Live Mix?

[Jimmy Bob]

Hey guys

I'm just wondering for the sound guru's out there, typically, what percentage of the overall live sound will be the sound coming from:
1. Your cabinet
2. The DI
3. The mic on the cab

Like should it typically be 50% cab, 25% Di, 25% mic? Or something else?

It just seems to me that if there's not enough PA projection, the bass is not going to 'envelope' the audience. It's just going to be coming from a distant box in the corner of the stage. Know what I mean?

I was recently at a gig at a medium sized venue, and a bassist was playing an Ibanez through a 12" Line6 Combo. The bass however sounded HUGE thick and clear throughout the entire room. Surely that couldn't be achieved by a 12" speaker in the corner of the stage. That scenario I would've thought it would be about 10% amp and 90% PA system that is projecting the bass.

Thoughts/ Experiences?

 

[Big_Daws]

whatever works best...

for me (and i must say thanks for starting this same effing argument again) i will use the DI 100% of the time in the PA....this typically gives me my cleanest sound to work with in order to be able to adjust the appropriate frequencies to make the bass guitar heard. then i will mic, and and do the same. the only issue is that you as the sound tech may have issues if the bass player wants to play with every effing knob on the amp and not stop playing.

however if you are using the DI line make sure it is the last signal taken before it goes to amp...ie if the chain is going through a series of pedals.

 

[Big_Daws]

oh and as far as me personally on stage. i use my amp to fill in the "gap" if im using subs, otherwise, cranking my amp i am. its a TC helicon BG250combo

 

[BazzTard]

It depends on the size of the venue and the PA's capabilities.

In a small pub with say 70 people in a smallish room, the PA would usually just handle vocals plus maybe kick. Your amp will be the only source.

A bit larger and you'll be going thru the PA,with your amp used mainly for onstage sound,usually close to the drummer,but still contributing to the mix,so maybe 70% PA 30% Amp.

Larger still and you go fully into the PA with or without an amp for stage monitoring, but if it's a decent PA the sound guy could give you a sep monitor mix with just the bass for you and the drummer.

Now I have to say I am old school, well before IEMs so I dunno if everyone goes IEM these days, not in the pub gigs around here they don't.

 

[Barisaxman]

whatever works best...

however if you are using the DI line make sure it is the last signal taken before it goes to amp...ie if the chain is going through a series of pedals.

This...it is entirely dependent the PA, the room, and the bass player. My general rule of thumb is I let the player get comfortable with their stage volume/monitoring arrangement, then mix as needed to either blend it to FOH for coverage, supplement it in the house for more volume/coverage, drop it from the mix if it's too f'n loud, or soe combination of the above. It just depends....normally if I have choice of mic or di. I'll use the mic as much as possible...and then season to taste with the DI depending on if I don't feel like I'm getting an accurate representaton of their tone on stage with just the mic. I am one those guys who does my best to recreate what I'm given, not try to make every bands sound what I want it to be (i know those those guys too...).

 

[Jimmy Bob]

Thanks guys! Helpful info

 

[4Mal]

When I'm mixing my own band, I am always in the PA - I've done some gigs in small rooms where I was DI only and no amp. Just my bass bone. When I'm doing sound I try to accommodate the player as far as mic or DI. I certainly pay attention to overall volume and if the band is too loud for the venue, I'll let them sink rather than contribute ... Certainly I'll give them the word. I find that with most bands, it isn't a problem.

As far as where the sound is coming from, I feel my personal tone is best expressed via DI usually with my amp being a stage monitor and only upas far as necessary for the drummer and me. Lots of 3 part harmony and vocals in my band so we manage our stage volume for that. In my old blues band, I played a Music Man tube amp and a 2x15. There I put a Sennheiser 421 on the cab and sent a line from the Radial. Only one vocalist at a time in that band and considerably higher stage vol. I recently dropped out of that one though. I really prefer the vocal thing...

 

[LiquidMidnight]

If you are putting the amp through the FOH, either via DI, mic, or both, ideally you want the entire sound out in the house to be coming from the PA. Any pro-level sound company is going to delay the FOH so that it's in phase with the backline, but many bands running their own sound aren't going to do this. If you're too loud on stage and are out of phase with the FOH, you can run into comb filtering and other issues. Of course, that's a perfect world. The reality is the audience is almost always going to hear stage volume if they are close enough to the stage.