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Double Bass Amplification Dilemna: Doubling w/ Upright and Laptop

C

charmicarmicat

May 22, 2005
140
0
los angeles
#1
So... I've been playing with an improv group for a while. Recently I've been bringing the laptop to practice (just for giggles) and everyone, including me, seems to like the fact that I double on the 'puter and the upright. One problem: my bass rig (amp powering an EA CXL 112 and EA CXL 110) is not really meant to power the laptop. Not that it sounded bad. Not at all. It's just that the speakers are on the ground or on a chair and they should be on poles and I wouldn't want to drill any holes in the EA as it would probably upset the cab design and mess with the SPL. Not sure what I should be doing and what are my options. I thought that maybe getting a small PA, powered Mackie speakers with a small mixer, or something similar would be a good idea but after looking at specs of various cabs none of them have a frequency response below 50hz which is not what I'm used to although I never go this deep with the bass. Either way, it is good to have that option. Any suggestions?
As per usual, thank you all for taking the time to read this.
 
#2
The Carvin ls1503 is a good deal. On the bass guitar side it's being compared to high-end boutique style cabinets. It has a pole mount:
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It doesn't have a published frequency chart, but what can you expect for the price? There is a free trial period so you can decide on some real gigs.

You might want to reconsider the low end response you're looking for. At home, with headphones, use a convolution reverb to simulate some typical rooms you'd play in, and chances are high you don't really want much below 50hz. You might be able to set a more realist requirement for the low end frequency response.
 
#3
@ seamonkey: Thanks for your reply. You think I should run my amp through those cabs or actually get a mixer and power amp (I own a few power maps)? I do have a Fishman Pro Platinum pre so maybe put that between the bass and the mixer? Obviously the laptop/programing is done in stereo hence me asking about a mixer and all that.
 
#4
charmicarmicat said:
...Not that it sounded bad. Not at all. It's just that the speakers are on the ground or on a chair and they should be on poles and I wouldn't want to drill any holes in the EA as it would probably upset the cab design and mess with the SPL.
Click to expand...
I doubt the minimal intrusion of a pole socket would make any noticable difference to your cab's acoustics. However there are external pole-mount sockets that can attach with wing nuts - you'd just have to install a couple of T-nuts in your cab.
Good quality bass speakers such as you have are ideal for music playback. Assuming there's also a suitable line-in on your amp, I would keep it simple and use the bass rig for the laptop.
Do you really need the cab on a pole? How about just tilting it up like a wedge? The flip-out handle on my Eden 112XLT does this cery effectively, making it easier for me to hear, as well as projecting the highs better through the room.
 
#5
@ ToneRanger: Thank you as well for you reply. I've never modified any of my gear. I have put different pick ups, bridges, tuners etc. on my electric basses but I never had to drill or route. I've always been into keeping my gear "intact". It's an OCD thing of mine I guess, and maybe it is time to let go :) Having the speakers on poles or having them elevated above ear level will help the sound as far as clarity and "circulation" for all to hear, no? Can you point me as to where I can find the external pole-mount sockets that you are refering to? My amp does not have a line in. I was using a splitter. Keep in mind that the stereo aspect is something that I need to deal with.
 
#6
My sound card has 4 inputs, but it's just more convenient to have a mixer for when somebody else needs to plugin. I carry a small mixer myself. I put a piezo preamp between the bass and sound car or mixer because the sc/mixer is not good with the impedance of the pickup. My next mixer will be one with a computer interface.

I don't currently use a laptop. I needed something I could dedicate to this so I went down to the local computer surplus like store and picked up a mini pc. (a couple of year old model) and it works great. It's not as convenient, but it doesn't do anything else. I strap it to the inside bottom of a small rack.

On the pole mounts I've tried both.

Innie
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SSA1375/

Outie
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BMB200K/

For OCD inclined, I would recommend getting and outie and mount it on a piece of plywood, then strap your existing speaker to this. Straps like you get at outdoor gear stores. They have a quick disconnect clasp. I use the same straps to strap my PC into the rack.
 

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