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Urgent Help needed on how to move forward in gigging

#21
[Edit] Sorry, I missed the one little part where you mentioned going into a mixer. The Behringer is a good value-minded pedal that can get you far. The other half of the equation is the PA system and whether it can reproduce the bass well enough.

In regard to your instrument, probably no need to change anything. Especially if you're on a budget.
 
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#24
red_rhino said:
I kinda agree. It seems like people are making recommendations without asking very many questions.

@bruhmana420 : I don't think we have a full picture of what you're dealing with onstage. If you're going into the board, is there a monitor mix coming back at you? If so, are you able to hear yourself in the monitors? Is there a drummer? What about guitar players? How loud do they play? Are they playing thru amps? Is there a keyboard player? Singer(s)? etc, etc.

If you don't have monitors, you won't be able to really hear yourself. If you do have monitors, but they're not very good, they may not reproduce bass very well. If you're up against a loud drummer or guitar players with amps onstage, you're gonna need a killer monitor mix in order to hear yourself and feel good about what you are hearing.

The right solution is going to depend on what you can control or affect. Work with the sound engineer to make you more prominent in the monitors and help EQ your tone. A nice preamp/DI might help you get a tone you're happy with and make you somewhat less dependent on the SE, but you'll still need to work with that person to get it dialed in. (SE's usually dislike it when they have a sound they like out front, but the player is continuing to make adjustments onstage.) The right solution may be to find a small amp you can use onstage for your own monitoring. But without knowing more....

Short answer is that the more you can tell us about your situation and what you're trying to fix, the more likely it is that someone can give you a helpful recommendation.
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I dont actually have an amp, thats why im thinking of getting myself a DI. On stage im having no issues with how i play its just my low E string does not slap it just sounds muddy and muffled in the mixer even after adjusting the eq in the mixer. My pops are heard through the speakers but none of my lower strings really have that punch. Thats mainly what I have an issue with it does not have the power or a punch like an active bass. And yes I play with guitarist, synth, drummer and a vocalist as well , but my bass is still heard through cuz my bandmates dont mind having my bass volume high. I have come to the conclusion that I wanna get a di or a preamp. Does anyone have any idea what DI./preamp I should get thats under 70$ , i am on a budget thats why i was gonna go for behringer BDI21
 
#26
Hi there, are you saying you only own a bass, and no amp or DI? I think you need a combo at least for practicing and maybe as a stage monitor. The larger Rumble amps have a DI output, but the signal level varies with the master volume (ie if you turn it up on stage, the DI feed to FOH increases too, so you'd need to set that up right at sound check... and then move it anyway :)

That's probably the cheapest option, but $70 won't quite get you there. A simple DI box would be better than going direct to board from the bass. You should be able to find something for that much.

In terms of getting better, if you can't feel it how can you feel it? I started with a 25w practice amp so I could hear the notes, but was pretty useless for developing tone and technique. Bit the bullet on something more substantial. I was a student at the time.
 
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#27
Bass Motifs said:
Hi there, are you saying you only own a bass, and no amp or DI? I think you need a combo at least for practicing and maybe as a stage monitor. The larger Rumble amps have a DI output, but the signal level varies with the master volume (ie if you turn it up on stage, the DI feed to FOH increases too, so you'd need to set that up right at sound check... and then move it anyway :)

That's probably the cheapest option, but $70 won't quite get you there. A simple DI box would be better than going direct to board from the bass. You should be able to find something for that much.

In terms of getting better, if you can't feel it how can you feel it? I started with a 25w practice amp so I could hear the notes, but was pretty useless for developing tone and technique. Bit the bullet on something more substantial. I was a student at the time.
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I own a fender mustang 1 at home for practice but if i have to perform outside i dont wanna carry an amp with me, so i just need some recommendations for a good DI box
 
#29
1. Don't get into the weeds with changing pickups, electronics, etc. Often times the change can be barely perceptible or something you didin't want. Worry about this stuff when you have some experience to know why you are changing out parts, etc

2. Going straight into a mixer is just fine. I did that for a while. Guess what, recording and live sound engineers prefer to have that sound when mixing. Now, will a preamp make you feel better about your sound? Maybe, but you may have expectations a little high here on the difference it will make at $30. If I could recommend something more useful: get something like a Zoom MS 60 B- it has a lot of things to play with to eventually what more expensive equipment you would want later. While it does not have XLR, it does have preamp emulations to play with and many effects if you want or need to get started with

3. Someone said get an amp... I like that idea, but you will have to decide if that is practical or necessary for your situation.
 
