Do you elevate your cab off the floor?

[Auspuff]

I am curious it you elevate your cab or leave it on the floor?View attachment 5295353

In the couple of threads I have posted recently on Mesa cabs, several people have pointed out that my sound would be greatly improved by lifting the cab two feet off the floor. They suggest using beer crates or something. I am a home player and will be playing in this space primarily, and sometimes my small, carpeted den. I am planning to get a Mesa Subway 115 (probably) or 215 (possibly) soon.

This photo is of my family room practice space. Needless to say, crates will not be acceptable to my wife. I currently have an Auralex Subdude under my Ampeg cab. If you do lift your cab, I would love to see what you use to do that. If it is something commercially available, do you remember what it is? I would also like to try the device with my Ampeg (15") cab (shown). Thanks for your input!

Yes.

 

[mikewalker]

I like to have three 1-12 cabs stacked vertically. That's a comfortable elevation getting the top cab closer to my ear, and I can still reach the non-alcoholic beer sitting on the amp head on top...

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I am curious it you elevate your cab or leave it on the floor?View attachment 5295353

In the couple of threads I have posted recently on Mesa cabs, several people have pointed out that my sound would be greatly improved by lifting the cab two feet off the floor. They suggest using beer crates or something. I am a home player and will be playing in this space primarily, and sometimes my small, carpeted den. I am planning to get a Mesa Subway 115 (probably) or 215 (possibly) soon.

This photo is of my family room practice space. Needless to say, crates will not be acceptable to my wife. I currently have an Auralex Subdude under my Ampeg cab. If you do lift your cab, I would love to see what you use to do that. If it is something commercially available, do you remember what it is? I would also like to try the device with my Ampeg (15") cab (shown). Thanks for your input!

I am curious it you elevate your cab or leave it on the floor?View attachment 5295353

In the couple of threads I have posted recently on Mesa cabs, several people have pointed out that my sound would be greatly improved by lifting the cab two feet off the floor. They suggest using beer crates or something. I am a home player and will be playing in this space primarily, and sometimes my small, carpeted den. I am planning to get a Mesa Subway 115 (probably) or 215 (possibly) soon.

This photo is of my family room practice space. Needless to say, crates will not be acceptable to my wife. I currently have an Auralex Subdude under my Ampeg cab. If you do lift your cab, I would love to see what you use to do that. If it is something commercially available, do you remember what it is? I would also like to try the device with my Ampeg (15") cab (shown). Thanks for your input!

No, I don’t. My elevation stops at all floors….

Seriously, with the exception of a few really bad stages, my cabs are not elevated. At they are on flooring one top of a concrete slab.

 

[skwee]

I often put mine on a chair.

 

[4StringDave]

I've done both. I prefer the sound of the amp on the floor for the coupling effect unless it's a boomy wooden or temporary stage, then it's usually best to get it up a bit and stop the rumble through mic stands etc.

At home it's on the floor as I have an old cottage with flagstone stone floor and rugs

 

[Wisebass]

hi Peter

Do I elevate my cab(s)

Yes and no! Depends!

I will elevate my rig to hear myself better, when I bring only one cab to a gig (always!)

Most places that sell beer in bottles have beer crates (on my side of the pond)

=> I usually don't have to bring the crates.

I will put one cab on another cab, when I bring two (always)

Sometimes I will only use the one on top. (e.g. on "boomy", hollow stages)

At home I don't practice for a good amp sound. I practice my playing.

And...

Needless to say, crates will not be acceptable to my wife.

...of course I can't use beer crates at home to elevate my cab!

My wife would kill me, if she had to lift my cab each time she wants a beer!


greetings

wise(b)ass

 

[micguy]

Another factor is boundary interference. If a driver is space 1/4 wavelength from a boundary (such as the floor), then you get cancellation. I believe this distance relates to the center of the driver. The sound travels down 1/4 wavelength and the bounces back up 1/4 wavelength, and the total distance of the bounce is 1/2 wavelength. This means the sound arrives back at the original height 180 degrees out of phase, which results in cancellation rather than summing..

There’s a detail you missed. Cancellation doesn’t happen everywhere, it happens directionally. If your cabinet is a quarter wavelength from the wall, the cancellation will happen along a line in front of your cab. Off axis, it won’t cancel as much. If it’s a quarter wavelength off the floor, cancellation will occur along a line going up towards the ceiling, where nobody’s ears are. In that case, in front of the cabinet, the listener will hear direct sound from the woofer, and reflected sound off the floor. If you go far enough out from the cabinet, you’ll find those two path lengths are similar enough that you get reinforcement at that frequency, not cancellation.

 

[GniQQ]

I always elevated my gear, especially when at home practicing. Why? Because I hear the full range in my face so that I can hear all mistakes even better. Just like monitor cabs on a stage - they are always aimed at your head so that you hear yourself. If in a professional environment it's "the way", why wouldn't I do that at home (or in a practice room or whatever where my band plays or I practice)?

 

[Marko 1]

I always elevated my gear, especially when at home practicing. Why? Because I hear the full range in my face so that I can hear all mistakes even better. Just like monitor cabs on a stage - they are always aimed at your head so that you hear yourself. If in a professional environment it's "the way", why wouldn't I do that at home (or in a practice room or whatever where my band plays or I practice)?

If someone is a comfortable distance from the rig and practicing while seated, they may see no reason to elevate it. The rig will also likely be EQed to sound good in whatever the situation is.

Many of us practice, rehearse and gig with rigs that are too big to elevate or tilt, and we hear fine wherever we're standing.

Just answering your question.

 

[juancaminos]

Curious if you practice with the single SW115 in your home. Is your room carpeted or hardwoods?

My music room is carpeted. But I practice on headphones exclusively. My equipment stays in the band wagon.

