Stage Setup Question

[Vanceman]

We're playing a school festival on an outdoor stage next weekend. FOH will be supplied for vocals, keys, and the guitarist will be mic'ed. I'll be using a preamp > stereo power amp > to 410 + 210.

Since I have no PA support, and it's outdoors, I will probably have to turn up louder. Should I set up the cabs behind me, like I normally do, or put the stack toward the front of the stage (on the side, of course), and turn the 210 around toward the band to use as a monitor?

I'm worried if the stack is behind me, I won't be able to hear everyone else. What would you guys do?

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by Vanceman

We're playing a school festival on an outdoor stage next weekend. FOH will be supplied for vocals, keys, and the guitarist will be mic'ed. I'll be using a preamp > stereo power amp > to 410 + 210.

Since I have no PA support, and it's outdoors, I will probably have to turn up louder. Should I set up the cabs behind me, like I normally do, or put the stack toward the front of the stage (on the side, of course), and turn the 210 around toward the band to use as a monitor?

I'm worried if the stack is behind me, I won't be able to hear everyone else. What would you guys do?

I've had it behind me in the normal location when I've done these type of things. You might think it's TOO LOUD but 50' away they won't hear you. Have a person roam around out front and tell you how your volume is.

[FunkMetalBass]

Bass frequencies carry better than guitars. You should be fine with it behind you. Can you run any part of your signal through the FOH?

[Vanceman]

Originally Posted by Phalex

I've had it behind me in the normal location when I've done these type of things. You might think it's TOO LOUD but 50' away they won't hear you. Have a person roam around out front and tell you how your volume is.

That's my fear, needing to be louder and then not being able to hear the rest of the band.

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

Bass frequencies carry better than guitars. You should be fine with it behind you. Can you run any part of your signal through the FOH?

I heard not, but won't know for sure till I get there. I guess I'm trying to create my own FOH... one amp channel + 410 facing forward, one amp channel + 210 facing back at me and the band. This way I can turn the 410 way up loud.

[FunkMetalBass]

The FOH mix just baffles me - everything but the bass?

**sigh**

Using your 2x10 as a monitor will be a good choice.

[Oren Hudson]

Lots depends on your rig. I've looked at the house sound guys settings for me on several occasions and discovered that, even though I was direct to the board, they had just the smallest amount of the volume slider moved up. That rig is an early 90s SVT 350 head and fridge cab with the unusual 4-10/1-15configuration, along with an early 70s Ampeg B25B 2-15 cab with Altecs on the other side of the stage.

[steveksux]

Think about also putting your 4x10 on the floor in front of the stage, rather than at the front of the stage. You'll gain bass that way due to floor coupling. I tried what you proposed, on front of the stage, and the bass dropped way off as I moved away from the stage.

Randy

[Lo-E]

I think it'll be fine behind you. You might want to angle it in toward the drummer just a touch if he/she wants to hear you better.

Turn up loud enough so everyone on stage can hear you and turn the mids up a little more than usual so you'll cut better.

[the yeti]

i'd set up same as ever and crank it. if you're too loud somebody will let you know. it's tough to be too loud outside i think.

[xgator4u]

In situations like this " outdoors" I set my cabs up behind me, stand front and center, then take 2 giant steps to the left. Now I am not directly in the path, but it is PLENTY Loud.

[Vanceman]

Thanks everyone. I'll set up like I normally do and go from there. Last time I played with FOH, the sound guy plugged me in and said he would be sure to "takemeouttathemix". This looked like a real pro sound company, we were in front of the Staples Center for the start of the LA 5K and Marathon, so I thought all would be good. Good thing I brought 410.

[Sartori]

Why do sound guys hate bass?

[Emibass]

Originally Posted by Sartori

Why do sound guys hate bass?

I do FOH sound in big venues sometimes and I love bass. You can´t generalize this issue.

A really big problem (at least where I live) is most sound guys aren´t pro, so they are only the guys who load and unload the PA from the track because IMO the company doesn´t want to pay a real pro who knows what he´s doing.

Besides that, bass is not easy if you don´t know how to deal with it.

[Oren Hudson]

Originally Posted by Emibass

A really big problem (at least where I live) is most sound guys aren´t pro, so they are only the guys who load and unload the PA from the track because IMO the company doesn´t want to pay a real pro who knows what he´s doing.

A big, big AMEN brother.

[FunkMetalBass]

Originally Posted by Sartori

Why do sound guys hate bass?

Because it's a very tough instrument to control through the FOH, and from what I've seen, drummers and bassists are the most inconsistent players (distortion and picks on guitars have a nice way of leveling sound). Also, many sound guys that I work with come into local venues where they find that the venue has nothing but a mixer, a few amps, and speakers...the venue simply isn't adequate enough.

Every sound guy I've ever worked with has been extremely thankful that I have a second channel in my compressor solely used for my DI signal. Once or twice, they've asked me to go through a HPF and get rid of everything below 50hz for the FOH, and it's no big deal because I rock an 18" on the bottom and can fill out the low end with ease.

[Vanceman]

Originally Posted by Sartori

Why do sound guys hate bass?

I know they liked bass. Whenever they played pre-recorded music, the bass was thunderous.