Bass problem

[whattaguy]

I am currently the sound guy for church, and have problems with the bass being boomy. Our sanctuary is pretty small...maybe 50-60 feet deep and 30 feet wide. We just switched to a wood laminate flooring from carpet up on stage which made things worse. When the amp was projected straight out, it was loud in the back and okay in the front. We tried pointing the amp so the back faced the audience, but it was about the same. So we tried positioning the amp to the close side wall, and it was loud, boomy, and muddy (my guess is that the wall and the upright piano makes a "box"). I want to try to point the amp to the further side wall, but the bassist is too stubborn. So I'm thinking about making some kind of bass trap with some studio foam stuck on an upright board. I tried plugging the amp's out into the system, but their was a lot of noise. I tried plugging the bass into the p.a. via direct box, but the sound isn't as nice as from the amp. I'm very particular about how we sound. Any suggestions or solutions?

The bass amp is a Genz Benz Intro 50 (50 watts).

Thanks.

[eyeslikefire]

We had the same problem in our church and with some tweaking
on the equalization our problem was resolved.
The old carpet was probably absorbing all that boom, if the eq'ing does not work the move it to where you can get the best sound.
And if your bass player doesn't like it, then have some one else play one song durring a service and have him take a listen to see how crappy the bass is sounding.

[Track Rat]

One thing to keep in mind, stay away from corners with the amp. They become a giant low freq horn. Get the amp up off the floor too. This will help to decouple it from the floor (the horn syndrome).

[crosstudio]

i agree with trackrat:
keep the amp off the floor and away from the corner.

going direct is not a bad idea at all. using a Tech21 sansamp bass DI. then just use the bass amp as a monitor for the bassist.

we use a direct box (whirlwind director) connected to the external amp out of my fender hotrod deville for the guitarist as well. so the drummer (behind plexiglass), guitarist, bass, and keyboard are all coming out of the PA while monitoring with their own amps (except the drummer of course, he has in-ear monitoring).

[2low]

I've played in a lot of rooms...some good, some bad. Churches are among the worst!

In addition to cabinet placement your bass player may want to adjust the problem through amp and bass EQ. Also the way you play the bass effects the boominess. Closer to the neck with a softer attack and volume turned up adds low end. Closer to the bridge, harder attack with volume lower adds punch. In a boomy room it also helps to be able to mute with both your hands, allowing for some space between notes. These playing techniques help out whether you go direct or through the amp.

The trick is that it may sounf terrible next to the amp. Have the player stand as far away as possible during soundcheck/rehearsal...cordles is nice but even 20 feet away will help. People in the room absorb sound so the problem will be at its worst when rehearsing in an empty church.

Good luck.

Bob

[whattaguy]

Thanks for all your responses! We already have the bass up off the floor, and it did make a lot of difference...but, unfortunately, that isn't the problem right now. I'll try positioning the amp other ways again and post the results.
What about the bass trap? Waste of money?

[mocharock]

I personally believe a bass trap is a waste of money. I am not trying to be funny, but do you really think that the promblem is your equipment? Do you think it might be your player? If the amp is already off the ground and on a chair you can lean the amp back so the speaker is at a 45 degree angle. Playing bass in jazz band in college that is how we had to position the amp. Try that and like one of the other post have the player go out and listen