I was just thinking about this when someone asked about rig volume and how they can't seem to get it loud enough. I thought maybe they stand aways away from theirs. I know in the current room I play in, if I get 15' away from my rig, even at max usable volume, I lose alot of low end and am left with midrange and treble. I'm sure some of it is wave cancellation, but I wonder how far some people stand from their rigs on average.
I stand about 10 to 15 feet depending on the venue. This is also the reason I use two floor monitors, one has just vocals and sometimes a little guitar and the other I have kick, snare and lots of bass in it! Treena
normally I stand a few meters from my rig, on hollow stages where the sound tends to be boomy I like getting a bit further away, it kind of even out the sound a bit...Never have had trouble in hearing myself playing through Ampeg SVT-cl
Where's the option for - different every time!!?? It just depends on how big the stage is - in a 13-piece band there isn't much choice on small stages. If I get to play on a large one, it is a real luxury and I try to get as far away as possible!!
It's true, It"s true.... I am wire-less, so I cruze all over the venue. No prob. w/ low end anywhere......hehe Jeff --------
Bruce hits the nail on the head once again! If you've got the space step away from the rig, everything will sound better, the band will sound more balanced, and you'll have a more accurate representation of how you sound out in the audience - if your bottom end vanishes when you move away from your amp then (unless something weird is happening acoustically) your bass sound out front will be lacking bottom. Where space allows I tend to stand between 10' and 20' from my rig. Alex P.S. If you're using a decent PA from FOH sound then ignore the above - stand too far from your rig and thus have too much bottom from your rig reaching the audience and your soundman may get a little tetchy.
It depends on the size of the stage and how well I can hear myself. Some clubs with house PAs have so much low end boom on the Drums/Bass that I have to stay close to my rig. If we are using our PA with our own sound guy, then I can usually be anywhere on stage and hear my rig. On outdoor gigs I am usually just a few feet from my rig so I can always hear what I am playing.
Well, refering to my bass fading away the farther I get from my amp. I've only really tested this after hours. While performing during church I can't and dont need to get off the stage, but I was testing the projection of my rig. I turned my amp and cabs up to the point of overload and put on my long cord and walked out into the middle of the chairs and half way to the lower right corner. when I did the bass would really start to drop off about half way across the room? standing wave cancellation? or is my position from the right and rear wall (near amps) the wrong ratio? Drawing is pretty accurate/proportional, I use to be a drafter, but I used paint.
Due to the cramped nature of the stage I play on in church, I was often less than five feet away from my amp. It was never a problem, however, until I brought in my P-Bass. Then, for some reason, everything fell apart. I couldn't discern pitch, and everything sounded like rattling mud. I moved about five feet to the side, and I heard my wonderful P tone blooming and mixing well with everything. That's where I stand now.
For me, it's not nearly so much as proximity to the amp as it is about where the monitor feeds are. If I can't hear the whole band through the bins, I'm driving blind.
I try to stand as far away as Possible... being 6'8, its hard to hear myself sometimes seeing as the sound is always playing for my knees... so anywhere between 1 and 10 feet
If I have the luxury of standing 6-10 feet away from my cabinet, that would be a hell of alot better than most gigs I do that have smaller stages where I can only stand 3-4 feet away if not 1-2 feet away from my cabinet. Recently I bought an amp stand that can hold up to 175 lbs. I sit my Ampeg SVT HLN 4x10 on the stand which brings the height of the amp up about 3 feet. I think this has been the best thing since sliced bread as far as hearing myself clearly. It has helped my playing because all my notes are defined and heard clearly. Also, I do not need to drive my cabinet as hard as I was when my cabinet was on the floor. I have not giiged out with the amp stand yet, but If I do a gig with my own equipment and not the back of the house equipment, I won't hesitate to use the amp stand.
Yeah I'm with Bruce in that it depends on the stage. But Treens's right on the money with the wedges idea. I build myself a couple when I was playing bigger stages regularly and it was great being close to your speakers on even the biggest stages. I hate being too far from my rig. It's not an EQ thing but it just sounds wrong........
Depends on where I am. If I'm at work, for instance, I stand about 12 miles from my amp. At home, I'm usually within 100 feet of it. At gigs, lately I've been standing 2 to 5 feet in front of it. It just depends, you know?
I HAVE TO! in the drawing its about 6' from edge of drums to edge of left monitor near the keys. its impossible to squeeze 2 singers, 2 guitars and bass to the left of the drums. I actually sideways most times with my headstock pointing towards the crowd so the drummer doesn't hit it with his stick or I don't hit him in the head with my headstock!!! one time a stick got away from the drummer and bounced up and hit my face!!! I think I did knock one guy in the head!
I voted 1 to 5 feet, because at most places we play that's all the room I have. Some of the larger rooms have smaller "stages".
Here are some related products that TB members are talking about. Clicking on a product will take you to TB’s partner, Primary, where you can find links to TB discussions about these products. Browser not compatible