coasterbass Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 You know when you go and see a 'proper' band, (your Coldplay's, Dave Matthews Band's and the like - leaving musical tastes aside for a minute), and the bass player hits a low G on the E string, and you don't hear the note - it comes to you through your shoes and makes you suck your stomach in??? And yet at the same time it isn't just massive vibrations, its just a low down kick thats just soooo deep. What is it thats doing that?? Is it in the bassist's rack, or is it in the PA? In either case, where can I get one? I've done some big gigs in my time, with upwards of 25kw of Martin, EAW and Turbosound gear, but I've still never been able to feel it in the same way. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Difficult to say but the on stage sound is normally nothing like the FOH sound that the audience hear. I like to get someone to play my bass whilst I walk about in the venue to hear it. When it is full of people and the air is smoky though it seems to add a little something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Obviously the sound is different on stage to what you would hear out front..... Done a gig last weekend with 4 x JBL Vertec dual 18 subs per side...... big sound out front!!! Generally I don't need that sort of sound on stage though. Are you after more of your sound on stage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombboy Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Decent FOH gear.... and I mean DECENT!!! Oh, and LOADS of headroom! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbass Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 [quote name='crez5150' post='159013' date='Mar 17 2008, 04:28 PM']Obviously the sound is different on stage to what you would hear out front..... Done a gig last weekend with 4 x JBL Vertec dual 18 subs per side...... big sound out front!!! Generally I don't need that sort of sound on stage though. Are you after more of your sound on stage?[/quote] Not really - Generally I've got the SVT with 410 and 118 behind me, plus about 5kw of decent foldback. I can hear myself (and the rest of the band) fine. But at soundcheck, and I suspect during the gig too, it still lacks that... something in the FOH. Don't get me wrong it sounds big and is almost right... its just that last something thats lacking. The thing that makes you pull your stomach in and go 'Whoa'. Does that make any sense? My only suspicions were that it could be something compression related, or something like an Aphex-type thing?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 [quote name='ped' post='159010' date='Mar 17 2008, 04:27 PM']When it is full of people and the air is smoky though it seems to add a little something.[/quote] Where is that then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Your impression could depend on so many factors - where you're standing for a start. They could also be using subs under the stage that couple acoustically with the venue floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='159100' date='Mar 17 2008, 06:59 PM']Where is that then?[/quote] The smoke coming from a smoke machine of course, not filthy fags! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 (edited) A good PA is the key. I used to run a 1200 seat venue with 4x dual 18" subs per side. I could get that sound easily in certain areas of the venue (acoustics of the room were crap) and was too easy to create standing waves that just rattled the foundations but didn't sound good. The band is usually the last to hear the good sound (that is reserved for the audience!) In my opinion, the last thing you or the band want is to hear that on stage, it just overwhelms everything, causes kick drum feedback and everyone starts wanting their monitors turned up.... As for getting the sound out front, most of the reasons have been covered in various posts. One thing I'd think of requesting is: a good sound man who understands the sound you want. They are rarer than you think, lots of enthusiasts, but few with a good grounding of the theoretical side that know how to get what you want out of their gear, or can explain why that isn't possible...probably for hours on end! I once worked with a reggae engineer who came in and just cranked all my graphics up full at 80Hz to get that thumpy bass sound. I sh*t myself for my amps' sake during the gig! It was what they wanted, but not good for my gear! Hope this helps, I have several years experience as an FOH and monitor engineer, but not with the big names you mention.... Edited March 17, 2008 by Huge Hands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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