Feeling out of tune while on stage?

[jazzyvee]

I think it's mostly from not having good/consistent monitors. I generally have a solid ear and I don't have any injuries that I'm aware of at this moment. I've wondered a lot of it's some kind of phasing issue with monitors vs PA or something to that effect. I'm gonna start researching in-ears. I think that's the next step for me.

I do experience that too sometimes and I've found it only happens on large venues with when I'm using predominantly low end like reggae for example. Never heard it with any gig where I'm using a more full range sound.
This very thing happened to me this past weekend on the second of the two large festival gigs i played. I used a different bass for each gig and a different rig but on the last gig I was using a mesa boogie 2x10 and a walkabout head. Tuned up at soundecheck and noticed the slightly flat sound and in fact it was more evident when I asked for more volume in my monitor as the gig progressed. I too have wondered in the past if it is a phasing issue as between the cab and the monitor adn the side fills. I don't use effects at all so that is not a component and it is the same situation whether or not i'm using ear plugs or not. I'd be interested in finding why that is.
As a slightly aside point. A few years ago I had some custom moulded ear plugs made and found that when I use them on gigs where I slap, the pitch again sounds slightly flat. I called the company who made them and they said this is something that has been mentioned to them a few times but they currently have no idea what the reason is. It doesn't happen when playing any other finger style and most of my gigs don't involve slapping so I continue.

 

[Spectre1966]

When I feel like Im out of tune, its usually the guitarist...once I tune my bass it pretty much stays in tune until it goes back in the case.

 

[castlev]

Intonation check for all players.

 

[dbase]

If you have a keyboard player in the band, tie his left hand behind his back. Your getting harmonics from his wanting to play your part.

 

[JACink]

Recordings made of the performance sounded fine, read the OP again.

Sorry, my bad.

OP, is it possible that you are getting some room reflections in specific places?

Some of the worst places I have gigged (on vocals) was in those huge tents they put up for festivals. If the fills and monitors weren't set up correctly, and there was dead space, it caused all kinds of weird cancellations that made the music sound completely different (as in unrecognisable in some points). Could it be possible that you are experiencing this to a lesser degree somehow?

 

[madbass6]

Shortest post of my life, but does anyone else consistently feel like their bass is out of tune while they are performing? The past 3-4 gigs I've done, my bass sounds out of tune in my monitors. I tune my bass with a muting pedal tuner between almost every song lately out of paranoia. It's always 100% in tune and we have people who record our gigs nearly every time. When I listen to our gigs recorded, the tuning/intonation is as good as anyone could ask for.

Does anyone else have this problem? It's beginning to drive me crazy. It makes me hold back my playing, because I feel like I'm a 1/4 step out of tune half the time.

have a pro check the intonation on your bass! its always good to have a second opinion !

 

[JRA]

I think the ear gets tired and plays tricks.

Probably some trick the brain plays on us.

^ more often than not!

 

[RichardW]

I've experienced this occasionally, usually just in a particular song. I know I'm in tune, I know I'm playing the correct notes, and yet I still "hear" that I'm a little off. Can't explain it, and it usually passes. Figure it's just the atmospherics of the venue.

 

[Edwcdc]

I have had situations where It was hard to even tell what note I was playing. I think I was in some weird pocket of bass phase hell. Anyway it pretty much happens when the subs aren't playing nice with the room. Maybe a hollow stage or a stage that is in a corner and all that low end is knocking around down there.

 

[Last Rebel]

I occasionally get that on one song also only

Can someone briefly explain the phasing issue between subs and monitors?

And how do you correct it?

 

[Polfuste]

It happened sometimes too. I wear earplugs (molded ones) and several times, i felt out of tune, mainly on E strings between F and A notes; in certain places. When i experience that, i move and it disappears.

 

[Lava]

Is there a keyboardist in your band? I've played with some keyboardists with heavy left hands who play some parts in the same range as the bass guitar and that dissonance sounds like you're out of tune. There are a few threads about that here on TB. Search around.

 

[wmhill]

The guitarist is out of tune, and you can hear it. It's easy to think it's you.

 

[Edwcdc]

I shouldn't have used the word "phase". It's more like sub frequency build up. Sub frequencies are not very directional so they just go where they want and build up in the corners and if certain frequencies are more prominent in certain rooms than others they will still be rumbling while you're playing the next note and things just get weird from there.

 

[mellowinman]

No one wants to say it:

YOU MAY BE INSANE.

Just a thought.

 

[Altitude]

There's a certain club in Denver I've been playing in for 10 years. It's a small, shoebox-shaped room - maybe 25 feet wide and the stage faces across the short side. The FOH is very loud.

On several occasions, I've heard really weird pitch stuff happen in that room, even called for a tune-up once mid-set and everyone was OK. I don't understand the physics but I did notice it.

 

[jaco944]

It happens on occasion but usually it's a guitar player who is slightly out and not me. I trust my tuner 100 percent. Even if I think I'm out I let it ride if my tuner says I am good to go. Rooms and acoustics can do weird things to our ears. That and your ear can only articulate low frequencies for so long before they become less defined.

Isn't it always a guitar player

 

[tjh]

Might want to have your hearing checked, I have a hearing disability from my military service years, and often notice it can play a lot of tricks which include recognizing pitches accurately ... other situations which have caused issues like what you are speaking for me have been stage rumble, a guitar player that uses a huge bodied acoustic EQ to a 'woofie' sound, improper muting techniques which create sympathetic vibrations on other strings, and when the same guitar player uses a capo, he has strings go slightly sharp, making me sound flat ...

I have also experienced issues on some bigger gigs that were using very large sub's to FOH, often enough that I am considering an Fdeck HPF to have the 'phase' switch, and for better control of my low freqs.... I have gone to an Aurlex pad as well, and that has seemed to help me hear myself better ... in ears do not work well for me with my severe tinnitus ...

 

[rtslinger]

If your or positive your in tune and your intonation is spot on than, it has to be that another instrument in your mix is out maybe not out of tune, but the intonation could be off this would give you that problem, I would pull everything out of you monitor except yourself and see if the issue is no longer present, if that is the case, get with the others and have them get their stuff set up. We as bassist I think, pay more attention to and tweak or set more so than guitarist in my experience. I have had guitarist tell me "can't be me I have locking bridge" bla, bla, bla, but if the intonation is sharp or flat a hair and you lock it down it sure is he## is going to remain that way. Good luck and I hope this helps RTS

 

[OldFunBass]

I don't know your stage set up, but maybe try removing the bass from the monitors and using only your amp to monitor yourself for a few songs. That will at least tell you if it is a monitor related issue.

Or...you could fire the drummer.