Rack/Studio/Large Venue Setup, Do you have one?

[sorrowdemonica]

I am new to this forum.. I am sure there's already a topic like this somewhere, but I couldn't find it after a look through the various topics on this forum.. but anyways, I am interested in seeing your bass setups! Preferably those of you with complete Rack, Major Venue, or Studio Setups..
please no photos of just some combo amp and a bass..
I want to see money well spent here!

So since I am new, what better way to say hi than to Show off my Large Venue/Studio Setup!

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This is what you see in the photo (Don't pay any attention to that small PA Speaker and Mic and Cords...):

- B.C. Rich NJ Beast w/ DiMarzio Pick-Ups
- B.C. Rich Warlock w/EMG Pick-Ups
- Ampeg SVT-4 PRO
- Ampeg Classic 8x10 and 1x15 Speaker Enclosures In Stereo Configuration.
- Rocktron Hush (because all that equipment hums without it!)
- BBE Sonic Maximizer (EVERY BASSIST SHOULD HAVE THIS!)
- Aphex Aural Exciter/Enhancer
- Alesis 24 Band 2 Channel Digital EQ
- Sabine Tuner
- Furman Power

Other Equipment I own Not Pictured (including the Axes used when not playing metal xD!):

Fender 1975 Jazz Bass Maple w/Block Inlays (BROKEN )
Ibanez SR-810
Ibanez Ergodyne EDB-500
Peavey Millennium 4 (First Generation)
Ampeg BA115HP (Combo Amp)
I think that's it...

**More @Home/Studio/Live Photos on request**

My gear has had the opportunity and privilege to play on some of the same Hollywood/LA stages as many great Artist... Venues such as The Keyclub, The Roxy, House of Blues, B.B. King's, etc...

Unfortunately, my bass days are behind me as my last band and I separated and soon became no more, and it's been a couple years since I've fired up my studio equipment and I haven't had any interest in searching for or joining a new band... However, Tonight I felt a spark/passion for bass once more.. Don't blame me.. Blame Marcus Miller! SO after listening to some great Marcus Miller Bass Solos, I decided to go on the net and found my way to this forum! who knows.. maybe I can get some inspiration to play once again?


Anyways, Show me your set ups! I am interested to see!

 

[sorrowdemonica]

anyone ?

 

[Catbuster]

My big GK failed, and I usually rented an 8x10 when I was playing big venues. My basses were an MIJ P bass, that I no longer own, and an MIM Jazz, which I still own.

 

[Korladis]

Main rig in old configuration (before amp went into its case):
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Also included is my guitarist, lol. What's different now? The amp is in a home-made case (not a rack, I don't like the way they look and my amp is the only rackmount thing I have), and the 1x15 is on top of the 2x10. The whole thing is also now on the platform to the guitarist's left.

Home setup, with amp in unfinished case:
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Sorry the bass isn't in the picture and the image is sideways. The cab will soon stay at my home pretty much always, as I'm about to move a Sunn 2x15 to the warehouse and sell off the 2x10 cab.

 

[sorrowdemonica]

Also included is my guitarist, lol. What's different now? The amp is in a home-made case (not a rack, I don't like the way they look and my amp is the only rackmount thing I have), and the 1x15 is on top of the 2x10. The whole thing is also now on the platform to the guitarist's left.


Sorry the bass isn't in the picture and the image is sideways. The cab will soon stay at my home pretty much always, as I'm about to move a Sunn 2x15 to the warehouse and sell off the 2x10 cab.

Nice setup, I've always loved classic Mesa Boogie Bass Amps and especially the hard to find (and always overpriced used) Mesa Boogie Bass Cabinets!

