BASS
OH , THE SITUATIONS WE ENCOUNTER ! | Gary Lunn
I just played a private party with some friends in Virginia . It wasn ’ t a worship event , but I agreed to play with a band that was put together by some longtime pop / rock artist friends .
An unusual situation existed with the venue . We were in a huge tent that had some strange acoustic properties . Feedback was running rampant , particularly with the acoustic guitar . And here I was in another setting with no headphones and only monitors to listen to , as well as my favorite bass amp — the Ampeg SVT .
No matter who I am serving , the quality of my preparation , performance , and level of servanthood being in top form are always important to me ! Problems did arise , but they weren ’ t insurmountable .
Our band consisted mostly of session musicians , all equally considerate and aware of their own stage volumes in reference to the needs of the two artists we were playing for .
The band was positioned comfortably on a stage in one corner of the 8000-square-foot tent . The tent was totally enclosed and had a glass ceiling , and being the middle of the summer , it was also equipped with massive air conditioners that were quite noisy .
All of the back line gear looked like it had been “ rode hard and put up wet !” Consequently , the drummer was the last person to be ready for the sound check since he had the most work to do on his backline drum kit . It needed a lot of extra attention !
As I have said before , as a responsible musician , I want to be the last person on Earth who will make the sound man ’ s job more difficult , so I had to give special consideration to my stage volume and tone . It was necessary to roll off a pretty good bit of bottom end coming from the massive 8-10 ’ speaker cabinet not to overpower anyone ( volume-wise ) onstage , but I did not want to deprive the other musicians of the lovely , smooth bass response and feel that the Ampeg SVT has ; it seems to make everything feel better ! Above all , I do not want the sound man to be forced to mix everything around my bass amp level . ( Usually , it ’ s the drummer or the guitarist ( s ) who gives sound men that challenge , but whenever I ’ m playing through an amp capable of competing with anyone else ’ s stage-volume level , I want to be sure not to crank it up too loud .)
It was a long sound check , but it went well . I checked with the front-of-house engineer to see if I was too loud , and he said my amp level was fine . I was able to have my usual request met for my monitor : a moderate amount of the lead vocalists , a small amount of their guitars , a little electric guitar level , a little keyboard level , a moderate amount of hi-hat , a hefty amount of bass drum , no snare , and ( as always ) no bass guitar .
Of course , I have valid reasons for my monitorlevel requests . No matter what kind of music we ’ re playing , we should always be aware of the vocals , so we are not tempted to fill over them . Guitars and keyboards should always be heard so that we can balance “ groove assumptions ” between the musical instruments and the drums ( no hidden negativity against drummers implied ! LOL ).
The drums are always the most important consideration for bass players because : The hi-hat dictates the groove . The bass drum is where the pocket is .
Even though the ever-important snare drum IS the backbeat , I can almost always hear plenty of it through the hi-hat mic so I ask for none in my monitor . ( And for those taking care to protect their hearing , remember that snare drums can be used as sonic assault weapons . Haha !)
I choose not to have bass in my monitor because perspective is created when the two sound sources come from two separate places . I only listen to the bass from the amp because everything else is in the monitor . Listening to the two instruments split out from each other helps me be more aware of the drummer ’ s pocket . I can more easily measure their “ groove relationship .” Try it sometime . It will clear up your monitor mix , too .
The gig went well . Some acoustic properties changed in the room , which affected the sound of the monitors , but we rolled with it . There were no major problems , and the celebration was a success !
Always try to be sensitive to the conditions in the room regarding your bass amp volume . Remember that bass travels in long sound waves and usually takes between 30 and 40 feet to form to full volume , so ask friends in the audience and the front-of-house engineer if your stage volume is too loud . Remember that the more control the engineer has over your sound level , the better the mix will be . He can ’ t control it if it ’ s too loud . Try thinking of your amp as a personal monitor just for your benefit .
Every time you consider other people who are trying to do their job and you go the extra mile for them , remember that it blesses them . Blessing them always blesses you !
Gary Lunn Gary is a session player / producer / writer in Nashville , TN . He does home recording and plays for many recording session accounts . Find him on facebook . com for questions or scheduling . www . facebook . com / garylunn garylunn @ me . com