Monitor only worries.

[Maud]

Hi, sorry if this has been covered before but I have a couple of worries so I'll put them here together.
I'll quickly explain the background, our band is booked to headline a smallish festival which will have all stage, sound and lighting sorted by a local company who will have their sound guy there.
We have been told to just bring instruments as they will plug us into their DI boxes and will have on stage monitors. My worry is that I will not be able to sufficiently hear myself through a floor monitor.I'm not the fussy type that has to have 'my sound' FOH, that's what the sound guy's for, just worried about me and the drummer hearing the bass clearly. What are your experiences with this set up?
Adding to my concern is that I read a review of last years festival that said the same sound company had big problems with musicians not being able to hear themselves, the sound cutting out completely several times and FOH sound being a mass of booming bass.

The other thing I was wondering about, and I'm not certain that this is the right section but here goes, is I use a Peavey Max tube pre amp () to shape my sound, get a little drive and punch that is always on, so I'd like to take that along. It has a balanced DI out so I assume that the sound guy will be fine with this but my concern is that with it being tube, can I run it with no speakers loading it, I know you shouldn't run a tube amp with no load but is it the same for a pre amp? It has a 12AX7 tube if it matters.

I don't think they have a problem with us taking amps but have said we won't need them and all traffic on site will be stopped at 10:00am so I would really like the liberation of just taking my bass and pre to use as a DI, just a tad worried as I really don't enjoy gigs when I can't hear myself properly.
What would you do, go with just bass and DI or take an amp and lug it half a mile from the carpark?

 

[JohnMCA72]

If you've heard stories of trouble in prior years, I think you'd do well to assume there are going to be similar issues this year. Until proven otherwise, expect more of the same from the same vendor & event so come prepared.

Your tube preamp always runs with no speaker loading anyway, so this would be no different.

 

[1954bassman]

If they are truely a professional sound company, I would just take my bass. Check their web site, look for an equipment list. If you are worried or concerned about their equipment or professionalism, call them and go over your stage plot and equipment requirements.

I myself would not take the Peavey, the last thing a pro sound man wants is the bass player monkeying with a preamp he can only hear through the floor wedges.

We do festivals and I carry two basses and my Radial JDI (just in case). Most of the guys at these festivals are playing uprights, I play a fretless G&L L2500 and an Epiphone fretless EL Capitane. Never fails I get plenty on compliments on my tone, and occassionally I get offers on my basses.

To be honest, usually the bands with the worse bass sound at these festivals are the guys using their own amps.

Also, the sound companys around here all use digital mixers, and probably have all kinds of presets, plug-ins, etc. made just for bass guitar.

I know at church I am getting the best overall sound and tone I have ever gotten. All I am using is a Markbass Compressore into a Radial JDI.

 

[lowfreq33]

What you need to find out is will there be a dedicated monitor console and engineer on the side of the stage? If there's someone right there that you can talk to mid set you'll probably be ok. If they're running monitors from FOH you might have some problems. I'd be looking into taking a small amp in that situation.

 

[walterw]

...our band is booked to headline a smallish festival...

if you're the headliners, you should all be able to bring all your regular gear and set it up however you want.

if transportation is an issue, maybe some of it can be pre-staged early, or even the night before if it's secure and sheltered?