Getting a good bass sound live

[John Tweed]

When I do lhb gigs which are not organ-based I use the bass sounds in my CP4, through a K10 on stage and FOH as well. While a separate amp might be nice the band and I are happy with the sound I get this way. A couple of years back we did a festival with this lineup, and I created a set of patches which had bass panned one side and everything else to the other, thinking that the sound guys might prefer the extra level of control of separate outputs. Not one of them took me up on it.

[Franz Schiller]

On 8/4/2024 at 1:58 PM, jarrell said:

When it comes to amplification, a little thought experiment should answer your question. If you're playing with a bassist, would his bass sound just as good if run through your keyboard amp, as opposed to his bass amp? Probably not...

 

ACTUALLY, I play bass through a keyboard amp. I use a SansAmp to add some warmth/grime. It sounds great.

[Aynsley Green]

On 8/5/2024 at 2:21 AM, Stokely said:

I prefer the "Ray manzarek approach" (granted , Ray used what he had then!) of something that doesn't sound too much like a real bass.  I think that gets into uncanny valley territory

 

Agreed - I used to do LHB with the (excellent) Scarbee P-Bass through an Ampeg amp, which the band liked the sound of, but it felt a bit 'dishonest'. 

 

These days I run analog bass, rounded off so the 'synthiness' doesn't poke through too much - some synths are better than others at this. The Roland SE-02 is very convenient as a 'MicroMoog', but my favourite bass synth is the Roland SH-2 - effortlessly huge sound, pity mine is so temperamental.

[Matthiola]

I’ve played LH bass for decades and used just about everything that amplifies sound. Long story short, for a good bass sound live, nothing beats a dedicated bass amp for clarity, punch and depth. I use a 2x10 tc electronic rs-combo with an optional rs 1x12 ext cab. Downside, more schlep… BUT good bass sound is everything. As a LH key bass player, I rather sacrifice my RH sound (to some extend 😅).

 

That said, you can get close with a big powered speaker, like 1x12 of 1x15. For the same punch and depth you’ll have to place the speaker flat on the ground like a bass amp (preferably between you and the drummer for tight rhythm). Keep in mind that this is not ideal because of the dispersion pattern of most PA speakers. Over the years I’ve tried every possible configuration. Stacking two 12 inch powered speakers right behind me seemed to work best.