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Please help me understand my own ears...

bongostealth

bongostealth

Jun 3, 2011
2,622
2,091
Atlanta, GA
#1
I may just be the only one with this issue, but if not, here goes...

Do any of you ever experience the following: on any particular day, your gear sounds great. You've tweaked your amp, effects, bass, etc. to the point where you are very happy with the sound. Then, the next day, or whenever else you use your gear again, and without changing anything on any of your settings, you all of a sudden discover that you don't like your sound and thus feel disappointed in your sound. Is it just my ears or is there an actual name for this???

It drives me nuts sometimes because it seems that what sounds good on a particular day sounds like crap on another. What gives????
 
#3
More or less, yes.
A few weeks ago I was playing my one amp and it sounded soooo good I just kept playing for about an hour straight. Everything was so throaty and rich. I was in love.

Two days later I turned it back on and plugged in the same bass and it sounded just "ok" to me.

I've had other experiences like that, but I've always wrote it up to being in a slightly different state of mind where yesterday's tone just didnt speak to me today.
 
#4
Sure, it does...

But I've learned to deal with it and not make any big changes when this happens. In a few minutes or a little while, everything sounds fine, unless something is broken, like discovering a blown speaker or a bad amp. That's pretty rare.

Also, that's why pro sound guys spend a lot of money on measurement software and microphones. Lots of things affect our perception of what something, like a big PA, sounds like from day to day. A long drive in the morning to a gig can be rough on the ears if the truck or vehicle isn't well-insulated from noise (that's why I love semi tractors - very quiet), different locations can affect the ears and sinuses, even your mood can affect your perception (like being verbally accosted by an irate promoter or someone as soon as you arrive at a venue). Even the different venues can make you think something doesn't sound right with your gear. Using measurement gear can verify what's going on with your PA, even to the point of finding problems. We are taught to not rely on the software to do our job, but to help us verify what we are hearing in case there's reason to doubt it.

Now, I'm not saying to spend $700-800 on measurement software and another chunk of cash on a measurement microphone. I'm just saying that yes, you can hear slightly differently from day to day. And it's big enough of an issue for pro sound guys to be able to deal with it in order to ensure that the PA is consistent from day to day. But in the case of small PAs and bass rigs, just listen to it for a bit before making big changes.
 
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#5
Here's the thing: you're not just playing your rig. You're playing your rig in a physical space (that has it's own acoustic response, changing as the crowd changes), and you're playing along with other musicians (who are producing sounds that will mask at any given moment some of the sound you're creating on bass).

Dial in the perfect studio or rehearsal tone. Then play your rig—with those same settings—at a gig in a boomy room, and your rig will sound boomy. Put your rig in the corner of a boomy room, and it will sound triple-boomy. Play with a left-hand heavy keyboardist (or with two super-loud, low-end-boosted metal guitarists), and you'll have trouble hearing low-end definition and power in your tone.
 
#6
No such thing as perfect settings. If you are playing in a room with other musicians, keep in mind a few tone changes on their end will affect the perception of your instrument. Guitarist changes pedal settings, different room, strings are starting to die, bad day = pull harder on your strings, singer singing louder or softer than usual. Too many factors to list. That's why I cringe and get quite annoyed when everyone on this forum wants "Favorite EQ SETTINGS". I can understand trying to set a specific amp to distort (Ampeg Growl, GK growl) or sound a specific way - there are specific actions you have to do there. However, EQ settings are DIFFERENT for EVERY PLAYER at EVERY show. It's all about adjusting your rig in the specific environment to get the tone you want.

My Spector Euro 5 strings have a lot of low end when set flat - I have to constantly dial back low end on my (below 100hz) on my rig so I can hear myself nicely on stage. While some people on this forum need to boost the low end to oblivion on their rigs because their basses do not provide it. Either way is acceptable as long as the tone works for the player.
 
#7
There are some fantastic points here and I appreciate everyone's responses. Also, I understand that there will be different acoustic dynamics in different rooms. However, here's my problem: whenever I've experienced this change in sound, it's always been through my headphones. Some days things just sound amazing. Other days, those same settings sound just "meh". And it's ALWAYS been through my headphones.

I don't get it.
 
#9
bongostealth said:
There are some fantastic points here and I appreciate everyone's responses. Also, I understand that there will be different acoustic dynamics in different rooms. However, here's my problem: whenever I've experienced this change in sound, it's always been through my headphones. Some days things just sound amazing. Other days, those same settings sound just "meh". And it's ALWAYS been through my headphones.

I don't get it.
Click to expand...

Ear fatigue - after a few hours of loud noises through headphones, you HAVE to take a break. Your ears need to rest. If your day has been full of loud noises, putting on headphones is not always going to be pleasant.
 
#10
bongostealth said:
whenever I've experienced this change in sound, it's always been through my headphones...I don't get it.
Click to expand...

This might be it: the fit changes how headphones sound, and it's a pretty rare pair of cans that fits you with the same snugness every time you put them on. If you squeeze them a bit closer to your ears, you'll hear noticeably more low end.

Depending on how your headphones fit, the difference from one wearing to the next (or even over time in the same session) can be significant.
 

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