What is Your Home Rig/Sound

[YourGuitarist]

I'm gearing up to develop a bass combo with the goal of optimizing for playing quietly with a big sound and keeping up with medium/small gigs (no PA support).

With that in mind, I wanted to do some "research" here first:

What is your home rig and how do you dial it in?
What model of bass do you play *(mainly is it a 4 or 5er)?
What genres do you typically play?
How valuable is low end extension for playing at home and on stage?

Feel free to deviate with any other thoughts and suggestions. I appreciate any and all feedback, the more the merrier.

 

[2saddleslab]

I use headphones at home, which keeps everybody happy, especially during the late night hours.

For small/ quiet gigs I use my mini fridge [portabass 112 & ph800].

Always w/ 4 strings and usually practicing new material, either original or covers, or old material we haven't played for a while, typically of the Americana variety.

 

[YourGuitarist]

Do you have to crank your 112 for those gigs?

Yeah DIs are a must for home practice and PA support. I've been thinking it'd be neat to have the option to cut low end on the aux to let the bass occupy it instead of the backing track.

When you use headphones, do you prefer it to be cab-emulated or clean?

 

[gtirard]

> What is your home rig and how do you dial it in?

Same as for small and medium size gigs: Jad Freer Sisma (700 W hybrid amp) or a 50W tube amp, with a 1x10, 1x12 or 2x10 cab

> What model of bass do you play *(mainly is it a 4 or 5er)?

Only 4 strings instruments

> What genres do you typically play?

Indy rock

> How valuable is low end extension for playing at home and on stage?

It's important for me. At home, I only play when I'm alone because even at low volume it disturbs my wife and children. Or I use headphones.

 

[2saddleslab]

Do you have to crank your 112 for those gigs?

Yeah DIs are a must for home practice and PA support. I've been thinking it'd be neat to have the option to cut low end on the aux to let the bass occupy it instead of the backing track.

When you use headphones, do you prefer it to be cab-emulated or clean?

No need to crank the cab on small gigs, which usually take place at restaurants. We pride ourselves on being able to play while patrons can still converse and the employees really appreciate it as well.

I like to keep my system as simple as possible and while I have cab sim capabilities on my SGT-DI [used for recording & no amp gigs], I prefer to go clean.

 

[Passinwind]

I'm gearing up to develop a bass combo with the goal of optimizing for playing quietly with a big sound and keeping up with medium/small gigs (no PA support).

With that in mind, I wanted to do some "research" here first:

What is your home rig and how do you dial it in?
What model of bass do you play *(mainly is it a 4 or 5er)?
What genres do you typically play?
How valuable is low end extension for playing at home and on stage?

AudioKinesis TC112AF, w/500 watt DIY amp.

Fretless fours and EUB only.

Jazz, bluegrass, Americana, alt. weirdness.

Good fundamental support is mission critical at home, much more so than in a band mix.

 

[YourGuitarist]

> How valuable is low end extension for playing at home and on stage?

It's important for me. At home, I only play when I'm alone because even at low volume it disturbs my wife and children. Or I use headphones.

When you're not using headphones, do you feel that is thin at house volumes?

 

[YourGuitarist]

No need to crank the cab on small gigs, which usually take place at restaurants. We pride ourselves on being able to play while patrons can still converse and the employees really appreciate it as well.

I like to keep my system as simple as possible and while I have cab sim capabilities on my SGT-DI [used for recording & no amp gigs], I prefer to go clean.

I appreciate that. Loud does not always equal good. Sometimes when music's too loud, I actually hear it less clearly.

Simplicity has its merits, large rigs become difficult to troubleshoot and people often underestimate the capabilities of their gear compared to when they take time to deeply familiarize themselves with it.

 

[ahadl2500]

I like lower wattage tube setups for home use.

Main home rig:
- Ampeg PF50T
- 2 x Phil Jones Bass Compact 8 - Two of these cabinets is really overkill for home use, but I got a crazy deal on the second one so I have two (it was $400).

Desktop mini rig:
- Ashdown CTM-15
- Phil Jones Bass Compact 2

Basses:
- Mostly 5 string G&Ls (L2500, L5000, JB5, Fretless Kiloton 5)

 

[YourGuitarist]

AudioKinesis TC112AF, w/500 watt DIY amp.

Fretless fours and EUB only.

Jazz. bluegrass, Americana, alt. weirdness.

Good fundamental support is mission critical at home, much more so than in a band mix.

Yeah I find that big amps only really sound big when played loud. They have a sweet spot for sure and its not typically bedroom volume. It seems to me that practice amps are more of a niche via price point than function/form.

Ooh, what's your DIY amp?

