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BiAmp + Mic = How?

N

NGL

Sep 8, 2009
23
1
Terre Haute, IN
www.facebook.com
#1
Right now I'm running my rig mono, and have been for quite some time. But I have the right setup to run biamp and really like the sound. Here's the deal though: In the past we have have always carried our own weight and run just vocals through the PA. meh. (at best) Here recently we have started micing everything and running everything through the PA. The sound is DRASTICALLY better with everything miced. But I've only done this running mono. Has anyone done this successfully biamped WITHOUT going through a DI? Is this possible? Do you have to use 2 mics?

(Pardon me if it takes me a few days to respond to replies--I don't have time to get on here often.)
 
#2
"Biamped" using 2 different cabinets or "biamped" using a cabinet(s) with seperate amp channels for highs and lows?
 
#3
I hadn't really considered that. I was thinking for 2 separate cabs. I have a 4x10 and a 1x18 biamp setup that give me a really nice sound that I would like to try to broadcast out. But the only thing I have miced is a 2x15 running full range. Don't get me wrong, the sound is good, and is not intolerable and absolutely needing fixed by any means. (And I don't know that I can give a good opinion of my own sound within the group setting without being biased, [being that I am no professional sound man,] if that makes sense.) It's just something that I was thinking about trying and wasn't sure how to approach it.

For the record, the 2x15 is not turned up loud at all; just loud enough for me to hear myself on stage. It just happens to be the only functional full-range cab I have right now. The 4x10 is awaiting new speakers to replace the ones I blew when we all used to have to carry our own weight on stage.
 
#5
As soon as a miced,or DI signal gets to the P.A. it IS bi,or tri(depending on how the P.A.is set up) amped.When you get to the point that you are using decent to good P.A. equipment,your amps basically become stage monitors. I try to get the best sound out of the P.A.,then kick on my amp,and blend them in smaller venues.Larger venues my P.A. does all the work!
 
#6
If you are planning on running biamped with the signal split and hi's to the 4-10 and lows to the 1-15, your best bet would be to mic the 4-10 and at the same time run a DI full range signal.

I used to do something similar - I have an ADA MB-1 preamp, which has full range out, and then seperate biamp outs - I ran my onstage rig bi-amp (4-10 and 1-15), but ran the direct fullrange out to the PA. Similar, but not exactly, cuz I didn't mic at the same time.
 
#7
NGL, we need to know if you are really running a true biamped rig with a crossover that sends ONLY lows to the 1x18, and ONLY mids/highs to the 4x10, or if you're just running two different cabs. If it's just two different cabs (with the same signal running to each), then figure out which one sounds better miced. My guess is that the 10s would be more mic-friendly. If you are actually splitting the signal, then you can technically mic both cabs, but that could very easily turn into a huge headache that most soundguys aren't going to want to deal with. You will have to take phasing and two different sets of EQ and compression into consideration in that situation. I would just go wtih a good quality DI, rather than screwing around with micing up a biamped rig.
 
#9
If indeed you have the 18 doing lows and the 410 doing highs, I suggest micing the 410's to capture the (only a guess at the crossover point...) 200hz to 5khz range. And use the DI to capture the low end and possibly some high end above 5khz. You don't need to mic the low end cabinet as the PA is most likely going to interpret that sound as more low end. In the end, just letting the PA create low end from the DI will make life simpler.
 

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