5 Tips for a Better Stage Sound | Bass Tone Tuesday

[@arsenije_wav8620]

Getting an amp that has a 30-40 Hz control has been a life saver for me. Cutting the super lows lets me boost the low end that actually comes out on stage instead of sounding muddy.

[@401Blues]

Ivan after watching this video...I ran downstairs and immediately began rearranging my practice space. My drums, 4 mic stands for drums and DAW workstation occupy about 2/3 of the room....So I had my Bass, amplifier, music stand, laptop stand and pedal board squeezed into about 4 feet! For the last year I've had my amps next to and little behind me pointed back across the room towards the drums and DAW. Fortunately I had some long instrument cables and was able to place One amplifier under the DAW station pointed back at me and another amp off to the side.....I was amazing how much the tone opened up and sounded so full. Another benefit was I gain about 2 feet of Bass work space..now my headstock isn't banging into my crash cymbals! Next week it's time to start working on equalization - Thanks Ivan...like Lewis Mc Bass below I'm learning new things every week!

[@IvanBassist]

Happy to hear that the tips worked, Jim! 🙌🏽

[@pauldershem]

All good points, Ivan. :) When I'm stacking cabs, I will often aim them differently from one another, e.g., the top cab aimed toward me, and the bottom cab aimed across the stage toward my band mates as a pseudo side-fill. If my band mates are hearing only the omni-directional deep bass from my cab(s), turning one cab toward them makes it easier for them to hear more mids, enabling them to hear the pitches of the notes I am playing more clearly. If a stage is too boomy, in addition to using a variable high-pass filter, keeping the cabs away from corners can help a lot.

[@IvanBassist]

Interesting! I’ve never tried aiming the cabs differently. Gonna try it next time I can :) Thanks! Oh yeah. Keeping the amp away from walls/corners also helps to remove mud

[@joeshmoe5687]

thanks man, love your way of explaining, its like im getting advice from someone who really understands BASS ,,,,, CHEERS

[@IvanBassist]

Thanks for watching!

[@yvesdube7931]

Your suggestions have been eye opening for me. I can't wait to try them out! Thanks a bunch!

[@IvanBassist]

Happy to help!

[@LewisMcDonaldBass]

Great video Ivan, I had no idea about raising the amp off the floor definitely going to use that in the future. Please keep uploading dude, I’m learning new things every week in a way that’s easy to understand, it’s awesome!

[@IvanBassist]

Thanks, Lewis! Happy to hear that the videos are helpful 🙌🏽

[@mickavoidant4780]

Set all the tone knobs on the head to midway. Take the bass knob to 0. Play a note and take the knob back up until you can hear a difference. Do the same with the others, one at a time.

[@IvanBassist]

Yep 👍🏽!

[@greganderson7216]

I have heard this suggested before. I direct (preamp pedal only), and getting a clear, defined tone is frustratingly difficult. I think I’ll try this suggestion. Thanks for the video.

[@mickavoidant4780]

@@greganderson7216 Let us know if it works

[@greganderson7216]

@@mickavoidant4780 my next gig is Sept 4 (it’s outdoors assuming it doesn’t get covid cancelled), and for reference, my preamp-of-choice right now is MXR M-80. I’ll let you know how it goes.

[@michaelmiami]

@@mickavoidant4780the problem with most amp EQs is, zero doesn’t mean zero. The amp is designed with an EQ curve (so it’ll sound better than the amp next to it in the music store). It’s always gonna be a compromise. If your lucky, the sound guy will know what he’s doing and you’ll sound amazing even if you don’t.

[@ricardog.s2505]

The EQ tip is crazy true, I play in two bands right now (both cover bands one is a funk one and the other is latin pop rock) and the funk one is a 4 piece band while the pop rock band is a 6 piece full ensemble and in both cases the drummer has one of these more "jazz style" drums that are VERY trebly and at first I tought of raising the highs for clarity but in reality what I needed was mids because otherwise the whole room made your ears bleed lol

[@modernmusicstudio303]

This is a great video!

[@IvanBassist]

Thanks for watching !

[@godwor848]

New strings, gain on the edge, NO EQ ,boost High and Low knob ! Amazing sound with the right guitar!

[@peterlamont898]

Very helpful, Thanks.

