First Gig with a PA... Anything I need to know?

[georgestrings]

Quote:
Originally Posted by peter G
I use a ProDI,works great for me

Originally Posted by TimmyP

If the bass is active, that's fine (it's also the ticket for keys). If the bass is passive, the Pro48 is the better choice, owing to its higher input impedance (less loading of the pickups = better sound from the instrument).

I had the ProDI, and honestly it isn't any better than a $35 Behringer - I A/B'd it through several FOHs, and it literally didn't sound any better than the Behringer... I returned the ProDI, and bought the JDI MK3, and it definitely was much better than either of those...

If you're not planning on buying a JDI MK3(passive), a J48 or Countryman 85(actives), I'd buy a DI from Audiopile - it'll probably match or exceed Radial's "Pro" series, and considerably less money...



- georgestrings

[Outlaw_son]

suscribed

[joegeezer]

Try very hard to get everyone in or out of the band to leave you alone during the process, so you can think straight, without constant annoying questions. It can be a very frustrating time until your used to the system, and extra questions, even though they may be trying to help, can slow down your thought process, and annoy you even more. Best of luck! It'll be a hard nite.

[TimmyP]

Originally Posted by georgestrings

Quote:
Originally Posted by peter G
I use a ProDI,works great for me


I had the ProDI, and honestly it isn't any better than a $35 Behringer - I A/B'd it through several FOHs, and it literally didn't sound any better than the Behringer... I returned the ProDI, and bought the JDI MK3, and it definitely was much better than either of those...

If you're not planning on buying a JDI MK3(passive), a J48 or Countryman 85(actives), I'd buy a DI from Audiopile - it'll probably match or exceed Radial's "Pro" series, and considerably less money...

- georgestrings

That's certainly not my experience. When I switched from Behringer DI100s to Radial Pro48s, basses suddenly had balls, and my regular clients' acoustic guitars weren't pieces of crap anymore. (I use the ProDI for keys, and for bass when there's a ground loop with the active DI.) I found the difference between the ProDI and the JDI to be noticeable in an A-B comparison, but I doubt most folks would hear the difference if you used a JDI on one gig and a ProDI on the next.)

[pj-mike]

Hi Atoz,

I've used the MAG300 DI for recording. No complaints from the sound engineer.
The DI on this head is post EQ. If you plan to use your amp's DI, talk to the sound guy if you can, and ask him how he wants the signal. He may want more highs going to the board and you'll have to live with a different on stage sound. If in doubt, a flat signal might be best.

Good luck and enjoy the gig

[MakiSupaStar]

Congrats on the gig Atoz. Just for the sake of the thread, if you have an amp that is big enough, you can give a balanced line out from your head/pre. I usually have the sound guy just add a presence on my clean channel, not a lot, just enough to be felt beyond the stage. Bass carries. I have a Ampeg SVP-BSP pre amp and line out from it is great. No complaints. I've even run two lines out from both channels. Clean and dirty.

I've never needed a DI, but I have used them before at the request of the sound guy. As far as operating the PA for yourself, they're pretty basic. There's a master volume and a pre/post volume for each channel and usually some kind of eq knobs for each channel. If you know how to run your amp, you know how to run a PA.

[ryco]

Originally Posted by VisualShock

This comes from the website of the promoters my band uses:

Drummers must have at least two pairs of drumsticks and a drum tuning key. If you are sharing a drumkit please make sure that you bring all your own breakables, i.e. snare drum and stand, kick drum pedal, cymbals and stands, hi-hat and hi-hat stand, throne

This must be the Keith Moon clause.


Cool deal yer gig went well, mon. It's fun playing outside!

If you do another larger outdoor event, ask the soundguy if there are enough channels to run a bass DI line and mic line. That way the soundperson can blend the two.

+1 on giving the drummer a separate bass monitor. That way you can keep the bass out of his stage monitor mix - unless he wants it in there. All I want in my stage mon mix is vox with my voc up a little. YMMV



Playin' a little outside gig with the youngsters a couple of years ago. Fun in the sun!
Runnin' bass, keys (right channel), and vox through my wife's Peavey KB-15.
Little Roland is for keyboard's left channel -- he insists on runnin' stereo. whatever - more roadie for me haha

[Atoz]

Originally Posted by pj-mike

Hi Atoz,

I've used the MAG300 DI for recording. No complaints from the sound engineer.
The DI on this head is post EQ. If you plan to use your amp's DI, talk to the sound guy if you can, and ask him how he wants the signal. He may want more highs going to the board and you'll have to live with a different on stage sound. If in doubt, a flat signal might be best.

Good luck and enjoy the gig

Thanks for the heads-up on the MAG's DI. It's good to know I can use it. In the last couple of weeks, I've acquired a SansAmp BDDI (couldn't beat the price, if you know what I mean ) and am really enjoying the faux-SVT output I get with it. I ended up using the output from that with my '87 MIJ P for the gig, and it sounded great.

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

Congrats on the gig Atoz. Just for the sake of the thread, if you have an amp that is big enough, you can give a balanced line out from your head/pre. I usually have the sound guy just add a presence on my clean channel, not a lot, just enough to be felt beyond the stage. Bass carries. I have a Ampeg SVP-BSP pre amp and line out from it is great. No complaints. I've even run two lines out from both channels. Clean and dirty.

I've never needed a DI, but I have used them before at the request of the sound guy. As far as operating the PA for yourself, they're pretty basic. There's a master volume and a pre/post volume for each channel and usually some kind of eq knobs for each channel. If you know how to run your amp, you know how to run a PA.

Thanks, Maki. The gig was a lot of fun! I had the option of miking my cab at the gig, but I declined. It being my first time playing with a PA, I was nervous about not being able to hear myself through the monitor (it was kind of far from me), so I ran the BDDI into the board, and split off of it into my amp, which I had elevated to my side and slightly behind me. I tweaked the EQ on the amp in a way so I could hear it when the volume was low, but probably wouldn't have sounded great miked. Once we started the soundcheck, I realized that the monitor feed was indeed adequate and they could've miked my amp, but by then it would have been too much trouble. Live and learn...

Originally Posted by ryco

This must be the Keith Moon clause.


Cool deal yer gig went well, mon. It's fun playing outside!

If you do another larger outdoor event, ask the soundguy if there are enough channels to run a bass DI line and mic line. That way the soundperson can blend the two.

+1 on giving the drummer a separate bass monitor. That way you can keep the bass out of his stage monitor mix - unless he wants it in there. All I want in my stage mon mix is vox with my voc up a little. YMMV

...

Yes, playing outside is fun!

As I mentioned above, I could have miked my cab, but did not do so for reasons which in retrospect were a tad irrational. I'll do it next time, though.

Our drummer did get his own monitor this time. I think he liked it that way.