Outdoor gig coming up, question regarding PA

[Moose308]

So we have a small outdoor gig coming up. It's a charity event, and they will be having a series of small bands playing. Each band gets about an hour, with a one hour set-up/break-down period between bands.

Since it is a charity event, and run by volunteers, information is rather sketchy when it comes to the specifics of the stage support. The only real info I have is that apparently there will be a substantial PA, and it should run by a sound guy. That’s about it. They have indicated that we will need to bring our own gear, including a drum kit. They also indicated that everything would get miced up to the PA.

I guess my question(s) would be, if you were in these shoes, what would you do to prepare for the unexpected? Right now, my battle plan is to bring my amp (Markbass SA450 and Bergantino 2x10) and Bongo (of course). I was going to bring some mics (just in case), XLR cables, and a DI (Sansamp BDDI). The amp has a DI, but I had rumors regarding the impendence of the Markbass DI doesn’t play well with some soundboards. Between the amp DI and the Sansamp I should be covered for going direct, or the soundguy could always mic the amp. However, I have never successfully run bass through a PA, which makes me wonder if I should get a second cab to get the full 500 watts from my amp, in case I am providing my own sound.

I am not really sure what else to consider, other than bass, amp, DI box.

Thanks

 

[bizmarckie]

Typically events like that have a sound company supplying and running the PA. See if you can get the name/ contact info for the guy who's going to be running the sound, and ask him what he thinks... might take some phonework, but you'll probably find out exactly what you'll need (plus some brownie points)

 

[Bloodfist]

When in doubt bring everything you have. A substantial PA could mean that it's just enough to use for vocals or it could be a full PA system. I'm in the same boat next week. We're doing a Relay for Life show and I have no idea what type of PA will be there. I'm bringing everything.

 

[five7]

Find out who the soundguy is and contact him. Ask him nicely what kind of gear he will be bringing. If it decent you will not need another cabinet. You can run your bass thru the monitors for enough stage volume. Your di will be compatible with any modern gear. If the line level coming out of your head is too much , come direct from the bass itself. A di will give you the low end and a mic will give you the tone you hear coming from your cabinet. A blend between the two will work the best. My favorite bass mic is senheiser 421. An akg d112 or an ev re20 is also a good choice. Any good kick drum mic will also work well for bass. Even a shure 57 if nothing else. Aim it at the center of your best sounding speaker. If the soundman says he is bringing a couple of speakers on stands, bring a bigger cabinet!

 

[oli@bass]

When in doubt, bring enough beer and forget about the rest!



Facing your situation, I'd bring along my full rig (MB F1, 2 x MB 104 HR) just in case I need to provide sound for the audience. That said, I've never really faced such a situation, not even on the Philippines (and I didn't have any gear with me there, and never knew what would be on stage... best thing to do: relax, enjoy and open a bottle of red horse!).


PS: Your Music Man bass is well equipped to handle any situation. That's what I learned...