[@IvanBassist]

Thanks for watching, Peter!

[@rustee_nyfe]

I didn't play live for ~5 years so I don't really have any tricks for stage sound. But tilting up your cab works really great anywhere: on stage, at home, etc.

[@IvanBassist]

Yep! Also, raising the cab off of the floor removes rumble in case you have neighbors downstairs that complain about too much bass 😂

[@rustee_nyfe]

@@IvanBassist who cares about neighbors😁

[@charlieburns1385]

Thanks Always great info from you 👍🎶

[@IvanBassist]

Thanks for watching!

[@CulDorcha1]

I agree that a high pass filter is very valuable. I find that is the most useful tool for balancing between clarity and “boom”. High volume, increase hpf. Low volume, decrease. Also use cabs with rubber feet so stage doesn’t become a massive subwoofer!! Thanks Ivan!

[@IvanBassist]

Indeed! Love the hpf on my amp!

[@thomaskuerlemann2981]

any suggestions on a good hpf that I can purchase and what is the best...pedal? Rack mount?@@IvanBassist

[@IvanBassist]

@@thomaskuerlemann2981 Broughton Audio makes a very good one. Amps like the Mesa D-800+, WD-800, TT-800 also have a built-in variable hpf. The new Bergantino Super Pre also has one, if I remember correctly

[@thomaskuerlemann2981]

oh, thats great...I am currently researching the WD-800 and pairing it with a new cabinet as well. I'll look into your suggestions..thanks for the input!@@IvanBassist

[@IvanBassist]

@@thomaskuerlemann2981 I have a few videos about that amp on my channel :) hope they are useful!

[@N0B0DY_SP3C14L]

Nice G&L. Great sounding instruments. My workhorse is an L-2500. SOLID ADVICE! As an audio engineer, I thank you for explaining one of the most difficult things I try to explain to players, but for some reason, they never listen to me, and just crank their amps and I have to battle the bass. Bass amps turned up cause all kinds of messed up phase cancellation when their energy reaches the sound coming out of the PA. Yes, it's important to feel good about your sound and create an inspired performance, but it's really easy to push too much air out of your amp. Always better to bring your low end down. Like if using a stack, disconnect the bottom cab. Obviously you want to run direct PRE-EQ, and let the sound engineer create your bass tone so that it works with the rest of the instruments in the mix in the room. It's also a good idea to talk with the house engineer before your show, and discuss what kind of tone you prefer for the audience. By the way, one of the best tools I've ever found , especially for folks using in-ear monitors is a device called The Bass Board. Basically you plug it into the output of bass amp, and then you stand on it, and you will feel the bass through your feet. Sounds crazy, but it works REALLY well. Made by EICH Amplification. Very much worth checking out.

[@IvanBassist]

Yeah. Bassboards are great!

[@jwal1992]

This is a great video! For my stage sound, I got an EQ pedal with 2 outputs. One goes to the house board and the other goes to my amp. So my amp turns into a monitor instead of the thing providing sound to the board. There also might be affordable "line splitters" so you don't have to buy an EQ pedal, but I like the EQ pedal because I can send the frequencies to the sound person that I want. But I enjoyed the fact your video provided solutions that don't cost extra money. Cheers!

[@IvanBassist]

I do the same thing most of the time. My sound to FOH comes out of my pedalboard and my amp is just my stage monitor

[@deviationblue]

My amp, a MarkBass CMD121P, has an XLR line out that goes to the PA. Most bass amps do. My amp does shape the tone quite a bit, with its four-band semi-parametric EQ with two tone-shaping options (VLE & VPF). But the PA handles almost all the volume the audience hears. My amp cab serves me as a stage monitor as well, and is hardly ever turned up past 10:00, but my amp head is too useful not to use. No point in going ampless if I’m still using my amp. 🤷

[@jwal1992]

@@deviationblue I feel that 100%. The only reason split from the pedal board to my amp and the DI (vs pedalboard > amp > DI) is because I don’t want my amp settings to effect the sound the board is getting. In a perfect world I would have my amp sound through the board. But so many times doing that I’ve had the engineer ask me to turn down, then my bandmates can’t hear me in the monitors, then it’s a mess. Now that I go from pedals > DI > sound board the SE can do what they need to with my signal and I can pump my amp as loud as I want.

