Is it normal not to hear your instrument onstage?

[Joe Louvar]

No - that is not normal - you need to hear yourself on stage.

No offence indented - but the other players were either jerks, rookies, or though you sucked, so they buried you. But either way you can chalk it up as a good experience.

PS: have a great weekend.

First gig ever tonight, an open mic night!

Cut a long story short, I don't know whether my bass amp was too quiet ( I think they had a 4x6 inch combo, not my rig) but all I could hear was the guitar! I could barely hear myself playing! Singer went through PA. I ended up just tuning in with the drummer cos that's all I could hear. We were playing funk & soul styles.

Is this normal?

 

[totallyfrozen]

Yep, unless there is a harmonica player on stage too.

I LOL'd

 

[spz8]

Normal: No

Typical: Unfortunately, yes

Seriously, what's the point in playing if you can't hear yourself? Make the bass louder than what you think it should be, and it will probably be where it belongs in the mix in most instances (IMO).

 

[adam on bass]

Try EQ'ing before cranking it.

 

[Octaves]

Didn't get time to EQ, and yes, amp could have been 4 x 8, it was smallish, but reasonable. I could feel / hear the frequencies clash between bass and guitar: Will ask my teacher about EQing at my next lesson.

 

[totallyfrozen]

Sneak behind the stack and unplug 1/2 of the guitarist's stack. He'll finally be playing with only twice the volume he actually needs and you'll be more present in the mix. LOL!

 

[OtterOnBass]

No, you don't need to be 8 feet away from the speaker in order to hear an E -- otherwise headphones wouldn't work. What often happens is that the ceiling is the right height to cause low frequency cancellations in the area directly around the amp. You should be able to hear something on stage, if it's a thin sound, blame the ceiling height.

 

[godofthunder59]

Sounds like you need to turn up!

 

[Stone Soup]

This time around, you probably should have reached back and turned up the amp. Sometimes, though, turning up isn't the answer. Sometimes EQ and cabinet placement are. It really depends on different factors like the room, how loud the other players are...

 

[claytitan]

I've only played one gig where I couldn't hear myself and I won't do it again. If you can't hear yourself play or sing something is wrong. Tell the effin' guitarist and drummer to tone it down or bring your own big rig and stand in there with them. If you sing and can't hear ask for more vocals in the monitors until they squeal. Maybe someone will get the point. It is really ridiculous how some players are so rude they don't know how to dial it back or a half way decent mix. Drummers many times set the volume level too high and guitarist love to compete on volume. The audience ends up with midrange noise that would drive me right out of the venue.

 

[SurferJoe46]

I just did a CW-Antiquities gig with a nice but useless floor monitor at my feet.

I vowed before and solemnly vow now and forever to always bring my own 210 combo (at least) to EVERY gig from now on.

The FOH later on said I was loud enough, but during the show I couldn't hear myself at all and in a group of a dobro, a mandolin, three guitars, two singers and a harmonic ---- I never for one note could hear myself. Oh yeah -- there's a banjo too.

I therefor softened my attack, hoping I was on the same song at least but never really knowing for sure and I hoped I was low volume enough to not be heard goofing up.--- I couldn't even see the guitars to get an idea of what chords they were throwing by their finger position!

It didn't help that the MC decided to change the order of the selections at that moment either. If I could at least hear the band and myself, I couldda boxed it all out OK 'nuff - but n o o o !

So --- as I played softer and softer, the sound guy kept turning my audience feed higher and higher until I bet they could hear my heartbeat, but I still couldn't hear my bass!

Then the best part -- the MC started talking over the music and said: 'Let's hear some of that bass solo now' -- Hell, I didn't even know until that moment that we were playing "Boxcar Blues" and it's' an original composition that we WERE'NT even gonna play that night.

I am never gonna let the sound guy tell me to not bring an amp ever again. I don't mind the PA and mixer setup --- but I gotta hear ME.

 

[David Jayne]

I'm not sure how scientifically accurate this is, but my first bass teacher told me that the frequency of the open E string takes about 8 feet to complete one cycle. Meaning that under 8 feet, you really aren't hearing the full sound of the open E string.....

The amount that this is scientifically accurate is zero.

 

[KimGT99]

Unfortunately over the years I learned to play without hearing myself.
Most of the times I manage to hear myself at a decent level, but yes, sometimes I sacrifice myself for the singer's and backing vox/rythm guitars sake.
Anyway, I plan on using my fretless on a couple songs and there I got to hear myself. So, no more sacrifice (or less). We're all conscious about the 'hear yourself / what you need' issue. We're planning on IEM in the future.
We bassists are too nice with our bandmates That's probably the issue

 

[Burwabit]

Not only should you hear yourself, I like to feel myself onstage. Wait, that didn't come out right. What I mean is I want my legs and body to resonate with low end awesomeness. If it's a wooden box stage... my feet too.

 

[Swipter]

Yeah cool, thanks everyone! Guitarist told me I was likely heard out front, but next time ill pump it up and I'll def take my own to any future gigs

Hate that when they tell me I am loud or too loud but can't hear myself. Sorry, that does not compute.

 

[bobt3719]

I have a major hearing problem with high freq and my hearing aid boost those freq. I had giving up playing for a while during that time I was fitted with the aids. So i'm playing my first gig since getting the aids and I find out that everything is so loud that I can not hear my self at all. The singer I was backing up changed the set list but I never got the word ... well the band started up and lucky for me I could tell what I was starting to play was not the tune the rest of the band was playing ... there was no way I could get back in there .. so I turned around and started working my amp like *** is wrong with this amp ... I was no rookie but this had never happened to me. What I found out and this will only work for me. if I remove one of my hearing aids the bass shines through like my own private monitor.
In all my years of playing on stage hearing yourself is not always something that will happen. getting louder is not always the answer either. I found standing in front of your rig and having it as high as say a 8x10 stack you should at least feel your playing. That is the biggest reason I used a 1x15 and a 4x10 cabs ...

To answer a question I know ill get. My hearing problem is not related to loud music. Just remember guys to protect your hearing at all times.

 

[Floyd Eye]

I think it's fairly normal when you are playing someone else's rig. Especially if it's one of those horrible multi-band things where everyone shares a backline.

 

[longfinger]

At a jam session I went to, I put the amp on MUTE when I unplugged my bass and left the stage. New guy plugged in and started playing, but did not un-MUTE the combo. It happens. ;-)

 

[Octaves]

Maybe someone will get the point. It is really ridiculous how some players are so rude they don't know how to dial it back or a half way decent mix. Drummers many times set the volume level too high and guitarist love to compete on volume. The audience ends up with midrange noise that would drive me right out of the venue.

I just listened to the recording and although it was done on an iPhone, all i could hear was the guitar and there were some strange mid-range "boomy" sonic noises going on. I have no idea what they were?! I think if it gets to the stage where the singer almost has to yell over the music, there is something wrong. Due to being a perfectionist, i'm going to have to raise the issue gently!

 

[totallyfrozen]

No, you don't need to be 8 feet away from the speaker in order to hear an E -- otherwise headphones wouldn't work. What often happens is that the ceiling is the right height to cause low frequency cancellations in the area directly around the amp. You should be able to hear something on stage, if it's a thin sound, blame the ceiling height.

I didn't say you had to be 8 feet away to HEAR an E. That's a ridiculous notion. I said I was told that is how far it takes to hear the full sound wave. If you are closer, it may not sound as full so it could get lost in the guitar freqs. People spend so much time and money fussing over cab design because they aren't all equal. Head phones are more limited than natural open, ambient space. But I'm digressing from the original topic.