best way to run a bass through a pa?

[MNAirHead]

Originally Posted by RicPlaya

Huh

He has a DI on the eden, why would he need a DI box? You can even control the signal on the Eden going to the board.

Many sound guys prefer a stand alone box.. They get leary with onboard DIs as many have grounding, noisy and power issues.

As a sound guy, I wouldn't take a DI from an amp - I'd be concerned that the risk of hitting it with phantom power could cause an issue.

A Rolls dB25 is only about $30

Tim

[RicPlaya]

Originally Posted by MNAirHead

Many sound guys prefer a stand alone box.. They get leary with onboard DIs as many have grounding, noisy and power issues.

As a sound guy, I wouldn't take a DI from an amp - I'd be concerned that the risk of hitting it with phantom power could cause an issue.

A Rolls dB25 is only about $30

Tim

IME, the Eden DI is better then any low end DI on the market. The phamtom power would come from the sound guy right? So just dont hit the button..LOL.

[jtc_hunter]

Originally Posted by RicPlaya

IME, the Eden DI is better then any low end DI on the market. The phamtom power would come from the sound guy right? So just dont hit the button..LOL.

I agree. My Gk700rbII has a great onboard dialable DI. I also have an MXR M80 DI that I could gig with no problem and use no amp at all with the right PA.

[permagrin]

The 550WT sends a relatively strong DI signal - use the attenuator, keeping it between 9 and 10 o'clock seems to be the range amenable to most sound boards.

The other big thing to keep in mind is that the DI on this head (unless it's been modded) is post-EQ. If you keep your EQ relatively flat and don't use the enhance, then there should not be an issue; likewise, if the EQ is used only to do (modest) cuts.

However, if you're mainly boosting the EQ knobs or are doing any significant (or extreme) EQ shaping (say, to compensate for you bass cab or your personal tone desires) then it may not be a good signal to send to the board, and a DI in front of the amp might be preferable.

I have no idea what makes a great DI vs. a crappy one, but apparently Eden's DIs are excellent. Any sound guys who I've run into who have any experience with Eden heads are generally relieved to see mine (one less thing to worry for them), and just hand me an XLR.

And BTW the ground lift (I believe) only affects the DI send (lift it only if there's a grounding/noise issue). And the DI is built to tolerate phantom power if it is inadvertently sent from the board.

[sedan_dad]

This is why I don't get involved with the sound guy.
I just tell them to do what they want how ever they want. I don't care. It's his job to run sound and make it sound good. Mine is to play bass and make it sound good.
If he can't figure it out thats not my problem.
I can promise you he wouldn't be on my payroll with those issues.

[JimmyM]

All I can say is I'm glad I have control over most soundmen I work with. Yesterday, I did a gig where I thought the soundman (a brilliant soundman with a lot of talent, BTW) was scooping my signal too much in FOH, and I told him I thought he was scooping my signal too much, and you know what he did? Added the mids back and made the mix even better.

[steveksux]

Special attachment???? Is that anything like a "special purpose"? Who's your sound guy, Steve Martin in "the Jerk"?

Half the time I think there ought to be an event for soundmen in the Special Olympics.

Randy

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Like said before, all DI's are not created equal. What may well be the problem here (aside of the obvious "small system syndrome"), is that not all mixing desks are created equal either. Some don't have pad's at all and he is afraid that if You at some point feel that you need more volume and/or EQing during the show (always a bad idea IME) he may run out of gain reduction.

Edit: "a special attachment" does sound a bit like a "special attenuator" doesn't it

If the sound engineer doesn't have that much confidence in You and vice versa, there's something very wrong in your "relationship".

A separate outboard DI-feed is always the easiest solution for everyone involved, but not always the best .

What always is left out in rants/vents like this is the size of the show, number of bands, and most importantly the professional level of the gig.

For example: BOTB, sub $500, $500-$1000, $1000 and up.
Or the entrance fee: free, <$5, $5-$15, $15-$30, >$30.
Or: a backyard party, a bar gig, a festival gig, a corporate gig.
You get the point?

Everyone naturally gives pointers and opinions with their level in mind (mine's sub $500 ATM) and also leave that to be guessed. Granted, the people who reply simply can't explain every time a question like this comes up (bi-weekly?) what's their level, but I feel that it's not too much to ask from the OP's.



Regards
Sam

[SteveC]

Doesn't the Eden 550 have a DI level? Set it at "0" and slowly turn it up from there until he soundguy has the level he wants/needs. It's pretty simple.

I believe you also have a pre/post EQ option. Choose pre. That way any changes you make for the stage won't effect the FOH.

[jaywa]

Soundman fail. Sounds like he either doesn't know how to mix bass, or doesn't want to, and this is the easiest excuse for not having to deal with it.

Any decent sound board has an input pad, also most decent amps with onboard DIs have either an output level for the DI or at least a pad where you can cut your output by 10 or 15 dB. Your soundman is either playing you for a fool, or doesn't know what he's doing himself.

I'm gonna guess we're dealing with a church setting here?

[jschwalls]

I run 3 signals from my bass to the PA... 1 channel lows...2 channel mids/highs..1 channel dirty distortion on a footswitch....

I trained my singer how to run sound, he does a GREAT job and it's easier for him to mix with a wireless mic than me..

Just hold your soundman's hand and baby step him through the procedure...