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#30
JohnnyChatter said:
Getting a pedal like that will give you the ability to shape your tone to how you like since your going strait to P.A. Strings are a big part of how a base sounds. I would say a set up is a must but who knows if you want the new string sound or that I never change my strings sound. People will argue one is better but really both are acceptable. So I have never seen that pedal before I looked it up and honestly I’m not sure I would invest in that. I feel like by the looks and price it would break pretty easily. I would look for a used Sansamp or find one of the many other similar pedals. Do you have an idea of how you want to sound?
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Base?
 
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#31
bruhmana420 said:
I own a fender mustang 1 at home for practice but if i have to perform outside i dont wanna carry an amp with me, so i just need some recommendations for a good DI box
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If you’re going through a small PA, with dinky speakers and competing with other instruments in the mix, that’s a losing proposition. You may have read/heard all this stuff about bass going direct into the PA, but that’s only going to work with a large, pro-oriented rig, with properly sized mains speakers/subs, and substantial monitors. Just buck up, and get an amp. Your guitarist has one, right? What is the keyboardist’s situation?

Even a small one like any Rumble will improve your situation, even if it serves as just a bass ‘monitor’ for you on stage, and gives you bass-centric EQ options. What is your gig situation, what sized venues are you playing? Where are you located?
 
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#33
If you are playing live and not recording, your bass guitar sound is only going to be as good as the PA speakers you are playing through. The PA has to be substantial. You have not told us about the gigs/venues you'll be playing. However, you probably would want to consider a combo amp. If you're mobile and can handle moving a heavy box, I'd keep an eye out for a local sale on a Peavey TNT. If you see one, lowball them offering cash and immediate pickup.
 
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#34
bruhmana420 said:
On stage im having no issues with how i play its just my low E string does not slap it just sounds muddy and muffled in the mixer even after adjusting the eq in the mixer. My pops are heard through the speakers but none of my lower strings really have that punch. Thats mainly what I have an issue with it does not have the power or a punch like an active bass.
Click to expand...

If you are plugging into the PA mixer without a direct box, then you need one. The Behringer will work as a direct box but will also give you the simulation of playing through a bass amplifier which you will probably like. So buy it, it’s not expensive.

You don’t need any other gear, your bass is fine as is.
 
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#36
It seems like you really have your heart set on a DI as your preferred solution. It may be. I can also appreciate not wanting to schlep an amp to gigs if you can indeed already hear yourself in the PA and you're just looking for tonal improvements.

Go with a DI that has some EQ capability. Compression might be nice too, but that can sometimes be a mixed bag if you overdo it. However, it can help with your slap sound, as long as you don't clash with whatever compression the sound engineer might be adding to your signal out front. (IOW, proceed with caution on that.)

FYI, there is a really inexpensive used Behringer BDI 21 bass driver/DI in the Talkbass classifieds from a seller with great ratings here. At $25, it may be what you're looking for without making a big commitment to this path. If it works out for you, you can always upgrade to something nicer when your budget permits. (In any case, going used will get you more bang for your buck.)

Whatever you end up doing, let us know how it works out. :thumbsup:
 
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#40

@bruhmana420​

Tell us about your PA system. What kind of speakers are you using? As others have touched on, plugging your bass straight into a small/cheap is going to be quite limiting, no matter what DI or tone pedal you use. Realistically, you'd need to have good mains and a capable subwoofer to get the results your looking for from the PA.

Joyo brand pedals from Amazon are a good value if you want to add some tonal mojo. I have the Joyo Oxford Sound pedal on my board and can dial in a wide range of EQ and overdriven tones. If you are playing a lot of slap bass, a compressor might help. Don't laugh, but the $25 Kokko compressor pedal from Amazon is usable.

It really sounds like you could use a proper bass amp. Sweetwater recently had TC Electronics bass amps at ridiculous clearance prices. They are backordered now, but it might be worth checking with them. You'd need to pick us a cheap used bass cab from Marketplace or Craigs.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BQ500--tc-electronic-thrust-bq500-500-watt-compact-bass-head
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BAM200--tc-electronic-bam200-200-watt-compact-bass-head

Where do you live? I'm sure the group could help identify used gear for sale in your area that might be a good value.
 
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