Is the Bass Amp FINALLY DEAD?! (In ear monitor takeover?)
???? Try Our FREE Ultimate Bass Fretboard Crash Course: https://sbl.link/4dZeElp
???? Try the SBL Bass Academy FREE for 14 Days: https://sbl.link/join-sbl
???? Get 1-1 Bass Coaching (12 Month Mentorship Program): https://sbl.link/the-blueprint
Let’s clear this up from the start – we LOVE bass amps, big stacks of speakers coupled with loud, monstrous amplifier heads. We want to feel the air move as we play! But when you’re a gigging bassist, one of the biggest struggles we face is the endless battle with the onstage sound. In this podcast, we’re asking if there’s a future for bass amplifiers?
If you had to ditch anything from your signal chain, would you really wave goodbye to your bass amp?
===
Video Breakdown:
00:00 – Introduction
01:45 – What Is A Silent Stage?
07:50 – The Pitfalls of Silent Stages
12:20 – Sharon’s Current Gigging Setup
16:00 – Ian’s Experiences With IEMs
18:30 – IEMs – The Cons
27:00 – IEMs – The Pros
34:00 – Gear Discussion
39:15 – Recommendations
53:00 – Summary
===
GET MORE BASS TIPS ????
_________________________________________________________________
???? Be the first to know – SUBSCRIBE now → https://bit.ly/sub-to-sbl-yt
???? Tune in to our Weekly PODCAST → https://sblpodcast.buzzsprout.com/share
???? Try our free GrooveTrainer APP → https://scottsbasslessons.com/groove-trainer-app
ABOUT SCOTT’S BASS LESSONS (SBL)
_________________________________________________________________
As the largest online bass education platform in the world, with an ever-expanding course library and 40,000+ active members, Scott’s Bass Lessons (SBL) has everything you need to master the bass, all in one place.
With beginner-friendly bass lessons, interactive courses led by industry experts, structured learning paths, personalized feedback, real-time mentorship from top bassists, and a vibrant, supportive community, SBL is the ultimate destination to enhance your bass playing—whether you’re starting out or already a professional.
Try SBL Membership today! → https://sbl.link/join-sbl
RECOMMENDED BASS PLAYLIST
_________________________________________________________________
Catch up with SBL Content you’ve missed:
➡️ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLq5Wss5r1Cvvplt7z7O45JHk2TaJ3NT53
#bassguitarlessons #bassforbeginners #easybasslines
#Bass #Amp #FINALLY #DEAD #ear #monitor #takeover
Originally posted by UCWTj3vCqkQIsrTGSm4kM34g at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwUgw6fCQZQ
So the yearly festival i sometimes work for Bass guitar has a kinda hybrid system where the bass goes to a splitter one to F.O.H DI and the other to an stage amp utilized by all the bands that's simply for stage presence and air movement
IEMs are painful for the wallet?
That statement immediately raises questions for me.
How much are you spending on your monitor wedges?
High quality wedges can easily run you at least $700 each. If you are running stereo, that's already $1,400 per station.
How much are you saving in electricity?
If you are pumping out 500W+ in power as opposed to 20w, you'll notice that price over time.
And if you really need to save money, you can always try the weird IEMs for people who don't move around much. In fact I'd recommend to have them with your drum setup.
Just my thoughts at the start of the video. Let's see what all you address
I like the feeling of having as much real moving air as possible. Amps, drummers not sealed away in soundproof submarines, speaker wedges, and bandmates with a sense of volume awareness. Doesn't always happen but there's just nothing like it when it works.
I use a (now discontinued) Rolls PM350b Personal Monitor Mixer Plus. I run a line from the end of my board to the Rolls, I get a monitor send from the board that also goes to my Rolls, and I have a mic concealed under my pedalboard that ALSO goes to the Rolls. I never "can't hear my bass", and I never "can't hear the ambient sound", yet I can control the volume of both without having to wave down the soundman. I plug my IEMs straight into the Rolls and I am good to go.
