Do U Pre or Post preamp from line out to board ?

belgabass · #1 08-16-2011, 01:55 PM

Wondering what is best, pre or post preamp to the board. If I go post I use the -40db and pre the 0db right ?
I played a gig with no soundcheck, after the first song the soundguy came up on stage and put a mike in front of my cab saying the signal frome my line out was too hot.

silky smoove · #2 08-16-2011, 02:02 PM

If the signal from your DI is too hot, and it doesn't have an independent level control, you have to lower the signal at some point before the DI. The volume knob on your bass, or the gain knob on the front of the preamp are the likely answers. Using an input pad should work as well. It all depends on where your DI sits in your amp's signal chain.

To answer your first question: I run pre-EQ, but send all of my effects to the board if I'm using any that night.

Phalex · #3 08-16-2011, 02:04 PM

I always send a dry signal to the board (Pre-Preamp.) I don't use any effects, so I like the sound guy to have a full range uncolored.

PurpleDrank · #4 08-16-2011, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phalex

I always send a dry signal to the board (Pre-Preamp.) I don't use any effects, so I like the sound guy to have a full range uncolored.

If I trust the sound guys, I would do it this way. In actual practice, I almost always just run post-eq so I know I'm getting in the ballpark with how my sound is slotted in the mix. My amp doesn't have an independent DI level control, but it does have a mic/line level switch. Maybe check and see if you have one of those and can drop the signal going to the board there.

belgabass · #5 08-16-2011, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by silky smoove

If the signal from your DI is too hot, and it doesn't have an independent level control, you have to lower the signal at some point before the DI. The volume knob on your bass, or the gain knob on the front of the preamp are the likely answers. Using an input pad should work as well. It all depends on where your DI sits in your amp's signal chain.

To answer your first question: I run pre-EQ, but send all of my effects to the board if I'm using any that night.

I would use the pad I guess since I like the tone of my bass at full volume and the pre on my amp at 12:00.
I get no clip distortion that way coming out of the cabs and I figure it should be the same going to the board if I press the -40db pad.

stingraysvt · #6 08-16-2011, 02:52 PM

I'm sound dude most weekends, anyways, if we have an engineer I go Pre Eq, but that doesn't mean we've never experimented with post

You'll prob 9 times out of ten do better with a pre signal IME

Craig_S · #7 08-16-2011, 03:03 PM

I run from my pedal board to a D.I. that is sends the signal through to the amplifier and XLR out to the board. That would mean the D.I. bypasses the preamp. I'm thinking of running my speaker out to the D.I. now. I'm curious to hear the difference.

grendle · #8 08-16-2011, 07:37 PM

Post pre. That's what I spend money on to get the tone. They can eq it all they want after that.

derrico1 · #9 08-16-2011, 07:47 PM

With my rack rigs, I prefer to set the preamp for the tone that I want to go the the FOH board and send a post-eq DI. Then I run a parametric eq between pre and power amp in case I need to re-eq to get around weirdness in the stage sound.

I'll also tend to send post-DI when using my Walkabouts on even-sounding stages, because on the gigs for which I use the WA, I usually want that character sent to FOH.

Otherwise, I'll generally pre-eq send DI.

stingraysvt · #10 08-16-2011, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grendle

Post pre. That's what I spend money on to get the tone. They can eq it all they want after that.

I've found that your amp's character is going to be present in the DI out. Pre or post, so Post Eq could introduce several new surprises in room after room depending on your Eq habits (ie +18db @ 80hz), if you boost your low frequencies under 150 hz anything over 3 db you're better off to flip that "pre" switch and save the engineer any extreme "Eq'ing measures"

pbasswil · #11 08-16-2011, 07:49 PM

Unless your rig has the same response curve as the PA (doubtful!), then the EQ you apply to get a killer on-stage sound is probably different from what the PA needs to make you sound good.

Besides: I don't always EQ my stage rig to sound good in the mix anyway; sometimes I EQ it so I cut through the racket on stage -- more than would necessarily be good for the bass within the band's mix.

I figure: let the sound guy start with the same un-tampered-with signal from my bass as I send to my rig.
In other words, I always send Pre.

stingraysvt · #12 08-16-2011, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbasswil

Unless your rig has the same response curve as the PA (doubtful!), then the EQ you apply to get a killer on-stage sound is probably different from what the PA needs to make you sound good.

Besides: I don't always EQ my stage rig to sound good in the mix anyway; sometimes I EQ it so I cut through the racket on stage -- more than would necessarily be good for the bass within the band's mix.

I figure: let the sound guy start with the same un-tampered-with signal from my bass as I send to my rig.
In other words, I always send Pre.

I'm very practical with every bass player I work with. If I dig what they're giving me I'll leave well enough alone, but if it doesn't sound good I'll resort to DI on the bass, and mic'ing the cab to retain their "signature"

a lot of what many guys are not aware of is their bass into the right DI is often more magic than the rig they use.

grendle · #13 08-18-2011, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stingraysvt

I've found that your amp's character is going to be present in the DI out. Pre or post, so Post Eq could introduce several new surprises in room after room depending on your Eq habits (ie +18db @ 80hz), if you boost your low frequencies under 150 hz anything over 3 db you're better off to flip that "pre" switch and save the engineer any extreme "Eq'ing measures"

I should have said post preamp / pre EQ. I want my bass through the preamp and out before any EQ, Post compressor would be nice. No EQ accept from the bass maybe. But I do want the tube tone I had to hunt down comming out the mains lol

srxplayer · #14 08-19-2011, 06:23 PM

Unless I'm asked not to or a church wants me to use one of their DI's I will usually run post EQ to the board. I run my BMax-T pretty much flat so it not like I have some crazy EQ setting for the board to worry about. I do the same with my Sansamp BDDI. If a church or venue asks me to run through a DI I will just use my Sansamp. I have never been asked to run the signal un affected.

CapnSev · #15 08-19-2011, 09:58 PM

Running post eq shouldn't matter all that much as long as you aren't going back to your amp and constantly tweaking knobs, or using a really extreme eq.

scottfeldstein · #16 08-19-2011, 10:04 PM

I used to go pre back in the day. But I think with my new rig I'll go right from my SansAmp. I figure the EQ on my rig is for me on stage, what the sound guy does with that signal is his business. But I want him to have something wet to work with, so I'll send a sizzley signal from the SansAmp. We'll see how they like that. If I ever get a gig.

OxJohnson · #17 08-19-2011, 10:19 PM

I play flat... I mean like Paris Hilton, then adjust for the room/bass (very minor as my backup is always matched to the primary) but I still send post EQ, even when they tell me not to (they haven't busted me yet). I don't twiddle knobs during the gig either though... thats their job.

Set it up then don't mess with it... life is good.

Ox.