• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Hearing the mains

Marc Piane

Marc Piane

Jun 14, 2004
4,901
153
51
Chicago
www.marcpiane.com
#1
I've been doing this for a while and I'm not a stranger to big stages. One thing that I have always struggled with is times when I can hear myself through the mains more than my stage volume. It changes my touch significantly and thus my sound. How do you folks deal with that?
 
#3
What Eric said....OR.....take the opportunity to play differently. Sometimes I enjoy the "free pass" provided when the sound is not in my control or to my liking. It can be liberating to let it go and just enjoy the sound that I have instead of getting dark about the sound I wish I had. Sure, there are nights where it ain't too happening no matter what, but when I can find what my bass is willing and able to do in a given situation instead of trying to force it to do something that just ain't going to happen at the time, the music usually comes out better. For me at least, it usually works better than fighting it all night long.
 
#5
Marc Piane said:
I've been doing this for a while and I'm not a stranger to big stages. One thing that I have always struggled with is times when I can hear myself through the mains more than my stage volume. It changes my touch significantly and thus my sound. How do you folks deal with that?
Click to expand...

In my case it's something that's hard to ignore, because the sound is coming from a source that's in front of you. As Eric says, It's one of those Catch 22 situations. The TC 112 is a very effective solution for just this problem, because it has such good off axis dispersion. I've used it on several stages, even outdoors. It's much easier for me to play bigger venues because of this cabinet .

Ric
 
#6
I use a Wizzy 12 M which gets nice dispersion but I hate a high stage volume and rarely use a monitor unless I have to. I prefer, at least in the acoustic jazz setting, to hear the instruments rather than the monitors. The problem is when the stage volume is low you hear the mains. Cake and eat it I guess. It gets really distracting if you are playing a venue where you hear the reverb bouncing off the back wall.

I've been fine to date. Just not my ideal. Even when the sound man is great. Oh well, I'll quit my bit chin' and deal.
 
#7
Hey Mark
As you know I'm super used to loud mains. I take a different approach from you. With the Queen of Jazz:rollno: I had to play really big venues so I had to figure out something. I just would have to rely on my amp more. Which caused me to learn to get a really good amplified sound. If you hear more of the mains it really messes with your time. I can't "just forget about it and play your butt off", although of course when the gig starts even if the sound is funky that IS an indispensable part of playing. Like you, I'll back off if the house sound is too much.
I often have the group play at top volume without the pa first at sound check and set my volume to that. That way you stand a better chance that the sound guy will make an attempt to balance the two. I played a gig outside Paris where they mistakenly supplied an SVT bottom for backline. I was (in my typical immaturity) stoked about using it. The guy ran the pa so hot that I actually had to turn it off. Fortunately it was a radio broadcast so I didn't have the option of cussing out the sound guy from the stage!
 
#9
It is an emotional adjustment. The music changes (hopefully not too much and in subtle ways) as the venue volume goes up. Used to be when I started out that I was either playing clubs (great) or big outdoor festivals (awful). It was a huge artistic and emotional adjustment. You're right---a lot of subtlety and nuance get lost as the volume goes up. But it doesn't have to be so if you can make the adjustments necessary. There was stuff that we'd play at the Mill (Chicago club) that we couldn't do at the North Sea fest. (3,000 people). If we'd try to duplicate the super soft subtle stuff we'd just get frustrated. Part of the art is tailoring your set for the venue and kindof embracing it.
 
#10
I think that we finally have bass cabinets being built by guys who know how a Double Bass really sounds. EA definitely started the ball rolling in the right direction. Duke Le June re conceptualized the whole bass cabinet so that it dosen't bark in the midrange and sounds good regardless where you stand. Mike has taken it to the next level and built a smaller bass cabinet that actually sounds good.

Ric
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back