Band Practice: Should I run through PA instead of amp?

Sounds to me like you all are too loud. 10x20 room and your guitarist has an extension speaker?

I would put the drums at one end, and put the cabs in front of you all and aim them at you - like you were the audience. That way you are all getting the same balance. Vocals and keys through the PA.

 

What are you trying to solve?
In my limited time with loud bands, everything seems to be better when everybody tries to archive self monitoring.
Blasting more sound into a little room probably wouldn’t clear anything.
Also, most people tends to like themselves louder than everybody else to be able to hear what they do.

 

A mix in a 10x20 room with 2 guitar cabs? I’d recommend the guitarist use one cab and send a feed to board. And I think I’d rather (bass) go through the board as well.

The drummers needs to play with Q-Tips LOL…

 

I would wire up the practice scheme exactly as you intend to play it at a gig. If the band is going through the PA, practice it that way too and get it dialed in right. If you're using a PA, how is the monitor signal processed? Through floor monitors? Through IEMs? Use the live setup as you practice and everything will be fine. P.S. Simply plugging into the PA is simpler and less hassle for you, too!

 

This. And if you run through the PA so should the guitarist.

 

Sorry but I don't think anyone is off topic. It's an extremely relevant point that most people want to hear themselves 6-10dB louder than other sound sources.

So if you run solely through two PA cabs that are shared by the vocalist and keyboard player, it is likely to lead to conflict. You will want the bass to be louder, the keyboard player will want keys louder, and the vocalist will want their voices to be louder. I am not saying it can't work, but IMHO the priority for the PA should be vocals. If you are okay subordinating your needs to the vocals while fighting with keys for space in the mix, then go for it. But if you allow the vocals to dominate as they should, it's probably not going to give you what you want.

I don't actually have a problem with the bass being run through the PA as long as it can handle it. Many small PAs cannot. My problem is with vocals, keys, and bass all trying to share one monitor mix. Ideally everyone should have a custom monitor mix that is tailored to their needs.

In all honesty, its probably impossible for everyone to get their 6-10dB in such a small space, but using an amp should allow you to boost the bass a little. I suggest moving the amp away from the bass drum. Also I suggest elevating the amp and aiming it at your head. Usually low frequencies are omni-direction, and high frequencies shoot out directly in front of the cab. So if the cab is not aimed at your head, you will not hear the highs clearly.

 

It depends where you are standing and where the “two speakers” (pa speakers?) are located. Why not use both? Use your amp as your own monitor, put it wherever you hear it best. Run a DI into the PA system so other members hear you in it or their own monitors

 

If volume really isn't an issue, you could try it.

Note that, depending on the amp setup you use, you may lose some low end due to missing floor coupling (unless you have subs). The drummer may also lose some tactile feel coming from your amp.

The mix will also need to be adjusted - consider highpassing keys to create space for bass. If you remove your bass amp, the kick drum will probably sound louder in the room (which isn't a bad thing).

Finally - it depends on your PA. If you are using modern powered speakers, you're probably fine - they will output more bass than you'd think, although they are not designed to excel at sub frequencies at high volume. However, some PA speakers and systems aren't designed for this.

Another thing you may consider - instead of you running through the PA, let the guitarist run through the PA. With a good amp modeler, he'll still get spatial coverage from two speakers (the mains), and he'll even be able to do stereo stuff if he wants to. That will still clear stage space as he won't have to run his amp or extension cabinet. It'll also place less demand on the PA. This isn't a suggestion because of high volume or to try to slight the guitarist - I'm bringing it up because losing the guitar amp and the extension cabinet would probably free up a similar amount of space (if not more).

But you are fundamentally correct - you won't know until you try it. You know more about the band's gear setup and PA offerings than we do (there wasn't much info in the original post).

 

If you sound good through the PA, why worry about the amp. I have a 1970s bass stack that I bought some years back (can't recall the brand as it's in another room). It has never been used by me. (I needn't have purchased it) I have a small 30W Roland amp that I use for practice at home, but when playing I happily run through the PA and use the foldback via IEM to hear what I am doing. I rely on the bloke on desk to ensure FOH sounds good.

 

If the SansAmp is "your sound", by all means, run into the PA (assuming those speakers can handle the bass). No need for the amp if it only serves to muddy things up.

 

If it's a powerful enough PA, go ahead and run the Sansamp through it.
I second those who say "how would you set up at gig" and start from there. Maybe you would use your sansamp.

 

I'm quite surprised that no one has asked the obvious question:

What bass amp and what PA speakers are we talking about?


There is a considerable gap between a PA that barely runs bass, one that is capable of running bass and one that is capable of running bass well. The same goes for bass amps.

 

All this needs to be worked out with band members, who, as occupants of that room, will be much more helpful than we ever could.

 

Band practice;

1. Everyone should be able to hear their own instrument well enough to know if they are playing their part correctly.
2. Everyone should be able to hear others well enough to follow the song.
3. If there’s one instrument that nobody can hear well, turn down everything except that instrument
4. The amplifying device you play through doesn’t matter if you can achieve 1 - 3

 

You probably don’t need the bass amp if the pa is up to the task and it is positioned do every one can hear it.
Also-ditch the extra speaker on the guitar amp. Learning to blend at reasonable volume is a skill.I did not possess that skill in the beginning of my musical journey that began over 50 years ago. Even when we used large systems live, we rehearsed with monitor wedges and minimal back line.