 

[Passinwind]

Yeah I find that big amps only really sound big when played loud. They have a sweet spot for sure and its not typically bedroom volume. It seems to me that practice amps are more of a niche via price point than function/form.

Ooh, what's your DIY amp?

I play as loud or louder at home than I did on gigs, for the most part. I've retired from gigging but for jams and open mics I mostly use a 100 watt 110 combo these days.

This is the amp I mentioned, I've done several other DIY ones as well though: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/a-diy-500-watt-bass-head.1061473/#post-15624273

 

[YourGuitarist]

I like lower wattage tube setups for home use.

Main home rig:
- Ampeg PF50T
- 2 x Phil Jones Bass Compact 8 - Two of these cabinets is really overkill for home use, but I got a crazy deal on the second one so I have two (it was $400).

Desktop mini rig:
- Ashdown CTM-15
- Phil Jones Bass Compact 2

Basses:
- Mostly 5 string G&Ls (L2500, L5000, JB5, Fretless Kiloton 5)

I got GAS for those G&L 2500s. They sound so good. I assume you're pairing it with the PJB to let the clean tone come through.. PJBs have great top end dispersion from what I understand.

Do you dial in a different EQ for home vs gigging?

 

[dustinymichaels]

I record with an older acoustic 2x12 combo. I think it's the 135. Bass is a 95 Stingray most of the time.

 

[YourGuitarist]

I play as loud or louder at home than I did on gigs, for the most part. I've retired from gigging but for jams and open mics I mostly use a 100 watt 110 combo these days.

This is the amp I mentioned, I've done several other DIY ones as well though: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/a-diy-500-watt-bass-head.1061473/#post-15624273

That's a neat amp, I'm looking at the ICE units too. I've hear good things about them and having a built-in dual rail supply is really nice. I appreciate that you add graphs for the design. Center frequencies only say so much since Q changes with parametric EQs and as boost/cut is increased.

 

[Obese Chess]

Bass -> Passive DI Box -> Interface. I have a few VST amp/pedal sims and just play through those with headphones.

 

[ahadl2500]

Do you dial in a different EQ for home vs gigging?

I have not gigged in years, but when I do I dial in my EQ for every gig. I have a baseline for how I want to sound, but the room/stage/group influences that. I adjust for what I am hearing during setup then leave it and let the sound guy adjust from there (other than minor tone/pickup selection tweaks on the bass as the song dictates). I will say that for gigging, I want to fit in with what the group needs. At home, I tend to be heavier on the low end.

For home, the PF50T is usually flat (plenty of bottom on this head/cab setup running it flat). The Ashdown CTM-15 and PJB C2 cabinet are a little light on the low-end so I boost the bass with a Broughton Studio One on that setup. I also run an HPF/LPF on every setup.

 

[eaglemachine]

And mb200 and a Yamaha BBT110S and play a 4 string P or a 4 string J

if through headphones, straight into an interface and use GarageBand for amp and cab sim

 

[MCS4]

What is your home rig and how do you dial it in?
What model of bass do you play *(mainly is it a 4 or 5er)?
What genres do you typically play?
How valuable is low end extension for playing at home and on stage?

GenzBenz Shuttle 9.2 and Carvin Redline 2x10 cab. I have a larger rig that currently stays mainly at a warehouse/rehearsal space. The overall sound of my home and live rigs is basically the same, though. I tend to go for a clean, hi fi sound that is more or less full range and "flat" EQ wise.

I mainly gig with four string basses but I do have a fiver at home as well.

I mainly gig in hard rock/metal bands, but at home I spend more time playing stuff like hip hop, R&B, funk/dance, and walking bass lines, plus writing little melodies and chord progressions, practicing theory, and so forth, unless I am in writing mode for a band.

Not how to respond regarding the low end extension other than to say that I mostly use the same stock sound at home, rehearsals, and gig, except with the volume turned down lower at home.

 

[YourGuitarist]

For home, the PF50T is usually flat (plenty of bottom on this head/cab setup running it flat). The Ashdown CTM-15 and PJB C2 cabinet are a little light on the low-end so I boost the bass with a Broughton Studio One on that setup. I also run an HPF/LPF on every setup.

HPFs are killer. I already know to have one for this design. I'm surprised that more combos don't have them.

I use a rumble 40 most days which has a built in bass boost but when I DI (VTDI), its somewhat jarring hearing bass with no actual low end boost.

 

[gtirard]

When you're not using headphones, do you feel that is thin at house volumes?

Not really because my amps and cabs are able to put out low frequencies even at very low volume, but even at very low volume it's disturbing for the family.

If I don't want to disturb them, I have to thin out the sound in a way I don't like.