Okay, you're setting up to play in a room that will have 200-300 people. The stage is raised approximately 2 1/2' up and is very spacious. The room is wider than it is deep, so your audience will extend off to the sides beyond the width of the stage. The entire band will be mic'd or running direct through the PA system. Which way will you face your cab? Will you face your cab straight forward so that you can potentially be heard along with the mains, or will you turn your amp to the side to let the mains do all the work and thus use your amp strictly as a stage monitor?
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How will you setup?
- Thread starter LanceRocket
- Start date
i would think it depended on the on stage sound equipment? the size of your cab and the size of the PA, all of these things really make a difference to where you put a cab most of all for me i am a very very large man and if i stand in front of my cab, fair enough i will get a back massage but no one will here my badass bass lines!!!!!!!!!!!!! so i am always mindful of that aswell
share the love i say set it up so you can comfortably hear it but you got to let the crowd knows whats going on good luck with the gig man!!!!!have a good one
share the love i say set it up so you can comfortably hear it but you got to let the crowd knows whats going on good luck with the gig man!!!!!have a good one
Stick it next to the drummer (on his hi-hat/snare side) and loud enough to fill the stage as monitor for you and band members. And yes, let the FOH fill the room, no point in making yourself deaf with stage volume too loud.
BTW, is this a proper show where audience is coming to see the band, or a function where dancing and chatting will be happening. If so, you only need enough FOH volume for the dancefloor. You don't want to be filling the whole room and stopping people from socialising.
BTW, is this a proper show where audience is coming to see the band, or a function where dancing and chatting will be happening. If so, you only need enough FOH volume for the dancefloor. You don't want to be filling the whole room and stopping people from socialising.
- Nov 29, 2007
- 3,641
- 13
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist GENZ BENZ/HERCULES STANDS/XSonics
What if there is a huge monitor on the drummers left (hi-hat side for most) that blocks him from your amp? A cabinet this size means he can get plenty of me through his monitor....
Now which way should the cab point?
Assume the rest of the band has good monitors too, and can ask for as much or little of everything they want.
Now which way should the cab point?
Assume the rest of the band has good monitors too, and can ask for as much or little of everything they want.
IF the monitors are sufficient to do a good job of monitoring instruments (meaning that they're bi-amped AND there's a separate mix for each musician/vocalist) then my amp becomes my personal monitor and I don't need to worry about whether anyone else can hear my amp- that's what the monitors are for.
But, I've only been in that situation three times. Mostly they say they have monitors for isntruments, but they're really only suited for vocals. In that case, putting any electric instrument into the monitors is going to make the vocals harder to hear, and that's going to exacerbate the volume wars. So, if it's vocal-only monitors, but the FOH is good and sufficient to the gig, then my bass amp is the monitor for the whole band. Set up in a fashion that lets every one hear me as well as they need. A big monitor on the high-hat side would have to be freakin' HUGE to effectively block the bass amp's sound enough to be an issue. I used to use a pair of Euphonic-Audio VL-208s with my Eden WT-400 for gigs like that. I'd set it up behind the PA stack on the snare-side of stage (I stood right next to the drummer with no one on my right). I angled it back towards the drummer so he and I could hear great, and it was enough wash for everyone else. And it totally removed my amp from conflicting with FOH.
jte
But, I've only been in that situation three times. Mostly they say they have monitors for isntruments, but they're really only suited for vocals. In that case, putting any electric instrument into the monitors is going to make the vocals harder to hear, and that's going to exacerbate the volume wars. So, if it's vocal-only monitors, but the FOH is good and sufficient to the gig, then my bass amp is the monitor for the whole band. Set up in a fashion that lets every one hear me as well as they need. A big monitor on the high-hat side would have to be freakin' HUGE to effectively block the bass amp's sound enough to be an issue. I used to use a pair of Euphonic-Audio VL-208s with my Eden WT-400 for gigs like that. I'd set it up behind the PA stack on the snare-side of stage (I stood right next to the drummer with no one on my right). I angled it back towards the drummer so he and I could hear great, and it was enough wash for everyone else. And it totally removed my amp from conflicting with FOH.
jte
If the PA and monitors are top notch "AND" if you feel that the sound person has the ability to mix both mains and monitors properly, and if you're sure the other band members will be able to hear you and you hear them, then I'd run a smallish cab off to my side just so I can get a little stage punch just for myself and then run direct with a pre EQ so the board person can adjust tone for the house.
I've played totally direct before but I always miss having that little bit of punch onstage. What are the other members doing? Are they running full stage amps? If so, you'll probably have to match their size with your stuff so it feels balanced onstage. In that case, I'd run my full stage rig putting my cab (s) where I always do (drummer's hi-hat and snare side) and match stage volume with everybody else. If there's a monitor there and the drummer feels like he can live with the feed from it, I'd move my cab away from him more to the side and use for my stage sound.
If the other members are using smaller amps and letting the mains and monitors do the work, I go with the smaller cab off to my side for me and let the house cover everything else.
I always work with the board person at sound checks to get the best mix of stage and house. I usually trust their judgement if they are the normal board person and they always work that PA in that house. They know the room way better than I do.
My stage rig has multiple amps (1 600 watt, 1 1200 watt) and cabs (2 410's, 1 single 15) so I can pick and choose what I need for a gig. If you use multiples and you have the ability to haul all your stuff there, just take everything and use what you think you need.
Good luck on the gig.
I like to use my amp as stage monitor and let the PA handle the proper mix ... Probably like a lot of others ... we bring our own PA. Our guitar player runs it. The problem I have with that is that he likes to hear is guitar above all others (except vocals of course). He puts very little bass in the mix (I hate that). I know because I go wireless and walk out in the audience to hear ...
Next gig I going to control more of the bass delivered to the audience by bringing my bigger amp.
Next gig I going to control more of the bass delivered to the audience by bringing my bigger amp.
Great feedback, thank you. The other band members typically turn their amps to the side. Either way (facing front or to the side) I think works with the equipment and stage setup, but I am more incline to face cab forward just because I hear everything better. It's better for me, but perhaps a little better for the overall sound if I turn my cab to the side.
Maybe. But I never liked it. Did it in the 80's when amps onstage weren't thought of as cool. I had to keep my amp really really low as not to annoy everyone else, and I hated only hearing it on one side of my ear. Thought it was a great idea until I tried it.
Our guitarist have had to turn their cab round, even facing backwards on the odd occasion to keep volume down in particularly small venues, and situations where volume is an issue (a wedding for example). Although I keep mine facing forward, being solid state I can still keep good tone at reasonably low volume.
