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Double Bass Bass and vocals through the same amp...?

Gremson

Gremson

Mar 22, 2012
535
576
North-Leftern USA
www.commonlycourteous.com
#1
I play and sing harmony in an acoustic duo. We're nothing bigtime, and it's happened more times than I like that we've gotten a gig only to find out at load in that there's no PA for vocals. The lead guy has a fishman loud box that handles his acoustic guitar and vocals quite well, and he's been bugging me to get myself into something similar.
I'm considering the Carvin AG300, but I wonder how a small mixer would work. Mackie has their Mix5 compact mixer for only $50. Behringer has a few options at that price point too, but i wory about their durability. On paper it seems something like that would be perfect to run into my MB200 and Avatar B115. But I worry about compromising my bass sound. I really like what I've got right now. Do yall think I'd lose anything by running my bass through a mixer before getting to the amp? I'd still have an fdeck running before it got to the mixer, but would the mixer end up compressing the signal or anything? Is there anything I should be weary of?

Thanks for any input!
 
#2
You'll think I'm nuts (which is true) but trust me. You can pick up an old Fender PA 100 (or 135) for cheap these days. It sounds amazing as a bass amp and even better (depending on the cab you use) for vocals. I even use it in my practice room. I run from my computer out of the headphones jack into two inputs. Then I run my bass is to another to jam along with songs I am learning. It is loads of fun and sounds great. And it sounds so good as a bass amp I gig out with it just for fun on occasion.

You would need an adapter for a modern mic but that's no biggie. I'm serious. It's worth a shot because of the tone if nothing else.
 
#3
If your amp has an aux input, just run the mixer into that. (Doesn't the GK MB200 have a 1/8" aux input? You'll need an adapter, I did this with my MB110)) On some amps the input of the effects loop can be used for the same purpose. Depends. In either scenario, you still have the primary input gain and eq for your instrument.
 
#4
I have a Mackie 402VLZ4 (4 channels, $99) that I've used to run vocals through my bass amp a coupla times, it works fine. In my case I send it in through the effects return and set the levels with the mixer. It has both a gain and volume but no effects.
 
#5
MR PC said:
If your amp has an aux input, just run the mixer into that. (Doesn't the GK MB200 have a 1/8" aux input? You'll need an adapter, I did this with my MB110)) On some amps the input of the effects loop can be used for the same purpose. Depends. In either scenario, you still have the primary input gain and eq for your instrument.
Click to expand...

Excellent! I hadn't considered that!
 
#6
Gremson said:
Excellent! I hadn't considered that!
Click to expand...


+1 Sounds like a winner, Ye Old Ampeg B-15 had three inputs and two channels, just for that purpose. It's a little wierd to hear you're bass and voice coming out of the same amp, but it's doable. I've done it ocassionally, and you can adjust to it.
The new QSC K series will definitely do that, provided you have a mixer as MR PC suggested.

Ric
 
#8
Try a bass preamp or even an EQ pedal between the mic & the mixer. It's a rough fix, but you've probably got something already floating around to try. As you said, as a backup for when it's needed.

If it's thru FX loop, you can still use the bass amps preamp:
- FX send to bass channel on mixer
- FX return blended signal from mixer. Watch your levels carefully though.
 
#9
If your speaker is high enough fidelity for vocals, an Acoustic Image 2 channel head works well. I know a guy that puts his bass and vocals through an AI head into a nice speaker and it sounds quite good. they even have a head with reverb and effects. He puts the speaker elevated on a stand and for louder gigs puts one on the floor and one on the stand.

I have to be honest---I can't stand the amplified double bass through a mixer channel---but I'm pretty crazy-picky.
 
#10
No Eq or bass preamp between mic and amp without a mic preamp first.
I would think a mic channel strip into the Aux or effect return might do it.

On my Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0, I could use the Aux in (the effect return would open the loop, so the built-in preamp got disconnected), but the signal from the Aux in didn't get out of the DI (which was used for recording EUB and slab). But I probably set the DI to pre, not post eq.

Definitely not with a 15", maybe with a 12" raised, should work with 10" or smaller, but also raised.
 
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#11
I'm in a small bluegrass trio and for really small gigs I run my bass into my amp and then guitar, banjo and mics into a small unpowered mixer and then into a Bose L1 powered speaker. You can run a guitar and one mic into it without the extra mixer. It sounds really good and clear with no feedback. Nice unit but a few $$$. For larger gigs we set this behind us for a monitor.
 
#12
On lots of jazz rehearsals and small room gigs, I've run bass and vocals through my Acoustic Image Contra and its extension speaker. Vocals go through a cheap Behringer tube preamp and a Boss digital reverb pedal and into the parallel RETURN input. Sometimes I've put a small mixer into that input and put piano, bass, and vocals into that rig. Using this method, I still get the EQ of the Contra's pre and the high input impedance. The "toasters" are amazingly flat and flexible.
 

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