I think your setup with that amp box has a good homemade appeal, it's not all snobby looking like mine, but looks Honest, Appealing, and Custom. Reminds me of some of my early 2x15 Randall Cabinet rig when I first started playing bass in a Highschool garage band and all the sorts of things I've use to Jerry Rig to it like one time a 1979 Marantz SM-7 Stereo Amplifier because I couldn't afford to fix my Bass Amp at the time (SWR 350)..! which brings me to the point.. Don't ever buy SWR. Then again they could have improved over the many years since I've owned one. but my experience with two SWR 350s I've owned (second one was a warranty replacement) was that they constantly blew fuses and had to have the transformer replaced. The latter problem caused me to use the Marantz Stereo Amp for a Live Backyard Gig! They look awesome, especially with all that chrome, but over all very undependable (both of the ones I've used experienced the same problems) and don't dare use it for any live gigs especially at a real venue.. Also stay away from carpet! I seriously think all that chrome somehow channels any and all static from your body straight into the fuse or something and not only do you get a bad shock, but you end up shocking the amp to death; well blow a fuse...

Also, I've had some short lived fond memories of a Sunn 2x15 cab paired with a Trace Elliot 8x10 I've had once before from an eBay affair long ago!

 

[sorrowdemonica]

My big GK failed, and I usually rented an 8x10 when I was playing big venues. My basses were an MIJ P bass, that I no longer own, and an MIM Jazz, which I still own.

how much does it run to rent? I never knew anyone offered bass equipment rental services for gigs.. I've only known of those few and rare greedy rehearsal rooms that don't supply any equipment and require you to bring your own or rent their crap separately from the cost of the room.. What kind of equipment was it (Brand, model, etc)?

 

[darkstorm]

Mines just a studio setup nowadays. Basses are bc rich warlock and eagle. Processor is Zoom B9.1ut and occassionally Korg Kaos pad3 and even ocassinally the audio inputs on my Novation KS4 keyboard synth. Mixer is Yamaha MG10/2. Harddisk recorder is Fostex MR8. Beyer Dynamic and Sennehiser headphones. Klipsch active monitor speaker system. Cables by Livewire elite, Audioquest, and Monster. (livewire elite for 1/4 plug cables), audioquest and monster for rca plug stereo pairs. Also have and use Zoom Rythmtrack 234 drum and bass machine and Korg microkorg synth. Though the korg kaos pad3 does get its solo bass guitar time, its mainly used for full mix mangling and what not including some additional synth bass voices. The 2 keyboard synths are mainly used for soundbeds, pads, fx ,and some leads to include bass synth voices.

 

[sorrowdemonica]

Mines just a studio setup nowadays. Basses are bc rich warlock and eagle. Processor is Zoom B9.1ut and occassionally Korg Kaos pad3 and even ocassinally the audio inputs on my Novation KS4 keyboard synth. Mixer is Yamaha MG10/2. Harddisk recorder is Fostex MR8. Beyer Dynamic and Sennehiser headphones. Klipsch active monitor speaker system. Cables by Livewire elite, Audioquest, and Monster. (livewire elite for 1/4 plug cables), audioquest and monster for rca plug stereo pairs. Also have and use Zoom Rythmtrack 234 drum and bass machine and Korg microkorg synth. Though the korg kaos pad3 does get its solo bass guitar time, its mainly used for full mix mangling and what not including some additional synth bass voices. The 2 keyboard synths are mainly used for soundbeds, pads, fx ,and some leads to include bass synth voices.

Woah woah! that's not bass equipment ! just a huge list of studio equipment xD! it's very nice and stuff but I am wondering also what is your actual bass setup besides the B.C. Rich's.. amp? Cab? you didn't say !

P.S. my personal recording equipment consist of a Korg 3200 (16-Track Digital Recorder) which was home at the time of my photo above.. which is why you see that mess of mic cables running to my equipment, as I had it placed ontop of that PA speaker.. and the rest of my personal setup also consisted of two AKG mics (the black one for the 8x10 and blue one used for 1x15), all monster cables, including the Speakon cables for my Amp/Cabs, the patch & crossover cables, etc that are behind the scenes (in my amp rack or whatever)... Lastly, my bass amp w/rack units and my Korg 3200 are all safely secured in Road Ready Deluxe Cases.

