The above shows very poor judgement. The problem this presents to the house engineer is a nightmare. This is a total -1.
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Do you use your "volume" knob?
- Thread starter tspallone
- Start date
The above shows very poor judgement. The problem this presents to the house engineer is a nightmare. This is a total -1.
yep;
get your level right with the volume at 100%.
if you need more as the night progresses, kick up your amp a little, ideally in a way that doesn't change the house level.
i'll use my volume for the occasional swell-in, or dropped back for the occasional really quiet part, but otherwise dimed = "0dB" bass level.
get your level right with the volume at 100%.
if you need more as the night progresses, kick up your amp a little, ideally in a way that doesn't change the house level.
i'll use my volume for the occasional swell-in, or dropped back for the occasional really quiet part, but otherwise dimed = "0dB" bass level.
Dymanics are very important to me and the band I play in. I would never play at the same volume during a slow ballad as I would during a bass solo in a full-tilt rocker. Even within a single song there will usually be changes in volume and intensity. Yeah, technique can be adjusted, but it's often better to adjust a volume control.
During sound check, I send the loudest signal I anticipate using, then I (and the rest of the band) self mix from there during the performance.
If I use effects, I put a volume pedal at the end of the chain.
Edit to add:
Which is more difficult for a sound operator: Needing to adjust the gain on a mixer channel mid-song, or needing to read minds and know when the guitar player or I are going to take a spontaneous solo?
During sound check, I send the loudest signal I anticipate using, then I (and the rest of the band) self mix from there during the performance.
If I use effects, I put a volume pedal at the end of the chain.
Edit to add:
Which is more difficult for a sound operator: Needing to adjust the gain on a mixer channel mid-song, or needing to read minds and know when the guitar player or I are going to take a spontaneous solo?
I pulled all the "electronics" out of my SCPB. Pickup wired directly to the plug. Yer either rockin' or your not!
scottbass
Bass lines like a big, funky giant
I'd go 100% all the time if you have effects before the amp. Changing the volume will definitely change the way a lot of effects sound, especially overdrive and anything that triggers on volume. I have 2 overdrives and 2 fuzz pedals and they all are set for slightly different output volumes so I can kick up the volume and effect the tone in a repeatable way during the song. I like to know what to expect when i step on the pedal. I'm at the point now were I know what combination of pedals to use to get the sound in my head.
Another thing, set the pedals up at home to get in the ball park, but make sure you have plenty of time at rehearsal to tweak the pedals with the band playing a full volume. I find that what sounds good with the band sound really extreme at home. I have to fight the urge to tone things down at home.
Another thing, set the pedals up at home to get in the ball park, but make sure you have plenty of time at rehearsal to tweak the pedals with the band playing a full volume. I find that what sounds good with the band sound really extreme at home. I have to fight the urge to tone things down at home.
it's ok to do this as long as you tell the soundman that that's what your plan is. the reason is that when he sets the compressor on your bass channel, he needs your loudest signal.
That. My DI feed comes off my pedal board (out of my BDDI Deluxe). The 1/4 inch out goes to my amp, which is where I tweak my stage volume. The output levels to the PA mixer stays the same this way. I also have all my effects set to unity, so that as I bypass or activate different settings, the FOH isn't affected, gain wise. I just wish I could get my guitarist to do the same.
Sometimes because my pick playing gets a bit louder than my finger playing, especially when I get a bit too pumped up for the song. I occasionally have to dial it back a bit.
I start out at 75% and either stay there or add (I can subtract with right hand technique) volume if I need it. It's not that the band habitually turns up, exactly, but very often sound check is not that great an indicator of how things will settle in once we get into the set.
If there were a sound man I would set it, forget it, and let him handle the mix, but I haven't played a gig with bass in the PA and someone out front in a while. I would prefer that but we deal with what we have, don't we?
The above shows very poor judgement. The problem this presents to the house engineer is a nightmare. This is a total -1.
I think there's a bit of an overreaction here. The difference between 3/4 and full volume is hardly a 'nightmare' scenario.
Sound men are making adjustments all the time. After the sound check, if he's suddenly got too hot a signal from the bass or hears that it's too loud, he'll simply adjust. I don't really see the problem here. Hey if it makes remainthesame feel like it gives him a better chance of having some oomph in the mix then more power to him.
Personally I am always running at full volume on the bass and make dynamic adjustments with technique.
I start out at max on the bass. But I have a boost pedal that I use when I need a little ekstra power. Sometimes I use the volume if I for some reason need to cut back a bit. I'm not a pro, so we often need to get by without a sound engineer.
