BillFitzmaurice.info

The Valve Sound System:
Lots of scoops and comb filtering...







I think I saw a few Funktion One tops in the last photo as well.

Based on the photos I would say T48's or T36's to hold down the bottom end and DR280's for the tops. If you go with T36's I think the extension would go lower and sound better than the scoop bins that I'm seeing in the photos. Maybe the "dirty" sound you're looking for is the distortion that comes from the front loaded drivers on the scoop bins. The T48's and T36's will sound different because of the filtering inherent in the folded horn design.

As far as amps I would go with any current solid state design. According to most of the articles I've seen on Valve's system they credit their "sound" to creative EQing and a lack of compression/limiting. They leave the source lower and allow for more headroom than the usual guys that run the system on the limiter all night long. In other words; the less you squash the dynamics in the music the better the sound.

ok well i like the reports on the titans they look and sound to be really good subs. as for the amp say if i did build the champ 1000 thats four channels would four of the titans handle that power. lets say 4 titan 48s

wow well im not tryin to copy the valve. i just want a nice deep bass nice warm mid and a good room filling allround sound. i want to use bills designs so if anyone has built a anything like what i want for dnb. list ur kit

also thanks for helping me evrybody its a learning curv for me. the valve is the most beautiful system iv ever heard and they can only use bits of it or it will bring most uk buildings 2 the ground its serious. i love it

I'm jealous that you've been able to hear Valve, honestly, whether it comb filters like crazy or not.

"i just want a nice deep bass"

My understanding is that you would not want tubes on your bass then. I can't seem to find any info specifically pertaining to it but I want to say I read something on how tubes have a limited bass response anyway. I do remember reading how tube amps distort with even-order harmonics when they clip, which is a pleasing effect in difference to solid state amps that distort in odd-order, which is not pleasing.

With the amp being 4 channel you could conceivably run 12 titans/tubas in my un-seasoned and un-tested opinion, 3 wired in parallel per channel. I still think you're better having solid state on the subs and trying some tubes on the mid/highs, in which that amp is probably way overkill. I know I'd like to try it one of these days.

bigwill wrote:the valve is the most beautiful system iv ever heard

Oh my. Sounds kinda romantic. Tubby would be proud.

bigwill wrote: i love it

It'll pass, suffice time and experience.

What kills the sound of a partial digital system is all the digital/analog conversion of the signal along its way. I'll never figure out what "warmth" of mid-range is, and I've listened to a lot of hi-zoot stuff. I hear a lot of talk about warmth. Is it like putting a pillow case over my head?

Almost indefinable. I have both for home audio, tube and solid state. For my old vinyl, the tube is definitely better. I believe it's because it was mastered for tube amps. Newer vinyl, say mid 70's and up, and anything digital is better solid state. Especially the highly compressed no dynamic range crap we get now. Tubes don't like that very much.

please watch this sorry bout my country folk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpfNdeiz ... re=related yeah it makes your body feel literally warm n fuzzy and doesn't really send u deaf

bigwill wrote:wow well im not tryin to copy the valve.

Good thing. That picture is textbook of how sound systems should not be set up. If there was one thing about it that was right I'd say so, but there isn't. The tops are bollux, line arrays will go louder and sound better with 1/2 the cab count. Scoops are relics of 1970s technology, incapable of going really low. It's visually a very impressive rig, but my ears cringe at the very thought of having to listen to it.

I hear a lot of talk about warmth. Is it like putting a pillow case over my head?

'Warmth' is a euphemistic term for what is a combination of odd-order harmonic distortion and compression, which is how tube amps color response. And as I already stated this warmth occurs in the mids, not the bass, so there's no point whatsoever to using a tube amp with a sub, unless you need the amp to serve double duty by heating the venue at the same time.

watch the vids i put up the two chavs built it they use valve cause they wanted the old school dub sound. thats a fraction of it its 16tons they carnt even use the whole thing in england cause it brings roofs down. they put 2 huge bass bins at the back the horns at the front and tops hangin over the stage honestly its awesome. i would love to use titan 48s ther great i think it will sound good im going to look into amps further.

bigwill wrote:watch the vids i put up the two chavs built it they use valve cause they wanted the old school dub sound.

Valve emulator or valve Pre amp anyone?

bigwill wrote:watch the vids i put up the two chavs built it they use valve cause they wanted the old school dub sound.

Watch the video again...they don't use Tube/valve amps. The Valve name is a tip of the cap to the old school reggae/dub sound. Valve System uses solid state Crest amplifiers. The only thing old school about their sound rig is the scoop bins and the way they arrange the cabinets.

The more I watch the video the less I'm impressed with Lemon D and Dillinja and their pro sound chops. I think most of the DnB crowd that visit a Valve show think it's the cat's meow because they haven't spent much time outside of DnB listening to what "clarity" really sounds like. Nothing I've seen about the valve system says "clarity" to me.

If you really have your heart set on building and hauling a couple hundred pounds of tube amps around from show to show for the "warm" sound, knock yourself out. The T48's easily have the low end extension of any of the scoop bins that Valve uses.(more actually) If you want more low end, go with T36 or THT like WiSounds did.

Just as a side note: I have used my T30's for DnB shows here locally and always get rave reviews. Nobody cares that I'm using QSC amps (solid state) and my T30's walk all over the Cerwin Vega's (one note wonders) and dual 18" cabs that guys normally use here. (I haven't seen a scoop bin in use yet...)

I watched the videos, and I'm well versed with Dillinja and his work. The name 'Valve' for his sound system has nothing - I repeat - NOTHING to do with Valve-driven power amps besides a marketing allusion to the valve-based systems of the 60s and 70s. Listen to those guys talk in that video - they don't have the slightest clue what they're talking about.

It's a Gimmick - nothing more. A very well marketed and hyped 100,000 watt sound system. Incredibly inefficient, but specifically tuned for drum & bass.


I've had the (dis)pleasure of assisting with sound for events that Dillinja has performed at. He comes from the DJ school of 'push everything all the way up until the lights are all on full and everything sounds like mush.' I'm not surprised in the least that his approach to building a sound system is similar - just keep adding speakers and amplifiers until it's past the point that any rational human would want to go near.

I cut my teeth doing sound during the era of raves and warehouse parties where every event was tagged with the wattage of the sound system. (40,000 watt sound system!! 60,000 watt sound system!!!, 100 Kilowatt sound system!!!) Apparently Dillinja and his crew haven't realized that that era is over yet. Their full system takes 3 semi-trucks and multiple people numerous hours to set up. With digital amps, horn-loaded subs, and line-array speakers I'm certain that you could easily achieve the same SPL levels with better clarity with less than half the pack space and less than 1/4 the power draw. My current system runs on less than 5000 watts, and it's easily twice as loud as my old system from the mid 90s that was pushing 25,000 watts. I've had some of the same D&B DJs that used to play my gigs back in the day play on the new system, and every single one of them has told me that it's louder, cleaner, and LOWER.


Feel free to replicate what the Valve Sound System is if you want - but if you want to join the 21st century, listen to the advice you've gotten on the forum.