casters, stands, floor coupling, Help.

[Rocks]

Ok, I've seen some posts referring to floor coupling and I'm curious as to if this is alway a bad thing or only on stages that resonate. Do I want floor coupling on solid floors? Also, will casters (or a couple milk crates) stop floor coupling for when I want it gone? I really need to understand this topic better, can anyone shed some light on all of this?

[JimmyM]

the only thing that defeats floor coupling is raising your cab a good couple feet or so. i forget exactly how much, but i believe bill fitzmaurice said it was around 27 inches. i don't know all the ins and outs of floor coupling, but a good part of the reason i like to use a tall cab rig or tilt back a smaller one is so i can hear my sound as it's supposed to be and floor coupling doesn't become such a pita.

[Rocks]

JimmyM, so floor coupling isn't a good thing? Or is it only a problem in certain situations? Most of the places we are playing we are on a solid floor, same one the dancers are on. Most of the time its tile, sometimes very hard carpeting.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Rocks

JimmyM, so floor coupling isn't a good thing? Or is it only a problem in certain situations? Most of the places we are playing we are on a solid floor, same one the dancers are on. Most of the time its tile, sometimes very hard carpeting.

it's neither a good or bad thing. it just is. bill fitzmaurice is probably a better person to ask about it than me, though. might want to post this in amps where he can see it.

[Rocks]

Ok, I just assumed this was the right place since I am only talking about my live sound. So far I've not had anything but good reviews on my sound other than almost rattling some bottles off a bar. I've been thinking about hanging on sign on the cab "bass cabinet rides $1.00"

[JimmyM]

pretty funny...i'd let hot chicks sit on it for free, though

[Rocks]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

pretty funny...i'd let hot chicks sit on it for free, though

Normally I try to keep my tone as such that they don't even need to be near the cab, just within striking distance.

[John Bigboote]

Originally Posted by Rocks

Ok, I've seen some posts referring to floor coupling and I'm curious as to if this is alway a bad thing or only on stages that resonate. Do I want floor coupling on solid floors? Also, will casters (or a couple milk crates) stop floor coupling for when I want it gone? I really need to understand this topic better, can anyone shed some light on all of this?

I move my gear on a modified furniture dolly (4" wheels), and keep my cabs on it when I play. I think it might have a modestly positive effect on coupling with plywood stages (which 80+% of the stages I play on are), but stage resonance is always a problem to some degree or another. On a solid stage (or on the floor), negative coupling effects might not be so much of a problem, but in that case, I just like having the cabs up a wee bit higher anyway.

I thought I hit paydirt when I found this folding step stool at Harbor Freight, but it didn't turn out to be the cure-all I'd been hoping for, so back it went.

At a recent gig, my vertical 115/210 was causing terrible stage boom, and was too loud anyway, so... I just unplugged the 115, and it was perfect! That 115 makes an ideal cab stand!

-jb

[Blasto]

I'm encountering the same thing! It sounds mighty aweomse, but the 115/210 combois a bit much for my current situation.

[JustDavid]

I see 2 different topics developing within the 1 topic; mechanical floor coupling (conductance of vibrations from the cab to a non-rigid floor or hollow stage) & acoustic coupling (interaction of sound 'waves' direct from speaker with sound waves bouncing off the floor).

Lots of potential for misunderstandings & arguments if discussions presume they're the same topic.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

the only thing that defeats floor coupling is raising your cab a good couple feet or so. i forget exactly how much, but i believe bill fitzmaurice said it was around 27 inches. i don't know all the ins and outs of floor coupling, but a good part of the reason i like to use a tall cab rig or tilt back a smaller one is so i can hear my sound as it's supposed to be and floor coupling doesn't become such a pita.

This is again incorrect (as we've discussed on a number of threads). Raising a cab a few inches (casters, gramma pad, take your pick) will reduce MECHANICAL coupling, which is what causes all the problems on those hollow wooden stage... literally the hollow, resonant space under the floor acting as part of the speaker cab when the cab is literally physically coupled to it. On a concrete floor or other solid floor, a gramma pad or castors will not have any impact on your tone. This is why I always just keep the castors on my cab... no downside, and a bit of upside on a hollow stage or resonant floor.

What you are talking about is ACOUSTIC coupling, and the floor acts just like walls and ceilings, and can impact the tone greatly as you move cabs closer or farther away from walls, floor, whatever (we are talking feet now, not inches). You are correct, pads or castors have virtually no impact on that.

Finally, the reason that you can 'hear yourself' better with a taller cab is not a 'coupling' issue at all. It just gets the more directional midrange a more linear path to your ears, making the cab 'sound' less bassy and more articulate when you stand close to it. There is a bit of downside to this, since the higher frequencies are absorbed by the audience, drapes, carpet, etc. more than the lower frequencies. When you don't have front of house support, you need to crank in much more midrange and high end than 'sounds good' to most up close in order to have an even, articulate tone out in the room. Having that midrange and treble blasting in your ear can result in you setting your tone so that it results in a much darker, woofier tone at front that you realize.