joel406 Posted Wednesday at 13:30 Posted Wednesday at 13:30 First off, I do own some amps. Mesa Subway D-800+. Got 2 of em. An Epifani UL901V2 with a custom tone stack and 2 ohms capable. I paired these with either my Subway 212s or my Subway 410s. I own 2 of each. While these are IMO the best amp/cab combination to get great sound. I have found better options. 4 years ago I switched to IEMs. With a Quad Cortex and various other pedals, I now enjoy. I just picked up the Anagram last week. I have built several pedal boards with various devices such as (but not limited to) the Le Bass. Subway pedals. ReVolt. CabM. And a few others, All in all I estimate I have 6 pedal boards. 2 are Quad Cortex based. So what freedom am I finding? I no longer gas for amps. No matter what's out there. I'm free of interest. The IEMs rock. And sound so much better than trying to run an amp. Whether it's a small pub or huge stage gig. All I gotta have is a pedal board. Bass and my wireless units. Pure freedom. Wireless cover 300 feet in every direction. I tried to find where they would start to lose signal. Never got far enough out. I just don't need to move 300 feet from my signal point. So happy to be free of amps. I will keep the amps I have. They may come in handy one day. But gigging with amps is over. And needing more is never gonna happen. No dragging a 410 or 212. No more volume wars with the guitar player. IEMs truly set you free. And! Wait for it. If you buy decent IEMs (like I did). The sound you get is pure magic. I even still experience that "thump" we all know and love. Probably some kinda weird effect. Like still being able to feel a lost limb. But satisfied I am. I get some people will never part with their amps. I guess they like hauling cabs. I guess they like having ringing ears. But for me amps are so 1985. 3 Quote
Lozz196 Posted Wednesday at 14:07 Posted Wednesday at 14:07 (edited) I kind of understand where you’re coming from, my back having got significantly worse over the last couple of years all I take to gigs is bass and Behringer BDI21. If there’s an amp there great I’ll use it, if not BDI21 to FOH with a monitor mix, this works fine and the band all seem fine with it too. As well as the not having to carry the gear about another important aspect for me is not having to set it up/break it down. I still prefer the sound of an amp behind me - at the same volume as the kit I should add, no louder - but my overall preference is for my back not hurting, hence said Behringer. I doubt I’ll go IEM due to the bands I’m with being unlikely to, and I think once I stop gigging with these I’ll be stopping gigging completely. I doubt I’ll ever stop looking at amps/cabs though, I just won’t be buying any anymore. Edited Wednesday at 14:14 by Lozz196 1 Quote
Acebassmusic Posted Wednesday at 14:31 Posted Wednesday at 14:31 I like the idea of IEM and am trying to work out a system that works for me with any / all of the bands I play with. This is a little problematic as I both play bass and sing so I need at least those 2 feeds into my IEM. All of the bands I play in only have basic mixing capabilities with max 2 aux outputs so there is a real compromise on what mixes can go to IEM / monitors. Some band members don't want to go IEM or are not able to budget for it so we still need floor monitors. Buying decent IEM like you did and upgrading the mix desk (a new desk for each band!) to allow multiple different aux mixes for each band member is the way to go but can be quite expensive. This assumes that the PA you're using isn't vocal only, can handle the lower frequencies and doesn't need upgrading as well. Most bands I know run their own sound from the stage. Not the best way I know but when you are limited by venue space / location / budget the luxury of having a dedicated sound person is usually the first thing to get ditched. Whoever is running the FOH and monitor mix really needs the time and support from the rest of the band by having technical rehearsal(s) where they can learn to run the equipment, get good FOH settings and work on each persons IEM mix. This also lets people get used to the new setup rather than drop it straight on a gig. 😱 In my experience technical rehearsals seldom happen and I've been trying to get one for the last 3 years in 1 band. Musical rehearsals are more frequent but you just need to read through some of the posts on here where a lot of bands only do this if they have to. If someone's invested money and built up an amp / cab combination over the years and are happy with the results then changing to IEM is quite a leap both technically, functionaly and financially, especially if you're only doing 20 gig's a year at the "Dog n Duck" 😁 Hauling gear is much easier now with lightweight cabs etc. but don't forget that removing amps and cabs from the backline only moves the weight to the addition of extra amps / subs etc at FOH. I wish someone would design a "pop-up PA" 🤔 🤣 As far as ringing ears thats something easily averted by playing at reasonable levels and wearing protection such as ACS. Quote
