Phil Adams Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Soooo.. small venue pub style band playing non heavy oldies. PA is straight out of the ark, so is used for the vocal and foldback for us to hear what he's up to. Instruments are powered by our own backline amps. I am not happy about how I hear myself in the mix, stood in front of my own rig. I'm aware that what I play may well sound rubbish out front, or different at least. I'm thinking I would like a monitor driven from my backline. Am I being a worry guts? Do I just want to be louder than everyone else? Can't see us getting monitors run from the PA any time soon. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 hmmm doesn't make sense to me as your bass cab should basically perform that role first and foremost, and pubs aren't mostly that big so it should be able to hit the back wall. I do think some cabs do it better than others and your bass sound counts as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japhet Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Tilting your amp or cab up a bit helps if you can't hear too well otherwise the sound is focussed around knee height. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Get a long lead or wireless , then get well out front and have a listen there , out front is where it counts , so as long as the overall mix /tones etc are good to the audience and you can actually hear yourself (and your band mates) then all is good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 [quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1453036043' post='2955743'] Get a long lead or wireless , then get well out front and have a listen there , out front is where it counts , [/quote] I do this at most soundchecks but an empty room sounds way different from a room full of punters... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Phil Jones does a very small speaker that's designed to go on a microphone stand. I posted a photo of it a few weeks ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colgraff Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 OK, I will: They are classified among Varanidae, are indigenous to Africa, Asia and Oceania. The largest example is the Komodo Dragon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 [quote name='colgraff' timestamp='1453039782' post='2955810'] OK, I will: They are classified among Varanidae, are indigenous to Africa, Asia and Oceania. The largest example is the Komodo Dragon. [/quote] We had one to hand out the milk at break in primary school Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colgraff Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 [quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1453041450' post='2955835'] We had one to hand out the milk at break in primary school [/quote] Ha ha ha ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 Using a bass amp in a pub , with a loud band, might mean when your standing in front of your cab, your loud. If you can get someone to give you a thumbs up or down out front, or walk out with a wireless on, at least you'll know your ok, out front regardless of your own mix. The sound will change also as the venue fills. Make sure you get the lower frequencies out of the vocals and of the guitars / keys also, this helps the mix not be to muddy in a small venue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mep Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 (edited) You don't need your own bass monitor. Small pubs can be a pain if you are right in front of your cab. Sometimes this isn't loud enough for you but will be fine out front. Get out front for the sound check so you know what you sound like there. If it's still not working for you on stage then there are other options available as mentioned or search the forum as this gets covered regularly. Edited January 17, 2016 by mep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 17, 2016 Share Posted January 17, 2016 [quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1453036043' post='2955743'] Get a long lead or wireless , then get well out front and have a listen there , out front is where it counts , so as long as the overall mix /tones etc are good to the audience and you can actually hear yourself (and your band mates) then all is good [/quote] This. I used to have what I thought was a great sound, full in all frequencies, enough highs, good lows. Then went out front and all I heard was bommy mush. Taught me that if I get an on-stage sound that is far too twangy for my liking, be it middy or trebly, out front it equates to a good-in-the-mix sound. Might not be the same for everyone but that would be my first thing, check out how the bass sounds when you`re all playing, form where the audience stand - if it`s good there, then leave it. If not you`ll get a much better perspective of what needs changing from out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Adams Posted January 18, 2016 Author Share Posted January 18, 2016 Thanks chaps, I just wanted to get an idea of what everybody else does. Must admit I've never seen a bass player with a monitor at smaller gigs. Just a matter of making changes until i'm happy with the set up. And I do have wireless, but got out of the habit of using it for rehearsals in favor of a nice red curly lead. Trouble with them is you can't tell how far you can got before the pent up energy propels your amp at you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 Interesting issue, this. I've learnt that the sound I like on stage isn't the one that sounds best in the room when everyone is playing. Agree with suggestions to check with a wireless/long lead (NOT curly, unless you want to pull your amp over) whilst the band is playing (you can't hear how it blends otherwise). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted January 18, 2016 Share Posted January 18, 2016 I've always found that getting 'your sound' means a compromise of what [u]you[/u] like to hear onstage and what it sounds like in the audience. When not using a big PA this is pretty crucial IMO. As stated above, get someone you trust or a wireless system so you can get some idea of how to achieve this. ( And of course get rid of the red curly lead....!! ) 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.