Using the DI on the amp head ?

[sonic 7]

It's been quite a long time since I've played in a large venue with a pro foh system, back then it was always just bass into a di with a through to your amp. Back then most bass amps didnt have a biult in di. These days will sound men let you use your amp di post eq or do they insist on taking a dry signal from their own floor di ?

[capncal]

different strokes for different folks. i always bring my sansamp bass driver DI. most places are happy with that, some guys would rather use their own DI boxes.

old school guys just have the sound guy mic their cab too.

whatever works.

[JimmyM]

Most soundmen won't object to using the DI from your head, but some will. All a question of how much clout you have on the gig vs. them.

[sonic 7]

Thanks !

[TomB]

4 out of 5 will take the DI. #5 will lay down a box. I'm still waiting for someone to volunteer a mic .

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by TomB

4 out of 5 will take the DI. #5 will lay down a box. I'm still waiting for someone to volunteer a mic .

I've actually had it happen before. Happens rarely in my circles, but apparently these discussions about micing cabs on Talkbass have done a little good because I'm hearing that many rock soundmen are being a little more open minded about mics these days and actually doing it without being prodded.

[4-stringB]

Make sure your head can tolerate phantom power before you let the sound guy use your DI. I believe most heads can, but some can't, so check it out beforehand...(you never know when the sound guy will hit the ph. pwr. button)...otherwise, use his DI box...

[Steve Dallman]

Shortly after I got my PF500, I played in the pit of a musical. The soundman loved the amp's DI. My last amp was a GK1001RB. I didn't like the amp's DI, preferring a Sansamp to the PA. I don't need or use the Sansamp with the Ampeg. From the pit, I could also hear the bass in the house, and it was very good. Best DI tone I've heard from my bass.

[Nephilymbass]

All but one club I've ever played were happy hook a mic cable to my pre amp. The one that didn't had a di box sending the dry signal to a sans amp pedal he had back at the board. As I use a sans amp RBI I didn't mind much. I'm not a huge fan of putting a mic on a bass cab as its pretty much physically impossible for one mic on one speaker to capture frequencies ranging from 20 or so hz to a few thousand hz.

[4-string]

I always use my amp's DI (almost always pre EQ), only once in the past years I met a soundman who insisted on using his external one, because the built in DIs "always break" on the gig.

[seang15]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Most soundmen won't object to using the DI from your head, but some will. All a question of how much clout you have on the gig vs. them.

The soundmen always seem to appreciate I have a balanced DI from my amp, not the other way around. Earliest I can remember driving a PA with an amp DI would be 1989.

[jgroh]

You go to the gig and offer up the DI on your head. If he objects, then he provides an alternative. Thank goodness in my current band we run our own sound so I can do whatever I want (DI, mic, both...)

[BryanM]

There's a club in town that the sound guy always mics my cab with a beta 52a and takes the DI and blends them in the FOH, monitor mix just gets the DI. I love that place.

[Stev187]

My personal bias on this (and this is because I've run a fair amount of live sound) is to let the sound person run your signal the way they want to do it. My theory is that the more control they have over your signal, the better you are going to sound in the overall mix. Period.

My amps have DI out, and I have used them with some success. But if a sound tech wants to use a box that's part of their rig, I let them without making a fuss. I feel that the things that make me sound like me happen before the output jack on my bass--the rest depends on the band, the room, and other factors beyond my control. Let the person focusing on the sound worry about those things. There are tons of people here who would disagree.

Most of my experience with large rooms with a dedicated sound person are from back in the day--we run our own sound from stage now. Here in 2013, there are lots of great options for DI for bass players. Personally, I use the MXR M80 DI+ and send that signal to my rig and the board. I think most sound people would work with the cool active DIs that are on the market now. But if they have their own box and want you to use it, I think you'll sound better if you go with their program!

I could be wrong about this, but I think if your amp fries during a gig, the built-in DI will stop working, too. With an external DI, you're still going through the monitors and FOH. I also think of my DI signal as a backup. An inexpensive passive DI is $50 or so, and a worthwhile investment. The active, tone-shaping DIs that are on the market are super cool, too. Even in small rooms, I run my bass signal through the FOH so we can keep the stage volume down.

--Steve

[Joe Louvar]

+1. right on Steve, well said.

Originally Posted by Stev187

My personal bias on this (and this is because I've run a fair amount of live sound) is to let the sound person run your signal the way they want to do it. My theory is that the more control they have over your signal, the better you are going to sound in the overall mix. Period.

My amps have DI out, and I have used them with some success. But if a sound tech wants to use a box that's part of their rig, I let them without making a fuss. I feel that the things that make me sound like me happen before the output jack on my bass--the rest depends on the band, the room, and other factors beyond my control. Let the person focusing on the sound worry about those things. There are tons of people here who would disagree.

Most of my experience with large rooms with a dedicated sound person are from back in the day--we run our own sound from stage now. Here in 2013, there are lots of great options for DI for bass players. Personally, I use the MXR M80 DI+ and send that signal to my rig and the board. I think most sound people would work with the cool active DIs that are on the market now. But if they have their own box and want you to use it, I think you'll sound better if you go with their program!

I could be wrong about this, but I think if your amp fries during a gig, the built-in DI will stop working, too. With an external DI, you're still going through the monitors and FOH. I also think of my DI signal as a backup. An inexpensive passive DI is $50 or so, and a worthwhile investment. The active, tone-shaping DIs that are on the market are super cool, too. Even in small rooms, I run my bass signal through the FOH so we can keep the stage volume down.

--Steve

[AMJBASS]

I almost ALWAYS use the DI out on my head(pre EQ). The exception is when the sound man has a Radial JDI or similar available. However its nice to have the mute function for tuning on the head. I tend to be pretty easy to work with, but its not all that confidence inspiring when you show up and a $25 Rapco box is provided. That happened on a session I played last year and I ended up going with my head(at that time an LMIII), with excellent results.

[Baird6869]

Originally Posted by TomB

4 out of 5 will take the DI. #5 will lay down a box. I'm still waiting for someone to volunteer a mic .

+1

A sound engineer might try post and pre, but I generally leave my amp set to post so that is what they get unless they push it.

The (very) few really big gigs I have done have all had provided backline and a sound engineer that handed me a DI box (usually a Radial) and generally said something like "here... plug into this" ad walked away.

[Bassdirty]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Most soundmen won't object to using the DI from your head, but some will. All a question of how much clout you have on the gig vs. them.

This indeed.
And, some soundguys will want exactly the opposite of what you want, just because your only the bassplayer and they just had a heated battle with the guitarist about his "tone" .

But yeah, I've rarely had anybody not want to use the DI on my head.

[DwaynieAD]

I have one venue that prefers to mic my bass cab. always sounds great there so I can't complain. last gig I played was the first time a sound guy busted out a DI box. I said "whatever you think is gonna sound best man," he hooked into the DI on the head and it sounded great.

[lustersilk]

Originally Posted by BryanM

There's a club in town that the sound guy always mics my cab with a beta 52a and takes the DI and blends them in the FOH, monitor mix just gets the DI. I love that place.

Detroit Bar in Orange County, CA does this. I love it.