Lozz196 Posted Wednesday at 16:27 Posted Wednesday at 16:27 Yeah all my gigs the backline goes via FOH so ampless an easy option. If I were in a covers band doing pubs I’d go with my Fender Rumble 800 combo. Quote
JPJ Posted Wednesday at 17:12 Posted Wednesday at 17:12 Most of my double bass gigs are now amp less as we’re an acoustic trio playing small pub type venues where I can monitor via FOH. For my electric gigs I’m still amped up, albeit a much smaller rig than I used to use and whilst we’re all using IEM’s, our PA isn’t man enough to handle the whole band with authority in the larger venues we play. On my double bass gigs I share the OPs joy of turning up with just my bass and my pedal board and one day hope to do the same on electric gigs too. Quote
neepheid Posted Thursday at 10:29 Posted Thursday at 10:29 (edited) 21 hours ago, joel406 said: I get some people will never part with their amps. I guess they like hauling cabs. I guess they like having ringing ears. But for me amps are so 1985. I'm happy that you're happy, but you couldn't help having a wee dig at folk at the end, could you? If you're looking to make friends, or convince people of the value of your revelation to them, this isn't the way. Edited Thursday at 10:41 by neepheid 5 Quote
Dan Dare Posted Thursday at 13:38 Posted Thursday at 13:38 (edited) Oh dear Edited Thursday at 13:39 by Dan Dare 1 Quote
Beedster Posted Thursday at 13:44 Posted Thursday at 13:44 I've a fond spot for those threads which provide an answer to a question that wasn't asked, always entertaining 2 2 Quote
thodrik Posted Thursday at 20:22 Posted Thursday at 20:22 Does anyone happen to know which IEMs work best for metal? 3 Quote
Sean Posted Thursday at 21:36 Posted Thursday at 21:36 (edited) On 30/04/2025 at 14:30, joel406 said: First off, I do own some amps. Mesa Subway D-800+. Got 2 of em. An Epifani UL901V2 with a custom tone stack and 2 ohms capable. I paired these with either my Subway 212s or my Subway 410s. I own 2 of each. While these are IMO the best amp/cab combination to get great sound. I have found better options. 4 years ago I switched to IEMs. With a Quad Cortex and various other pedals, I now enjoy. I just picked up the Anagram last week. I have built several pedal boards with various devices such as (but not limited to) the Le Bass. Subway pedals. ReVolt. CabM. And a few others, All in all I estimate I have 6 pedal boards. 2 are Quad Cortex based. So what freedom am I finding? I no longer gas for amps. No matter what's out there. I'm free of interest. The IEMs rock. And sound so much better than trying to run an amp. Whether it's a small pub or huge stage gig. All I gotta have is a pedal board. Bass and my wireless units. Pure freedom. Wireless cover 300 feet in every direction. I tried to find where they would start to lose signal. Never got far enough out. I just don't need to move 300 feet from my signal point. So happy to be free of amps. I will keep the amps I have. They may come in handy one day. But gigging with amps is over. And needing more is never gonna happen. No dragging a 410 or 212. No more volume wars with the guitar player. IEMs truly set you free. And! Wait for it. If you buy decent IEMs (like I did). The sound you get is pure magic. I even still experience that "thump" we all know and love. Probably some kinda weird effect. Like still being able to feel a lost limb. But satisfied I am. I get some people will never part with their amps. I guess they like hauling cabs. I guess they like having ringing ears. But for me amps are so 1985. I shan't say anything other than this post is offensive. Carefully considered offence. Especially to those of us with hearing loss or those of us that have been doing this for a long time and have evolved with many ƙinds of tech. So, what's being said here is that because I'm passionate about big valve amps, I like my hearing impairment? It's difficult to interpret this in any other way. It's a nasty vibe. Hearing loss/impairment is not a joke and ACS wasn't a thing we were aware of in 1985. It's rare that we see such a vibe on BC. The original post has the sanctimonious air to it that tries to belittle those that don't align or agree. Vile. Edited Thursday at 21:36 by Sean 8 Quote
