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DI: Pre or Post

#81
I'm starting to get very much weighted toward just using a mic and nothing else now, played a few shows recently and it sounded so much better then any DIs I've heard recently. I'm sure if the soundguy messed with the settings a little more he could have got alot more out of it too.

I don't get why people disfavour mics so much to be honest, there's probably some bass specific reason, but I don't see how you can't modify a mic signal to sound good. you have to do it with a guitar amp, and surely they are designed in a similar 'to be heard on stage' kinda way. Also isn't a PA system supposed to get the most balanced/realistic reproduction of whatever signal goes into them?

I'm sure there's alot wrong with that, but it makes sense to me with what I know of live sound.
 
#82
I'm not all that picky with my stage sound, as long as I can hear it. I used to run through a BDI 21 clone of a Sansamp. Stage monitors were the only thing I could hear myself from, and more often than not the sound person would mess with the monitor mix while adjusting the overall sound.

If I can hear a bit of my sound, vocals and kick I'm good.

oyo
 
#83
Here's a thought, when used appropriately - slight tweaks with no drastic cuts/boosts, any eq'ing before a DI would affect the tone in a similar manner as simply swapping basses.

I also believe tweaking EQ on stage after sound check is a disaster on the way.
 
#85
ihateusernames said:
I also believe tweaking EQ on stage after sound check is a disaster on the way.
Click to expand...

+1 Volume and/or EQ. Since I am not going to put myself in a position where I am tied to something worked out at soundcheck under conditions that are not representative of gig conditions, I rely on a pre send as my primary. This lets me make adjustments to EQ and/or volume during the set if needed. There are times that another band member wants me louder on stage and I'm not going to let them down. :smug:

Ideally and most often I run:
bass>pedals>di>head>amp>cabinet>mic

The mic backs up the DI in case of failure and gives the soundman the ability to blend.
 
#88
Sound man's choice. They almost always want Pre and I'm totally cool with that. It's their job to get it right. Generally they know the system, they know the room - it would be somewhat arrogant for me to assume that I know better...
 
#91
Which way I go depends on the sound guy. If I know him and trust him, I go Pre, along with a mic to spice it up a little.

If it's some chump who's only been working for three days and has no feel for the mix or the room, I go post. Or the not-so-smart FOH guy will stare stupidly at my 810 rig and go, "I'm not even going to plug you in, dude..." so it all becomes a moot point.
 
#94
seanm said:
  1. I love the clean sound of my bass.
  2. I play on small stages. The mic would get bumped into before the first song.
  3. Mics are more temperamental to setup.
Click to expand...
1 and 2 are legit, but mics are definitely not more temperamental to set up. This is a myth. Basically, it's just putting a mic on a cone and moving it until you get the sound you want. And if you've done your homework, you already know where the best sound is for the mic placement. Micing a bass cab is one of the easiest things to do onstage, quite honestly.
 
#95
I think the ideal situation (and I know it couldn't occur often, if at all) would be to get your stage sound together, in whatever manner you're professionally accustomed to, then (assuming you're in the "pre" camp - perhaps other camps as well) go out to the mixing desk, plug directly into the assigned bass channel, and "play" the PA the way you would your amp, setting up the EQ to sound just how you'd like it (and your and the soundman's experience could make adjustments to anticipate changing acoustics as the room fills). This would obviously have to be considered a setting for your "uneffected" tone, but if you could get the PA to sound, EQ-wise, like your amp, you'd at least feel like you had an ear-up on the set-up. The soundman would have a definite "benchmark" for your sound, seeing as how you set it up. Of course, he/she would need to adjust to compensate as things move along, what with other low freq sound sources coming through the same system, and the aforementioned room fill.

Hey, I can dream, can't I?
 
