peaking a hell of alot?!

cowinacup · #1 03-18-2011, 11:03 AM

so i got a new ampeg b2r and 300 watt cab and i was playing my highway one j bass. last time i played live it was clipping a lot and i just couldn't get it to stop without taking away the volume i needed. any suggestions?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyLb4...el_video_title
you can hear it really clearly at certain points in this video

PSPookie · #2 03-18-2011, 11:04 AM

Get a more powerful amp

christw · #3 03-18-2011, 11:06 AM

A compressor will help but it'll cut back on your ability to play with dynamics.

teleharmonium · #4 03-18-2011, 11:06 AM

You might try any or all of these:

reposition the cab so you can hear it better
use a compressor
rethink your stance on how much volume you need
get the rest of the band to reconsider their volume, or how much low end is in the guitar

PSPookie · #5 03-18-2011, 11:08 AM

Also, how is your EQ set? Lots of low bass will suck up your available power in a heartbeat.

craig.p · #6 03-18-2011, 11:17 AM

Clipping audibly (suggesting running out of watts), or clipping as indicated by the "peak" LED? They're two different behaviors.

cowinacup · #7 03-18-2011, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSPookie

Also, how is your EQ set? Lots of low bass will suck up your available power in a heartbeat.

Join Date: Mar 2011
well for my eq its a 9 band and how i have it set up now is kind of like a v shape from about +6db down to -6db then i dropped down the highs a bit. im also looking for some eq suggestions haha havent really found "that sound" yet.

cowinacup · #8 03-18-2011, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig.p

Clipping audibly (suggesting running out of watts), or clipping as indicated by the "peak" LED? They're two different behaviors.

clipping audibly

NKBassman · #9 03-18-2011, 11:22 AM

Try setting it back to flat and readjust from there. Could be you're cutting out too much mids to cut through properly.

Also, do you stand really close to your cab? Try and stand at least 6 feet away and see if that makes things any better.

belgabass · #10 03-18-2011, 11:23 AM

Is your cab 4 or 8 ohms? I have a b2 combo 115 and I add a 210 to get the full 350 watts. Without it it's not enough to keep up with a full band.

father of fires · #11 03-18-2011, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowinacup

Join Date: Mar 2011
well for my eq its a 9 band and how i have it set up now is kind of like a v shape from about +6db down to -6db then i dropped down the highs a bit. im also looking for some eq suggestions haha havent really found "that sound" yet.

You sucked out all of your mids. You need those to be heard.

cowinacup · #12 03-18-2011, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by father of fires

You sucked out all of your mids. You need those to be heard.

yeah i thought that too but when i tried adding mids i hated the sound of it

craig.p · #13 03-18-2011, 11:30 AM

I agree with Belga that you might need more cone area. EQ settings certainly contribute to your problem, but also I've lost track of how many times I've "fixed" a low-power amp by doubling the cone count. 35 years ago I "fixed" a V4Bs measly 100 watts by running it into four (rather than two) fifteens. Problem solved. So... just one more thing you might look at.

Vanceman · #14 03-18-2011, 11:32 AM

Do you hate the mid range sound when playing by yourself, or in a live situation? 4 or 8 ohm cab?

teleharmonium · #15 03-18-2011, 11:33 AM

I agree that a -6db cut in the mids is probably a bit much, but I could see someone not liking the mids, that's a legitimate sonic preference. But +6 db in the lows is probably way overkill. Try making the left most band in your eq more like a -3db cut, and then set the remaining bands that are under 250 hz flat and play it for a while that way with the band. If you still think you need a low boost after that, try +2 db in the band closest to 125 hz.

christw · #16 03-18-2011, 11:33 AM

I'll agree with everyone here that said to use a flat EQ. That scooped sound sounds really cool on it's own but ends up getting covered up in a live mix very easily. Try boosting more in the 100hz range and keep the sliders below that flat or maybe even cut them a little.

cowinacup · #17 03-18-2011, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vanceman

Do you hate the mid range sound when playing by yourself, or in a live situation? 4 or 8 ohm cab?

well by myself usually i guess i haven't really tried with the others, ill try that today. and its an 8 ohm cab.

tdub0199 · #18 03-18-2011, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowinacup

yeah i thought that too but when i tried adding mids i hated the sound of it

when you boosted the mids... was this in a band situation or alone by yourself? my preferred tone by myself doesn't cut it in a band situation... got to have those MIDS!!!!! lol

cowinacup · #19 03-18-2011, 11:39 AM

no i was by myself. ill mess around with my sound with the band today i think

craig.p · #20 03-18-2011, 11:46 AM

On the "mids" topic, I strongly agree that it's unwise to apply a lot of bass boost, whether by bass boost directly or by cutting mids. (Doing both is like asking for an order of magnitude or more power from your amp down in the bass region -- sure to fail unless you're running MANY cones and MANY watts to support that choice.) However, more mids isn't necessarily a wise choice. In terms of frequency slotting, you don't want to be stepping on other band members' slots. Teleharmonium touched on this. It really needs to be planned out beforehand, with everyone present and everyone in on the final decision. SOP in pro sound reinforcement and no reason you can't do it, too. Wish more people did.