTS DJ on n my laptop & worked with the T1 & the OTSDJ software all week to get ready for my karaoke/DJ gig.



The T1 was very hard to operate when switching between DJ music, karaoke & getting a singers vocal levels right. There is just no room to work with. Going from fade rs to tiny knobs> at home it worked OK but at a gig when I have to make fast smooth transitions wow it was very rough.



After 4 karaoke singers & 6 DJ songs & pushed over my New system-grabbed my "old school system" & finished off the night without the T1.



To me the T1 sounded great with the new L1 compact but not to good with my L1 Mod 1's.
The high-hats sounded forced & very digital. There wasn't very much mid's or bass. Overall my Denon X500 sounded much much better to my ears. More real less digital is the best way to describe it.
Before you right with suggestions keep in mind that I did eventually get it set up the right way (I talked to 3 techs before it was set up right.)


It's going back tomorrow.

My only suggestion is to allow a little bit more time to get used to adjusting singers.

Initially it took a little time to adapt, from using a conventional mixer but once I found the correct settings for vocals and vocal effects and saved them to a scene it became very easy to adjust singers.

Once the effects are adjusted they basically stay the same for most singers so the only adjustment after that is EQ and the channel volume knob. The gain knob never gets touched (if properly gain staged to begin with). I stay with the singer for about the first 10 seconds of a song to properly adjust Eq and volume and that is it.

After making the switch to the T1 I will never go back to a conventional mixer. It sounds too good and I have amazing control over vocals that I could not reproduce with another mixer.

One other thing to keep in mind. The L1 and T1 were developed for Musicians in mind. Once they find the perfect sound they do not adjust much on the fly.

I have found it very easy to adapt both to my karaoke business with a little patience. Now I can very quickly adjust playback and 3 singers with ease.

quote:

To me the T1 sounded great with the new L1 compact but not to good with my L1 Mod 1's.
The high-hats sounded forced & very digital. There wasn't very much mid's or bass.

JD has raised an interesting point here. I wonder if some of you who have multiple systems will give your comparisons of the T1 performances with the different models?
Thanks, DH

I think the T1 was designed for the Mod.2. not the Mod.1.

Hi jdbassentertainment

I am certain that the T1® was designed to be used with the Model I (and Classic) and Model II. The analog outputs and T1 Power Supply suggest to me that Bose anticipated that existing L1® owners (Classic and Model I) would want to use the T1®.

The T1® documentation says

quote:

Thank you for purchasing the Bose® T1 ToneMatch™ audio engine. The T1 ToneMatch™ audio engine provides the
ultimate control for performing musicians. When used with the Bose L1™ model II or Model I system, the T1 allows
you to control the sound of your instrument as well as the output of the entire system. Using proprietary ToneMatch
presets and associated zEQ tonal adjustments, the T1 enables you to preserve the natural sound of instruments or
vocal microphones when amplified. Designed by musicians, for musicians, the Bose T1 ToneMatch™ audio engine
is contained in a small, portable enclosure that you can keep beside you during a performance.

You will find numerous references throughout that document that support T1® use with both the Model I and Model II.

The voicings for the Presets in the T1® are the same for both the Model I and the Model II. That is: the Model II was modelled to sound the same as the Model I (and Classic) so that the T1® would be interchangeably used with all three (Classic, Model I and Model II) and now the Compact.

Believe me I tried very hard to like the T1, I put a ton of work into getting my mp3 files ready to use with OTS DJ & spent many hours over the coarse of a week to get to know the T1.



In result at home it worked for me but in the real world not so much. Not very comfortable to work with very cramped. Really tough to make fast adjustments to levels & especially eq settings.



A little bit more on the sound from the T1: I found the T1 to be brutally honest when it came to lower quality mp3s. 128-160 especially. By this I mean you could really hear the lack of quality BAD. With my present mix (denon x500) you can hear the difference but it is not as pronounced. This being said my mp3 are of a very very mixed breed. All the new ones that have gone in my system for the last year are 320kb, but before that 192kb-128kb (mostly 160-192kb). Since have over 13,000 mp3 & I'm not about to do work on my collection for the next 3 months just to replace all the lower bit rate ones.



Further more I found the T1 to have very sharp sounding SSS-shh & T's when playing the L1 mod. 1 at mid to high volumes . This came out the most with cymbals & hi-hats & yes it sounded like this for both the lower quality & higher quality
mp3s.



