mrtcat Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 Hi fellow bass players!! Played a gig last night at a pub in Oxfordshire and no matter what I tried I simply couldnt get a good sound. Just wondering if anyone else has had this problem??? I'm an experienced player and was running a 75 re-issue jazz thru a tc electronic head and a bergantino AE212. This is a new-ish rig to me but have gigged it 15 times and on all other occasions it's been really really easy to get a good sound. I don't go for massive low end just plenty of punch and growl. Last night however I really struggled to get a sound that wasn't booming. I had bass at -4, low mid at -3, high mid at 0 and treble at 0 but still it was booming. We were on a raised area with pillars and a low ceiling. All other band members sounded great except me. I must admit I've seen other bands here and have always thought that the bass players have been turned down too low. Maybe they all had the same problem??? I would welcome any advice or reassurance that I'm not the only one to struggle with this problem. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 It's unavoidable, innit? GRAMMA pad keeps it to a minimum, tho... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted November 6, 2010 Author Share Posted November 6, 2010 GRAMMA pad keeps it to a minimum, tho... [/quote] ??? Tell me more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 Probably moving your cab would've been better than messing with EQ. If I get boomy sounds I just pick up the cab and march it a few feet and see how it sounds, repeat. Sometimes there is no good place to put a bass cab but more often than not it'll solve the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 [quote name='mrtcat' post='1014775' date='Nov 6 2010, 09:31 PM']??? Tell me more![/quote] Here y'are: [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Auralex_Isolation_Risers.html"]http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_sp...ion_Risers.html[/url] Best £40 I ever spent. If you're playing on a wooden (not not solid) stage, it tightens the sound up a hell of a lot. The best way I can describe it is that it's like comparing an out-of-focus photo to a well-focussed shot.. you get all the detail. Now I use it all the time regardless of the stage's construction... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essexbasscat Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Once played a nightclub in Hatfield. Had just been re - built with glass walls all round (with strategic support pillars) and mirrors everywhere. It was a total reverb chamber. Any high frequencies pratically made your ears bleed and feedback was almost impossible to prevent. One of the most difficult gigs ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocketflup Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 I struggled at the Princess Charlotte in Leicester. Having said that, i have difficulty getting a good sound anywhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted November 7, 2010 Author Share Posted November 7, 2010 [quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1014797' date='Nov 6 2010, 09:53 PM']Probably moving your cab would've been better than messing with EQ. If I get boomy sounds I just pick up the cab and march it a few feet and see how it sounds, repeat. Sometimes there is no good place to put a bass cab but more often than not it'll solve the problem.[/quote] Thanks thisnameistaken, I did move it away from the wall as it has big rear ports and I thought this may be causing the booming but even tho 2m forward was better it was still wallowy. Will defo try moving around more if i struggle in future. [quote name='wateroftyne' post='1014828' date='Nov 6 2010, 10:45 PM']Here y'are: [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Auralex_Isolation_Risers.html"]http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_sp...ion_Risers.html[/url] Best £40 I ever spent. If you're playing on a wooden (not not solid) stage, it tightens the sound up a hell of a lot. The best way I can describe it is that it's like comparing an out-of-focus photo to a well-focussed shot.. you get all the detail. Now I use it all the time regardless of the stage's construction...[/quote] Wow this looks really interesting. I have had several gigs where the raised stage has caused problems. I'm ony 20 mins from Bass Direct so may well pop in this week. £40 is nothing really in comparison to the cost of buying amps etc so seems like a really good value solution. Thanks a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markstuk Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Not directly appropriate, but I use an adjustable amp stand for my MAG 300/15 combo which I optionally stand on a chunk of Dynafoam (energy absorbing foam we use in glider seat cushions to alleviate back injuries from heavy landings)... I suspect this is a poor mans version of the Auralex solution.. It's amazing how much you can change the tone with various combinations of the above... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 I played a festival on two curtainsided articulated trailers side by side. The front face was open to the crowd, and the dividing curtains had been pulled back. The roof, ends, and back were still in place. It was played through a Marshall 4x10 renta-stack which we all used (apart from the "name" acts) and we were forbidden to touch the EQ, much less reposition anything! Nothing but In Ear Monitors all round could have saved that one!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 This is why I always start from the top down EQ wise.... bass is the easiest to add and the hardest to get rid off..so my sound is geared up from the top. Can't recall the last time I had problems but the sounds from the bass is the place to start and age old strings are a bugger to alter in any meaniful way. I find this so one dimensional which is why I change them often... It can be fine when everything is right but when it isn't you have no place to go.. the lack of clarity from the string is not really something you can EQ out, IME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 I played St. George's hall recently in Liverpool which if you're not familiar with is more or less a massive cathedral inside. Very beautiful but our sound was entirely uncontrollable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantherairsoft Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Gramma Pad is amazing. Has done wonders for my D&B sound. As for venues... The Old Angel in Nottingham. I challenge ANY band to sound good in there. I blame playing too many gigs there for failing of my music career lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonstomper Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Todmorden town hall, beautiful old victorian building, but cavernous and an echo which comes back at you at about .5 second intervals, tough gig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howdoesitgoagain Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Played at a social club last night... the sound was rough on the stage, the bass sounded rasping and it was very loud as it was sort of enclosed on 3 sides and the front was not very wide but the sound out front thankfully according to a couple of people was nice and clear and the rasping bass was not how it sounded either, a relief but off putting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gafbass02 Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 [quote name='sprocketflup' post='1015039' date='Nov 7 2010, 09:58 AM']I struggled at the Princess Charlotte in Leicester.[/quote] Not just you mate, not by a long shot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Anywhere the walls are made out of stone or glass and are highly reflective. We played at the top of the Gherkin for a wedding once which was a nightmare, same for the conservatory at a venue in Herts (stone AND glass). You can't eq for it, the only solution is to turn down (doesn't tend to stay low for long though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted November 8, 2010 Share Posted November 8, 2010 Our last gig was in a 500 year old large church with a very high ceiling. No matter what I did, I couldn't get a sound I was happy with and the bass was lost in the mix. People said they could feel every note I played but the detail was lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted November 8, 2010 Share Posted November 8, 2010 (edited) Yesterday... The Magnesia Bank in North Shields. I've always struggled with the sound there until I got the GRAMMA pad. Much better since then. BUT... the band I play with yesterday have so many members, I have to put my cab at the side and fire it across the stage. Because the drummer is so loud, we can't turn it down. Along with the low ceiling on the stage, it's a recipe for disaster. I ended up tipping the cab back and rolling LOADS of low end off, which helped a bit. Edited November 8, 2010 by wateroftyne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted November 8, 2010 Share Posted November 8, 2010 [quote name='risingson' post='1015290' date='Nov 7 2010, 02:21 PM']I played St. George's hall recently in Liverpool which if you're not familiar with is more or less a massive cathedral inside. Very beautiful but our sound was entirely uncontrollable.[/quote] I've played there with a 10 piece salsa band. Other bad venue... ICE RINK!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan Posted November 8, 2010 Share Posted November 8, 2010 Fibbers in York,i spend an age trying to get a decent sound coming from my amp,which the sound engineer promptly turned to mud through the PA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sprocketflup Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Wembley arena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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