Disappointed in my tone

[Deleted member 271037]

It's obviously impossible to say anything for certain without actually being there, but rattling speaker + can't hear yourself properly on stage sounds like it MIGHT be a case of too much lows and not enough mids.

 

[Cory rich40]

It's obviously impossible to say anything for certain without actually being there, but rattling speaker + can't hear yourself properly on stage sounds like it MIGHT be a case of too much lows and not enough mids.

I had the eq on the amp flat

 

[logdrum]

I know some of us cannot do it anymore, but I will squat down to hear how loud the bass is and how it sounds specially if it is a backline 410 or my own 310. I tend to EQ a little bright because out back the low end carries. Another option is to borrow a wireless unit and go out front to hear how you sound. Mid focus with the attack defined ( turn the tweeter up a bit)

 

[GTHintz]

I had the chance to play in church yesterday and was quite disappointed by how I sounded and I don’t know exactly what was different. The amp I used was a darkglass infinity 210 combo. By itself it can put out 250/275 watts. The bass used was my Dingwall Droc 5 string. While we were practicing I was told that I was too loud and my speaker was rattling. I never heard a rattle but I turned down. My master volume wasn’t at halfway either. I’ve kept it at that volume since I’ve had the amp and nobody ever complained while we were practicing. It was time for us to play and the only thing different was two backup harmony singers and the congregation. I could barely hear myself. I turned myself back up halfway again and I felt like I could barely hear myself. My guess the extra vocalist may have drowned me out. The acoustic rhythm guitar player is playing plugged up to a 15 watt amp now. That may have done it too. The last time we played at church I used the same amp with an 18vt active bass and didn’t have this issue with the volume on the amp at the same exact place. If these two women are going to be a regular thing with the group, do I need the 210 extension cabinet to go with this combo? I had been looking at the Gallien Krueger mb 212 combo. It’s rated at its full 500 watts. I want a combo amp that can handle these situations and the Gallien Krueger mb 212 looks like it can do it. The combo amp is lightweight and easy to load in and out. I know the issue isn’t the Dingwall Droc. I know what that bass is capable of.

The thing that seems to get you lost in a mix the fastest is if you don't have enough mids to sit in your own space. Highs and lows are more lost with the drums and whatever the guitar and vocals are doing. I would point the finger straight at EQ first. Personally I prefer gk to dark glass because of the way that you can be hi-fi but still have a little bit of baked in signature flavor that gk is famous for. Dark glass I've found that it sounds really cool but easily can get lost in a mix. For some reason it's hard for me to get a time I like that also holds its own in a mix. However I can add some mids to a GK and get it to poke out and fill out more of a complete tonal range. I don't know how dark glass speakers sound live but I'd imagine that they are good enough but you might like the tone better if you add a pedal before the cabinet. I really like the GK Plex and Aguilar tone hammer. Both are just excellent sounding and versatile EQ that can flavor your tone in a way that might help you be more heard and give you the space to push some frequency that you might not otherwise reach with what you have already. I have several EQ pedals just so I can blend them and have more flexibility.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

I had the eq on the amp flat

That doesn't in any way rule out the possibility of having too much lows and not enough mids. But like I said, I wasn't there in the room. I'm just trying to give you the best possible advice based on pure guesswork, which is the best ANYONE here at Talkbass can do. Please feel free to ignore it.

 

[pepj]

Tone and volume are 2 different things but since we are talking about hearing yourself, turn everything down until you can hear everyone.
What you described appears to me to be just a question of balance.

 

[confuoco]

Honestly I would guess that there’s an EQ issue. I always run a variable HPF and tune my amp to the room. I set the tone how I like it and then dial back on the HPF until things stop rattling. I also keep a parametric EQ for things the HPF can’t sort out (this is rare). I set the Q tone a very narrow band and then hunt around the 4-500hz range and also the 100-200hz range to see if there’s anything that needs to be dialed out. I know on one of my P bases that around 150hz is a bad area and often I dial that out.

 

[Cory rich40]

That doesn't in any way rule out the possibility of having too much lows and not enough mids. But like I said, I wasn't there in the room. I'm just trying to give you the best possible advice based on pure guesswork, which is the best ANYONE here at Talkbass can do. Please feel free to ignore it.

Oh I’m definitely listening to everyone’s advice. This is some interesting stuff and you guys have been a tremendous help.

 

[bassdude51]

I didn't read through the posts..................so, here is my comment.

When I sit in the living room playing my bass, I'm listening to the sound/tone and my bass ........ehm.......mediocre. Then, I hand my bass over to my son and let him play it while I go into another part of the house. I hear my bass and say, "WOW! Sounds fantastic!"

Try listening to your bass while someone else plays it. It might sound excellent! (And, maybe not.)

 

[Cory rich40]

Just talked to the guitar player and he said that the guy that was messing with the sound system had the bass boosted so high on the microphones it was ridiculous. Everything was adjusted prior to us playing. Thank goodness none of us were playing through the PA. It would have been worse than what it was. My wife just informed me that she heard me good through her phone recording when she added her Bluetooth and played it though her vehicle. Bottom line is that you don’t take it on yourself to operate a church sound system without permission while someone is playing. Too many ego’s in church in general. Unfortunately it always involves the music usually.