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approaching an unknown rig - how to get 'your' sound

#3
bassteban said:
1. Plug in
2. Play & listen
3. Adjust as necessary
Edit: If there's any chance you might see these guys again or believe in karma/as you sow so shall you reap, try to get everything back where it was when you took the stage.
Click to expand...
when i sit in, i just play the rig as it sits and adjust on the bass if i have to. but if i do a gig where a rented amp is waiting for me, i do your thing.
 
#4
PLug, then set all tone controls flat. Play, listen, then adjust:

- low
- medium (low and high if availables)
- treble

if it's a jam, and no PA for the bass, then adjust preamp part volume and master volume following sound you achieve with your bass. If the rig is already connected to PA and you don't see a DI, don't mess with volumes. :D

Don't use any "bright" or "deep" or other specific shape or button.
 
#6
Chris K said:
Not very surprising :D. No offense meant, since maybe I'm hoping for something that isn't there. Tried to do it your way yesterday, but it didn't work. I'm not very good with amps :rollno:

My specific problem in most cases is that the sound is much to thick, lacks crisp, punch etc.
Click to expand...
maybe these amps are trying to tell you something :D :D :D

ok, sorry...that was unnecessarily funny. but when i started flying and renting amps, i had to get really good at getting a consistent sound out of amps i don't like. it really is all about plugging in and turning knobs till you like it. now if you like tweeters and all you get at a jam session is a tweeterless cab, you won't be able to get the sound you like and you'll have to make do. but you should at least be able to get in the ballpark with any rig. it may not be your ideal sound, but you should be able to get something you like.
 
#7
Assuming I'm using my own instrument, I just plug in and use what sound I'm getting. If it's REALLY awful I'll adjust things (usually I just set all the tone controls to 12 o'clock which fixes weird mid-scoop/no bass/no treble issues). Oh, and I'll turn off any pre-shape/bass boost/presence boost rubbish; also if the eq section can be turned off/bypassed I'll do that.

For a 3 song jam I'm not gonna waste a lot of time chasing a sound as I can make pretty well any half-way o.k. tone work. For a festival, or where I'm doing a whole set, I'll spend a bit more time but with a strange amp I'm only trying to get a flat clean tone from the rig itself and will have my SansAmp BDDI anyway.
 
#9
Did a battle of the bands last night (hey it was to get gigs, not to battle......although we ended up winning....whoooo) and had to play through an unknown rig. Soundman told me they had problems with first band's bass. I take a look at the amp and see why-guy before me did everything below wrong....

Hints:
1. Do not plug into the tuner jack. Plug into the one that says "input"
2. Check for a passive/active switch. If you have a passive bass and the amp is set to active, I don't care how much you turn up it'll sound like :spit:. If you have an active bass and it's set passive, you'll clip like mad.:eek:
3. DO NOT boost all of the EQ sliders all the way. :scowl: Set em flat and go from there. Cut where possible rather than boost, and remember the more low you boost the less headroom you get to play with. I ended up barely boosting the 2nd and 3rd treble sliders and cutting the lowest bass one.
4. Unpush any "effects" buttons. Trust me, the "zing" button isn't gonna be pretty and you don't have time to re eq. Ditto for any "boost" button. That's what EQ's are for.
5. Turn volume knobs down, play a note, and turn up slowly from there. The speaker will greatly appreciate you not jacking the knob to 10 and whacking a note.

Ok, additional hints:

1. Check ground at outlet :)
2. Get drummer to look behind amp and find off/on switch so you're not feeling around blindly
3. Use your *own* cable-trust no ones. (soundguy agreed with me on that one!).
4. Smile and have fun :)
5. Better to be too quiet than too loud. Bands that are too loud tend to not get as many gigs (at least around here). They'll hear you......you are bass :).
6. Oh yea, start with your volume at about 3/4's on your bass. That way you can turn up on the fly if needed without fumbling on an unfamiliar amp.
7. Be thankful you aren't a guitar player. It's harder to use someone elses guitar amp than someone elses bass amp.....bass amps seem to be more consistent in sound (in my short experience......*hides from amp peeps*)
8. Have fun :)
9. Be nice to everyone-that chick you just knocked into might be the owners daughter....that guy you were rude to might just be the owner.
10. Be REALLY nice to the soundguy.....their job is hard enough at those things.
11. Get off the stage. Quickly. Roll cables up/sort items OFF stage.
12. Triple check for left items-count before you go up, count after.
13. Last of all....mark your stuff. Microphones all look the same! (we had to ID ours by location).
 
#10
go click the link in my sig and that will take you to the amps FAQ sticky. look for the link to the EQ thread, that will give you some jumping off points in terms of being able to correct what you hear as wrong in a particular rig. The EQ on the given amp may or may not have the frequencies labeled the same way, but the idea remains the same. maybe copy the first posts and print them out and stuff them in your gig bag.

and yeah, avoid any precontour buttons like bright deep, etc.

only other thing is the passive input or setting should be used with all basses, even active. if an active bass is really hot, it will start to clip or compress and then i'd use the active setting if there is one. most active settings also bleed off treble to an extent.
 
