Pre or Post out to the PA?

[Blankandson]

Most of the combo amps I'm looking at have pre rather than post to the PA. What if any difference would that make? If I tweak the sound so what I hear is wonderful, the signal to the board is flat and neutral. That means the mixer can do whatever he/she wants. Is that a non-issue? Or does anyone have fights with the sound mixer over it?
If it's no big deal then I won't look for a higher priced combo that has pre/post switching.
I do know that at my church the low bass notes really go only to the sub, so notes are felt rather than heard. But I've visited other churches where the bass player is giving it all he/she has, and I hear nothing in the house. That would really upset me to practice and learn the music, only to have nothing in the house.

 

[TimmyP]

The amp EQ is there to make the amp sound good. This EQ is often far from what is needed to make your bass sound good in the PA. Send a pre-EQ signal to the board. (Ever play a CD through an amp? The sound coming out of the amp is nothing like the sound that went in.)

 

[musicman7722]

Most everyone says pre but my foh guy likes mine post. Mind you I rarely make any changes to my sig except maybe turn up or down depending what he wants. I use IEM for myself but he still makes me bring my amp.

 

[JimmyM]

if you know what you're doing you can run post. but timmy's point is a good one. you can really screw the pooch if you fiddle with your eq a lot or use a lot of extreme eq in your rig. so here's my rule of thumb...if you ask about which is better, then you are best off running pre.

 

[georgestrings]

IME, if you can get a tone you like with your amp's EQ set fairly flat, and somewhat leave it alone during the set - running post-EQ can work really well, since you're able to get your amp's preamp into the mix that way without making the soundguy's job more difficult than it needs to be... My amp has a really good sounding preamp, and I think it sends a better sounding signal to the board when run post-EQ...

If not, running pre-EQ will never hurt things any...



- georgestrings

 

[MNAirHead]

if you know what you're doing you can run post. but timmy's point is a good one. you can really screw the pooch if you fiddle with your eq a lot or use a lot of extreme eq in your rig. so here's my rule of thumb...if you ask about which is better, then you are best off running pre.

This is probably the smartest reply..

The issue of runing post is that a bass dork can alter without the consent of a sound guy.. this can scramble the FOH and the sound guy will be blamed.

When in doubt, pre... then let the sound staff manage it.

I always suggest my students run a DI box (with pass through) until they understand sound.

 

[bassplayer8953]

My Carvin (BX600) has both pre- & post- available. 80% of sound guys prefer the signal pre- so they can eq themselves, to suit the acoustics of pa, & the room in general.

 

[Blankandson]

Thanks for the excellent (and quick!) feedback. That helps with my rig search.

 

[fokof]

If you are looking to plug your DI out of your head , check for an XLR out that has a pin 1 lift (ground lift) also check that the out is REALLY Pre.
Some are only pre EQ , so if you adjust your gain while in show , your FOH will like you a lot !

 

[rockstarbassist]

I go post, otherwise I'd just bring a DI!
But I don't do massively weird EQ shaping onstage either. I used to when was just a young'n gigging at hole in the wall places.
I do use my graphic EQ on the M9 but that's more for a little boost at 600/900/2k. The regular B/M/T controls are pretty much flat and I adjust some onboard the NS5. Never have any complaints, only compliments.

 

[natw42]

At the last gig I did, the sound guy preferred post-eq because the pre-eq signal was too hot from my bass. With the post-eq, the input pad worked on the DI signal as well. Granted, I don't futz with the knobs on my amp once the gig starts, save for turning up the master volume (usually at my drummer's behest, not mine ).