Printable View
Folks,
Recently did a busking gig with my band. A couple people in the audience said they could not hear us. I've been planning on getting an omnidirectional mic anyway. Could I play that through a bass amp as a stopgap until we can get a cheap PA system? I'm guessing it would not have the necessary high end, but thought I'd ask. Fender Rumble if it matters
Keyboard amp would be best. Maybe try to trade the bass amp for a decent keyboard amp, which will cover the bass needs when you get sorted for a PA.
Sorry hattio, but that is really not a good idea. An omni will pick up sound (as you can tell by the name) from all directions and will get you feedback real quick. It can be an excellent tool when recording (and not amplifying) in an acoustically treated, ideally quiet room, but will not get you any far in a concert situation, especially through a bass amp, that really is not suited for a frequency balanced amplification, focused and directed to the audience...Quote:
Originally Posted by hattio
A cardioid mic plugged into an active speaker (8“ or 10“ with a nice directional 1“ or 2“ horn) like a QSC maybe will work waaay better...
It seems counter intuitive, but a good bass amp will be much more full frequency than the average electric guitar amp. My acoustic amp, an AG 300 from the now defunct Carvin company, is basically their smallest bass amp with an acoustic front end. I play bass, acoustic guitar, Uke, and mandolin through it, along with a mic now and then. But the average bass combo will be ill equipped to deal with a mic of any kind.
For those on a budget, Beheringer makes some decent powered speakers under two hundred bucks.
Go for it, no harm in trying. I agree with what the others have said, but like you said it's just a stop gap. Keep the amp pointed away from the mic though, to avoid feedback.
Try it in rehearsal and see but I suspect the microphone impedence will be a poor match for the amp.
For acoustic bands, the high frequency part of the spectrum matters greater, you need the clarity in the top end to get the sound of acoustic instruments across.
There are impedance adapters to let you plug a low impedance mike into a relative high impedance bass amp, but it's still not an ideal situation.