#11
IvanMike said:
go click the link in my sig and that will take you to the amps FAQ sticky. look for the link to the EQ thread, that will give you some jumping off points in terms of being able to correct what you hear as wrong in a particular rig. The EQ on the given amp may or may not have the frequencies labeled the same way, but the idea remains the same. maybe copy the first posts and print them out and stuff them in your gig bag.

and yeah, avoid any precontour buttons like bright deep, etc.

only other thing is the passive input or setting should be used with all basses, even active. if an active bass is really hot, it will start to clip or compress and then i'd use the active setting if there is one. most active settings also bleed off treble to an extent.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Ivan, I even remember going through that some time ago... it all looked pretty obvious when I (re-)read it, but to put it into practice is something else. One of the problems is that bass rigs only deploy their full sound at a certain distance from the cab. This one was 4x15" (in a small and crowded bar) not my cup of beer :rollno:

Looking back at the gig, I suppose I should have cut those muddy lows. It had pots for both 'bass' and 'low'. Perhaps the second one was for low mids.

To summarize: next starting position will be
- all EQ's / tone pots in neutral position
- passive input
- no effects
- compression/limiter off
- volume low
- breath normally

Thanks everybody for their tips
 
#12
Get a 10-band Graphic EQ pedal (MXR). Then just take a picture of the amp's settings with your phone, set them all to neutral, and just hook up your pedal which you will have pre-set to have your preferred tone. Then when the set's done, just put the knobs back in their prior position. Easy.
 
#14
To get a sound, in general, from a new bass rig, start with everything flat, both on the bass and the amp, and adjust from there.

In a situation where you are just sitting in, though, leave the amp settings alone. In most cases, the only one in the whole room who cares even a little bit about your sound is you. If you want to be invited back, or not passed over the next time if it is a "jam session" setting, don't annoy the players who are hosting it. Just bite the bullet, go with the flow, and make any adjustments you feel to be necessary on your own instrument.
 
#16
Chris K said:
This one was 4x15" (in a small and crowded bar)
Click to expand...
:eek::eek::eek:

Is this a typo?... a 4x15'' !!!!!! was this a 80's heavy metal "Who's got the most amps" kinda thing? did the guitars have a wall of amps in the back??? :help:

Back to the subject, I guess you got pretty good advice
If you can hear the sound with another bass and its not too crappy, try to keep it like that, if you need more zing, try to boost the highs on your bass, and if that doesnt work, try the eq on the amp
Just try to notice at home or whenever you got time, which are the frequencies you like to boost or cut on an amp you are familiar with, if you know what they are

Good luck
 
#17
Chris K said:
Picture this. You climb on stage for a jam session or a short act in a series of bands. You're supposed to use the rig that is already there. It's an unknown beast...
Click to expand...

First off, let it sniff the back of your hand. Don't worry if its a little timid; it just smells the scent of your amp.

This is a situation where a small battery powered preamp pedal can be valuable (BDDI, SD Paranormal, etc). Have it adjusted to taste, walk up on stage and plug in. Its been my experience that some of these pedals will "override" the character of the house rig...which may or may not be a good thing.

Riis
 
#18
Yes, get a preamp pedal. A lot of guys around here will recommend Tech 21, and I'm not going to disagree. The Bass Driver DI or VT Bass pedals are both great. Set it the way you like it in the comfort of your home, and when presented with an unknown amp, just set everything flat on the amp and plug in your pedal (*). Now tweak your loved settings to suit the cab, and voila. As a bonus, the I believe the Bass Driver pedal also has an XLR out, so if there is PA support the sound guy can take your tone direct to the board from there.

(*)Alternatively, if the amp has a jack for connecting an external preamp, plug your preamp pedal into there. This should completely bypass the preamp on the amp and connect you straight to the power amp.
 
#19
nsmar4211 said:
6. Oh yea, start with your volume at about 3/4's on your bass. That way you can turn up on the fly if needed without fumbling on an unfamiliar amp.


10. Be REALLY nice to the soundguy.....their job is hard enough at those things.

11. Get off the stage. Quickly. Roll cables up/sort items OFF stage.

13. Last of all....mark your stuff. Microphones all look the same! (we had to ID ours by location).
Click to expand...

From a soundguy´s standpoint, a few things:

6. Soundguys won´t appreciate creeping volume. Start with your volume knob full up, to give the soundguy a consistent maximum level. Also, if the sound is DI´d from the amp, don´t fumble with the amp´s "gain" knob mid-show.

10. No need to go overboard. Just be nice. Thank You.

11. Amen. With changeovers of 15min, this is highly appreciated, and will make you appear pro.

13. Yes, this is wise, and avoids confusion and lost items.
 

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