 

[GniQQ]

If someone is a comfortable distance away from the rig and practicing while seated, they may see no reason to elevate it. The rig will also likely be EQed to sound good in whatever the situation is.

Many of us practice, rehearse and gig with rigs that are too big to elevate or tilt, and we hear fine wherever we're standing.

Just answering your question.

Ah, true. Also I always play standing. Just like on stage

 

[Wasnex]

There’s a detail you missed. Cancellation doesn’t happen everywhere, it happens directionally. If your cabinet is a quarter wavelength from the wall, the cancellation will happen along a line in front of your cab. Off axis, it won’t cancel as much. If it’s a quarter wavelength off the floor, cancellation will occur along a line going up towards the ceiling, where nobody’s ears are. In that case, in front of the cabinet, the listener will hear direct sound from the woofer, and reflected sound off the floor. If you go far enough out from the cabinet, you’ll find those two path lengths are similar enough that you get reinforcement at that frequency, not cancellation.

Regardless...I generally prefer the sound of an elevated bass cab. Perhaps you could give a better explanation.

 

[micguy]

Regardless...I generally prefer the sound of an elevated bass cab. Perhaps you could give a better explanation to explain why.

Most likely it's because your head is closer to being in the beam. If you tilted the thing to where you ears were on axis with the woofer, chances are you'd like it even more.

 

[Peter - Oregon]

hi Peter

Do I elevate my cab(s)

Yes and no! Depends!

I will elevate my rig to hear myself better, when I bring only one cab to a gig (always!)

Most places that sell beer in bottles have beer crates (on my side of the pond)

=> I usually don't have to bring the crates.

I will put one cab on another cab, when I bring two (always)

Sometimes I will only use the one on top. (e.g. on "boomy", hollow stages)

At home I don't practice for a good amp sound. I practice my playing.

And...



...of course I can't use beer crates at home to elevate my cab!

My wife would kill me, if she had to lift my cab each time she wants a beer!


greetings

wise(b)ass

Love the beer comment!

 

[Wasnex]

Most likely it's because your head is closer to being in the beam. If you tilted the thing to where you ears were on axis with the woofer, chances are you'd like it even more.

As a player, I often tilt the cab to aim at my head. But I also prefer elevating the cab as it seems to clear up/focus the lows. Elevating the cab also has the effect of thinning the lows, but I prefer clarity over fat.

I have observed these changes close my rig and also out in the audience listening to other players. Elevating the bass cab (on average) tends to shape the sound to better meet my preferences. I have on occasion heard really incredible, fat, and clear sounding bass with the rig on the floor, but that is rare in my experience.

 

[micguy]

As a player, I often tilt the cab to aim at my head. But I also prefer elevating the cab as it seems to clear up/focus the lows. Elevating the cab also has the effect of thinning the lows, but I prefer clarity over fat.

I have observed these changes close my rig and also out in the audience listening to other players. Elevating the bass cab (on average) tends to shape the sound to better meet my preferences. I have on occasion heard really incredible, fat, and clear sounding bass with the rig on the floor, but that is rare in my experience.

Depending on where exactly you stand, moving the cabinet around will definitely affect how it sounds to you - the Physics backs that up completely. It will also affect what's going on in the audience, for a couple of reasons - first boundary stuff - especially if it's near a back wall (covered earlier). Second, and this is the real wild card, is how it interacts with what's coming out of the PA.

If you really want to hear yourself well AND give the FOH person a good chance to get your sound really clear in the audience, ampless/in ears is absolutely the way to go. I can dial up a mix that gets me what I need to hear to do my job well, what I hear doesn't change a bit as I move around on stage, and there is no stage wash for the FOH person to fight - he or she has what's coming out of my DI and complete freedom to do whatever they need to do to make it sound good in the mix.

 

[JazznFunk]

Yes. An Auralaex Gramma pad. If it's a smaller rig like for my double bass, I also put a small block of wood under the front of the cab to tilt it back. You MIGHT lose some lows by decoupling it from the stage, and whether or not that is desirable depends on the stage itself, and what sound issues you're going for. If it yields extra low end out front and on stage without causing issues for anything else, sometimes I'll leave it flat on the stage. Depends on the room. But often it's nice to not have to dial out extra low end for clarity because it's already decoupled.

 

[Sid Fang]

The Gramma Pad demonstrates the difference between mechanical and acoustic coupling. A pad will break mechanical coupling to the floor, but it takes physical separation by more than some proportion of the wavelengths to break acoustic coupling to the floor surface. Some folks want to break that acoustic coupling, but I find it incredibly useful for getting big sound from a small amp.

 

[TomB]

The Gramma Pad demonstrates the difference between mechanical and acoustic coupling. A pad will break mechanical coupling to the floor, but it takes physical separation by more than some proportion of the wavelengths to break acoustic coupling to the floor surface. Some folks want to break that acoustic coupling, but I find it incredibly useful for getting big sound from a small amp.

As long as you know this is true, you can choose to break that coupling or not. What’s important to know is that a foam pad won’t necessarily break it, but elevation will.

 

[retslock]

If someone is a comfortable distance from the rig and practicing while seated, they may see no reason to elevate it. The rig will also likely be EQed to sound good in whatever the situation is.

Many of us practice, rehearse and gig with rigs that are too big to elevate or tilt, and we hear fine wherever we're standing.

Just answering your question.

My cabinet sits on an angled stand approximately 50° from vertical. (Photos in comment #138) If I stand while practicing I hear the full range coming from the cabinet. If I sit on the couch it sounds much deeper. That’s not because there’s more lows there, it’s because the directional nature of the highs means they are passing over my head. They’re not reaching my ears but the omnidirectional lows are still as they were but that’s all I’m hearing from the sitting position.