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Tubes: Okay I get it, will the audience?

#22
Tone is your individual fingerprint - never sacrifice it. Besides, the audience may not be able to IDENTIFY or articulate why they like it (or don't), but they will have an opinion.
Always strive to sound your best or you won't be happy with how it sounds.
 
#23
JimmyM said:
If I did things strictly because the audience would notice, I wouldn't even be in the band!
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Yeah I never got the one about why he is playing a badly intonate'd encore p bass copy, when he is happy to show you a
few JPEG's on his new Iphone of the custom built Alembic he has at home.
He was a dentist, it figures!:bassist:
PS Yup! Casting pearls before swine with as few clams as possible, is all part of the pro job!.
 
#24
98% of soundmen dont know what to do with the bass to begin with, use it for personal pleasure. if you hear what you like you will play better. the audience wont say "wow the bassist is playing better now" but everything will be closer to what you are going for, and tighter. johnny a. staind
 
#26
Improvements I have made to my tone have been rewarding for me and well received by my band members (an important point, I think). The only comment I got from an audience member was from a musician. How many times have you heard somebody summarize a band's performance by saying the bass player had a great tone? Not many? Me neither.
 
#27
Cycho said:
Improvements I have made to my tone have been rewarding for me and well received by my band members (an important point, I think). The only comment I got from an audience member was from a musician. How many times have you heard somebody summarize a band's performance by saying the bass player had a great tone? Not many? Me neither.
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Yes, as my wife loving says post gig, when I ask her:

"How did I sound."

She smiles and replies, "Like always; boom, boom, boom." :bawl:
 
#30
BurningSkies said:
Who cares if the audience picks up on the tonal nuances of your setup.

If YOU notice and it inspires you or even just makes you enjoy playing that much more, then its worth it.
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That is a point that is so often overlooked here. If you think it is better and as a consequence play better, then the group will sound better and the audience will notice that.
 
#31
staindbass said:
98% of soundmen dont know what to do with the bass to begin with, use it for personal pleasure. if you hear what you like you will play better. the audience wont say "wow the bassist is playing better now" but everything will be closer to what you are going for, and tighter. johnny a. staind
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Johnny, I agree with that in clubs and festivals. Do you find it to be the case in a Pro Touring situation such as yours? I admit to having heard some terrible mixes with large touring acts, but have also heard some great ones as well. I cannot imagine paying big money for sound and soundman, and not expectingbetter, or am i off base here?

Mark
 
#32
I sadly only play with a couple guitarists and an older drum machine and I know the people dancing are feeling the bass. Don't put yourselves in the mind frame where you all don't think people are hearing you. They are very aware of you..... Well at least I tell myself that..... :D :hyper:
 
#36
I've heard pro touring acts, big concerts etc. where the mix was mediocre and some that were superb. At that level they should all be at least "quite good". They're more often bad in good size club gigs with a "house soundman" that doesn't know each act personally but loves his poorly placed subs/mains and always chooses volume over tone.

That said if whatever you've got throws a sound you like and that makes you enjoy the show more or perform more "lively" the audience absolutely will pick up on that and have a good time so your personal tone does matter....just not for the reasons you think.

They listen with their eyes as much as their ears. They do know what's good and what isn't, they just don't know why. Remember you're playing to a wide cross-section of society, not just other musicians. They don't experience it the same way you do which is good. Just playing to other musicians would be boring, plus most of them don't have any money. :)
 
#37
KramerBassFan said:
Most people have never even heard of tubes these days, let alone care whether the amplifier being used by you is Tube or SS.
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I've found audience has noticed when I used an all tube amp. Sure they didn't know what kind of amp I used, but they said things like the bass carried & was punchy in the audience. This without a FOH PA on the bass.
This being said, the modern class D hybrid amps seem far better than older s.s.amps or hybrids. IME anyway
 
#39
How long is a piece of string?
You may have an audience of people who have never had any musical or tonal listening practice, you may have some a virtuoso of music. You never know who's listening.

Will the audience notice an entire performance sound meshing together well? Most likely. Will they know why? Most likely not.
 
#40
rodl2005 said:
I've found audience has noticed when I used an all tube amp. Sure they didn't know what kind of amp I used, but they said things like the bass carried & was punchy in the audience. This without a FOH PA on the bass.
This being said, the modern class D hybrid amps seem far better than older s.s.amps or hybrids. IME anyway
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Honestly, I've had that happen, too. First time I brought my SVT to one of my gigs, I had several people who really don't know music tell me that the bass was a lot bigger and badder sounding than usual. True, most don't notice, but many do.

The lesson here is don't ever underestimate the knowledge of your audience.
 

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