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Why does my bass sound better w/o PA?

G

gregoire1

Oct 19, 2008
743
84
Nashville
#1
I know this is a basic question but, why does my bass sound sooo much clearer & tighter when using my amp alone. When I used PA support I get lost in the mud!
I back off the highs & lows, add a little low-mid honk, but still I seem to disappear.
I play thru a Line 6 studio 110 & use the di from the amp.

In easy to understand terms, whats going on?
 
#2
the line 6 may have a bit to do with it.

also your amp may not have the bass definition that the pa does or may be mid heavy by itself.

failing that, is it through every pa? and is it the stage/monitor sound or do you dissapear in the FOH?

good chance you may be dealing with a soundman who doesn't know how to mix correctly.

as a soundman, i get to say that. :p
 
#3
Because the amp is so small I've always just used the PA even when rehearsing, and thought I loved the sound! Last week our practice PA was loned out and for the first time I was forced to use only my tiny amp. Wow I thought it sounded great! Plenty loud (maybe the drummer was forced to hold back, I dont know).
Now I'm discontent and miserable. I've want to understand the mechanics of why a PA has so much effect! And what can I do about it!
 
#7
What's the volume balance between the subs and mains in the PA? Perhaps it would help to lower the volume of the subs, and instead increase the channel volume slightly. Also, are you using a main eq between the mixer main out and amps?
 
#8
sorry I dont know the specific answers to any of these questions but the relative muddy-ness is directly in front of FOH mains. I have never sounded as good as I did w/ amp alone. Rehearsal time for us is just that. No time for much knob-fiddling.
Have I just become a tone freak who is never satisfied, always looking for better?

(Yes in my limited gig experience, most of my sound has bounced around awhile before it reached my ears. My amp@full volume is barely audible, maybe I just answered all my questions. Maybe Alembicplayer is right.)
 
#9
Are you comparing the same room, same volume, filled with people and clanking?

When I had a 2000 watt rig and wall of speakers.. I drove my amp directly to a floor monitor.. did not turn on the speakers.. went direct into the board.

I only used 3 monitors.. one was 95% bass drum and 5% snare.. one was bass.. one was full band mix

If you are miking the amp, there is the possiblity that you're also loosing some of the tone through a bad mike setup.

First step is to start eliminating stuff.. get back to a pure tone.. then work out.

If you were closer you could test my rig
 
#11
Can the sound tech put your bass in your monitor wedge and or side fill cabinets? If you can get more of yourself in the monitors you might get a better representation of your actual tone on the stage. The crowd is probably hearing something different than you from the FOH so I would start with getting yourself in the monitor system then have the sound tech check the tone you are getting from the amp and ask him/her if they are able to create that tone in the FOH mix.
 
#12
AlembicPlayer said:
IvanMike hits it
the line 6 is a small 75 watt practice amp, not nearly enough for a band situation

my guess is the PA is way more powerful then your amp and you are hearing the house over your own backline.

get a real bass amp for live playing.
Click to expand...

yeah he's right saying i'm right! :ninja:

ok but i didn't know that the line 6 was an actual amp , i was thinking bass pod. Having said that, i'f it's doing speaker emulation stuff to make it sound bigger, by the time that signal hits the pa, it could turn to mud. I would suggest using a direct box befre the line 6 to send a clean signal to the pa. Or, you could stick a sure sm57 in front of the amp if no DI is available. The idea of altering the signal to the subs is also a good one. Best thing is to talk with your soundman, or if you don't have one, find one local who can hear your system and help you make changes.
 

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