Kevin Dean Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 What size of PA would you say was required to DI your bass straight into & not use back line at all ? My pa is 2 x EV 750w powered subs & 2 x 600w tops but still doesn't give the power/oomph even my smallest 400w rig does ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 You surprise me saiyng that PA won't cope with your bass through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Dean Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 5 minutes ago, Les said: You surprise me saiyng that PA won't cope with your bass through it. It copes but I just can't seem to get the mid range punch or volume ,for rock style It's perfectly fine for micing a drum kit though .Maybe I should experiment with EQ settings .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Posted May 7, 2018 Share Posted May 7, 2018 Perhaps some sort of preamp pedal/DI would give you some shaping before you sent it to the desk, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Dean Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 8 hours ago, Les said: Perhaps some sort of preamp pedal/DI would give you some shaping before you sent it to the desk, I was using an Ashdown 12band graphic DI pedal . The PA has a 100hz cross over to the EVS So I guess the tops are not producing the mid punch my back line does .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 (edited) I'd be really surprised if lack of output is the problem. You don't say what the EV's are and the Wattage ratings are probably 'peak' rather than RMS values but even so.... Firstly power, or at least the way we perceive it is subjective. In this case the obvious thing is that with a traditional backline you are much closer to the sound source, often standing a metre or so away and right in front of it, often your bass stack is on the floor and backed against a wall so there will be a lot of bass reinforcement. The PA is in front of you and pointing away from your ears. Over the years you have got used to bathing in a warm fug of bass and your own bass being the loudest thing you hear, if you change over to the PA than it is going to sound very strange for a while until you adjust. For the audience the bass will sound great if you get it right and the band will sound better without all that bass going through the vocal mics. Secondly your bass amp is never going to have a flat response, most of us spend years looking for a combination of bass, strings, pickups amps and speakers that combine to give the sound you want. It's a bit much to expect to regain that 'perfection' in a few weeks. My favourite sound was through a Hartke 3500 I use the Zoom sim to get that back via a Zoom B1ON, could you find something to get your sound? Amp sims work well through the PA. You don't mention stage monitors or in ears, are you really only monitoring through the PA? A small floor monitor might be the answer. Edited May 8, 2018 by Phil Starr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Dean Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 1 hour ago, Phil Starr said: I'd be really surprised if lack of output is the problem. You don't say what the EV's are and the Wattage ratings are probably 'peak' rather than RMS values but even so.... Firstly power, or at least the way we perceive it is subjective. In this case the obvious thing is that with a traditional backline you are much closer to the sound source, often standing a metre or so away and right in front of it, often your bass stack is on the floor and backed against a wall so there will be a lot of bass reinforcement. The PA is in front of you and pointing away from your ears. Over the years you have got used to bathing in a warm fug of bass and your own bass being the loudest thing you hear, if you change over to the PA than it is going to sound very strange for a while until you adjust. For the audience the bass will sound great if you get it right and the band will sound better without all that bass going through the vocal mics. Secondly your bass amp is never going to have a flat response, most of us spend years looking for a combination of bass, strings, pickups amps and speakers that combine to give the sound you want. It's a bit much to expect to regain that 'perfection' in a few weeks. My favourite sound was through a Hartke 3500 I use the Zoom sim to get that back via a Zoom B1ON, could you find something to get your sound? Amp sims work well through the PA. You don't mention stage monitors or in ears, are you really only monitoring through the PA? A small floor monitor might be the answer. When I experimented with it , I had the PA set up in a hall & I sat/stood out front , The top were 12" EV rated at 400w rms per cab . thev Rig I used was a Ashdown ABM400 ( 400 watts )powering 2 x RM cabs . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 Right, you're still trying it out, good idea. 12" speakers only handle around 300w whatever they say about 1000W amplifiers but EV's are good and you have the subs so all in all the PA should be louder than the RM's, certainly a match. The RM's sounded to me like they have a mid bias which makes them pretty punchy, that's if they were the same ones that we tried out at the bass bash a few weeks back. (Thanks Ashdown). We were very impressed with the RM's at the price, and that voicing works really well in difficult rooms. Maybe that is what you are missing. You ought to be able to get something similar back using the Ashdown graphic. I'd start with the 30Hz right down and a touch of boost at 100Hz then maybe tweak the mids a little. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Dean Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 My RM 12" also have 12" Sica 700w upgrades but that was only done to handle my ABM1000 that I use sometimes . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 We have 2 x 12" RCF tops (700w RMS) and a single 15" RCF (700w RMS) sub, and although we're only a trio, it's plenty for pubs and weddings/functions that aren't huuuuge (300+) halls, with everything going through it. We've never been asked to turn it up, anyway... I'd agree about EQing for punchy bass, though - it's a whole different world from voiced bass cabs... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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