Then owned by me but not used for me, but for my band at the time... I supplied my guitarist with Sennheiser Mics, my drummer with a Sennheiser Drum Mic Kit including Overhead Mics and an AKG Bass Drum Mic, and the vocalist with an AKG mic. and of course Monster Cables for everything!

 

[nostatic]

please no photos of just some combo amp and a bass..
I want to see money well spent here!

Sorry, for me it would be money well wasted. If I'm recording I don't use a bunch of stuff. My favorite setup was Great River NV1 preamp into a Summit TLA-50 compressor into the board. Nothing else. These days though with the quality of plug ins I can just run direct into a good pre/interface. For live I have a small pedal board with the critical players being the FEA Dual Band comp and the Paradriver for DI to FOH. I don't need anything more than Berg AE210 (and maybe add a AE112) as a bigger venue is going to have FOH so all I need is stage monitor. Then again, I'm not doing metal or loud rock - rather funk to soul to jazz.

I prefer to spend my money on my instruments. This has gotten, "holy crap that sounds great direct" from sound guys around town:

 

[sorrowdemonica]

Sorry, for me it would be money well wasted. If I'm recording I don't use a bunch of stuff. My favorite setup was Great River NV1 preamp into a Summit TLA-50 compressor into the board. Nothing else. These days though with the quality of plug ins I can just run direct into a good pre/interface. For live I have a small pedal board with the critical players being the FEA Dual Band comp and the Paradriver for DI to FOH. I don't need anything more than Berg AE210 (and maybe add a AE112) as a bigger venue is going to have FOH so all I need is stage monitor. Then again, I'm not doing metal or loud rock - rather funk to soul to jazz.

I prefer to spend my money on my instruments. This has gotten, "holy crap that sounds great direct" from sound guys around town:

Yep, I agree with that! for some reason with my first band which was a NuMetal band (sort of like Deftones/Korn type of music) that made it into a Studio, they had everyone patch themselves into the studio equipment.. we didn't need our amps or cabs really, except the guitarist.

But for some reason, when My death metal band hit the pro studio, we all used a mic setup. I believe it's just because when your plugged straight into the studio pre-amps/equipment.. they just cant replicate that "Death Metal sound" Just too powerful, loud, and whatnot I think? it seems to be the same thing for alot of Death/Black Metal bands, even the major record label contracts... When you see the behind the scenes studio recording process, they typically are all MIC'd up!

However there are a some major death/black metal bands who don't get MIC'd but then with those few bands, their releases, they sound "Too Clean/Processed/professional" which could be bad for the typical average Death/Black Metal band, but on the other hand, is really great for Technical Death Metal Bands with Virtuoso level guitarist (with bassist who can keep up and provide their own technicality) that are doing elaborate and technical leads and solos left and right who benefit from the cleanliness the engineers can provide when they are plugged straight into the processors and Mixing Boards!

 

[Korladis]

Nice setup, I've always loved classic Mesa Boogie Bass Amps and especially the hard to find (and always overpriced used) Mesa Boogie Bass Cabinets!

I think your setup with that amp box has a good homemade appeal, it's not all snobby looking like mine, but looks Honest, Appealing, and Custom. Reminds me of some of my early 2x15 Randall Cabinet rig when I first started playing bass in a Highschool garage band and all the sorts of things I've use to Jerry Rig to it like one time a 1979 Marantz SM-7 Stereo Amplifier because I couldn't afford to fix my Bass Amp at the time (SWR 350)..! which brings me to the point.. Don't ever buy SWR. Then again they could have improved over the many years since I've owned one. but my experience with two SWR 350s I've owned (second one was a warranty replacement) was that they constantly blew fuses and had to have the transformer replaced. The latter problem caused me to use the Marantz Stereo Amp for a Live Backyard Gig! They look awesome, especially with all that chrome, but over all very undependable (both of the ones I've used experienced the same problems) and don't dare use it for any live gigs especially at a real venue.. Also stay away from carpet! I seriously think all that chrome somehow channels any and all static from your body straight into the fuse or something and not only do you get a bad shock, but you end up shocking the amp to death; well blow a fuse...

