Diagnosing problems onstage

[Sheldon681]

I'm wondering if you guys have a standard troubleshooting process that you walk through on stage when you encounter problems? I'm talking about the scenario where you're in the middle of a song and all of a sudden you have no sound. And there were no obvious signs of the cause (you didn't step on your cable, didn't see sparks firing out of your amp, everyone else on stage seems to be working fine, etc.)

Considering that time is of the essence in getting problems diagnosed and fixed, I'm just wondering if there's a standard set of procedures you typically walk through to get to the bottom of issues in minimum time. I'm also assuming that you're using gear that doesn't have any "known" issues that typically flare up.

I searched the forums but couldn't find anything that matched. My apologies if this has been covered before.

 

[Skywalker83]

it depends on the setup. But generally its always a process of elimination and following the signal.

Eg's.

Is the power light on on your Amp?

Yes - Amp is fine, the problem could lie between your amp and bass- Change lead, check bass jack socket, check amp input socket.
OR
In the other direction, the problem could be between your amp and the sound desk.
If the problem is between you and your bass, it's your problem. if it in the other direction it's the noiseboys problem.

 

[IvanMike]

gee, not really. has this been happening to you a lot???

but seriously, knowing your rig well helps, this is true of running a pa or just your amp. Even with a complex hookup you should know it pretty well.

Biggest cause of sudden no sound? For me it is my boss tuner pedal. Either i step on it or some crazy from the crowd does and my signal gets muted. I try to hide it pertty well but they keep finding it every month or so.

 

[Sheldon681]

LOL. Nope, it hasn't happened. In fact I'm not quite ready for gigging yet. I'm just the kind of person that likes to have a plan for every scenario, if possible. And seeing the amount of experience on this board, I figured some folks might have a standard triage process since time is a factor in getting things up and running again.

 

[JustDavid]

Discuss this with your guitarist. Plan to switch around, substituting into each others rigs to isolate to the problem.

With VOLUMES DOWN, plug bass into his instrument cord & vice versa. Restore to original, then plug bass' instrument cable into his amp & vice versa. Et cetera, et cetera. Once you've made the problem move from one rig to the other, you are very very near to a solution.

Have a spare cable of every type in one place onstage always. Under a floor tom is frequently a great place for them.

 

[StyleOverShow]

Its an interesting question and the process of following the signal from bass to amp to sound board is a good idea. Gets a little more complicated if you have pedals involved.

Just remember if you are playing an active bass, the 9V batteries have a way of sensing a critical moment to go out.

-richard

 

[Zappstorius]

It's basically a process of elimination. I try to make sure everything is working prior/during soundcheck.

I run my signal through a pedalboard which contains 13 pedals (including a tuner) and that's the main reason that I do not use 9V's live. Once everything is connected (and double-checked) through the board, then it's the line into my head...then the connectors from head to cabs.

I try to make sure that I have fresh 9V's in my active bass, and that my cables are in good condition.

 

[Jehos]

It's all about knowing *your* rig and the things that can kill it.

For example, my normal stage rig is pretty simple:

active bass -> wireless transmitter -> wireless receiver -> 2x10 combo amp -> direct out into the PA

I know that my rig can die of:

- Battery in bass dies
- Battery in wireless transmitter dies (I always keep a cable coiled on top of my amp in case of this)
- Wireless receiver gets unplugged or fritzes out
- Cable between receiver and amp gets unplugged
- Amp loses power or fritzes out
- Cable from amp to PA gets unplugged at either end

Figuring out what broke is mainly just a function of quickly scanning lights. There's a light on the transmitter, a light on the receiver, and a light on the amp. If those are all green or yellow, I'm good. If any of them are out, I know the problem. If the lights all look good I check all the cables to make sure connections are still there. If those are good, it's time to grab the backup bass because the battery in the bass probably died.

The last time I had to make an emergency fix was actually my last show--my rig was powered from a plug on the *front* of the stage (don't ask), and some joker had kicked out the plug. It was weird seeing everything go dead--I was expecting one piece to be gone. It took a second to figure out what happened.

 

[Intune]

Mesa 400+. EQ. Switch.

Did ya'll know that when you plug into a y-cord on a 400+ and accidentally hit the EQ switch so that it is right in the middle of on & off, that your rig won't make a peep?

Did ya'll know that when your pre-show music is turned down & the FOH guys are expecting a downbeat right then and they begin waving flashlights and asking "c'mon guys" in the monitors, that it doesn't exactly help the situation? :scowl:

Did ya'll know that when your lead player tells you from across the stage to "just freakin' go direct" that you can shut him up with a look and the words, "I AM hooked up direct... Out of the back of my AMP! Does your git have an XLR out? Mine neither."

Did ya'll know that while the git players & singers are standing there with crossed arms & shaking heads and looking at you like you can't actually be THAT stupid, your drummer will be the only one to offer: "can I check anything back here?"

Did ya'll know that 2-3 minutes of frustration/terror and the crowd getting restless seems like a hell of a lot longer than it actually is?

Did ya'll know that flipping/pulling every damn switch/knob in your immediate vicinity actually works sometimes?

Did ya'll know that getting sound, any sound, out of your rig can make you look/feel like a hero?

Did ya'll know that having a meeting after a great show will offer options/solutions to dead air, finger pointing, etc?

I didn't know, but I do now!

 

[JustDavid]

Ouch!!

Delightfully phrased, though!