Playing Bass Live Advice
Live bass sound can be the most difficult to mix and the hardest to make a sound technician care about. When done properly, a bass guitar blends right in with the rest of the band, truly layering music in a complementary fashion, allowing each player to voice his instrument with skill. Done improperly, bass guitar volume can cause drums to rattle out of control, create uncontrollable feedback and create a rattling, swelling sound that drowns out the rest of band.
Live bass sound can be the most difficult to mix and the hardest to make a sound technician care about. When done properly, a bass guitar blends right in with the rest of the band, truly layering music in a complementary fashion, allowing each player to voice his instrument with skill. Done improperly, bass guitar volume can cause drums to rattle out of control, create uncontrollable feedback and create a rattling, swelling sound that drowns out the rest of band.
Proper Choice of Bass
An instrument with active pickups, multiple effects pedals and MIDI technology may sound like a choir when playing alone in a practice room, but it generally falls flat when it comes to blending with a band. Selecting the proper quality bass is a critical element to achieving the best possible live bass sound. According to David King in Global Bass Magazine, the bass should have a clear, flat tone with few enhancements.
An instrument with active pickups, multiple effects pedals and MIDI technology may sound like a choir when playing alone in a practice room, but it generally falls flat when it comes to blending with a band. Selecting the proper quality bass is a critical element to achieving the best possible live bass sound. According to David King in Global Bass Magazine, the bass should have a clear, flat tone with few enhancements.
Make Friends With the Sound Guy
Each venue will more than likely have one employee (or volunteer) working the sound board. Ask him about the acoustics of the venue, how instruments respond and whether it's better to plug the bass into the venue's PA or to go straight from the amplifier. The sound technician may just respond to the musician's interest and friendly demeanor by taking extra care in mixing the sound of his instrument.
Each venue will more than likely have one employee (or volunteer) working the sound board. Ask him about the acoustics of the venue, how instruments respond and whether it's better to plug the bass into the venue's PA or to go straight from the amplifier. The sound technician may just respond to the musician's interest and friendly demeanor by taking extra care in mixing the sound of his instrument.
Volume Levels
Maintain a low volume when piped through the house's main speakers. This will allow the intonation of the bass to ring properly while reducing the fuzz and rattle that sometimes occur when the instrument's volume is set too high. Again, this strategy is geared toward blending into the sound of a full band so that guitars are able to shine through with treble and middle tones and the bass is able to thicken the whole notes of a given tune without rattling the hinges off of the venue.
No comments:
Post a Comment