Bass Amp Positioning

eoin5

I like to put mine a few feet from the centre of the back wall of the room/stage. If thats not possible I stick it as close to the side of the drummer as possible. How do you eat yours?

Rigsby

I usually have mine within a few feet of the drummer. I have an amp stand which I often use depending on the surface : i.e. wooden floor generally no stand, stage which is hollow (or seems to be ) underneath I use the stand which I can also tilt for the best sound.

MonkeyTennis

position it just so the sound enters drummers brain without causal internal haemmorraging. (sp).

unclebill98

I use a 1x15 and just stand near it. I am using IEM's at the moment so I only really need the 1x15 for the feel and other band members.

With the 15" cab the sound travel regardless of the way its pointing.

Savman

unclebill is correct. Bass frequencies are non-directional, so pointing it at your head really won't make all that much difference tbh. The sweet spot for bass amps is usually 3-5 feet away from the amp itself.

Yap Stam

I asked our drummer where he'd like to have the bass amp so that he might hear it properly, he said he preferred to have it on his right hand side because he liked to have most of his cymbals on his left, and he said its a alot easier to hear the amp over, lets say, a floor tom than it is to hear it over cymbals.

Parsley

Savman wrote: »

unclebill is correct. Bass frequencies are non-directional, so pointing it at your head really won't make all that much difference tbh. The sweet spot for bass amps is usually 3-5 feet away from the amp itself.

Maybe the *fundamental* frequencies of the notes are 'non-directional' but there are loads of harmonics and overtones that characterise your tone that are way higher than the fundamental. The midrange bass frequencies are what your ear picks out most easily, so if you're using your amp as a monitor, you and the rest of your band (hopefully) want to be able to hear them. So it kinda does matter...

In answer to the original question, I like to place it as far back on the stage as it will go, so that everyone in the band can hear it properly.

unclebill98

True,

But unless your using 10's and a tweeter I found that it makes no big difference. A 15" cab has no real advantage being pointed at your head. I found this to be through from cheap to expensive cabs. Your mids to highs are never greatly reproduced in a 15" cab to warrant angling it towards your head.

eoin5

Parsley wrote: »

In answer to the original question, I like to place it as far back on the stage as it will go, so that everyone in the band can hear it properly.

I find that If I leave it too near a wall it messes up the bass frequencies. I'd like a good 3 or 4 feet clearance from any wall if possible. I also find uncovered timber floors play havoc, carpet for me thanks.

Parsley

unclebill98 wrote: »

True,

But unless your using 10's and a tweeter I found that it makes no big difference. A 15" cab has no real advantage being pointed at your head. I found this to be through from cheap to expensive cabs. Your mids to highs are never greatly reproduced in a 15" cab to warrant angling it towards your head.

Well I'd agree with you on the point of pointing it at one's head being unnecessary, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that the positioning doesn't matter... Which is what the guy after you said (unless my memory is playing tricks on me).

unclebill98

Nope he did not say that

I always found a sweet spot a few feet away from the cab. With the IEM's its all just about the feel of the low end. I am tempted to ditch the cab and see how it goes!

Savman

Parsley wrote: »

Well I'd agree with you on the point of pointing it at one's head being unnecessary, but I wouldn't go as far as to say that the positioning doesn't matter...

Well like everything in the audio world, it depends. Assuming a Bass Player is using a 15" cab, then I would have to reiterate that the directional element of the amp is significantly reduced to the point where it really wouldn't make a huge difference on a loud stage. Obviously there will be the higher register where direction will matter but for all intense purposes the bass in your bass amp won't just go in the direction you point the cab.

You see this all the time, Bass Player cranking his cab but can't "feel" it yet all the while the rest of the band hear nothing but bass. Simple answer is that the Bass Player is standing on top of the cab, so literally can't hear the all-important low frequencies which are basically just large sound waves that need a couple of feet to generate.

Think of it like dropping a rock into a pond, the ripples and waves get larger the further they travel from the point of source before they dissipate again. Same kinda thing.

Eoin Madsen

Our perception of direction is pretty minimal for low frequencies and they do diffuse to a far greater degree than high frequencies, but that's not the same as saying that bass frequencies are omnidirectional. I know that's not what people literally mean, but the impression being given is that you could point it at the wall and it would make no difference. That would be nuts.

And more to the point, your brain usually picks out the second harmonic when it's establishing a pitch reference for bass, so there's a lot to be said for having the speaker pointed right at your head. 15" speakers can produce plenty of middle frequencies. Having the amp right beside you and pointed at your legs so that you're too far off-axis to hear anything but bass is the reason why people crank up their amp and drown out everyone else.

Parsley

Eoin Madsen wrote: »

Our perception of direction is pretty minimal for low frequencies and they do diffuse to a far greater degree than high frequencies, but that's not the same as saying that bass frequencies are omnidirectional. I know that's not what people literally mean, but the impression being given is that you could point it at the wall and it would make no difference. That would be nuts.

And more to the point, your brain usually picks out the second harmonic when it's establishing a pitch reference for bass, so there's a lot to be said for having the speaker pointed right at your head. 15" speakers can produce plenty of middle frequencies. Having the amp right beside you and pointed at your legs so that you're too far off-axis to hear anything but bass is the reason why people crank up their amp and drown out everyone else.

That's what I was trying to say, but you said it a whole lot better. That's why I said I like to be as far away from my amp as I can, so all the soundwaves disperse as much as possible...

Savman

Eoin Madsen wrote: »

Our perception of direction is pretty minimal for low frequencies and they do diffuse to a far greater degree than high frequencies, but that's not the same as saying that bass frequencies are omnidirectional. I know that's not what people literally mean, but the impression being given is that you could point it at the wall and it would make no difference. That would be nuts.

No what I am saying is just that....

me wrote:

The sweet spot for bass amps is usually 3-5 feet away from the amp itself.

Of course putting a bass cab in a corner, for example, will significantly change the behaviour of those low frequencies because you would effectively be manipulating the output of the amp. I've heard of Engineers actually doing this with Subs for a desired effect. I'm definately saying there is an element of Bass Amps that are directional, but in your typical rock band scenario the all important low register won't behave like most people would assume. I think that the sooner Bassists understand the physics of what's going on with their cab they can get that sound they desire. Unfortunately most just treat it like a guitar amp.

Eoin Madsen

I know, just clarifying the "non-directional" thing since I thought it might be taken up wrong.

Savman wrote: »

Unfortunately most just treat it like a guitar amp.

And most people don't even treat guitar amps right to begin with.

Rigsby

I was reading somewhere that a lot of bassists dont like amp (combo) stands. The theory is that the lows are more enhanced when the combo is standing on a solid surface as apart from a hollow stage which can give a booming effect. Has anyone heard anything similar? I use an amp stand now and then, sometimes I notice a sound difference and other times I dont.

Fingers Mcginty

I read before the bass amp should be in line with the bass drum so that the rythm section is "coupled" acoustically. Also we got a much better sound last week when the bass player and I swapped places. I changed my usual position from the drummer's right hand side to his left.