Gain vs Master..I was a dummy

[chris_b]

Interesting. I also run an SVT-3 pro. I dime the gain and adjust volume with the master. Different strokes I guess.

Yes. I'm sure it will work well either way.

I followed the Ampeg advice from the User Manual and I guess when the power amp is working harder you might hear a small difference to the sound. It's not something I did (or still do) with any other amp I've owned.

 

[glennreid]

From the above responses, it's clear that no firm rules apply. Almost every possible combination has been recommended. There are so many signal chain factors, and so many different tone preferences, that the only rule is to go with whatever sounds good to you in your playing environment.

Personally, I prefer a bit of texture in my tone, so don't often use a dimed master, but most of my amps also get too flabby with the gain past about 6 or 7, so it's a blend for me.

The one exception to that is my SWR Super Redhead. It's a famously clean and sterile amp, but with the gain dimed, it takes on a fantastic dimension. Not too dirty, just right. It wasn't something I ever expected that amp to do, and goes to show that experimenting is important..

You think that also applies to the SWR bass 350?im gonna try it and see.

 

[ThisBass]

From FH engineering perspective I think no one decent sound guy would never ever shift the vol-fader of the bass guitar channel up to the top position and adjust volume with the gain knob.

 

[DigitalMan]

From FH engineering perspective I think no one decent sound guy would never ever shift the vol-fader of the bass guitar channel up to the top position and adjust volume with the gain knob.

No, but that's operating on a line level signal. But I think we agree anyway.

Gain on a bass amp is at the stage where you are dealing with instrument level. There are plenty of folks who like the tone of an overdriven bass amp at the preamp stage to some extent. The same cannot really be said about a channel strip on a mixing board.

IMO setting gain on an amp relative to the input level of the bass makes the most sense. If you use the gain as a volume control, the tone of the system can change significantly as you adjust the gain. I only adjust the gain minutely depending on the output level of whatever bass I am playing.

I also realize that none of these are absolutes, and they change from amp to amp, and person to person. However, I think even folks who want a clean signal might try to find a stable gain point and use the master instead simply for the sake of consistently driving the preamp which in turn impacts the signal level going through the tone stack as well as the effects loop if used.

 

[Wasnex]

I also realize that none of these are absolutes, and they change from amp to amp, and person to person. However, I think even folks who want a clean signal might try to find a stable gain point and use the master instead simply for the sake of consistently driving the preamp which in turn impacts the signal level going through the tone stack as well as the effects loop if used.

Consider the need to balance the gain and master controls to get the desired feel as volume is increased. Turn up the gain and the front end of the amp begins to compress. As volume increases the output section starts to compress. As result you may need to back off on the gain a bit when you turn up the master volume.

Gain staging varies by amp. If you want max volume and minimal compression with an AD200B dime the master. This won't work on most of my other master equipped amps because they concentrate more gain in the back end of the amp. Dime the master on one of these amps and you will get an unacceptable level of hiss and hum and the amp will approach its power limit before the gain control is pushed past 9 o'clock. The solution is to back the master off enough to have a decent signal to noise ratio and then adjust gain and master as necessary to achieve the desired feel. A master setting of 9 to 11 o'clock may be ideal for some amps, while others work better in the 11 to 2 range.

YMMV, so you might prefer the same amps with a totally different range of settings.