Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

I've got the best amp in the world! (but I never get to play it)


gjones
 Share

Recommended Posts

i use my old trace elliot 300 combo for the sort of places we play,mostly pubs really and i just go off backline, never get any complaints and even on the odd occasion i get some compliments! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

was going to start a new thread but this fits perfectly!

what would be the general concensus of sound engineers actually ALLOWING bass cabs to be miked? i really noticed last night how the pa out front sounded not a lot like my stage sound!

mind you, i used different settings to usual attempting to get a borrowed trace elliot cab to sound anywhere near good!

much the same effect with my ampeg 115 and 210, but to a lesser extent though.

and yes, i would LOVE to roll up to a gig with my sansamps and wireless, but i cant see me being able to do that until I am the one calling the shots! lol (putting the drummer in a fish bowl to start with!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's funny..in London, you'll find the cost of a decent P.A hired-in will probably wipe out the band getting a fee.

My last 3 gigs ( not in London) have all had decent stages and P.A supplied but only one really worked well on stage even though we were promised
4 mixes. Time was the enemy of one..and this is a sad fact with changeover, so I need a good backline then..and I didn't really have it as the supplied kit wasn't
the standard or volume of mine. To be brutal here...I have been told by a few companies that supplied gear is top quality..and lo and behold, it isn't.
The best guys we had... were pretty sorted out front but needed me to have my rig loud on stage, and the third was only saved by me having a rig that
could do out front even though we played to 3000 or so people. That rig was inadequate and the guy was nice but clueless which made things worse, and we decided to salvage the mix but playing to the front rows.
The occasion allowed for a whole lot of the hall/barn to not be quite so involved in the music.

We go a for a good stage volume and the drummer is loud so we need a backline to cope with this. I wouldn't be at the mercy of any monitor mix ( no chance ) unless I knew the guys well and had used them with success before.

Things break down and lines get confused in the mayhem..and sound-checks can be little more than line-checks..and this is not adequate IMV.
It may be a fact of life, but you can help yourself...so I'll take a 500w plus rig that can do the job. If I don't need that power then you can turn down.

If the stage sound is carp...then that can impact on the performance so why would you put this at risk with poor monitoring.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='rmshaw37' post='1314569' date='Jul 24 2011, 11:15 AM']was going to start a new thread but this fits perfectly!

what would be the general concensus of sound engineers actually ALLOWING bass cabs to be miked? i really noticed last night how the pa out front sounded not a lot like my stage sound!

mind you, i used different settings to usual attempting to get a borrowed trace elliot cab to sound anywhere near good!

much the same effect with my ampeg 115 and 210, but to a lesser extent though.

and yes, i would LOVE to roll up to a gig with my sansamps and wireless, but i cant see me being able to do that until I am the one calling the shots! lol (putting the drummer in a fish bowl to start with!)[/quote]


Engrs like DI for bass so you should have an amp that can do pre and post balanced outs to the board...you then choose which mix to send and use to FOH.
I can't see the point of mic'ing over DI for bass as the above should cater for that mix.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm very pleased with the di on my amp, lovely tone came back through the foldback last weekend

Will get to play through a hopefully decent pa in a few weeks and I'm confident that my feed will be as I want it

Most likely wouldnt need the cab, but it's a security thing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I DI I make sure it's taken out of the amp, although it was a little bit embarassing when we first tried it for the last show I did and it didn't work (first time I'd used that DI). Once it was working it was brilliant though, and I use it a lot now. Sometimes the cabs get mic'ed too which gives a much more true sound to the basses and amp together. It's possibly seen as a tad old fashioned compared to newer EBS and Markbass, Aguilar etc, but at the end of the day it works well and it's a sound I love - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

So for gigs, unless the venue won't allow (last gig for example where I had to use some sort of Eden Nemesis combo which was crap), atleast the Trace head goes with me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't own a "giggable" bass amp---just a 20W Warwick practice amp. This probably makes me a bad person in the eyes of many---but we've never done a gig where there wasn't an amp provided or a DI to the PA available. I'm not particularly precious about my bass sound and for noisy punky rock n roll as long as its loud enough and I can hear it then I'm usually happy to let the sound guy do whatever he wants with the FOH sound.

I've thought long and hard about buying a bass amp but I could go out and spend a grand on an amp tomorrow and probably only get an opportunity to use it once a year---seems pointless to me, I'd rather just borrow one as necessary! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's no way I could get by without an amp in my main band, and I love my GB Shuttle 6.0 and Barefaced Super Twelve T. I injured my lower back a couple of months ago, and it made me feel incredibly glad I don't have to lug around a Warwick 4x10 any more. The only change I'd consider making at present is to trade in the head for the 900w model.

Edited by Danimal
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don`t really understand this "sound guy won`t allow the use of a mic" stuff.
If there is a decent mic +channel available and the time to set it up properly with a bit of compression, I can`t see why a good engineer wouldn`t want to use it.
WITH a D.I as well.
We all understand the lack of soundchecks on a busy bill so that`s probably90% reason there won`t be a mic.
Remember that the Engineer isn`t responsible for booking 6 bands with a soundcheck of 2 hours in total, and in many cases less and has to use the time available wisely.
My feeling as a sound engineer is, you`ll never really get that exact cab sound in the FOH rig.
It`s simply too different.
If you have your own Engineer,you`ll be able to get a very close approximation, but even that will change from venue to venue.
My only advice is to relax about it, and enjoy your onstage sound.
If you really are precious about it, talk to the engineer or make a crib sheet highlighting what you want it to sound like.
my view is, a D.I is plenty enough to get a great sound, especially if you have a half decent bass with nice pickups, or sansamp setup etc.
FX sound better through a mic, but not so much that it`s worth making an issue out of it.

The only level where getting properly concerned about your cab sound makes sense is pub/club where the audience are getting your sound as part of the whole.
MM

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I the only one who wants to hear different things at different times? If I feel I'm losing the beat I'll go near the drums and I want them and my bass to be loud. If I'm worried about tuning (or even what the next chord is) I want to hear my bass so I'll go near my cab. If I'm doing bvs I need the vocal monitors (badly!).

I play once a month at a place who virtually insist I go through their system instead of backline. I can't change what I hear. If I go nearer the monitor everything is louder, not just me. If I'm not happy with my level I can do nothing about it, if I turn up I get turned down at the desk. I end up turning down until he notices and puts me up then I go up again! Ridiculous.

I know, what about sending me just the bass signal to my own personal monitor? Oh, that's backline.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...