whats this i hear about...

beyondhairy · #1 10-02-2006, 03:03 PM

...needing atleast some hundred watt amps to play over the drums?

i just took my 20 watt practice amp to my first real jam with a drummer and with the amp cranked at 60% and my (passive) bass cranked at around 50%, i was able to well over the drums.

lemur821 · #2 10-02-2006, 03:58 PM

It depends on how loud the drummer is, and how it sounds from the audience's perspective. Get a loud drummer and put the crowd on the floor in front of you, and while you might be able to hear yourself when you're on top of the amp, they might only hear clicks as your amp tries to project more sound than it should farther than it should. On the other hand, get a quieter drummer and gather the crowd around you in a coffee shop, and 20 watts may cut it.

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #3 10-02-2006, 04:03 PM

+1
When your amp is close to you, it's acting like a monitor. If you put on a 1 watt amp and wear a set of headphones, it'll sound like you're a million times louder than the drummer. Step 20 feet back in a crowded room and they may barely hear you at all.

beyondhairy · #4 10-02-2006, 04:17 PM

hmmm i may have misunderstood the stament that said "u need big amps"

i brought my 20 watt practice amp to my drummers apartment so practice with and it was more then enough. hmmmm

so the saying should really be "you need some odd hundred watt amps to play over a drummer and to the crowd at live gigs"

**MAJOR METAL** · #5 10-02-2006, 04:20 PM

Its amazing how different the notes sound when you get some distance between you and your amp.

beyondhairy · #6 10-02-2006, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAJOR METAL

Its amazing how different the notes sound when you get some distance between you and your amp.

how does that coorespond to a PA system?

well, actually, lets say that i put a mic infront of my amp and play that over a PA instead of directly connecting my bass or amp to a PA.

would it be like the PA is playing as if im standing right near the amp?

this is my first real band, and i dont want to make the mistake of having things sound good on stage but sound like mush 20 feet away

lemur821 · #7 10-02-2006, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beyondhairy

how does that coorespond to a PA system?

well, actually, lets say that i put a mic infront of my amp and play that over a PA instead of directly connecting my bass or amp to a PA.

would it be like the PA is playing as if im standing right near the amp?

this is my first real band, and i dont want to make the mistake of having things sound good on stage but sound like mush 20 feet away

Yep. If the amp's mic is close it will probably be able to hear the amp better than you can. If the PA can reproduce the sound it will take care of what the audience hears. Not every place will have the equipment to mic your amp though. I wouldn't want to rely on it unless I knew the situation.

ogrossman · #8 10-02-2006, 07:24 PM

We had this gig for a private party and our lead guitarist said we'd only need our practice amps. I brought my 25 watt Crate and I could hardly hear myself the whole night. It was really torture and I'll never do it again.

beyondhairy · #9 10-02-2006, 08:03 PM

well i think at this point, we dont have to worry about large PA systems and things, our lead guitarist has a marshal half stack, i jsut got a job so ill be picking up a half stack myself soon.

our rhythm guitarist will be kind of screwed thoug lol. unless the places wep lay at have amps. or a PA system to wich he can work something out with