Onstage gear setup? Complete newbie question

SevenJacks · #1 04-09-2011, 02:09 PM

Hey everyone,
So I've been playing live for 6 months. Ever. In my life.
My guitarist/lead singer has a real nice Peavey PA/Head setup. All this time we've been plugging directly into the head.

So now it seems REAL bands put mics on their own amps. Ok, so this is completely alien to me, so would someone kindly direct me to some thread or article that explains this and save me from further embarrassment...

Pollinator95 · #2 04-09-2011, 02:15 PM

I know nothing about this, but the idea is to place the mic where it sounds good. I suppose you already know how to set a good tone in a band setting.
Anyway, I know JimmyM mics his cabs, if you want his opinion just include "Ampeg" in the thread title

.
I know I didn´t help, consider it a long-winded bump.

Edit: Also, I don´t know who told you "real bands mic their amps". Plenty of musicians, specially bassists, go direct (through a DI box).

Oreomeister365 · #3 04-09-2011, 02:52 PM

Mics are more commonly used on guitar amps since the guitar amp is often the most important part of their sound (particularly with distortion).

Micing a bass amp is just as easy to do as with a guitar, but going direct is just more consistent from band to band and a tiny bit easier so...that's what most sound guys do.

If you want people to hear the sound you hear coming from the amp instead of the sound of a direct box, that's what a mic is for.

spaz21387 · #4 04-09-2011, 02:56 PM

some bass amps will have an xlr line out you can run to the pa board. but when i mic up my cab. I tuck the mic stand behind my cab and run it so it sits right infront of a speaker. when its tucked back behind the cab you have less chances of knocking it over. I usually gig a fender bassman 250 combo if i want to go light or if its a really big stage i go 6x10 and hartke lh500 head.

Stumbo · #5 04-09-2011, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SevenJacks

All this time we've been plugging directly into the head.

Can you give more detail on your setup? Plugging exactly what into the head?

Guitar? Bass? Mic? Everything?

I suggest you listen to some live bands in your area and see how they have everything setup.

For most small/medium venues with no house PA, many bands put Vocals only through PA, everyone else has their own amp...no mics. Maybe a bit of kick through P.A. Then they also have a few monitors for the band members.

Munjibunga · #6 04-09-2011, 05:37 PM

At smaller gigs with my classic rock band, I use just a stage amp and do not go direct to the board. It's usually a 410 or 212 cabinet with at least 500 watts available from the amp. At larger gigs, I use a stage amp and go direct to the board with either a separate DI (Countryman or Radial), or the DI on the amp, if it has one. I very seldom mic my cab. This is because I play a pretty clean sound without effects, so I don't need to get my stage sound exactly. I can't recommend going to the board, though, if your PA does not have subwoofers. Typical 12- or 15-inch mains have a tough time reproducing bass at a meaningful level.

In my acoustic trio, I always go direct to the board through a Radial J48. In that act, we don't usually use a sub, but our volume isn't loud enough to warrant one. We have a gig coming up that probably will be about 500 people, so we'll use a sub on that one.

Most pros will use a stage amp and go direct to the board, depending on the venue. For your purposes, a good combo with connections for a future extension cab might be the way to go.

Avoid Behringer.

SevenJacks · #7 04-10-2011, 09:37 AM

Thanks guys, it definitely makes more sense now with these answers.

To Stumbo:
Yes, we have had everything (vocals/guitar/bass) going through the PA. It's worked well enough: people danced and we've been asked back to the venues we play so obviously it's not awful...

Well thanks again everyone

Stumbo · #8 04-10-2011, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SevenJacks

.... we have had everything (vocals/guitar/bass) going through the PA. It's worked well enough: people danced and we've been asked back to the venues we play so obviously it's not awful...

IME, it's not obvious how your band sounds FOH when you're on stage. You might sound kinda okay or great but you won't really know from the stage.

I suggest a wireless setup or a long cord so can go out front and balance the band's sound. Also, if you can record a rehearsal or a gig, that would help as well to let you know how you "really" sound.

IME, don't depend on the audience's guidance on how well anything sounds, especially the bass. Sometimes if you make a loud noise for a period of time and your singer is in tune and the audience can make out the lyrics a bit, they'll say you "sound good".

Since you're new to all of this, if you can, get a sound guy or another experienced musician that you trust to come to one of your gigs or rehearsals and get his/her opinion.