Ok...tired subject, but I need advice.

[Old Garage-Bander]

Lol by myself... The 2x12 is great alone...as is the 4x12...both sound great together as well...but in full band setting, I'm getting lost... I just can't get the sound in my head to come through the mix....

OK, are you chasing tone instead of volume?

I think it's great that you took on a project like building your own cab.
Did you get the plans from a properly designed cab and use the speakers that went with the design?
If not, if this is just speakers in a box, which I am guilty of, myself, this may explain why you're not happy with the outcome.
Unfortunately, and unlike guitar cabs or even stereo stuff, bass is much more complex.
The design of the box must be correct and it must be built to certain specs which are determined by the speakers.

You first need to start with speakers specifically made for bass guitar use.
Then you use the Thiele/Small parameters of the speakers to determine the box design.
Most often the T/S parameters go into a computer program for cab design.
If you're not familiar with T/S parameter, go ahead and google it. Google 'splain S stuff much better than me.

Good luck with it all.

 

[Waltsdog]

When you say 300 watt full stacks do you mean your guitar players are running 300 watt amps through 8x12 stacks? That right there is issue number 1 (even if they are only 412s).

Diy cabs are likely a big part of your problem, what speakers are in them, we’re they properly designed for bass etc.

Youre also cutting mids in the 250 range and you probably want to be boosting there. But if you’re cabs aren’t capable then all the eq adjustment isn’t gonna help much.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Lol by myself... The 2x12 is great alone...as is the 4x12...both sound great together as well...but in full band setting, I'm getting lost... I just can't get the sound in my head to come through the mix....

Yeah... if the two cabs sound great individually but not together, you either have a polarity issue or the cabs just aren't comparable with each other.

 

[agedhorse]

From experience, my educated guess is that there is something wrong with the speakers, internal wiring or external cabling.

If these are well designed cabinets with appropriate drivers, that should be a potent rig.

You might also try turning the voicing down a bit too.

 

[two fingers]

Yeah this is likely a cabs issue.

Here's the info we need to help you out.

1) Are each of the cabs 8 ohms? If so, the 2-12 is getting the same amount of power as the 4-12.

2) Roughly how did you arrive at the deminsions for your cabs? Howndid you determine what speakers to use? Which leads us to....

3) What kind of speakers in each cab?

We want to help. But we need the specs on your cabs. Pics wouldn't hurt.

 

[Stumbo]

You're 2x12 is getting the same power as the 4x12.
Maybe that's the problem.

Who built the cabs?

Have you tried to gig just the 4x12?

 

[five7]

I have had many 8x10 cabs, used ones from $300 and up. Quit drinking beer and buy one and get tone.

 

[Hounddog409]

Lol by myself... The 2x12 is great alone...as is the 4x12...both sound great together as well...but in full band setting, I'm getting lost... I just can't get the sound in my head to come through the mix....

boost the mids to 1-2 o'clock for starters. And no offense, but the elephant in the room is "home built" cabinets. I would bet a lot of $$$ that is the issue. No way a properly designed 2x12 AND 4X12 does not peel the paint off of walls driven by the Mesa amp. I can't even turn the volumn past 12 with 2 1x15 cabs with my D800 at most venues with 3 guitars, keys, and drums.

 

[McFarlin]

Lol by myself... The 2x12 is great alone...as is the 4x12...both sound great together as well...but in full band setting, I'm getting lost... I just can't get the sound in my head to come through the mix....

You like the sound playing solo, while you are cutting mids with the voicing control and both mid controls. As several mentioned, you could try dialing the voicing knob CCW to reintroduce some mids (during rehearsal/practice with the band). I would also try turning those two mids knobs back up a bit. The two frequencies you mention are not far off from areas that, for me, are usually helpful for being heard (with some punch and grind) in a louder band. Definitely try bumping it up a bit somewhere around 1.5K Hz, and maybe something between 150 and 250.
I sometimes dig the scooped sound on my own or with only a drummer, but it doesn't always hold-up as well once everyone else gets cranking.

Also, looking at your profile, you changed the drivers in a Peavey cab and made another cab with drivers different from what is in the Peavey. So, what they ^ said.

 

[dukey donkey]

I'm really starting to lean on the eq settings being an issue...I think I simply haven't played with the head long enough to make the most of the interaction with the cab's... which I racked my brain over the t/s parameters and tried to mate them well...my 2x12 has a better high and upper mid response, and my 4x12 favors the low mids and lows... I'm going to experiment with putting the 2x12 on bottom too... Then again I could just be over thinking it and need to get back to square one...set everything to flat and tweak tweak tweak. My biggest mistake is probably not taking into consideration the unique frequency signatures of my cab's...

 

[agedhorse]

What drivers and how did you arrive at the cabinet internal volume and porting?

An 8 ohm 212 and 8 ohm 412? Not very good power balance between the drivers.

 

[dukey donkey]

What drivers and how did you arrive at the cabinet internal volume and porting?

An 8 ohm 212 and 8 ohm 412? Not very good power balance between the drivers.

I've been thinking the same thing. The 2x12 I built from the ground up based on the t/s parameters provided by the speaker manufacturer...the 4x12 is a peavey reload... perhaps I should go back and rethink the cabinet... maybe build around the speakers. I have noticed the 2x12 is quite a bit more efficient than the big boy...

 

[dukey donkey]

Maybe consider scrapping the whole thing lol

 

[dukey donkey]

Hence my question about a new speaker setup...

 

[loveandbass]

It’s all eq. Eq it to sound good when you go “out front” and adapt to the sound that you hear as you stand and play by your rig. Those low freqs need some space to develop

 

[dukey donkey]

Maybe a crossover?

 

[BadExample]

Those low freqs need some space to develop

Hut-o

 

[agedhorse]

Those low freqs need some space to develop

No (otherwise explain how headphones can develop bass with virtually no distance at all)

Maybe a crossover?

No, I'm pretty sure this won't solve your problem and may make it worse.

What can you tell us about the drivers and the cabinets?

 

[SirMjac28]

"Keep in mind both of my guitarists run full stacks with 300 watt krank tube amps"

 

[dukey donkey]

Ok the first pic is from the eminence speakers I used in the 4x12... An old txf... The second two are from the sicas I built the 2x12 around...