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Soundman insist on me going direct

#181
It does depend on the type of band and gig. A youthful band may like plenty of distortion whereas a Country band may well prefer a rounded sound and a jazz-rock band something in between.
If you value your place in the band both artistically & financially, you must be very diplomatic about the situation. DI is O.K. in a studio but live - I would still want a backline amp plus a line out to the mixer.
Hope you sort out the issue.
 
#182
I prefer to go DI out of my amp post-EQ, and I'd say that 90% of the sound guys I work with have no issue with that. For the ones that insist I use their DI, I'll try to explain why I like my tone and if they give me an honest and professional reply I'll usually go along with it. In the end it's only one gig. However, if they give me attitude or are unprofessional and unwilling to even listen to me then I'll suck it up and do it their way, but I'll never hire or work with them again. There are FAR too many disgruntled sound guys out there, but there are a lot of good ones too. I'll obviously choose the good one over the bad and in the end the bad sound guys usually fade away after people are tired of dealing with them and stop hiring them.
 
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#183
Well this is certainly been enlightening. I have learned some things. :speechless:

1. A Sansamp RBI is a whacked out crazy effects box that gives soundmen all kinds of problems!?!?

2. I am a dumbass diva with no technique because I don't want to take a 1/4 cable from my bass and plug totally DRY into an IMP for my FOH sound.

3. Reading comprehension in the US is way down.

4. Shut up. your the bass player.:laugh:
 
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#184
JimmyM said:
Agreed with #1 to an extent, but #2 is fine for you but maybe not fine for someone else. Certainly wouldn't be fine for me, that's for sure. And I get plenty of gigs with the "schmutz" over the last 40 years, too.

I wish bass players would stop this "This is how I do it, so you should do it that way, too" attitude. We're not all alike, and we shouldn't be, nor should we have to. And doggone it, we should all be way more supportive of people who like to do things differently instead of siding with soundmen who are clearly looking to make their jobs easier.
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Amen, from a guy who doesn't own a single effect.
 
#185
iiipopes said:
Indeed. Everyone thinks Jamerson used an Ampeg popup. But that was just for live gigs. He was direct in the studio through one of the first DI consoles ever used. I wouldn't call his tone "common."
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First off, that DI console was loaded with tubes and transformers and was basically a tube amp built for a studio to go direct, in much the same way that the REDDI is. And like the REDDI, it's a far cry from a Radial or Countryman, let alone a Whirlwind Imp 2. Secondly, Jamerson is quoted in Guitar Player Magazine that when he moved to California, he used a B-15 in the studio most of the time, and make no mistake, he played on some very big records in California.
 
#186
Mic your cab and give him his D.I.
Usually the soundman wants a straight signal in case an amp quits or some other electronic reason. If you use your Sansamp and mic your cab that gives the soundman an option to mix his direct signal with your colored signal. That way if your signal gets dropped during performance the soundman can keep your bass strong in the mix. It's a win/win.:cool:
 
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#187
Welcome to the music business! There is never a shortage of headaches, and this thread illustrates just one of them. OTOH, it is not the only industry where so-called "professionals" (live sound techs, mixers, et al) are stubbornly pig-headed about implementing different technology and methods for "common" tasks. If you don't believe me, spend some time hanging around local building departments or talk to tradespeople (plumbers, electricians, etc.) and listen to some of the absolutely maddening stories they could tell you. Some people do it "because this is the way we do it...and I'M IN CHARGE!"...end of story.

Moral of the story is: when you find qualified people who you can get along with, who also are on your wavelength with respect to technical and creative matters, stick with them as long as you can. Forging relationships based on that perfect mix of musical technical ability, creativity, business acumen, and personal chemistry are rare indeed. More often than not, the people in the music biz will let you down on one level or the other.
 
#188
bluesbasshound said:
Mic your cab and give him his D.I.
Usually the soundman wants a straight signal in case an amp quits or some other electronic reason. If you use your Sansamp and mic your cab that gives the soundman an option to mix his direct signal with your colored signal. That way if your signal gets dropped during performance the soundman can keep your bass strong in the mix. It's a win/win.:cool:
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Unreal :rollno:
 
#189
bluesbasshound said:
Mic your cab and give him his D.I.
Usually the soundman wants a straight signal in case an amp quits or some other electronic reason. If you use your Sansamp and mic your cab that gives the soundman an option to mix his direct signal with your colored signal. That way if your signal gets dropped during performance the soundman can keep your bass strong in the mix. It's a win/win.:cool:
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This method is on the required input list of hundreds of national acts, of all genres, all over the world. I concur good sir.
 
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#191
Personally if I heard "nothing but a low end something mumble, an amorphous blob of bass notes" coming directly out of my instrument, it would motivate me to practice, practice, practice instead of blaming the sound guy.

Just sayin'... :)
 
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#194
Losing the ability to send your FX to FOH should never have to happen. Another issue I've had with having to put a DI between my bass and amp is that the DI boxes often significantly cut my amp's volume. It's happened with many different amps I've used, but I've yet to see this discussed anywhere here. What's causing that? Any tips in case this is happening and I just can't have my way and have my cab mic'ed? I feels wrong to dime an amp that can normally overpower the rest of the band with the volume set to 3.
 
#198
Good Soundmen say things like:

I listened to your songs on youtube/bandcamp... (I guess it is called doing your homework)
You turn your amp as loud as you need to feel comfortable on stage and to deliver a good show and I will take care of the rest. (They know that people are watching us on stage and not them)
I'm glad you have big amps, the pa here is a piece of crap.
 
#199
cnltb said:
Nope.
This guy seems to have been a pain on a number of occasions?
if the band keep employing him despite their previous experience they deserve all they get,I recon.
maybe eventually they'll learn.
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Maybe they don't have a choice. We certainly don't have a choice on all our gigs, but if we turn them all down, so much for feeding our families.
 
#200
JimmyM said:
Maybe they don't have a choice. We certainly don't have a choice on all our gigs, but if we turn them all down, so much for feeding our families.
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i think in this case it is about a band that has hired the same soundguy on a numbe of occasions and him being difficult a number of times. it is not about you having a choice on all your gigs. most people don't, and many can'afford to decline to work. i too am one of them. if a sound engineer asks wether i might be able to skip a pedal i might just accomodate,provided he suggests a viable alternative for the situation at hand.
 

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