#96
whacker said:
I think the ideal situation (and I know it couldn't occur often, if at all) would be to get your stage sound together, in whatever manner you're professionally accustomed to, then (assuming you're in the "pre" camp - perhaps other camps as well) go out to the mixing desk, plug directly into the assigned bass channel, and "play" the PA the way you would your amp, setting up the EQ to sound just how you'd like it (and your and the soundman's experience could make adjustments to anticipate changing acoustics as the room fills). This would obviously have to be considered a setting for your "uneffected" tone, but if you could get the PA to sound, EQ-wise, like your amp, you'd at least feel like you had an ear-up on the set-up. The soundman would have a definite "benchmark" for your sound, seeing as how you set it up. Of course, he/she would need to adjust to compensate as things move along, what with other low freq sound sources coming through the same system, and the aforementioned room fill.

Hey, I can dream, can't I?
Click to expand...

I sometimes get there early and do just that, except I use a wireless so that I can use my amp to drive the board input. I could compare pre and post in a true A/B fashion if I could find someone around to press the switch on my preamp. I think I'll give it a try!

oyo
 
#97
whacker said:
I think the ideal situation (and I know it couldn't occur often, if at all) would be to get your stage sound together, in whatever manner you're professionally accustomed to, then (assuming you're in the "pre" camp - perhaps other camps as well) go out to the mixing desk, plug directly into the assigned bass channel, and "play" the PA the way you would your amp, setting up the EQ to sound just how you'd like it (and your and the soundman's experience could make adjustments to anticipate changing acoustics as the room fills). This would obviously have to be considered a setting for your "uneffected" tone, but if you could get the PA to sound, EQ-wise, like your amp, you'd at least feel like you had an ear-up on the set-up. The soundman would have a definite "benchmark" for your sound, seeing as how you set it up. Of course, he/she would need to adjust to compensate as things move along, what with other low freq sound sources coming through the same system, and the aforementioned room fill.

Hey, I can dream, can't I?
Click to expand...

Ok , nice in theory but what about the mix ?
Everybody who claims they want "Their" sound , seems to forget that the FOH guy (or gal ) has to make a mix.
If you want a big fat sound , the drummer wants a big fat kick , the guitar player wants the big fat "chug" sound ,the singer want his big fat Barry White sound , the low end is gonna sound like mud in the Bayoo.... He absolutly has to cut stuff to make the mix happen that means your bass sound too, ......yes that's true...... ( with a FZ voice )

So , give the guy a clean whatever sound , and let HIM play with it,don't touch your EQ after the soundcheck if you send post.
You can't do his job , you're onstage playing bass !:rollno:
 
#98
fokof said:
Ok , nice in theory but what about the mix ?
Everybody who claims they want "Their" sound , seems to forget that the FOH guy (or gal ) has to make a mix.
If you want a big fat sound , the drummer wants a big fat kick , the guitar player wants the big fat "chug" sound ,the singer want his big fat Barry White sound , the low end is gonna sound like mud in the Bayoo.... He absolutly has to cut stuff to make the mix happen that means your bass sound too, ......yes that's true...... ( with a FZ voice )

So , give the guy a clean whatever sound , and let HIM play with it,don't touch your EQ after the soundcheck if you send post.
You can't do his job , you're onstage playing bass !:rollno:
Click to expand...
And my reply would be to say that if a soundman can't deal with a sound coming from someone's amp and make it work in a mix, either:

1. The soundman is incompetent
2. The bassist is incompetent
C. All of the above
 
#99
dulouz said:
My reservation about running post eq is the fact that you can't, or shouldn't , make any adjustments after sound check.
Click to expand...


Yup - I like to be able to change things as needed without screwing the soundguy - and sending a pre signal allows me to do that... My gigging basses all sound good on their own, and I don't use effects - and besides, tone is in the hands, right??? The plus is, I almost always sound good out front, and rarely have ANY troubles with soundmen - also, I CAN play a gig with just a DI, if needed - w/out too much diffiuclty...

Of course, for those who use effects, or rely on their amp for a characteristic of their sound, my approach doesn't work so well for them...

In the end, as someone else said - if it sounds good, it is good...



- georgestrings
 

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