Anyone gig with just a preamp pedal?

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I decided to use a small PA for the entire band I'm forming for assisted living centers and nursing homes. Got an Electro-Voice EVOLVE 50M. My bass sounds terrific through this rig ... and yes, with a preamp connected via XLR!

 

[mellobud]

Yes, In ears are laying on the sub. The preamp/di pedal is next to the sub.

 

[squish]

I've been 100% IEM (ampless) since the beginning of 2024. We fly to most of our shows and when we drive we can pack one vehicle with everything including four members. Drummer has minimized electronic kit that fits in a suitcase. Our two singers don't bring gear. The rest of the music is on laptops.

It was an emotional shift for me to let go of my amps and cabs because I spent a lot of time and money building it. Mesa Subway gear was hard to come by during the pandemic and I grew attached to all of it.

Now my bass gear is just a Mesa Subway + Preamp/DI, compressor and Shure GLXD+ wireless. My IEM rig is a Shure PSM300 w Shure SE535 earbuds. Most venues we play have their own IEM systems, so I'm not always bringing mine which is nice. Makes my suitcase not so tight.

I have the postEQ tones routed to my IEMs and most sound engineers we use blend the preEQ and postEQ channels for their FOH mix. I have been able to get a very consistent Jazz bass sound that I love. I use one setting that works great for finger, pick and slap.

The only problems I've had are with damaged and lost gear caused by airlines and baggage handlers. Very expensive problems.

Do I miss having a bass amp blowing my pants legs? YES. But I would never be able to play around the country hauling or renting gear. Besides, I have two other bands where I use my SVT and Mesa rigs. So yeah, I'm still up to my ears (IEMs lol) in bass gear.

 

[Ejtibbetts]

I haven't used an amp live in 10 years or so. I've had zero issues with volume control. A small pedalboard holds my wireless, a Bergantino Super Pre, and octave, chorus, and envelope filter pedals in the fx loop. Works great, sounds great

Which octave and chorus are you using with it?

 

[Deleted member 409773]

I'm always ampless and I have a consistent and very good sound for audience (not a lot of noise on stage). I rarely use my Hartke KB15 for practice with my bands because we are using the Behringer X Air18 with active PA (monitors and subwoofers) and in ear settings.
Few weeks ago I was in a hurry to buy a "big" amp (Markbass Little Mark Vintage 58R with 104 Energy Box 4) but I realized is wasted money in current ampless world.
I have two pedalboards with everything I need for a really good sound.

 

[DWBass]

Figures....southside's garden-spot. Few thoughts:

*Is the Sonicake XLR / DI mic-level or line-level? I'd ask the SG to employ the solo / PFL to view signal strength.

*Any chance the SG is hearing the kick drum or keyboard (left hand) "slamming" FOH and NOT the bass?

Riis

That's a really good possibility. Keys player constantly uses bass patches. Also, I don't think FOH has much of the band out front judging from videos I've seen. Bass is barely there.

 

[DWBass]

I've played a number of times with just my WTDI. It's stompbox DI with built-in Eden WT preamp and compressor. Works great and records even better. I usually add a little low-mid boost on my '82 Jazz at 250Hz, but can only choose between a low-mid frequency or 500Hz and a hi-mid frequency of 2KHz. So I always choose the 500Hz frequency and boost it up to 1:30. And I did a recording session at a pro-studio back in 2019 where they wanted me to go direct through the board because of too much bleed in the signals with the bass and drums in the same room. These guys were good but both the sound engineer and owner came out into the room to see what I was using. They just used the raw signal I sent and didn't make any EQ adjustments or add any compression at that point, just adjusted the level. They were shocked it sounded so good.

First time I ran straight into a board with it was playing a small venue where they had forced me to use their 112 combo back line. Got there one Friday and it was gone. So I just plugged into our PA and played through that with a monitor pointing up at me. It worked just fine and it sounded like I was using one of my Eden amps.

I carry that little rascal in my gig bag and bring it out when needed. I still like to use amp and cab and have rigs for small, medium and large indoor venues as well as outdoor venues and Music Festivals rig.

Here's the WTDI preamp/DI pedal:
View attachment 7011612

Was thinking about buying one of those.

 

[DWBass]

@DWBass, there are some things you may want to look at if your signal is indeed clipping (assuming the sound person is correct and your signal IS clipping):

• Change out the battery on your bass (if your bass is active). Batteries sometimes cause your signal to clip slightly when they are on the way out.
• Check the gain on your wireless unit (if using wireless). Sometimes the gain on the transmitter is set too high, which can cause clipping on the receiver. They all have a gain setting on them.....super easy to check.
• Additionally if you are using wireless be sure to do a frequency scan at the venue. Frequencies with interference can cause intermittent clipping on your signal.

Sorry for being Captain Obvious. Sometimes we overlook the simple stuff when troubleshooting signal chain issues.

Batteries in my bass are always fresh. I always used a cord when using my amp. However, my wireless is UHF. I stay away from 2.5ghz and 5.8ghz band units.

 

[Dennis Layman]

Noble