phil_the_bassist Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Ok, slap me if I'm a idiot but I'm struggling to get my head round the whole 'correct cab placement' thang. I'm currently mostly using my 2x15, and in our usual circuit there's the gigs where it sounds great, and gigs where it sounds shocking (to me, but bass-playin mates in the audience don't seem to notice either way) and the gigs where I can't hear (or feel) myself at all. I've tried reading the wiki guide, but it's a bit much for my work-fried brain! Do I need my amp in a corner? if I can't, do I need it close to the wall, or far away? Do I need to angle it so it's not pointin perpendicular to the wall? Any help or hints would be appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 (edited) Not sure whats so hard to understand in the wiki article [url="http://wiki.basschat.co.uk/info:amps:why_cab_placement_matters"]here[/url] - even tells you what frequencies are affected depending on how far away from the wall you are, but its pretty clear that corner is best, close to the wall is not so good but better than not close to the wall. How is this not clear? Edited July 2, 2008 by bass_ferret Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_the_bassist Posted July 2, 2008 Author Share Posted July 2, 2008 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='231477' date='Jul 2 2008, 05:00 PM']Not sure whats so hard to understand in the wiki article - even tells you what frequencies are affected depending on how far away from the wall you are, but its pretty clear that corner is best, close to the wall is not so good but better than not close to the wall. How is this not clear?[/quote] I can see how the maths works, it's just that it doesn't seem to work in the situations I've had trouble with...as you've read the article, I won't worry about pasting the quotes! My cab's pretty much always in the corner (a good thing), and if so, it's defo less than 2ft from the wall (as there's no way i can sit it 8ft+ from a wall in the sh*tty stages I'm having a problem with! lol!) but I still get problems with the onstage sound, depending on the venue. Is this to do with the proximity of the opposing walls/side walls/ceiling? If I have to have it in the middle of a wall (again, less than 2ft from it) should I angle the cab so it doesn't get the soundwaves bounce straight back from the far wall? Does this explain my first post any further? The wiki's clear enough, but I can't find any correlation between the advice in the article and the problems I've noticed myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Boundary issues are only significant in the lower frequencies, below ~150Hz. Are your problems in the lows or is it actually a midrange issue? Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Also, what's going on with the PA? Is the bass running through it? That gives you a whole other set of problems. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 You are lucky you can get it in the corner. Without knowing a lot more about your gear and the venues its difficult to say cos corner is best. Side and back walls have less of an impact but may produce echos that muddy the sound but there is f*** all you can do about that. The other thing thats likely to be a problem is if you are standing right next to your rig - you probably wont be able to hear it but move a few feet away and its likely to get a lot louder. I think 15's are worse than 10's and 12's in this respect and this is one of the reasons they are less popular than they used to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 [quote name='phil_the_bassist' post='231494' date='Jul 2 2008, 12:33 PM']I still get problems with the onstage sound, depending on the venue. Is this to do with the proximity of the opposing walls/side walls/ceiling?[/quote] Yes. This explains to some extent what's going on: [url="http://billfitzmaurice.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=999"]http://billfitzmaurice.com/phpBB2/viewtopi...?f=10&t=999[/url] Unfortunately there's very little you can do about it. Your options are to adjust your rig for a good sound on stage, or adjust it for a good sound out front, whichever is the more important to you. The only cure is to cover the stage with your rig to your liking, and the house with the PA, assuming you have the PA and a tech who knows how to use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_the_bassist Posted July 4, 2008 Author Share Posted July 4, 2008 The problem seems to be with the lows...usually I can hear myself pretty well, and failing that I can usually 'feel' what I'm playing comin up thru my feet. It's the occasions where, no matter what volume I'm playin at, I can't hear or feel any of my frequencies, yet the FOH sound is fine. I'm rarely put thru the PA, so that's not adding to the problems at least! tonight I'm in one of the sh*tty-sounding venues, so i'm gonna get myself into a corner, roll off the super-lows (my eq's got a 30-64hz band, so that may help fix the problem) and see how that helps. I'll also get my 4x10 up&running again, and use that predominantly for these smaller venues. Cheers for the advice guys, I'm sure this won't be a problem if I'm ever playin the O2 arena! lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 [quote name='phil_the_bassist' post='232729' date='Jul 4 2008, 09:56 AM']tonight I'm in one of the sh*tty-sounding venues, so i'm gonna get myself into a corner,[/quote] Always remember that where the cab is placed affects the overall room sound, but what you hear is determined by where you're standing in relation to not only the cab but also the room boundaries, the worst culprit being a low ceiling. Where that's the case hearing the low end is often a matter of standing as far away from the cab as possible, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.