How do you dial in your sound at a gig?

[Stereo Joe]

This weekend I had a horrible experience sound-wise at a club I was playing at. We had no time to soundcheck (literally), so we had to adjust our sound on the fly. The subwoofer was completely overbearing and made our entire on-stage sound muddy and boomy. I'm pretty certain that if I had had time to tweak my bass rig during a relaxed soundcheck I could have ended up with a better, clearer tone onstage, but instead I had to suffer through the night.

Some questions for you fine TB'ers:

What is your method for dialling in your tone at gigs to compensate for different room acoustics, resonating stages, etc...
Do you get time to tweak your tone to perfection or do you make do with 'good enough'?
Are you a constant tweaker throughout the gig or a 'set it and forget it' type of person?
Do you use any special gear to help dial in your tone?

[LiamPodmore]

With most amps i can get what i want with just the onboard EQ on my bass, minimal tweaking on the amp, so i pretty much set it and forget it, i can be done in about 2 minutes usually. By the end of the first song my tone is exactly where i want it, and then im done.

Liam

[RedLeg]

My amp is only my stage monitor. I may mess with the mids a tad (rather that add stage volume), but I really must trust what the soundman and the PA is going to do. Fortunately, the guy has great ears, and decent equipment to make the whole ensemble sound great.

[countrybass007]

Set it and forget it, except possibly increasing the volume a bit as the crowd gets louder. I have my guitar picker walk out into the crowd and check my sound. He lets me know if I need more mids, highs, bass, or volume to make my bass sound good where it counts the most. If you work with someone who has a good ear, this is a great way to get a good sound at each venue. Set up hand signals for each adjustment to make it simple.

[BigOldHarry]

I like to keep things simple - flat EQ to start. During the first tune, I'll walk out in front, as far as I can go, to hear how I sit in the mix and adjust as required. But sometimes, it will just suck no matter what - that's music.

[DiabolicLow B]

+1 for the amp being only a stage monitor even in small clubs, whether it is our own PA or the house I find there is less to worry about and get a much more consistent sound and overall mix with the band.

[interstatejoe]

Show up, turn on, tune up, play...adjust as EQ needed.

[rockstarbassist]

I spend a lot of time at reh and in the studio getting my amp to mix with both my guitard's amps, so when we go live, there shouldn't have to be much adjusting and it should get pretty close.
Plus we never play first, so I get to hear anywhere from 1-4 other bands go before us and we can make comments to the soundguy to hey, check this or adjust this, etc..

[Jim Carr]

Honestly, I think it is mostly a crap shoot. Yes, I know few will agree. Those with good wireless systems can get out a ways in front and perhaps feel better/more confident about it—but as the night wears on and levels change, who is to say what the bass sounds like in the mix?

Assuming you have a good sound tech and have a band with modicum of self-restraint, you may be fine. Two big assumptions, IMHO.

I am happy with the tone of my instrument, and the way my amp conveys it. I like to think my experience and musicality allow me to set it and forget it. My brain tells me that is probably an illusion.

[pstyle]

I set my stage volume and tone and just play... as long as I get my check at the end of the night, I'm happy.

[pasta4lnch]

I rarely play w/ PA support - but even so. I get my tone from my SABDDI which goes directly to my amp (or PA when there is one) and I use the amp's EQ (LMII) to compensate for the room.

It's a quick adjustment to roll off some bass or crank a mid - I'm usually good by the second tune . . .

may not be the best way in a cart/horse sorta way, but it works for me!

[Stereo Joe]

I should add typically my amp is mainly used as an onstage monitor. In case of my gig this weekend, even with some pretty extreme EQ'ing on the amp, I just could not punch through the wall of mud coming from that evil subwoofer...

[WalterBush]

I walk out front with my wireless during soundcheck, and make adjustements from my bass' controls; no preamp eq, and I keep stage levels low whether through a monitor or my own rig. Depending on the gig, I walk out front periodically during the set.

If there's a problem that just won't go away, I'll talk to the soundguy between sets, politely and firmly, telling him exactly what I want--it's important to know at least something of live mixing, because telling a soundguy "the bass drum sounds stupid, fix it" is not helpful, and can be taken personally. I try to say things like, "can we try pulling 250 Hz down a few decibels on the bass? It's a bit boomy in the room." and such. Much better for them to work with. Some of them will even let me make my own adjustments on their board during the set.

[MNAirHead]

Set it and go..

I'm sure many TB goofs would shudder at just "are you getting a hot enough signal?"

In truth and reality.. the sound guy should be more concerned with controlling Cymnbols, Guitar shrill and showcasing vocals than dorking with bass tone.

In the real world you can count on "your tone" never being 100% there and often changes when it gets band mixed and more distant from your ears.

Tim

[woolysock]

"What is your method for dialling in your tone at gigs to compensate for different room acoustics, resonating stages, etc... "

1) I place my cab on an Auralex Gramma pad to minimize stage coupling.

2) Set my amp's eq flat, then adjust -- slightly -- for room acoustics. Might roll off a bit of low end or add a touch of upper mid.

3) Try to keep my volume restrained so the soundman has room to do what's best for the room.

4) Recognize that live sound is a bit of a crap shoot.

[Pilgrim]

I start with normal settings, tweak as needed. We normally don't have any "sound person" there, as we are an instrumental surf band and therefore don't use the PA much.

I do have a wireless rig for my bass, so when I use it, I can walk out into the listening area during setup and listen to us play. Then I can direct each musician to turn up/down/whatever.

[craig.p]

No wireless here, but I'm another one who walks out front during sound check; I made up a 100' cable for that purpose. Not perfect but it helps me get the "grossness" out of any tone/balance problems.

[jellymax]

my amp sounds decent with the eq flat, so i start there.

if the speaker cabinet is;

too small for the room-----add a little bass
just right for the room--------bass flat
too big for the room--------cut a little bass

if the room is dark, maybe cut a bit more bass. then if needed, i boost a bit
at 750-800hz --- for added presence

[dogofgod]

i just hope and pray that the sound guy isnt drunk and then another wish and a prayer that i sound decent.

[iriegnome]

My rig is set the way I want it and the only thing that gets changed is volume/gain. Everything else is handled through the PA. If we do not have PA support for the bass, my tone's won't change with more volume.