One step closer to sounding good I think...

[tony_clifton]

Hello!

Can somebody please give me some opinions or thoughts on this situation?

I play a Orange Terror Bass in a rock 'n roll band. I hook it up to 2 Aguilar 112 cabs, and I really love the sound, which is rather dark compared to an SVT for example.

Lately my band was playing at a band contest kind of gig, so I had to hook up to a PA system. I asked for a DI because the XLR out on my amp is said to be extremely hot. Maybe I had to try the built in DI first but I didn't want to keep everyone waiting - and I figured I would have a better tone with the equipment the soundguys are familiar with anyway.

I've seen some videos of that night and to me my Orange changed into an SVT of some kind. Not bad, but I'd like to sound more Orangy next time so I bought a XLR attenuator, which is basically 2 XLR jacks with some resistors in between.

If I choose the -25 db setting I can connect the amp to the line in of my laptop (with a XLR to mini-jack cable) without overloading it (input volume on 50% in Garageband). Is it safe to say my amp's DI is mixing-desk compatible?

And since it's post preamp - can the soundguys EQ it enough without me having to EQ a lot? That way I can keep my own sound on stage...

Thanks a lot!

 

[tony_clifton]

Basically my question is this:

If it's still too hot I have to use a DI.

If it's not too hot - do I have to set my EQ flat with master volume completely counter clockwise or can I still have my own amp and it's tone with monitors and a little help from the PA to spread the sound into the room?

 

[Jools4001]

So the XLR DI from the Orange is 'said to be' extremely hot, do you know whether it actually is or do you have figures for it? I don't have any Orange gear but I doubt that Orange would provide an output from their gear that was so hot as to be functionally useless.

In any case, all decent mixing desks have a gain control to keep input signals under control and an additional pad if things are still too hot...no harm in trying it.

 

[tony_clifton]

I know, but I don't have any experience with this matter and no way to experiment, so I don't want to take any risks when we play in a contest. If we win next round we are playing a 20.000 people festival so it's pretty important for us.

Anyway, it's a new design so sometimes such things slip trough. According to Orange it's +4 db line level (which they say isn't that unusual) so I think it might be +64 db mic level, but I'm not sure.
Mixing desks should be able to handle line level though.
Anyway, if the DI is too hot I can now bring the level down a bit.

Let's say I can use the built-in XLR-out - how do you get a nice stage sound? A friend of mine used the XLR-out of his Line 6 combo a while ago and altough he sounded right on stage, the bass tone trough the PA was horrible...

So do I have to mute the amp, EQ flat and hope the soundguys do the rest or can I set up as usual?


Sorry if those questions are easily answered by experience or something but I don't really want to worry about gear and such...

 

[WayneP]

I've seen some videos of that night and to me my Orange changed into an SVT of some kind. Not bad, but I'd like to sound more Orangy next time so I bought a XLR attenuator, which is basically 2 XLR jacks with some resistors in between.

I’m not sure how you can make any kind or reasonable evaluation of how your basses sounded from a video that used - what, the camera’s cheesy mic?

Anyway, it's a new design so sometimes such things slip trough. According to Orange it's +4 db line level (which they say isn't that unusual) so I think it might be +64 db mic level, but I'm not sure.

The XLR output’s level is dependant on your gain settings, and possibly your EQ settings as well (unless it has a pre/post EQ switch).

Most likely either your “Volume” or “Gain” knob affects the level to the XLR output, probably not both. Figure out which one does, and if needed turn it down. You can turn up the other to compensate for lost stage volume.

Let's say I can use the built-in XLR-out - how do you get a nice stage sound?

I’d say just use a regular DI and not your XLR out. That way you can tweak your amp so that it sounds good to you, with less effect on what the sound man has to work with.

Let's say I can use the built-in XLR-out - how do you get a nice stage sound? A friend of mine used the XLR-out of his Line 6 combo a while ago and altough he sounded right on stage, the bass tone trough the PA was horrible...

There are numerous reasons why that could happen.

If the Terror (or whatever your buddy was using) doesn’t have provisions to bypass the tone controls for the XLR output, then any settings you use for your stage sound will be sent to the mixing console. That could affect the sound man’s ability to get a good house sound. Or, it could be that your friend was running his stage amp so loud that it and the house system weren’t “playing nice” together.

Or, it’s possible that sound guy at that show just wasn’t that good.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt



Pedulla Club #45

 

[tony_clifton]

I’m not sure how you can make any kind or reasonable evaluation of how your basses sounded from a video that used - what, the camera’s cheesy mic?


The XLR output’s level is dependant on your gain settings, and possibly your EQ settings as well (unless it has a pre/post EQ switch).

Most likely either your “Volume” or “Gain” knob affects the level to the XLR output, probably not both. Figure out which one does, and if needed turn it down. You can turn up the other to compensate for lost stage volume.


I’d say just use a regular DI and not your XLR out. That way you can tweak your amp so that it sounds good to you, with less effect on what the sound man has to work with.


There are numerous reasons why that could happen.

If the Terror (or whatever your buddy was using) doesn’t have provisions to bypass the tone controls for the XLR output, then any settings you use for your stage sound will be sent to the mixing console. That could affect the sound man’s ability to get a good house sound. Or, it could be that your friend was running his stage amp so loud that it and the house system weren’t “playing nice” together.

Or, it’s possible that sound guy at that show just wasn’t that good.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt



Pedulla Club #45

Thanks for the fool proof explanation! That makes (a lot of) sense!

The amps EQ is active so with bass/mid/treble at noon I have a flat signal to the mixing desk. Gonna try that route whilst looking for a good sounding DI. Thanks a lot for your time!