Cab for tough room

[MarkA]

Bring both 210s and stack them vertically behind you, but only use the top one, cut bass, and get and HPF if it's not too late.....

Interesting gig. I helped develop the Neo-X and "voiced" it. That cab is great for cutting through the mix. One thing though- I LOVE low mids. They are a fickle friend though. They really add punch but as well, they can cover up regular mids too, making it difficult to hear yourself. As well, they can add mud too just like lows.

BTW, I live just up the road from the brewery.

@hasbeen, you should head to the gig and help sound-check!

I've not owned a 210AV, but I've played through them in a few different rooms. Haven't owned a NeoX 212, either, but have gotten to play through one once or twice (and some of the Genz cabs - the second-gen, 1x12 Shuttle combo in particular - on other occasions - I've more experience with the amps than the cabs).

While I think either setup could work well (as well as can be expected) in a boomy, reverberant room, if I was uncertain, I'd go with the 2x210 stack. You have, as @lomo said, the option of unplugging the bottom cab if you need to (the elevated cab will be closer to your ears and have less boundary reinforcement in the lows and low mids than if it were set on the floor). Too, those 210AVs don't put out a lot of deep lows -- for what it's worth, they've seemed to slot pretty easily into the pub/small bar mixes I've played them in.

An HPF pedal can help clean things up -- sometimes a little, sometimes a great deal. Whether the mud and rumble reside in the deep lows or somewhere in the upper-bass-to-low-mid region seems to depend (at least it has for me) on the room and what else is going on in the mix.

Whether you have PA support or not, keeping the volume at a reasonable level (as a group) can help.

Best advice I can offer you, beyond what's been said, is to show up early if you can, experiment with cab placement (if that's an option -- sometimes the best spot will surprise you) and play with your EQ -- see if you can find the frequencies that boom and take them down a bit -- sometimes even a couple of dB can make a big difference in a mix. (If there's a guitar or keys player, they can help with judicious EQ, too -- bass knob on the guitar amp can be almost fully down and still sound big and clear in the mix.)

Step away from your amp and listen from out in the room (or at least the length of your cable) if you can. A trusted set of ears in the audience can be a help, too.

Good luck!

 

[Ewo]

I play plenty of winery/brewery gigs and the best thing I've found is keeping the volume down. A big ask for some drummers and some guitarists , but it's the only way.

A big +1 to that. If the band is capable of holding the volume down, the mix will be better. My sense of it is that as the volume goes up, all the problems caused by reflections, cancellations, and boundary effects get much worse.

 

[dougjwray]

Well, you always have the choice of working with a good sound person, trying to make what you play pleasant for the audience, or forgoing (or ignoring) the sound person, and driving the audience out of the room because everyone wants to be louder than everyone else.

Your call

My call: obey the sound person.

 

[mrjim123]

I bought a Broughton "always on" adjustable HPF - the best $85 I've ever spent on gear. It's perfect for boomy rooms and for gigs where the lame-o sound man is too in love with his subs. My DIY "pedalboard":

 

[Old Fart]

I play plenty of winery/brewery gigs and the best thing I've found is keeping the volume down. A big ask for some drummers and some guitarists , but it's the only way.

No kidding! There are probably whole threads on TB about drummers and guitarists who tell us with a straight face that they "can't" be less loud. How many times have you heard this, and just had to shake your head and walk away?

 

[MultiScaleMale]

With bad acoustics like that, keep the volume down for the whole band. Watch the crowd. If they are screaming at each other to talk, you're too loud.

 

[NKBassman]

Bring both 210s and stack them vertically behind you, but only use the top one, cut bass, and get and HPF if it's not too late.....

All of this.

 

[DwaynieAD]

As many speakers as you can and destroy everything.

Seriously tho. Used to play at a place that was literally a dome. Terrible terrible sound. Nothing you could do. Tried turning up turning down pointing speakers here and their. Turning down was Def the most successful.

 

[Medicine Man]

Use a HPF and foam mute for the bass, have the drummer use rods and put the guitarist in the parking lot.

 

[PJ Muzikmansky]

In these situations I've had success with a single coil bridge pickup (Yamaha BB3000) into a 1x12.
Everyone must play at LOW volume.

 

[31HZ]

Bring a good parametric EQ (I love the Rane PE15/51 for this purpose), set to narrow Q at +10dB, sweep through the mid-bass to find the worst-sounding frequency, cut it to taste, repeat with another band if necessary.

Works like magic without losing the entire low-end (as you would with a HPF set high enough to have the same effect).

 

[juggahnaught]

Playing a brewery tomorrow with terrible acoustics. High ceilings concrete floors . So only so much we can do with what is. So do you think I’d have better luck with, my pair of Ampeg svt210av’s or trusty Genz Benz 212neox? I’m running a TC electronics BH550 head. Thanks again

Is one setup lighter than the other one?

If so, bring the lighter setup.

Your EQ will have a greater effect on the situation than your cabs ever will.

 

[mattjbass]

Is this a private event? I don't see anything on their website about live music? Wanted to stop by and check you out.

Nope not private. I think they probably used small font on their website so not to scare off the regulars. What’s up Connecticut homey? Thanks

 

[Standalone]

I would take a Fender Rumble, so you can blames something for the bad sound..

Every rumble I’ve played has sounded good for its price point and wattage.