[@deviationblue]

@@jwal1992 I have separate master and line out controls, and they are fully independent of one another on my amp. (I’m also my band’s sound guy lol.) I also do want my amp’s tone color to make it to the PA.

[@ComicallyTall]

So helpful. Have my first show tonight

[@IvanBassist]

Hope it went well!

[@1okanaganguy]

the box stand riser. Both statements are true: less bottom but better hearing. I universally get my cones off the floor at least 14 inches , oddly, for a max richness and depth. Funny. Great show, much gratitude!

[@1okanaganguy]

speaking of cones...could you expand on what the the size speaker cone has with the room area, the effect of combination sizes. Big Thanks

[@ericvantellingen8648]

Tip nr 5 is maybe the best tip. I notice that bassplayer a sometimes to loud, because they have a lot of low-end, but the miss ( for their monitoring) defenition, so instead of put it louder, put a bit more mid in it, to add definition.. I try to let the bassplayer keep their sound and give the mids ( maybe a bit more) via a floor monitor back.

[@gaz312]

With EQ I usually start with everything in the middle then add or subtract as needed. Sometimes when theirs not enough treble it is not that I need more treble sometimes it turns out theirs too much bass.

[@IvanBassist]

Great approach!

[@guyvandenplas7043]

I couldn’t agree more, I prefer cutting out over boosting. On stage clarity is paramount. The PA engineer will add bottom end for the audience.

[@jasontanner5836]

Love this advice. great stuff

[@IvanBassist]

Glad it was helpful, Jason!

[@AllenPalmer-eh4ht]

Great helpful video, thank you

[@IvanBassist]

Thanks for watching, Allen!

[@roberthofmann932]

I don't know, if someone already mentioned it, but you should understand, what all the knobs on your Amp do. I had a small practice Amp, which had a contour knob. Sometimes in the beginning, when playing with my first metal drummer, I would crank all the knobs, but also the contour, which would take mids away and ultimately made me quieter 😅

[@IvanBassist]

Oh yeah 😂😂

[@xeropulse5745]

Brilliant advice, thank you! Now we just need to get guitarists to take some of this advice onboard... 😑

[@shishagembira5316]

Hi Ivan! You're awesome 😎

[@JasonLeonPike]

Good stuff here. Thank you.

[@IvanBassist]

Thanks, Jason! Happy to hear you liked the video :)

[@r7m]

What’s the best way to have my own tone going to the foh? I don’t like giving them a blank DI signal, seems pointless when you have a tone you like from your amp for the audience not to hear it?

[@IvanBassist]

Put the amp’s XLR out to post-EQ. However, and this important, how things sound to you on stage next to the amp is not how things will sound to the audience and for the FOH engineer. This is why I prefer to dial in the sound for FOH from my pedalboard and then adjust my stage sound separately with the amp to match each room and stage

[@r7m]

@ last gig I did the sound guy insisted on having a DI going to foh before my amp, even when I offered to go direct OUT of my amp head. Love the channel btw !

[@r7m]

I’m guessing solution is a pedalboard then to his DI? Like you said

[@IvanBassist]

Yep! A pedalboard with a good DI. It’s always good to talk to FOH as much as possible and be communicative about the setup you’re running. Being friendly is also super important 😄

[@r7m]

@@IvanBassist thanks! Yeah, he seemed a bit dismissive- just said “I just prefer a clean sound” so basically my tone beyond what my actual guitar produces, was up to him - which made me uneasy. Especially since I like a bright tone.

[@the_sin_music]

Thoughts on the Hartke KB12? Compared to bigger or other amps of similar size?

[@IvanBassist]

I haven’t played it. Sorry

[@IvoBaptista]

Hello my friend, when you play on a stage where you're opening for a big band and they let you use the amp but you can't touch the equalisation, that's because the bassplayer has already done his sound test, what do you advise? a pre before, DI, Sansamp, NE-1 Yamaha is what i use and helps me a lot, but i would like to know your opinion?

