mesa m-pulse 360...do I need more power?

[HertzWhenIPlay]

my current gig set-up consists of a mesa-boogie m-pulse 360 driving a pair of SWR cabs. A goliath(4x10) and a son of bertha (1x15).

i play in a couple of bands and seem to be having a hard time keeping up on my own with one of the groups. I need to be able to keep up with a 100w Marshall tube amp thru a 4x12 and a 50w mesa thru a 4x12, and a drummer with a mic on the kick and a hammond organ w the big leslie which is also mic'd.

we play a wide range of venues, including outdoors- usually for a about 150-200 people. sometimes both guitarists will mic their amps. (man, it's just too much when they do that
do i need more watts? they don't seem to know how to turn it down

what would someone with more experience than me do?

[Gearhead17]

Originally Posted by HertzWhenIPlay

my current gig set-up consists of a mesa-boogie m-pulse 360 driving a pair of SWR cabs. A goliath(4x10) and a son of bertha (1x15).

A 410 is only going to get as loud as the 15 will get without giving up. The 410 is almost always going to beat the 15 in terms of handling more volume/tone.

i play in a couple of bands and seem to be having a hard time keeping up on my own with one of the groups. I need to be able to keep up with a 100w Marshall tube amp thru a 4x12 and a 50w mesa thru a 4x12, and a drummer with a mic on the kick and a hammond organ w the big leslie which is also mic'd.

we play a wide range of venues, including outdoors- usually for a about 150-200 people. sometimes both guitarists will mic their amps. (man, it's just too much when they do that
do i need more watts? they don't seem to know how to turn it down

what would someone with more experience than me do?

Are you saying you are not running your bass tone through the PA? Your guitarists, vocals, and the organ are being run into the PA, but not the bass? No sub woofers?

I suggest you get rid of the 15, and get a bigger amp head. That head will only go so far. If you can not afford a new head - do not boost the lows at all and focus on keeping your midrange (200hz to 1khz) in your tone. Boosting in the low mids and cutting the low end will help you hear yourself much easier. If you want to project into the audience more - invest in a better PA system - keep the 410 and ditch the 15. The 410 can be a good stage monitor. OR, Buy another identical 410 for better tone and more volume than a 410 and 15 combination.

Lots of ideas there, but that should be a good start.

[HertzWhenIPlay]

thanks for the suggestions.
i am going to work the eq section a bit more and see what i can get out of it.

we have been in the process of upgrading our PA with nicer 3-way mains and an additional power amp - no subs yet...so sure, i can always run my signal directly to the PA.

I know that more isn't always better, and really like the eq idea...

[Rick Auricchio]

Replace the 115 cab with another Goliath 410. You'll have much, much more loudness.

If you can't find a matching 410, audition a few---WITH your 410---some may not complement the sound as well as others.

[HertzWhenIPlay]

I should probably have prefaced my post by stating that I am actually seeking more headroom. On stage my sound is strong and it carries very well in most venues. However, I feel that I am pretty well maxed out at our regular playing volume. I love the M-Pulse. Maybe I need an m-pulse 600?

[RickenBoogie]

I'd just lose the 15 and replace it with another 410. That should do it. If not, THEN upgrade to the 600.

[Scutterflux]

Try to eq yourself to the frequencies left open by the band, In otherwords while you're playing find the tone that sits in the mix well. A few things will happen this way, you'll end up with a more audible tone in the mix (cut through) and be able to use less power for an better overall band tone/mix. This ought to fill the sound as a whole while keeping good instrument seperation and may save you from having to upgrade. Funny thing is you'll probably end up with a tone that sounds wonderful in the mix but potentially not so great while practicing by yourself. The midrange is where you want to look for those open frequencies like Gearhead was saying, and you could always trim the very bottom out a bit too, maybe making a little more space for the Kick and not competeing for those power soaking frequencies so much. FWIW I had a 360, and really liked the tone, I used to crank the midrange knob, its a nice and thick/broad midrange sound.

[lomo]

yes to more power and losing the 415 and then getting another 410 if you're still not there

[BassmanPaul]

As the others have posted, the pairing of a 1x15 and a 4x10 is poor at best. The 15 will always be a weak link. The best match will always be two identical cabinets.