Stereo Setup

CHAKAKANE08 · #1 07-18-2011, 03:42 PM

Right here goes folks...

Im absolutley shite with the tech side of things until its actually shown to me in person. My question is my curent setup is a rickenbacker 4003 being ran through an Ashdown ABM 500 + 610 cab.

Whats the best way for me to try and get a stereo setup of my bass going for live? I would like to be able to run the effect across only one pickup and keep the other perfectly clean and chunky at all times.

Retarded I know but im a bit of a plug n play person.

mucho appreciato for any advice in advance

Jimbob Jones · #2 07-18-2011, 04:07 PM

Ok, first things first, most venues I know of run the mix in mono. Stereo sounds ace from the mix position, but if you're stuck in one corner of of the dance floor, all you get is 'one half of the picture.' because you can only hear one side of the speaker system. (FYI, U2 did their entire 360 tour in mono, which I think is pretty cool).

That said, stereo does have its place in live situations, you just have to be careful with it.

So, making your ric stereo. IIRC the ric has a seperate stereo output, so you'll need a special cable to split the signal into left and right. Then you'll need two seperate amps (or at least two seperate DIs), and you'll use them to send the sound man two signals, one left and one right.

and that's it! You can send the sound guy one clean signal and one with effects (just plug one cable or the other into your pedals, then to an amp/DI and then plug the other one into an amp/DI direct).

Hope that helps!

CHAKAKANE08 · #3 07-18-2011, 05:01 PM

cheers boss,

I already have a stereo cable for splitting the signal, is there a way a single signal can then be sent back to my amp or can something like that only be done by bridging like on a 2 channel bass head?

TimmyP · #4 07-20-2011, 10:07 PM

I don't think it will be a very satisfying result unless you also biamp, so the lows all come from one cabinet only.

I don't think I've heard a stereo bass that I liked.

MNAirHead · #5 07-20-2011, 10:10 PM

Unless you own and control the entire pa stereo is not a reality in gigland

**IvanMike** · #6 07-22-2011, 10:09 PM

pretty much all you can do for that desired effect (1 pup each to separate DIs and both to the board) would be to use the splitter cable - run each pickup signal to a separate DI, then send the line outs of the two DIs into a small mixer - recombine them (and hope that this wee mixer doesn't involve a huge tone suck) and then send that signal to your amp.

If it were me, I'd send the split signal to two different amps and them mic them and send those signals to the board. even so, even if you are using radically different tones on these amps, more than likely what will end up happening is that you will like the sound better with both mic'ed signals to the PA run with the pans dead center rather than split.

walterw · #7 07-22-2011, 11:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHAKAKANE08

I would like to be able to run the effect across only one pickup and keep the other perfectly clean and chunky at all times.

bleh.

splitting pickups like that creates a sound that's "less than the sum of its parts", if you ask me.

you totally lose the sound of the middle switch setting (my favorite ric tone), because the pickups no longer interact with each other. if you do the "clean in one, crunchy/effects in the other" thing, which pickup do you use for which? you get a dull, thumpy clean mixed with a thinner, twangy effected tone (scratch that; you get a thumpy clean playing at the same time as a twangy effected tone) or if you reverse that, you get a mushy effected tone alongside a thin clean tone.

the thing to do is split the signal downstream, so you can mix the sound of the whole bass clean with the sound of the whole bass dirty. a lot of bass effects pedals do this anyway.

CHAKAKANE08 · #8 07-25-2011, 07:36 AM

Cheers for the info lads, mucho appreciato.

**IvanMike** · #9 07-27-2011, 07:01 AM

I would also split the signal post mono output - I was just trying to answer in the spirit of the OP.

JACink · #10 07-28-2011, 12:04 PM

I may be letting myself in for some comments on my stupidity here, but the way I do this with my PA system is as follows:

Bass into amp, line out from amp to stereo effects pedal, pedal to 2 channels on PA desk.

This however does not split the pickups.

How to do this on a larger scale would depend on the PA setup, if they are using a DSP then you could do this without much hassle, but on analog setups it would need to be adapted to each system.

marxbear · #11 08-01-2011, 09:19 PM

I run my Yamaha Attitude in stereo. The neck pickup is clean through a Markbass F500 head set flat and a DBX160a compressor.

The p-pickup I then run through a second F500 and compressor which I have set with the mids up to get a bit of crunch. Whenever I use effects I run them through this pickup and amp.

This keeps me with a nice tight, clean bottom thump regardless of what I do with the other pickup. The blend is very nice..

alec · #12 08-01-2011, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CHAKAKANE08

Whats the best way for me to try and get a stereo setup of my bass going for live? I would like to be able to run the effect across only one pickup and keep the other perfectly clean and chunky at all times.

Do you want to run in true stereo where you have separate left and right signals, for stereo chorus/delay/etc, or just have a clean and effected signal?

If it's the latter, then all you need is a blender/looper (like a Boss LS-2) or an effects pedal that provides you with a dry output as well as wet (and then a way to combine the two signals back into one).

*scratch that last paragraph - I see that you've got a stereo cable. If you're using that, then to recombine them you need either a mono Y cable that has two jacks on one end and one on the other (for the amp) or an A/B/Y box that accepts two inputs and sends one output. Or a little mixer, which will let you control the mix.