[@IvanBassist]

I’d take a picture of the amp settings just in case something gets moved during the show. It depends on the amp, but you can connect a preamp into the return of the effects loop and that would bypass the EQ section of the amp. That way you have the freedom to use EQ on stage using another preamp/pedal, but the EQ settings on the amp stay the same :)

[@IvoBaptista]

@@IvanBassist tks a lot my friend

[@godwor848]

I've never had anything like it! I'm going to buy a big fat Ampeg 810, 2 x 1x15 speaker bass guitar amp and a big tube amp for them and finally TURN the VOLUME DOWN to get heard my bass like violin from a $200 monitor! Yes, what you are talking about will work on non-professional stages with problematic sound but ...

[@dieterschmitz8781]

Hi Ivan great Vid again 💯💥 Special Tipp # 4 ist realy helpfull. Thx again 🤘 May ist can be cool top make a Vid how to Cut or Boost the EQ, may based in a P Bass...... Stay healthy Greets Dieter

[@corpselover450]

🤙🤙🤙

[@erikarko]

💯

[@IvanBassist]

🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

[@TorbenMougaard26]

My current war goes agains a very loud drummer ,- he comes from heavyrock . Vi are Playing Countrymusik for the most part . I play and a 8/10 and tube amp. I play so loud that the PA is tuned down or completely gone . Så it´s only the 8/10 that makes the bass sound . That is nessesary for my to hear my self , do to the loud drummer . I know it´s a problem , but im loosing that war , and the drummer don´t think he can change anything .. What do i do - Shoot the drummer ?

[@mickavoidant4780]

I had drummers like that. They think they have to hit everything as hard as they can. One was angry at being asked to play softer; we chucked him out. Yours might be willing to put foam pads on his drums.

[@TorbenMougaard26]

@@mickavoidant4780 Thinking of replacing drumsticks with spaghetti. And threaten to boil them if he can not control himself ...

[@mickavoidant4780]

@@TorbenMougaard26 Plans A and B

[@greganderson7216]

Man, I don’t think there’s anything you can do there. That’s a no-win situation. We use electronic drums (the look AND sound like real drums but have a volume knob), we also are ampless (use pedals and sims), so everything can be controlled (rock music). If he can’t play quieter, then find a drummer who can. You WILL go deaf with that arraignment. (Or buy electronic drums, but they cost more than my car). Good luck.

[@TorbenMougaard26]

@@greganderson7216 I use earplugs (crash cymbal is killing me ).. Im thinking about in-ears .

[@peatybirchgroover]

BBE Sonic Stomp. oh yeah

[@osXcanada]

I disagree with raising up a small amp, maybe tilt it back. When you raise it up you lose the “coupling” effect with the floor which makes your amp sound thin..

[@bluesdawg8014]

We all need to turn down. Most venues I've played over the past 55 years have never asked us to turn up. The common problem with most bands is they have no concept about live mix on stage. A good band sounds like a well balance recording, a bad band sounds like a wall of sound. I can't stand listening to a band who compete with each other with volume. Nine out of 10 bands do not get it. Los Angeles professional

[@IvanBassist]

Well said!

[@kanz7329]

BASE TONE TOOSDAY .

[@IvanBassist]

Yessssss

[@luisperezafonso6732]

Los subtítulos para cuándo?

[@IvanBassist]

Hola Luis, si vas a la esquina inferior derecha y haces click donde dice CC y luego eliges auto generated subtitles y le cambias el idioma a español deberías poder ver los videos con subtítulos :)

[@luisperezafonso6732]

@@IvanBassist Eso fue lo primero que probé cuando empecé a ver tus vídeos, y por supuesto intenté cambiarlo a español pero los subtítulos sólo aparecen en inglés. :-) un saludo y gracias igualmente.

[@IvanBassist]

@@luisperezafonso6732 Que raro. A mi me aparece la opción "auto translate" y puedo elegir español

[@georgechenoweth5723]

How do politely tell a bassy guitar player that may use 15 inch speakers that you are competing for low frequencies when he has no clue about sound engineering.

[@michaelmiami]

Good luck with that. You may need to plant “seeds”. Drop examples of how pros stay in their frequency lanes, and leave room for other instruments (vocals, kick drum, bass guitar)… …it’ll be an uphill battle.

[@garethde-witt6433]

Keep the stage volume down🤣😂 tell that to drummers

[@chatochafa130]

Can you elaborate? I play in a choir and the Drummer always has to be loud and we end up competing in voice. Yelling and losing breath is the outcome. Is this a sign the drums should go quieter?