Connect to sound system or Mic-uped amp

[portunderground]

Hi, I was wondering, for gigs in school or where there is only a PA system, is it better to bring a small bass amp (20w below) and mic it up using a mic(what type of mic?) or plug it through a pre-amp like MFX or DI and plug it into the PA system?(For bass)



I remember in sec school, wanted to plug an acoustic with on board preamp directly in to the PA system but then the PA people and teacher say not advisible. In the end, had to use a mic to the sound hole.

 

[alanchia]

can try parallel - connect to your bass amp, and DI into PA.

 

[portunderground]

Ah thanks. But MFX direct into PA will also be ok right?

 

[Morlock]

Not advisable unless you know what you are doing. coz if not you can break the PA system which costs a lot of money. we cannot really advise unless you can give complete details of setup. brand, model, speakers and how was it al put together. if you cant then your better of just putting a mic rather than breaking a very expensive equipment.

 

[portunderground]

Oh i see. Why would it damage the system?

 

[Morlock]

if the system is not designed to handle the frequencies the bass guitar generates, it would overload the system. doing a parallel from bass amp to PA system might be able to resolve that issue but I would still ask an audio tech guy just to be sure. PA systems are usually very sensitive and very expensive to repair.

 

[Morlock]

In our church we even have a specialized DI for all the equipment to plug into before it reaches the PA system. this is to avoid grounds, statics, overloads from reaching the PA unit.

 

[engz]

DI shouldn't be any problem. in fact in the absence of a good amp, i would recommend DI. Just make sure you zero your volume before you connect and slowly increase until line level. Do this with the sound guy. Some DIs even have switches to lower the output of the DI to mic level so it won't harm the system =]

 

[shinobi]

i have done gigs with rented stuff where a soundman is present, who is not even aware of the capabilities of his own gear. don't expect much from a soundman jaga-ing the school's setup. usually a soundman who knows what he is doing will tell you what is possible. a soundman who doesnt know shit will say everything is not possible. school PA speakers also tend to be insufficient for live instruments. the fact is that they are mainly for the purpose of monitoring mics and muzak

on the other hand if u mic an amp using a crappy mic it could possibly compress the shit out of your tone.

lastly, go into the house if and ONLY if there are monitors, and also if the soundman knows what to do with the monitors. otherwise simply u cannot hear. i ever did gigs with nice stylo equipment, marshall stacks for guitars and ampeg svt stack for bass, monitors for everyone, and yet the soundman does not even know the procedure for doing a proper soundcheck.

 

[rigid]

DI shouldn't be any problem. in fact in the absence of a good amp, i would recommend DI. Just make sure you zero your volume before you connect and slowly increase until line level. Do this with the sound guy. Some DIs even have switches to lower the output of the DI to mic level so it won't harm the system =]

Yes, I agree using a DI, I always carry one. Use a small one like the whirlwind passive DI. I use passive due a few times i encounter active DIs cause problems like batteries run low or sometimes by using phantom power causing unwanted noise, though active DI are more versatile. BTW not all MFX have the recommendation to go direct PA, newer MFX like Line 6 X3 have capabilities to go direct whether you use acoustic/electric/bass which is best.

 

[portunderground]

Ok thanks. Ill just get a DI box then.