EQ question

[Truktek2]

I'm currently playing in a blues band which has a guitarist, drummer and keyboard player. It seems to me that the keyboardist is stepping on my sonic toes. Does anyone have any tips on how I can eq my amp so that I can stand out in the mix? What would be preferable? Boost or scoop the mids? What has worked for you? Thank you

 

[D.A.R.K.]

Take a hammer and every time the keyboardist thinks they are the bass player give their left hand a good whack.
Or buy a 13 string bass and play as loud as possible using 2 handed tapping techniques.
Or just discuss the problem with the keyboardist.
Eq won't solve the problem of too much keys in the bass range.

 

[Marty Forrer]

That's right, it's a keys problem, not a bass problem. Good key players know to stay out of the way.

 

[ahsbass6]

I would scoop the mids. i have run into this w/ Jazz and Gospel playing. I have a Yamaha TRBJP 6 string and a Nathan East Sig 5. The East is the first signature bass NE-1, the preamp is very deep so I can cover a busy left hand of any keyboard player.

 

[LeonD]

You NEED to have a talk with your keyboard player. He's not being a team player.

If you scoop your mids, you'll get lost even more. Either have the keyboardist stop playing in the lower register or have a the sound person cut the lows/low mids on the keys.

 

[Truktek2]

Thanks for the quick replies guys. I guess I'll talk to him (and bring a yardstick just in case hand wacking is necessary)

 

[prd004]

Are you being buried on stage or FOH?
If the keys are killing the bass in the PA, then the soundman is at fault. Any skilled sound guy would be able to EQ the two parts for seperation. Unfortunately "real" soundmen are like unicorns, you hear about em, but you you rarely find one!
On stage or FOH the key the solution is to boost/cut different frequencies on the two instruments so the occupy different sonic space. Difficult to do on a bass amp because usually the frequencies are set. If your amp has any flexibility in mid-frequency, find the frequency that makes your bass stand out the most and boost it.
Talk to your soundman (if you have one), and like the other said, talk to your keyboardist.

 

[Truktek2]

Well in the rehearsal room where we practice the amps are arranged in a way that make them perpindicular to each other due to space. I tried moving them around but didn't do any good. I just figured it could've been some sort of phase cancellation or something. We have a small gig this weekend where the keyboards will be running through the pa, but I'll be playing through the backline, which is what really concerns me. I don't think they have a real soundguy so if I'm not gonna be heard maybe i'll give my keyboardist a cardboard cutout of me to stand next to the drummer

 

[delta7fred]

I had the same problem and he was a good friend of mine.

After dropping hints, asking then telling him to keep out of my space all to no avail I unplugged my bass mid song (at rehearsal) and told them I was not needed and to contact me when the problem was resolved. Keys player claimed that he had forgotten that he had dropped an octave on his split keyboard. BS he did it all the time. Anyway after a brief discussion among the band he agreed to not do it again. Whenever he did I would glare at him. If that did no good I would turn up (a lot) to emphasize to the rest of the band that I had competition. They would then glare at him and he would stop.

 

[QuintrKD]

You NEED to have a talk with your keyboard player. He's not being a team player.

If you scoop your mids, you'll get lost even more. Either have the keyboardist stop playing in the lower register or have a the sound person cut the lows/low mids on the keys.

+1 Suggest to your keyboard player that he take the part up an octave. Once he hears the difference, I'm willing to bet he'll end up playing up an octave routinely, because you'll both be heard better.