Hello guys! So I play in a worship band and we play in many different venues all sizes big or small. With that being said when we have smaller venues, I'm finding out that the sound coming out of my cab is being picked up from the singers mic in front of me. It's not plugged into the PA due to the size of the room, so usually I have to turn it up to be "heard." Many times I have my volume low and not that many people can hear me, but the sound guy is always telling me to lower it. Is there anyway to stop this? Other than moving further back? Or the only solution is plugging it to the PA? Any ideas is very welcomed. Thanks!
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How to stop feedback from mics in front of the cab?
- Thread starter steve5224
- Start date
Well, first of all what you are describing isn't feedback, when a mic pics up sounds from unwanted sources it's called 'spill'.
The singers mic is almost certainly a cardiod mic, that is to say it will be at it's most sensitive in a sort of heart shaped pattern starting at the mic screen - google it for more details. So, if you are right behind the singer, spill from your cab is almost certainly going to be picked up. You might try shifting the cab to the side so it doesn't get aimed at the mic, or angling it across stage.
If it's just you that wants it louder, try getting the speakers to point at you ears. If angling the speaker cab back is too taxing for you, try raising the height - stick it on a beer crate or whatever it takes to get it nearer ear level.
If everyone wants it louder, and getting rid of the spill is not working, then the PA is your only option - although it also sounds as if you have a bassphobe soundman
The singers mic is almost certainly a cardiod mic, that is to say it will be at it's most sensitive in a sort of heart shaped pattern starting at the mic screen - google it for more details. So, if you are right behind the singer, spill from your cab is almost certainly going to be picked up. You might try shifting the cab to the side so it doesn't get aimed at the mic, or angling it across stage.
If it's just you that wants it louder, try getting the speakers to point at you ears. If angling the speaker cab back is too taxing for you, try raising the height - stick it on a beer crate or whatever it takes to get it nearer ear level.
If everyone wants it louder, and getting rid of the spill is not working, then the PA is your only option - although it also sounds as if you have a bassphobe soundman
Options:
Move the cab away from the front of the mic.
Find a way to tilt the cab back so it points right at your head. There's always a way.
If its a combo, will it fit on a tilt back amp stand? If not, use crates or cases to raise your amp.
^ agreed.
Try hard to find a way; I also play with a 4x10 and was having trouble with hearing myself/volume issues and tilting my cab helped SO much.
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Put the amp up on something side stage so its pointed across the stage and 90 deg off mic axis and pointed at the side of your head where your ears are located, not behind you unless you have ears on the back of your legs.
Then you can hear it better and the sound person and mic in question can hear it less.
Then you can hear it better and the sound person and mic in question can hear it less.
Have you heard yourself from offstage in the room yet? A lot of times, bass players are completely clueless how loud they really are, especially if they don't have a lot of experience, and especially if they have a small or medium cab that's shooting out below their ears because it's not tilted back. I would allow for the possibility that the soundguy is right, then investigate tilting back your rig and aiming it away from the singer's mic. And turn it down 
My thought - I don't care about the "size of the room" - plug into the PA and turn down on stage.
an easy fix that is often overlooked, but has been used by stage hands for decades.
A piece of 2x4 under the front of the cab angles it up a couple of degrees. In theatre/concert usage they commonly paint it flat black to match the stage. Cheap, works great for guitarists that cant hear their combos. I've done it a few times for bassists when I didnt want to lean to hard on the PA.
I also knew a guy that used to bring an extra 12" eden cab with him to shows in addition to his Eden 4x10. He would put it on top of the amps head or sometimes anything else that was a bit higher and angle it so it was hitting a zone kind of adjacent to the drummer. That way the drummer got a little bass fill and he could run back to a "safe zone" where he had eye contact with the drummer and he could hear himself.
But then he had a stereo amp(I think it was an SWR?) and his band had crazy instrumentation that often had poor sound support.
A piece of 2x4 under the front of the cab angles it up a couple of degrees. In theatre/concert usage they commonly paint it flat black to match the stage. Cheap, works great for guitarists that cant hear their combos. I've done it a few times for bassists when I didnt want to lean to hard on the PA.
I also knew a guy that used to bring an extra 12" eden cab with him to shows in addition to his Eden 4x10. He would put it on top of the amps head or sometimes anything else that was a bit higher and angle it so it was hitting a zone kind of adjacent to the drummer. That way the drummer got a little bass fill and he could run back to a "safe zone" where he had eye contact with the drummer and he could hear himself.
But then he had a stereo amp(I think it was an SWR?) and his band had crazy instrumentation that often had poor sound support.
Pop the back wheels off, and put the head under the front of the cab to tilt it back. DI into the PA for the house sound and the monitors of anyone else on stage who needs to hear you.
Run into the PA every show regardless of the size of the room. It's just easier to keep everything under control.
The other option (other than raising it as suggested by others) would be to "side fill" your cab. This means to point the cab inward from one end of the stage rather than forward where it collides with the singer's mic and also makes things tough on the sound guy.
The other option (other than raising it as suggested by others) would be to "side fill" your cab. This means to point the cab inward from one end of the stage rather than forward where it collides with the singer's mic and also makes things tough on the sound guy.