Also, I've had some short lived fond memories of a Sunn 2x15 cab paired with a Trace Elliot 8x10 I've had once before from an eBay affair long ago!

Just bought the amp from another TBer last year. It's nearly perfect for what I need (grind).

Before that I used an Ampeg SVT350H, which I liked but wasn't distorted enough.

I haven't had too much reliability trouble. I've never had a really cobbled together setup, even if my head's case might look rather rough.

 

[sorrowdemonica]

*poke*

 

[MrDOS]

Here's my "large venue" rig. Haven't had a chance to use it yet since getting the second cab two months ago!

Left:
Bergantino HT310 and Bergantino 2X12" sealed prototype

Right:
. Furman PL Plus
. Alembic F-1X
. dbx 266XL compressor
. QSC PLX-2402 power amp

. Crest CA-9

. Furman PS-Pro-II 20A Power Sequencer
. Korg rack tuner
. Demeter VTBP-201 S tube bass preamp
. dbx 166xl compressor
. Aphex 204 Aural Exciter with Big Bottom
. QSC PLX-1602 power amp

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[johnk_10]

i have a few:

 

[sorrowdemonica]

Here's my "large venue" rig. Haven't had a chance to use it yet since getting the second cab two months ago!

Left:
Bergantino HT310 and Bergantino 2X12" sealed prototype

Right:
. Furman PL Plus
. Alembic F-1X
. dbx 266XL compressor
. QSC PLX-2402 power amp

. Crest CA-9

. Furman PS-Pro-II 20A Power Sequencer
. Korg rack tuner
. Demeter VTBP-201 S tube bass preamp
. dbx 166xl compressor
. Aphex 204 Aural Exciter with Big Bottom
. QSC PLX-1602 power amp

Looking great! ever thought about getting a BBE Sonic Maximizer?

Have you ever tried one? greatest invention ever for bass in my opinion...

...works for guitars and other instruments too..

 

[sorrowdemonica]

i have a few:

If you Play Live... your running not only your bass but the Whole Arena/Stadium Too!!!!

 

[MrDOS]

... ever thought about getting a BBE Sonic Maximizer?

Have you ever tried one? greatest invention ever for bass in my opinion...

...works for guitars and other instruments too..

I tried a BBE many years ago, and did not like the sound. I am sure the newer ones are better, the Aphex 204 works fine for me. I've used it on mains PA to help prevent ear fatigue, too.

 

[sorrowdemonica]

I tried a BBE many years ago, and did not like the sound. I am sure the newer ones are better, the Aphex 204 works fine for me. I've used it on mains PA to help prevent ear fatigue, too.

i use own the same aphex 204 as you, and own the bbe.. they don't really compare to eachother, theyenhance a different spectrum than eachother. and if I had to choose one over the other.. I'd sacrifice that Aphex any day.. in fact, I'd sacrifice every single piece of equipment in my rack for it.. it's the single most greatest thing there is! Also with one, you don't have to touch those big bottom knobs on the Aphex. they sound terrible compared to what the sonic maximizer can do.

this is the one I use:
http://www.bbesound.com/products/sonic-maximizers/882i.aspx

here's the official take on what a sonic maximizer can do for you:

Sonic Maximizer restores natural brilliance and clarity to an audio signal by the use of two integrated functions. First, it adjusts the phase relationships between the low, mid and high frequencies through adding progressively longer delay times to lower frequencies, creating a kind of mirror curve to neutralize the effect of loudspeaker phase distortion. Second, the Sonic Maximizer augments higher and lower frequencies as loudspeakers tend to be less efficient in their extreme treble and bass ranges. The end result is a dynamic, program-driven restoration which reveals more of the natural texture and detail in the sound without causing fatigue that is often associated with exciter effects, psychoacoustic processors or excessive use of equalizers.

In other words, it can make a sh*t rig sound great!.. and Make a Pro Rig sound Polished.

