I tried the other day as a guest performer and it was very underwhelming, So when I got called again, I used my Acoustic Image Doubleshot and the audience member told me how much better it was. They were not setup properly
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Last time playing live with an amp
- Thread starter DeeZee
- Start date
I've yet to have a monitor that was pleasing bass wise! Nothing but clack! The Casino we play at is set up for IEM's but............they don't have IEM's. They would have me DI'd into the system but not have me in FOH! ***?!?! I let it slide for a few months but I bring my rig now. Not dealing with that mess anymore.
I love that. I hope you don't mind if I cop it.
I tried to go ampless+ IEMs on my own a few years ago and was asked by my bandmates to use my rig in the future. They actually wanted more of a bass presence on stage. I love my bandmates
When was that photo taken?
I actually owned one of those Peavey stacks back in the day. Mark III
head with a Black Widow 15 stacked on. Black Widow 18.
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I go ampless frequently. But lately our singer, who runs the sound as well, has increasingly brought up how i need to turn down the amp when i do bring one (I ALWAYS keep the vol on the lower side). Its made me want to bring one more often lol.
Im like...can the drums turn down too? They are too loud on stage and you are mic-ing them and running them through the system...so.....
Im like...can the drums turn down too? They are too loud on stage and you are mic-ing them and running them through the system...so.....
Hobbyist here, a dozen gigs or so a year.
My weekly rehearsal has been ampless for
2 years. It keeps the domestic piece upstairs at the studio and I have learned to adapt. But it has been a huge learning curve for me.
Gig wise, I live in a small college town. The occasional festival might have a back line, FOH support at the local venues is 50/50, at best. I always bring my amp as a stage monitor if nothing else.
My weekly rehearsal has been ampless for
2 years. It keeps the domestic piece upstairs at the studio and I have learned to adapt. But it has been a huge learning curve for me.
Gig wise, I live in a small college town. The occasional festival might have a back line, FOH support at the local venues is 50/50, at best. I always bring my amp as a stage monitor if nothing else.
I’m of the opinion that vocalists should never be doing sound.
I guess it depends on the vocalist, but I haven’t worked with one yet who didn’t blame every instance of low frequency feedback - usually from the drums - on my bass amp being too loud. They also tend to think that the vocals need to be the loudest thing, as if people are hanging off every word of the lyrics.
I’d decided once to learn how to do it myself, but our guitar player is a software designer and programmer, so he got up to speed a lot quicker on the mixer than I could possibly have, so he’s doing it. So far, no problems.
I've given the ampless thing many different tries over the years.
Just like everything else in the music world, ampless works for some but not for all.
Many times tried stage monitors only, no stage amp...just didn't work for my ears.
Many times tried IEM's, no stage amp...just didn't work for my ears.
I'm back to "always" having a stage amp/cab...my ears couldn't be happier!
Just like everything else in the music world, ampless works for some but not for all.
Many times tried stage monitors only, no stage amp...just didn't work for my ears.
Many times tried IEM's, no stage amp...just didn't work for my ears.
I'm back to "always" having a stage amp/cab...my ears couldn't be happier!
No, the amp is a contributor to the tone I prefer. I would NEVER yield my amps to anothers opinion.
I'm not going ampless unless securing, playing and getting paid for the gig absolutely requires it. A few times it has. Hearing a bass amp is something I really like, regardless of volume of the band, the live sound/venue, or my own stage volume. I'm generally disinclined to turn the volume up, but the amp does have a volume knob which I can turn down. Nobody EVER has had a problem with my actual or perceived stage volume... at least that's ever been disclosed to me, and I think I'm a pretty approachable guy so...
And also I know almost every soundperson I ever work with now, so IF I wanted to go ampless, and with the gear I have, I'm pretty sure I could. But my interaction with, and hearing the amp matters to ME, if only me, and that's good enough reason to use one.
And yes, the PA support and soundperson is there for a reason- let them carry the big, heavy, loud stuff, and whoever thinks it's too loud or thinks you are too loud can fight that battle with the soundperson. Not your barrel of drunk monkeys anymore.
Playing ampless is not giving up or giving in, it's a blessed situation once you get used to it. In my case, all my gigs are ampless, and ha e been for years, and all out monitoring is via in ears. Yes, it's different, but once you get used to it, hearing yourself better than you ever have before, and not having your ears blown out by stage volume is wonderful. If you get to play with really nice PA's, there's an interesting feeling of power when the sound in your ears is clear, but not too loud, and the floor beneath your feet is moving from the PA that's...highly addictive.
I first did in ears 30ish years ago - I was one of the folks at Shure that worked on the stuff. Our first activity was to get together a band to try out the concept, and I was the bassist for that experiment. I was the first person in the band to rip out my ears, so I know it can be a tough transition, but...once the gear got good enough (you don't have to endure that, but I did), there's just the learning curve of how to get a good mix for yourself. Once you master that, you won't want to go back.
