Do you set it and forget it at gigs?

[alaskaleftybass]

I set the controls for the room during sound check. Then I use my active tone controls on my bass very sparingly as needed. I also alter my playing technique to create different tones (closer to neck, closer to bridge, etc). I keep a little volume backed up in my bass too, in case an idiot decides they want to sit in for Freebird or some other wanker like that...

 

[brianrost]

Yep, set and forget for me unless it's a "room from hell". The only thing I adjust during a gig is volume (usually at the bass) and sometimes tone at the bass.

 

[redwingxix]

I never touch my amp. I just make sure to leave myself some room on the volume knob on my bass if a song needs a little more and maybe adjust the pickup blend knob a couple times for different songs. I don't use any pedals or effects and anytime I mess with my master knob during a song at rehearsal I invariable give it way too much so I wouldn't touch it during a live set.

 

[howlin]

Set & forget. There are the occasional minor tweaks that can occur but 95% of the time once sound check is over I don’t need to mess with it.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Set & forget. There are the occasional minor tweaks that can occur but 95% of the time once sound check is over I don’t need to mess with it.

Once the sound check is over you shouldn't do anything major ... That's the reason for a soundcheck, last I heard.

 

[Jimruth]

I set during sound check and forget -- with the assumption that 99.99 percent of the audience doesn't care what your bass sounds like (don't get me started about bandmates). The only tweak is to adjust volume on my preamp pedal to account for switching between my four- and five-string Jazz basses. The five-string has significantly lower output.

 

[dvs20]

set and forget, I havent touched my eq knobs in a month

 

[tom-g]

When the show starts it’s time to entertain not fiddle with knobs. So it’s set and forget for me.

 

[mikeyjm2]

Set it and forget it (mostly) in both bands. Occasional kicking in or out of over drive or delay, and once in a blue moon a drop pedal, but beyond that a bunch of knob tweaking is too much for me to keep track of at a gig.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

I might give myself more volume but that's about it.

 

[Bunk McNulty]

I depend on our sound guy's ears. Whatever he thinks is best for the room, I do. Beyond that, I have a clean boost for things like the opening to "Sweet Child" and I'll mess with the tone knob on a few songs. But that's it.

 

[G On Bass]

I buy my amps in part because of their versatility and I love playing around with gain and eq at home, but find that I get my sound at a venue and never look back again. I rarely even touch my bass controls on some gigs! How about you?

The only thing I change once set at a gig is the blend pot and, depending on how many drinks the drummer has had, volume.

 

[ATLbassist]

Set it and forget it. I'm in an originals band that usually plays a 40 - 60 minute set, so there's no time to fiddle with equipment. I'll change the tone knob from song to song, but otherwise it's time to concentrate on playing the music and putting on the show.

 

[GBBSbassist]

Yes. I can tweak the amp all day at a gig, but the only person that's going to know I changed anything are myself and (hopefully) the sound guy. It's simpler to leave it alone.

The ONLY thing I'll tweak during a gig or during a song is the tone knob and only for very specific parts.

 

[armyadarkness]

I buy my amps in part because of their versatility and I love playing around with gain and eq at home, but find that I get my sound at a venue and never look back again. I rarely even touch my bass controls on some gigs! How about you?

All amp settings are chiseled in stone... HIGHLY subjective topic which you're asking about, and since there's no wrong answer... yes, I set it and forget it.

Of course, I'm so famous that my amps are always very far away, so I'd need a bicycle to change them anyway, and since I don't bring a bicycle to my shows, I'm usually stuck with whatever was on it when it was set up.

 

[basscapes]

I don't change EQ or gain settings on my preamps (Ampeg SCR and Tronographic Rusty Box) unless the room is totally out to lunch. Even then, It's usually turning down teh bass slightly (especially for those rooms that are brick and ring like a drum).

However, the only "real" (read: consistent) changes I make are based on whichever bass I am using- I have things set up for my "generic" tone from my P-bass.

However, my Yamaha BBN4 has more twang (think a bastard lovechild tone as a result of a Rick and a Jazz getting jiggy wit it). It also has about 6db or so LESS output than my P-bass and isn't quite so bottom-end heavy.

I use an MXR M81 preamp with the Yammy just for some gain to match, and a little "polishing EQ" if needed. It is off (bypassed) when i use the P. This keeps the overall level between the two consistent and allows the compressors to stay somewhat "sane" with regards to levels as well.

 

[HolmeBass]

I use two or three different tones per gig. Those are reached via controls on the bass and/or with pedals, so the amp doesn’t change. My ShuttleMax 9.2 has voicing filters which I use, both bass and treble boosts.

But each tone is in and of itself “set and forget”.

 

[Siggy]

Once I set my amp I usually make changes with my bass. Vol, Tone. PU sel

 

[stringthrough]

Absolutely!

After setup I should be able to control everything from my bass, which thankfully for me is only volume and (rarely) tone.

 

[Selios]

Set it and forget it, usually.

Usually I'm playing clean, no effects, and with PA support. Since my amp is mostly a stage monitor at that point, if I'm playing in a "room from hell" I might blend in the overdrive channel on my amp and set it so that the note definition "pokes out" at me more. But even that is usually set and forgotten during soundcheck, and most of the time I don't need to do that anyway.