I actually got turned on to Sonic Maximizer because every time I noticed a band I like was in the studio, or playing some Large Venue.. I Always noticed that in their racks there was always that Red and Silver Rack Device.. So when I eventually saw one at a Guitar Center, I knew I had to buy it.. I didn't even try it out first.. But as soon as I plugged it in alone to my Amp, I couldn't believe the Dramatic Difference It Can Make! Then once I added it to my Rack, it changed everything! it became the star of the rack and enhanced anything and everything you hooked up to it! Plus it improved every single Bass Note you hit, everything from the first fret to the 24th no matter what octive!

Sometimes in the past, if I had my rig put away and was rehearsing with just my combo amp, or used the crap equipment in a rehearsal studio.. I would take it out of my rack and ALWAYS bring it with me.. it Improved the combo amp; gives you a sound and power of a large rig but without destroying/blowing/distorting the speaker, and makes every note so clear!.. then with those ****** used ancient cab and amp in those rehearsal studios.. it would make it sound brand new and shake up the place!

Also the Sonic Maximizer has a knob which you can increase the BASS! you may think you can just increase the bass on your amp, preamp, or aphex... oh no! there is absolutely no knob on any of those which compares to the type of bass it brings you! i cannot describe it.. but it's heavy, shakes everything, and is EXTREMELY RICH sounding.. absolutely zero distortion.. and you dont even come anywhere near 1/2 way of turning it...


Anyways, I highly suggest checking one out. I would try a 482i . they aren't expensive, and do the same thing as the 882i except only difference between the two is the signal input/output amplification, because the 482 has an RCA in/outs along with the 1/4, while the 882 has XLR along with 1/4 in/outs... i kinda regretted spending the extra 150 on the 882.. it's really for studio/stereo purposes where you need that MIC/XLR input. but for guitar/bass purposes, a waste of money as the difference between the 482 and 882 make no difference to a bass..


Also check this out, sorta informative on it's use:
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[KeithAlanK]

Interesting thread.
I'm building a very odd rig that's designed to send a great signal to the PA while trying to replicate that sound onstage.
A tube preamp/DI has already proven to be close enough to perfection by itself, but I want a little more control.
I'm a pro soundman most of the time, and am approaching tone with an eye to using only as much gear as I really need so as to preserve signal integrity as much as possible, while avoiding amps with weak EQ sections or distinct brand-name colorations.
Might try a BBE just for the BASS knob you're talking about, since I'm definitely NOT going to have any "Treble, Middle, Bass" knobs or a graphic EQ, although a PreSonus parametric EQ is on my 'maybe' list.
Used a BBE Maximizer on the mix of a band back in the early '90s and thought it was okay, and I'm sure they are better now.

Balanced 1/4" and XLR in/outs?
Might be a deal breaker for me.

 

[sorrowdemonica]

Interesting thread.
I'm building a very odd rig that's designed to send a great signal to the PA while trying to replicate that sound onstage.
A tube preamp/DI has already proven to be close enough to perfection by itself, but I want a little more control.
I'm a pro soundman most of the time, and am approaching tone with an eye to using only as much gear as I really need so as to preserve signal integrity as much as possible, while avoiding amps with weak EQ sections or distinct brand-name colorations.
Might try a BBE just for the BASS knob you're talking about, since I'm definitely NOT going to have any "Treble, Middle, Bass" knobs or a graphic EQ, although a PreSonus parametric EQ is on my 'maybe' list.
Used a BBE Maximizer on the mix of a band back in the early '90s and thought it was okay, and I'm sure they are better now.

Balanced 1/4" and XLR in/outs?
Might be a deal breaker for me.

one answer.. BBE Sonic Maximizer! used by every music/sound industry, everything from performers, to studio/sound engineers, DJs, Music Venues, Professional Audio Restorers, etc..

Yes they do offer Sonic Maximizers with XLR Ins/Outs and 1/4".. balanced, 2 channel, etc.. i have a complete stereo setup on my rig all the way from the Amp to the Sonic Maximizer, to the Aural Exciter, the EQ, etc.. my 8x10 has independent tone/settings than my 1x15's settings..

Also the i442 has RCA input instead of XLR for stereo/home theater/DJ/audio restoration/miscellaneous use.