• 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.

How important is environment?

pocketgroove

pocketgroove

Jun 28, 2010
865
13
Detroit
#1
Hi all,
I am wondering if anyone here has first hand experience as to just how important the environment of your rehearsal space is. I've been having some persistent sound issues that I assumed were due to my amp (a Peavey Tour TNT 115), but after getting it back from being serviced, the same issues are still there. Namely, distortion, muddiness, and a lack of definition are the main problems (as a side note, there is also crackle from my EQ sliders, but I think that may be static due to plastic rubbing on plastic.) It seems like I have to EQ my amp anew everytime I plug in.

The catch is that my amp has sounded better in other environments, and others I've played in stores sound really good. I know my bass is not the issue, and I know I like these amps in general.

The environment I'm playing in is a basement, with other amps and a drum set in the same space, nothing isolated. It is small and enclosed, there are things that rattle, and exposed pipes, etc.

In a nutshell, is environment influential enough to completely change or even ruin the sound of an amp? Or can anyone refute that idea and speculate that the problem lies elsewhere?

Thanks a lot
 
#4
The environment is a HUGE factor for bass players. If your rig is sounding great in other rooms, but bad in your rehearsal space - well you have your answer. I suggest you reduce your low end on the TNT and see if the clarity improves. It might sound like garbage to you, but hearing yourself is better than sounding good in practice.

I have played on stages where my rig sounds like absolute garbage and I have to remove frequencies heavily to get ANY definition. Some places my DNA 210 is RAGING loud at low volumes. At other places, two DNA 210's sounds great and the extra volume is needed.

I highly suggest you work on understanding EQ in general so you can adjust your tone as you go. It's always best to remove the problematic frequencies first, then decide where to do small boosts. After a while, you will start to hear the problematic frequencies in just a few notes.
 
#5
I've got the bass cut quite a bit and everything else pretty flat, and I've tried many other configurations, which is what has me so baffled. Voltage or dirty power has been a concern, but the guitar player is running on the same circuit and outlet without any significant issues.
 
#6
I suggest you test it outside at different places so the voltsge effect can be checked.

Some TBers isolate their rig from the floor. You might check that as well as trying the amp with another cab.

How high are you running the volume and tone controls? Maybe you are due for an extension cab or a rig with more headroom.
 
#7
pocketgroove said:
In a nutshell, is environment influential enough to completely change or even ruin the sound of an amp? Or can anyone refute that idea and speculate that the problem lies elsewhere?
Click to expand...

in a nutshell - yes. a quick way to find out is to take your amp out of the basement and try it somewhere different - and if it’s ok then the answer is yes.
 
#8
I had a weekly gig at a venue that I struggled with every night to get a good sound on stage. It was a restaurant that hosted bands on certain days, and the "stage" area was in a 3/4 walled in area beside the front entrance. That place was an enormous bass trap for certain notes, around C# to D, and then other notes, G# to A, would nearly disappear. It was a nightmare - though, it actually sounded fine out where the audience was. But I could *never* get it to sound right in there. The exact same gear at any other venue was completely fine.
 
#9
The voltage test I will have to try. I have an extension cab, and my whole setup is isolated from the ground on a cart. Volume is usually run between 2 or 3, gain at 10 or 11 o'clock, and never past 12 o' clock. Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far
 
#11
It's not angled, but since I'm running the combo and an extension cab, the top speaker is pointed right at head level. While I can see where environment could account for the muddiness and lack of definition, I was actually distorting last time I played, set with low gain and volume, and a passive p bass. It's kind of difficult to see where environment could account for distortion. Maybe it's a combination of bad circumstances...
 
#13
The crackling likely just means those faders could use a cleaning. Other than that, yes, the environment, the room, or lack of one (outdoors) , distances from various boundries, including floor and cieling, as well as other sound sources, dispersion of your sound, or lack of it, all have huge impact on sound. Much good reading available on the subject. For an overly obvious example of it, without adjusting any controls, listen to how your amp sounds set up in the corner of a room, then go play it in the middle of the backyard or parking lot.
 
#15
I did some research in to this and one of the big problems is everyone places their cabs at their feet pointing at another player at rehearsals. this means everyone ends up fighting for volume.

Forstly, try placing your cabs in a cluster in the middle of the room pointing towards the player. this way, you all hear your own music slightly louder and clearer than the others and you no longer need to fight for volume. In addition, placing the bass cab in the middle of the room minimises the chance of exciting room modes (maximised in the corners).

I measure the sound levels using this method and the average level was 6 dB(A) lower despite everyone thinking it was just as loud. This obviously reduces hearing damage too!
 
#16
Bass Unique said:
I did some research in to this and one of the big problems is everyone places their cabs at their feet pointing at another player at rehearsals. this means everyone ends up fighting for volume.

Forstly, try placing your cabs in a cluster in the middle of the room pointing towards the player. this way, you all hear your own music slightly louder and clearer than the others and you no longer need to fight for volume. In addition, placing the bass cab in the middle of the room minimises the chance of exciting room modes (maximised in the corners).

I measure the sound levels using this method and the average level was 6 dB(A) lower despite everyone thinking it was just as loud. This obviously reduces hearing damage too!
Click to expand...

Nothing like having your ears above and/or beside your own directional rig whilst having the guitarists directional rig aimed squarely at you whilst his ears are above and/or beside his.:D
 
#17
pocketgroove said:
In a nutshell, is environment influential enough to completely change or even ruin the sound of an amp?
Click to expand...
Yes. Small rooms are the worst, though even large rooms won't sound good on stage if the ceiling is low. In any room having the cab tilted so that it's on-axis with your ears is a must.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back