Dan Dare Posted yesterday at 16:35 Posted yesterday at 16:35 "So much for free speech in America". Funny how those who bang on about "free speech" get twitchy when others exercise their right to it, isn't it? Btw, this is the UK. Instead of being a grown-up and saying "Let's agree to differ", they throw insults around and behave like kids in the playground. I suspect this is because they are really looking for validation, so when someone disagrees with them, they cannot deal with the existence of a contrary opinion and take it as a personal affront. Truly a sad state of affairs. Love the thread title, too. "How freedom feels", rather than something adult, such as "I prefer not to use backline". Enjoy munching those freedom fries and wearing that MAGA hat (which, if you check the label, you will find was made in China). You have yourself a wonderful day 2 Quote
Beedster Posted yesterday at 16:56 Posted yesterday at 16:56 Read some of @joel406 other posts last night, seems he only has one thing to say, but boy he really does like saying it 😒 2 Quote
agedhorse Posted yesterday at 17:17 Posted yesterday at 17:17 IEM rigs work great for some players, doesn’t work at all for many players. It depends very much on the particular application and situation. I don’t like it where a player denigrates another player’s choices based on only their particular choice, even if that choice may not reflect the other player’s needs or situation. 4 Quote
Dan Dare Posted yesterday at 18:46 Posted yesterday at 18:46 1 hour ago, agedhorse said: I don’t like it where a player denigrates another player’s choices based on only their particular choice, even if that choice may not reflect the other player’s needs or situation. Exactly. If you go ampless and use IEMs, you really need a high quality PA. Many bands are using decent but not outstanding vocal only (or mainly) PAs, which are perfectly adequate for pubs, bars and clubs. They will cope well enough if fed a small amount of kick and bass to augment the sound from onstage rigs, but would struggle if required to do all the heavy lifting. It's a different matter when playing large venues with a serious PA, of course, but many do not do that. Quote
Jack Posted yesterday at 19:13 Posted yesterday at 19:13 Urgh. I'm a total convert and I kind of agree but like, dude, I almost want to disagree on principle. Richard Dawkins. He's right. But he's an ass. 2 Quote
Lozz196 Posted yesterday at 19:16 Posted yesterday at 19:16 Def, I don’t think my Mustang/Behringer BDI21 that I use in venues with big in house systems would have been any good in my old punk covers band PA - a vocal PA with two 1x12 speakers- especially if said PA had the guitars and drums in it as well. I’d venture it might well have conceded defeat. Quote
martthebass Posted 14 hours ago Posted 14 hours ago I think I’ve hidden more of this thread than is left….. Play nice. Quote
Dan Dare Posted 14 hours ago Posted 14 hours ago 14 minutes ago, martthebass said: Play nice. We're trying. It's difficult sometimes... Quote
ped Posted 13 hours ago Posted 13 hours ago IEMs can be substantially enhanced by using a tactile feedback device such as a bassboard or backbeat. I still prefer an amplifier if I’m honest 1 Quote
Beedster Posted 13 hours ago Posted 13 hours ago 1 hour ago, martthebass said: I think I’ve hidden more of this thread than is left….. Quote of the day 👍 Quote
Beedster Posted 13 hours ago Posted 13 hours ago 1 hour ago, martthebass said: I think I’ve hidden more of this thread than is left….. Play nice. Is there a level of BC membership we can attain that gives us full access to all the hidden stuff Quote
JapanAxe Posted 13 hours ago Posted 13 hours ago 7 minutes ago, Beedster said: Is there a level of BC membership we can attain that gives us full access to all the hidden stuff No, that’s just what they want you to think! Quote
Beedster Posted 12 hours ago Posted 12 hours ago 9 minutes ago, JapanAxe said: No, that’s just what they want you to think! ........crikey 🤔 Quote
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