I first did in ears 30ish years ago - I was one of the folks at Shure that worked on the stuff. Our first activity was to get together a band to try out the concept, and I was the bassist for that experiment. I was the first person in the band to rip out my ears, so I know it can be a tough transition, but...once the gear got good enough (you don't have to endure that, but I did), there's just the learning curve of how to get a good mix for yourself. Once you master that, you won't want to go back.
Yes but it was kinda useless since the frequency response from both cabs was about the same so usually ran them full range.
He generally does a good job and has run sound for other bands, plus he owns the PA (and gets most of the gigs) so our hands are tied a bit. I tend to keep the stage volume low when he is checking levels, then turn it up a little after we do soundcheck (nothing crazy). I almost always run DI out from my Genzler preamp pedal to the PA so the amp is there for me to get some of my sound out in the room. I find alot of soundguys send the lowest freqs to the subs then either have the rest really low in the tops or none at all. So the amp helps me in this band, but I dont always bring it lol
There's a reason the sound guy is asking you to turn down the stage volume. It's that you're simply to f*<#ing loud and the mix can't be leveled when you (or the guitars or drums etc) are too loud and out of balance with the other instruments and especially with the vocals, which in any decent band are (or should be) the primary focus. You're paying a sound engineer to make your entire band sound good and you don't want to trust them because you're unwilling to make whatever personal adjustments are required to make the bands overall sound as good as possible? So why bother having a sound person running the FOH, save the money and do it yourself since you know better than they do.I feel your pain. I felt like the sound guy at this last show was Lars Ulrich at the bass mixdown for And Justice For All. I started off with a fairly benign volume level and he wanted lower. I turned down lower and it was still not low enough. He did the same to the two guitarists to the point we all were just about amp-less and nothing in the monitors. It was quite ridiculous but has just about become the rule these days.
Word. And an ampless/silent stage is much simpler/faster to setup and balance, AND sounds noticeably better out front to the audience. It's not about YOU and what you want, it is (or should be) about getting the band to sound as good IN TOTAL as possible. Team players know this is Rule #1 - band before your own wishes/habits/ego. I'm guessing you're not much of a team player.
Couldn't have said it better.
Man, silent rehearsals with IEMs and individual mixes has been a total game changer!
For the first time in nearly 42 years of playing in rock bands with guitar players and drummers, I can hear *everything*.
The band has become a *lot* tighter, and it’s something that everyone who gives us feedback comments on, including the four vocalists we auditioned last fall before bringing on our current guy, who is an absolute pro. We’ve gone from doing $400 gigs to doing $2400 gigs.
There’s also no ringing ears after rehearsals, and we can practice in our drummer’s basement without driving his entire family crazy - he uses e-drums at home. All they hear is the vocals.
Speaking of vocals, I can now sing backup properly *because I can hear myself*.
I started jamming with another group back in the fall, on the side - I had everyone investing in IEMs and I bought a digital mixer to support them. I can’t go back, for rehearsals - I just need to finally cut the cord for performances.
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In my case, I kept bringing smaller rigs. Last one was a 1x12/GK MB200 aprox. 125w. All eq at noon and volume maybe around 10 o'clock. I was NOT loud. I've run sound before. An experienced sound person would have done a stage wash with a bit of bass in all the monitors. Didn't happen. They told me to turn my speaker sideways. I did. Still complained. It just befuddled me and pissed me off. Now get this...........he pulled me over to the mixer and he barely had a signal in the channel. I already knew he hadn't gain staged the channel and didn't know how to balance stage and FOH but he tried to be condescending to me saying he's been doing sound for x amount of years. I said, so have I! I know when I'm loud....which is never. I've always been asked to turn up, never down. So I stopped bringing a rig for a couple months. I just recently brought my rig back and told them if they can't mix me in FOH..........don't. I can carry the room. I'm not playing those games anymore. I actually hate that venue for other reasons as well. I should not have to wait a month to be paid! Not cool yet they (booking agency) sent a list of petty rules to adhere by.There's a reason the sound guy is asking you to turn down the stage volume. It's that you're simply to f*<#ing loud and the mix can't be leveled when you (or the guitars or drums etc) are too loud and out of balance with the other instruments and especially with the vocals, which in any decent band are (or should be) the primary focus. You're paying a sound engineer to make your entire band sound good and you don't want to trust them because you're unwilling to make whatever personal adjustments are required to make the bands overall sound as good as possible? So why bother having a sound person running the FOH, save the money and do it yourself since you know better than they do.
Word. And an ampless/silent stage is much simpler/faster to setup and balance, AND sounds noticeably better out front to the audience. It's not about YOU and what you want, it is (or should be) about getting the band to sound as good IN TOTAL as possible. Team players know this is Rule #1 - band before your own wishes/habits/ego. I'm guessing you're not much of a team player.
Couldn't have said it better.