On the eqing end to make it sound acceptable too my ears I had to (on channel 3/4 from PC) make the following adjustments: Highs -1.0 mids +2.0 bass +3.0. That was the best I could do but I still didn't think it sounded as good as my old mixer.
The overall sound was very digital sounding. Like the music was run thru a ton of processors in and you were hearing the end result. With my existing mixer it sounds more like a live band is right there in the room with you.



I knew this wasn't going to be a very popular discussion but I had to give my report on my findings after a week with the T1.

quote:

The T1 was very hard to operate when switching between DJ music, karaoke & getting a singers vocal levels right. There is just no room to work with. Going from fade rs to tiny knobs> at home it worked OK but at a gig when I have to make fast smooth transitions wow it was very rough.

Some people, need a large mixer, booth, etc, etc in front of them to feel comfortable with their performance. In fact for some, its a part of the performance. No offense, if that's what makes you feel happy and comfortable, that's what you should work with. I watched a friend of mine DJ once, his hands would sweat and shake, he couldn't take a break. He was a train wreck, behind this big booth of stuff. For him this was a major job, please no interruptions, "Oh my gosh, there's someone with a request".

He needed "Slider pots" for the right feel, the booth around him was a shield so to speak, "you have to be in control". I just would not be able to deal with that much stress. Chill, it's just not that difficult.

As a working musician, previous DJ/KJ host, I've experienced a lot of different equipment out there. When you come down to the most important aspects, you can't beat the T1 ToneMatch™ for clarity, ease of use and versatility. Heck, once your comfortable, "Singing, playing an instrument, adjusting the balance for you and another singer and queuing up the next song, becomes second nature. Just don't chew gum at the same time.
Yes, it requires a bit of learning curve to use it to a full potential, initially using less is better. After you have a good sound and a handle on mixing and blending voices, a little experimentation can be a lot of fun.

Anything new on the gig, can be stressful and there is a tendency to return to one's comfort zone with the equipment you are most familiar with. Bose has a very generous return policy, it would be nice if the T1 ToneMatch™ worked out for you, but don't stress out over it. It just might not be the right unit for you with your present style and level of comfort out there.

BTW, there was concern over tone/sound. Did you trying using the USB port, instead of the earphone cable on your laptop. That really sounds good, very full, excellent clarity.

Hi jdbassentertainment,

quote:

Originally posted by jdbassentertainment.com:
...

I knew this wasn't going to be a very popular discussion but I had to give my report on my findings after a week with the T1.

I am happy to read any discussion that speaks from the direct and personal experience that someone has with the L1® gear, no matter what s/he decides to do as a result of that experience.

When I read that you had gotten a T1® I was happy (for you) that you were going to give it a try in your working situation.

I wish that it had been a better fit for you. Looking at the calendar it appears that you probably have at least another month before your 45 days is up. So if you want to explore it further you have some time. But time is valuable and you may have learned what you need to from this experiment. If so then in my book, sending it back is the right thing to do.


Best wishes.

I felt the same way as ST. I was more interested in helping you find a solution.

I have plenty of mp3's ripped below 192K and I do not experience the same thing you are describing. I have a Classic and T1 as well.

Could you give us the exact settings you are using on your playback channels. Be sure to include Reverb, preferences etc for 4/5 channel.

JD,

Ultimately this is all about what works for you. Comfort, ease of operation and sound quality are often individual preferences. I have no quarrel with any of the points you make particularly with those about physically operating the T1 vs what you are used to operating.

Like I said many times, I revert to a mixer for ease of operation when running 2 L1's in stereo but prefer the T1 for single L1 operation. For me the T1 gives one L1 so much more headroom and sound quality, it's worth having just for that application.

Your input here has raised many pertinent issues. I hope you stick around as we all continue to learn here together.

Lou, I have no intentions on leaving the forum. I now know that I will never be a Laptop DJ. I guess I thought I'd give it a whorl one more time so that I could utilize the T1 in my show.

My opinions about the T1 are now based on first hand experience & that makes them more valid. But they are just opinions & everyone has there own as well. Truly it's a matter of the two things you said, comfort & ease of operation.

I will stick to using my trusty Denon DN-X500 mixer & enjoy beautiful music coming out of the L1's. I'll do my gig's with the style of mixing that I've come to love & do it with a smile on my face.

