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We always do part of our soundcheck with the PA off. This gives us a better idea of what the onstage mix is like as there isn't sound bouncing off the walls of the emptyish auditorium.

Irrational? I have been extolling the virtues of single 10s and 12s for some time but can I get rid of that feeling that I need a second to stack? It would mean that I did not need to bend to adjust my amp but is that worth another outlay of £700-900? Bass cab therapy anyone?

Hey peeps, Hope everyone is good. I’m looking at both the laney digbeth head and the tone hammer. I wondered if anyone has used both and how they compare. Can’t fine a comparison. I’ve played through a tonehammer and I like it. Isn’t any stores close to try the laney digbeth. I have a pbass and play finger style funk, r&b,mostly. Melodic melody jazz stuff with chords also. I don’t slap. Cheers

The trick in these circumstances is to make it not sound like a soundcheck. No fannying around or practicing riffs you should have tidied up in the rehearsal room. No annoying feedback or tuning up at full volume. Everyone is focussed and ready to do a very specific and planned sound check. A band I played in had the soundcheck rehearsed so we could get set up, and play something both useful to get our levels and fix any sound issues with the room, but also appear to give the punters a montage of tunes. (We used the same soundcheck plan to set up rehearsals too as it happens) It helps if you have someone else doing sound "out front", but it is still more than manageable if the whole band is reading from the same page and actually helps rather than 'not being a team player'. As a side effect of turning up with this professional attitude is that you'll also help to bake the idea in to the heads of the punters that the band are gonna be really good and worth hanging around for. Nothing puts me off more than musicians who have no stage craft and p*ss around, not helping each other but still think they are great. /disclaimer, yes I've played festival stages and the toilet circuit where the engineer checks merely for some noise on the DI as a confirmation of bass tone lol.. It's not always perfect.

If (this is a big if) you have the right equipment, you could use RTA to make equalizing of the space every time. When that is fixed, the levels wouldn't be that big an issue to go through pretty quickly. I think low level vs. gig level represent different things.

Went to a gig in a club in New Orleans. Sitting at the table at 7.55, band due on at 8.00. No sign of them. About 7.58, the band walks through the bar, onto the stage, gets out their instruments, plug in, and at 8.00 on the dot started their set. That's how to roll if you can 👍

Agreed with the above, a full but brief sound check every time.

Reckon it would even make Dave Gilmour wince.......😆😆

Looking at the itinerary for our next gig in Rotterdam on 18th may we have 2 hours scheduled for load in and soundcheck. I can't imagine ever doing a gig with just a linecheck but then I suppose I'm playing a different kind of venue.

I suspect that at least some (if not most) of them were empty lightweight boxes just for show. There's nothing wrong with having an image and the wall of cabs is almost mandatory in some genres.

Option 2 every time. You can't sound check at low levels as you won't hear the low end. You have to sound check at gig level. No need for 5 minutes though! Line-check everything then do 30 seconds of a section of a song where everything gets used (IE don't check the verse without BVs, check the chorus with BVs).

Just revisiting this thread. When this auction ran and it's selling point was 'it was used on All Mod Cons' I thought Bruce had replaced it after that. I especially like the one he used on the Trans-Global Express gig from 1982 that was filmed and released on video. Upon closer inspection it is the same bass unless he also modified more than one black/maple P the same way. Assuming he didn't THIS is the Bruce bass to own.

We have a difference of opinion in a band I'm in and was interested in the general consensus on this matter. I will try to state both side's case neutrally so as not to sway the argument. The scenario is that in the venues we play (pub and social club) there will already be people in the room when we are setting up. The question is whether we should carry out a full volume soundcheck before we start playing. Only the three vocals and keys are going through the small PA. The drums, two guitars and bass are not. The arguments are as follows: 1. As there are already people in the room, it doesn't look/sound very professional to do a soundcheck before the gig start, especially at full volume. We will still do a check on each of the instruments individually. As long as we keep the levels the same on our amps gig to gig, then there should not be a problem. 2. A full soundcheck should be carried out at all gigs to ensure that the sound is the best it can be. It is more professional to do a 5 minute soundcheck before the gig to ensure all levels are good than it is for the sound to not be balanced or too loud for the whole gig. All opinions welcome!

Honestly... to avoid doing this myself for a wedding gig in Riga and having to ship a bass, I've bought a cheap Harley Benton P and got it shipped straight to Latvia by thomman, some less honest or more hard up folk than I might say you could use it then return it ... under their no quibble 30 day policy. https://www.thomann.co.uk/helpdesk_moneyback.html Im either going to keep it too noodle at our flat or put it up on the local equivalent of Facebook Marketplace for half of what I've paid , as once I'd looked into the cost of " luggage" costs their and back a case insurance and package material it was getting pretty close in price.

Your Kiss Is On My List - Hall & Oates

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