Big-a-boom-i-ness

[rodl2005]

I play regularly at a club & last night (& a few previous) the subs/F.O.H. PA system was making our onstage playing very hard.
Huge boomy bass coming from it (it is located close to stage) so much that I could pretty much have my amp turned off & I was still LOUD onstage
It was so bad that I was altering my playing/bass-lines.
Others in our band, on the other side of the stage didn't seem to have the same problem.
What to do??
Apart from standing on the opposite side of the stage??
Any ideas?
All is going thru PA & others in the band said it sounded great, as did audience.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Is this your PA or the house PA?

Riis

 

[Rip Topaz]

Sounds like a good place for a high pass filter. If you take the low sub bass out of the equation, things don't get muddy as fast.

 

[longfinger]

in addition to HPF, don't discount the standing on the other side of the stage option so fast either. In your post, you write that the band said it sounded great, as did the audience, so it is possible that because of the room shape, PA placement, etc. your head in that spot is hearing too much bass boom, which exists nowhere else in the club. So move your head to another spot, and you won't have that problem. (The new person in your old spot might though... )

 

[EastCoastThump]

Been there. +1 to looking for a less boomy spot on the stage.

Also, if your drummer hasn't done so, make sure the toms aren't contributing to the racket via sympathetic vibrations. With loud enough FOH/sub spill on stage, the toms can become part of a low-end feedback loop. (Retuning or taping the bottom heads can help.)

At one club that was on our regular circuit, I eventually started bringing a tripod so my bass cab was literally at ear-level. That let me turn my rig down (so I wasn't adding to ridiculous stage wash), yet still have a mark at which I could clearly hear myself.

That at least made those gigs somewhat bearable for me, but the lead singer was still straining his voice for volume and struggling to hear pitch, and the drums were always on the verge of ringing. We eventually arrived at the more elegant solution of not booking that room any more.

 

[rodl2005]

Thanx so far.
House PA system & a decent one at that. It's one of the main clubs in town that international (alt) acts play. So the PA does get a work out, but it's in ok condition.

I'm sure our Sound Engineer has a HPF in there, & surely he has it on the things it NEEDS to be on, but, yes I have to have a good talk with him....
I've already got my 2 AE112's up pretty high, not quite ear level, but very close.
But even when I turned my amp OFF, every note I played was still monstrous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Must be my (& keyboard players) position onstage :-/
He AND I've been having a hard time of it at this venue.

Sure, we could swap sides with the horns & guitar, but then they'd get it.

It's too crowded onstage for me to walk around & "find" a better position, so, hopefully the S.E. & I can find a solution.
The drummer's kick had a full front skin on, & S.E. said this was making it difficult getting a decent kick sound = adding to the prob.
Will get the knife onto it before next gig there ;p