I get all the dynamics I need with my fingers or pick. Enough so that I use a compressor to keep them under control.
Volume stays full up all the time so my compressor (front of chain) gets all the signal. Between the compressors input and output gain I get the right amount of compression and send the right signal level to my other effects.
Sometimes I use the bass volume knob instead of a volume pedal, i.e. to fade out at the end of a song or do a swell, but the baseline volume is always 10.
Also, running the bass at 10 gives the best signal-to-noise ratio (see "gain structuring").
Moreover, My bass' tone controls stay at fixed positions also. Turning up the bass knob will increase the total signal level, by rather a lot.
Bass guitar gives the basic tone and full output. Compressor tunes the signal level for effects. Tone changes come from effects or amp. Amp's DI is post-EQ so FOH gets my sound the way I like it. Amp's preamp section gets adjusted for hottest signal without clipping and stays there. It's a hybrid amp so the preamp tubes sound their best when they're pushed. Amp's EQ section is the main tone-shaper (along with Tech 21 Para Driver DI at the end of effects chain). Amp is an Eden WT-550 which has 3 parametric mid sections. Tone shaping on that puppy is second to none. Amp's master volume is the thing I touch when stage volume needs to come up or down. My PA channel is the thing I touch when my FOH needs to come up or down. I use a wireless, otherwise there's no way to tell what's coming out the PA. I have a pointed stick to keep the guitard away from my PA channel.
TMI I know, but the point is, you have to learn something about sound reinforcement, get the gear you need to do the job, and know how it all interacts.
Ibanez SR-535 -> Line 6 G50 wireless -> Markbass Compressore -> Line 6 M13 -> Tech 21 Para Driver DI -> front input (not effects loop) of Eden WT-550 -> two Markbass 102P 2x10 cabs.
Volume stays full up all the time so my compressor (front of chain) gets all the signal. Between the compressors input and output gain I get the right amount of compression and send the right signal level to my other effects.
Sometimes I use the bass volume knob instead of a volume pedal, i.e. to fade out at the end of a song or do a swell, but the baseline volume is always 10.
Also, running the bass at 10 gives the best signal-to-noise ratio (see "gain structuring").
Moreover, My bass' tone controls stay at fixed positions also. Turning up the bass knob will increase the total signal level, by rather a lot.
Bass guitar gives the basic tone and full output. Compressor tunes the signal level for effects. Tone changes come from effects or amp. Amp's DI is post-EQ so FOH gets my sound the way I like it. Amp's preamp section gets adjusted for hottest signal without clipping and stays there. It's a hybrid amp so the preamp tubes sound their best when they're pushed. Amp's EQ section is the main tone-shaper (along with Tech 21 Para Driver DI at the end of effects chain). Amp is an Eden WT-550 which has 3 parametric mid sections. Tone shaping on that puppy is second to none. Amp's master volume is the thing I touch when stage volume needs to come up or down. My PA channel is the thing I touch when my FOH needs to come up or down. I use a wireless, otherwise there's no way to tell what's coming out the PA. I have a pointed stick to keep the guitard away from my PA channel.
TMI I know, but the point is, you have to learn something about sound reinforcement, get the gear you need to do the job, and know how it all interacts.
Ibanez SR-535 -> Line 6 G50 wireless -> Markbass Compressore -> Line 6 M13 -> Tech 21 Para Driver DI -> front input (not effects loop) of Eden WT-550 -> two Markbass 102P 2x10 cabs.
Unrepresented
Something Borderline Offensive
I think you are making it more complicated than it should be.
I keep my bass knob volume level constant with the exception of volume swells. It's always max, which is easy to keep consistent.
I have some pedals above unity that can act like a boost if need be.
I have the ability to use both right and left hand to control the tone, level, and frequency of the notes.
All the way on. Dynamics done with fingers etc. Usually the sound check is a solid full sound. You back off from that when necessary.
Never have my bass, treble, midrange (depends on bass) on all the way though. On my G&L for example full bass is just too much etc.
Never have my bass, treble, midrange (depends on bass) on all the way though. On my G&L for example full bass is just too much etc.
Yes, you could certainly do that, and I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work just fine. I have, on occasion, used a volume pedal after effects and didn't have any trouble.
I can't speak for any other volume pedal manufacturers, but Ernie Ball volume pedals are available in two different input impedances to better match passive or active signals. If you go with Ernie Ball, go with the lower impedance volume pedal as it will better match the buffered output from your effects signal chain.