Although I was disappointed In the T1 for many reasons, one thing I have to say is that the vocals coming out of it when I did karaoke sounded amazing.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jdbassentertainment.com,

Hello, DynamiteDJs

Please see this new discussion for your question:

Laptop freezing when using T1® through USB

Thank you.

I just reciently went from using channel 4/5 through my laptop headphone jack to the direct USB connection of the T1.I noticed a HUGE difference in sound quality. I also came from the "Big Board" school but love the simplicity and ease of controling tone with the T1 I have heard some clarity issues with some files and I just deal with it, Because it's mostly older music files with low resolution, but I would not give up quite yet it took me awhile to warm up to the sound of the T1 because because it is so pure, and the effects are amazing as well. Just another reason to go small I sold my rack full of heavy gear for the T1 and my audiences let me know they enjoy the sound my system produces at just about every show
just my 2 cents
Karaoke After Dark

i may get a trouncing for this but I had heard from some guy in a music store in Montreal that bose used inexpensive speakers in the system.... he had mentioned he thought the first L1's were 'harsh' to the ear at higher volumes.
And as a result they didnt sell many of the first issues. Just reporting is all.

quote:

Some people, need a large mixer, booth, etc, etc in front of them to feel comfortable with their performance. In fact for some, its a part of the performance. No offense, if that's what makes you feel happy and comfortable, that's what you should work with. I watched a friend of mine DJ once, his hands would sweat and shake, he couldn't take a break. He was a train wreck, behind this big booth of stuff. For him this was a major job, please no interruptions, "Oh my gosh, there's someone with a request".

Hi Joel

You are 100% correct. You wisely enter a discussion that is rarely even "thought" about. Most DJ's skills ( and they do have skills ) are not in stage front performances of one on one instrument or vocal singing skills. The "booth" in front is the barrier of comfort between "them" and the audience. This can also happen with "musicians" also. When I was a percussionist years back my "traps" where my "barrier" of comfort. I sat behind them. being up front and all alone can be a downright scary thing at first and takes a while to get used to being "that" close to the audience. But being a born ham helps! LOL!

Well I just sent it back. So that's that. Don't forget that denon makes fine products & is on the higher end when it comes to DJ Equipment. I get tons of complements using this mixer & am happy that I found the right fit for me. In my eyes the Denon Dn-X500 & the Denon DN-HD2500 with an L1 or two is the perfect DJ system for any event! For karaoke add a laptop & Bam you've got it made.

Actually mine has faders.

Hi mysticradio,

No trouncing, I promise.

We put the same (extreme) care into the drivers in what's now known as the L1 Classic as all the other L1 systems. I would say that Bose puts more effort into the engineering of transducers than any other I've heard of in my 25 years of talking to people who work for other sound companies.

Get the transducers wrong, and the rest is just academic.

Now, I'm sorry the fellow in the music store heard harshness from an L1 system. That's too bad but I'd also say that one person reporting harshness from a loudspeaker doesn't mean the speaker is harsh. There are countless other explanations for him stating his impression. I certainly would say that an excrutiating amount of effort went into making the L1 sound utterly natural on the best reference material.

Urickmic: I'm glad you've found the sound you want. I'm not too surprised to hear of the improvement in sound quality from the USB port vs. the headphone output on your computer. One of the places computer manufacturers notoriously cut corners is on analog inputs and outputs. They just don't expect professionals to use these anymore. USB is a straight digital output and we put a lot of effort into professionally handling that signal in the T1.

With best regards,

Ken

I'd have to agree with Ken on this one the L1's are amazing & sound great at any volume. Do you think Bose the most respected company in the world for there audio products would through "cheap" drivers in the L1's when they wanted to revolutionize the way musicians reproduced music on stage????????

They can however sound "harsh" if the signal it too hot. The signal indicator light will show green- then green with a yellow ficker- then green with a red flicker- then just strait red.

It's when it's strait red that you will hear this "harshness" as you put it. As long as you keep it green with an occasional red flicker (or green with yellow) you are golden!

Do your gain staging at home. Figure out the maximum volume you can use from your mixer then set your trim accordingly. Keep the signal between green & a flicker of red occasionally & you are good. It's really very easy.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jdbassentertainment.com,

Here is something for you DJs...we use one for soft synths and recording, but it was natively designed for DJ with computer:
http://www.openlabs.com/mikolxd-overview.html