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thinking about playin live... i need a list

ghostjs

ghostjs

Aug 14, 2008
925
3
33
ghostjs
Disclosures
Unofficially Endorsing: D'Addario, Lakland
#1
can someone exactly tell me what you would need for a small gig indoor or outdoor? so what exactly do I need for a rig to play and what kinda connectors and i looking for and etc.

oh and try not to be sarcastic.. im very curious on how people play live and what kinda inputs and outputs i'd need...
 
#2
do you mean that you have an amp and are curious about how to play into the PA?

technically the bass doesn't need to be through the PA at all if it's just a small band setup, or a cafe or something with good acoustics. for those situations, sometimes just the amp is a good enough monitor and output for the audience, especially if you're just getting started.

but if your amp has a direct out option, you can also get a male to female XLR cable and have a channel in the board as well. from my experiences, most soundguys prefer DIs (direct ins) to micing the amp, as micing can sometimes leave things sounding too muddy. if you don't have a direct out on your amp but are set in playing through the PA, you could buy a small DI box or find a soundguy who has one.

the last option is that if you don't have an amp but someone has a PA, you can just get a female XLR to 1/4" cable and have a channel in their board. you may not be able to hear what you're doing as well as if you had an amp behind you (because the speakers will be up front), but if it's just a small gig then sometimes it's a pretty basic and fun option.

hope that helps
 
#3
by the way, if there's a lot of jargon in there that you're not familiar with yet, my apologies. let me know if you need a simpler explanation dude. it wasn't so long ago that the rest of us were wondering how the heck we were supposed to transition from practice to gig.
 
#4
wow. much appreciated! i could probably use some info on some jargon as well as equiptment... can someone post a link to something like that or make a "short dictionary" of it?
 
#7
ghostjs said:
wow. much appreciated! i could probably use some info on some jargon as well as equiptment... can someone post a link to something like that or make a "short dictionary" of it?
Click to expand...

At the top, left, of the TalkBass screen you should see four blue buttons labeled:
Home | Forums | Reviews | Wiki | Shop

If you click on the Wiki button, you should be able to find answers to several of your questions.
 
#8
You'll need:

Bass
Strap
Instrument Cable
Tuner
Amplifier (can either be a combo amp with a power section and speaker in the same box or a 'head' and 'cabinet'.)
- For small to medium gigs, somewhere around 300-500 watts into a 4x10 or 2x12 should be plenty.
- For a head and cabinet setup, you'll need a speaker cable that connects the two. What type depends on the connections on the head and cabinet. 1/4", Speakon, and Banana connectors are common.

You'll also want to bring your own power strip or extension cord.




If your amplifier has a direct out (a 3-pin XLR jack on the back), then the sound guy can use that and you'll have some tonal control over the house sound. If not, the sound guy can provide a Direct Box, which converts your bass signal to an XLR jack and you go directly into the sound board, bypassing your amps tone. Or you can have the sound guy put a microphone on your cabinet.


Other things you should bring, but aren't necessary:
Backup bass
Extra strings - with a string winder and wire cutter
Extra instrument and speaker cables
Extra batteries or adaptor for your tuner
Duct Tape
Sharpie
Paper (for setlists and groupie's phone numbers)
Case for your basses
Extra extension cords or power strips for your guitarists
Your own nice microphone, stand, and cable...or a quality Direct Box that is better than what the sound guy provides
a bass stand, so it's not just on the floor or leaning against your amp.

Hope that helps.
 

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