jonnythenotes Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 P.S This discussion has moved me from being a 'Newbie' to 'No longer a newbie' Wahoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 My theory is that the orange isobaric cabs are lacking in the bottom octave, something you wont really notice when standing close to the cab - it may sound "full and deep" up close but not projecting the lows any distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 [quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1403016919' post='2478883'] My theory is that the orange isobaric cabs are lacking in the bottom octave, something you wont really notice when standing close to the cab - it may sound "full and deep" up close but not projecting the lows any distance. [/quote] Is there anyone out there with first-hand (i.e. gigging) experience of Orange isobarics, who is able to confirm or refute this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brensabre79 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 [quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1403016919' post='2478883'] My theory is that the orange isobaric cabs are lacking in the bottom octave, something you wont really notice when standing close to the cab - it may sound "full and deep" up close but not projecting the lows any distance. [/quote] I'll add a +1 to this. But add... Short version: Get your speakers off the floor. Long version: As a sound engineer who plays bass it has taken me many years to get a rig I'm happy to take out. Amps give you the front end tone, but different cabs project the sound differently. Many of them sound full and rounded in close proximity (i.e. on stage), but head out in to the crowd and you'll just hear mostly mid and treble. I have a Barefaced cab these days, and (don't flame me for this) whilst it's a superbly consistent sound wherever you stand for the most part, it still suffers from the same proximity effect in that it can be boomy on stage whilst sounding a bit thin out in the crowd. I recently bought a small stand, and getting the cab off the floor, even just a little bit, really helps with this. possibly not in the way you'd like though... When the cab is not in contact with he floor, it doesn't couple with the floor, so a lot of the lower frequency boom goes away. this is actually a good thing because you can use the amp to dial it back in (if you want) safe in the knowledge that it is much more consistent with what the audience is hearing. The added bonus is that the guitards don't constantly whine about how loud you are, while their Fender Twin is red plating with ear stabbing volume... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmachine2112 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I use a Terror 500 and one sp212 and no problems. I ,ve done open air festivals,pubs,clubs with no problems and the usual comment is how rich,big,huge,loud the sound is.What I,ve heard through the monitors when I,m in the PA is amazing DI,d from the head,they are fixed now, When your in the PA your at the mercy of the sound man I,m afraid,don,t like what they are doing -slap em about a bit,although most of them are struggling to tame geetards wall of sound , drummers wanting more kick and vocalists wanting a bit more reverb. I actually like the sp212 cabs and I used to use 8x10 ampig stack.I would not go back to that big stuff. If you would like to donate your sp212 to a good caring home I will cherish it and look after it and gig it at least twice a week. I have a powered speaker with a 15" and use as a monitor for the drummer now. When I play pubs and clubs I have no PA support and never struggle for oooomph.I,ve stood in the middle of the room while my mate ws having a go and was amazed at how loud and good sounding it was out front . I have noticed that it fills out the sound if you turn it up a bit ,10.30 to 11 0clock on the volume and 10.00,10.30 on the gain and it just fills up but it,s loud at that.Turn it up a bit more and it,s seriously loud and full but not boomy Well done being no longer a newbie. Sp212 cabs are like marmite along with Ricks,thunderbirds which are amongst the basses I use n I love Marmite as well on toast-mmmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnythenotes Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 After all the advice I have received over the last couple of days, I set up our pa, and with a friend of mine spent a couple of hours trying various ideas on how too improve the sound. And then the eureka moment...I stuck a shure m57 mike in front of the cab. The difference was instant and absolute (to my ears.) To try and sum up is difficult, as I am not techy in any way, but it seems a mic allows you to 'share' some of the sound with the pa, as opposed to putting the whole signal thru. By this I mean depending on where you place the mic has a huge effect on how the pa sends the sound out front. I found having the mic off centre and 4 to 5 inches away from the speaker mesh delivered a mellow and very warm sound, which for once actually reflected the sound coming from the speaker. Slight adjustments to the mic position changed the sound more than I would have expected.. Central and close produced a very punchy and aggressive sound, while a bit of distance and side shift took the sting out of it. I have been playing bass for 35 years and never once thought about using a mic instead of DI when pa has to be used. I know it is early days yet, but I have hopefully found a potential way of sorting out what has always been a bit of a problem to me. As a bass player you are always the poor relation in a band when it comes to sound...... Now then, any advice on good mics or personal experiences with mics in a gigging environment would be mucho welcome.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 a mic more suited to low end might be better, but if it sounds good to you, trust your ears! Most importantly, test it in a gig situation before you decide you've solved it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnythenotes Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Good advice,,,,Thanks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 (edited) [quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1403082794' post='2479485'] a mic more suited to low end might be better, [/quote] Well you say that but perhaps its the roll off of the lows that made it work in this case where DI failed. Would be interesting to see if the positive result could be replicated by DI through an e.q curve that mimicked the response of the 57 (i.e. gentle roll off of the lows below 200hz and sharp cutoff below 50). Perhaps the OPs problem all along has been too much deep lows rather than too little Edited June 18, 2014 by bassman7755 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 [quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1403108213' post='2479893'] Perhaps the OPs problem all along has been too much deep lows rather than too little [/quote] Yeh, could be right, good thinking batman! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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