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Bass Rumble

R

rhawke

Jul 10, 2009
2
0
#1
Can someone out there give me advice on how to get rid of bass rumble from one venue to the next? Apparently I've been having the rumble problem creating bass lines with no definition. Stage monitors are telling me that I'm right on the money, but I'm beginning to think that it may just be my ear that zeros in on the bass frequency and it appears to be clear as day. I'm playing a Spirit Steinberger Bass that plays great with a Gallen Kruger amp that sounds absolutely marvelous to me. The only problem that I've had with the Steinberger is that I've broken three strings, two D's and one A. It may be that my approach is a bit two aggressive, but come on - I'm 57 and can't be that much of a muscle plucker. Any advice on this subject would be greatly appreciated.
thks.r
 
#2
My guess is that you set your EQ so that your rig sounds right by itself. Add the rest of the band, invariably the bass lacks midrange, and what it does is disappear into the mix as "rumble"... Boost between 500-1K Hz, that would be the first thing to try.. String choice may factor in as well.. My experiences have found DR Fat Beams, D'Addario Pro Steels and Cleartones score high in definition.

I have never played through a GK rig, but would it be possible the rig is trying to pass too much subsonic signal? If you temporarily pop off the speaker grill and watch the speaker cones jump violently as you touch your strings percussively, you will need a high-pass filter (30-35Hz or so) in your amp circuit. This will tighten up the sound nicely, and reserve amp power for what's important..
 
#6
For the stage, is your cab tilted back? or maybe do you have a tall cab rig with a speaker or two pointing more at your head? That will add some mids and highs back and make the rumble seem less loud by comparison. Plus you'll get the sound of what your amp really sounds like, so the adjustments you make will be more accurate.

For the FOH if you use a PA, you might want to cut bass below 60 hz so it doesn't muddy up with the bass drum. Give the bass drum everything below 60 hz, and bring the bass in at that point, and it will cut a lot of house rumble. If you like a big fat low end that isn't all muddy, a good frequency area to boost is 125-200 hz.

BTW, you may want to check your bridge saddles for burrs that can cut your strings. It's not unusual to break strings sometimes, but if it happens a lot, it's possible there's a burr on the saddle.
 
#7
Get to the venue as early as possible and get a basic sound for the room before full sound check. Then alter it once the full band step in. Any sound man worth his weight in salt should be able to give you pointers from the booth. Once your happy with the tone write the amp ( and bass pre-amp if using an active ) settings in a notebook with the name of the venue beside it. Keep it in your case/gigbag so you will have the settings available for the next time you play there.
 

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