Anyone who thinks in ear monitors are good:
1. Are mistaken
2. Have never worked with a sound man who can mix your floor monitors like a stereo.
Churches have to use them because of their processes.
The absolute best mixes can occur outside. When you play outside, put the mains left and righ of the players. Put floor monitors in front.
Leave the in ears at home.
In ears are good if you want your bass to sound like a 1960s am radio.
Amps for life
300 not cheap at all for me.????
I always get a strange feeling when they talk about playing in a church, something really alien in my country.
Ok now I want to add 4cents ????
Ok why would i not want a silent stage ????
The same reason I do not want Stevie Wonder driving my car. ????
You and Sharron make a great team ????
My 2 cents, for live shows amps and real drums are a must that atmosphere is part of excitement. Music was never ment to be perfect. With a dead stage your simulating a Live preformance. That is the difference between analog and digital. Example# 1 if your driving in car in the middle of nowhere where theres no cell phone reception, how much would u love a phone booth ????
Here's food for thought. I was at the bands show called 1964 (Beatles tribute) they used all period correct gear. Great show, great sound. Next time i saw them the vox amps were missing and people in the audiance were confused. Then the Musicians came out started playing you could hear a chant building, BOOOO. So the band took an intermisson and the vox amps were back and miked up and the crowed cheered as the amps were set up. As a Musician, audio nut ,It clearly sounded better . I talked with the guitarist (George) (Jimmy Poe) "sorry if i spelled his name wrong" after the show he stated that he was glad they still brought the amps with them.
My knees don't flap in the winds of power from the speaker when using IEMs and I need a singer famously not helping carrying my stuff to have reasons to complain against/about them. So yeah, no amp is not an option (just kidding, IEM are great).
I PLAYED FOR 30 YEARS HARD ROCK AND METAL AND MY EARS ARE STILL FABULOUS!!
A CON FOR IN-EARS… YOU MISS THE VIBRATION OF THE BASS RESONANCE WHICH CAN HEAL YOUR SOUL AND OTHER THINGS. DO THE RESEARCH ON THIS!!
I AM OLD SCHOOL!! I GREW UP IN THE LIVE STAGE AND LOVED IT!! I LOVE THE 2 810 AMPEG CABS STACKED ON THEIR SIDES WITH TWO TUBE HEADS POWERING THE RIG. IT IS PART OF THE FUN. SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN.
???????? Am I remembering it wrong? Or did Tony Franklin the Bass Monster just say he has moved back to using an amp??
????♂️????♂️
“Nobody wants to hear bass as much as I want to hear bass” I might sample that for a Drum And Bass tune ????
You ask amps or no amps. I say Kustom K250 with a 18" folded horn. In-ear can't make your body rock.
Snuggled to my amp is my safe space ????
Has anyone used a small mixer where your stereo IEM transmitter is connected to the outputs (L and R) and the Inputs are Bass preamp/DI (di goes to foh, line out goes to mixer), My vocal (with splitter one cable goes to FOH and the other to my little mixer), Aux send (minus my vocal and bass). This allows you to adjust levels of your Voc and Bass and the other band members via the little mixer. Also you can pan a little. I'm stage left so put my bass and vocal in left ear and the aux send in the right ear so I am simulating the stage layout. Also a big negative is trying to talk to band members before the show or in between songs with your IEM in. Maybe a talkback somehow on stage?
Also for me IEM's are uncomfortable i always break them to wich sucks
Alright man to me Amps and necessary imo and if you can't hear your self get a PJB Ear Box it's freaking awesome
Not protecting your hearing is how you get the Justice mix. Another pro for in ears is (if you have a good engineer or know what you are doing) you will always have a good stage mix. I’m not a pro but I've played a few gigs where the stage just sounds like garbage. But the PA sounds great. And as the musician you are stuck with that.
The head and cabinet in the thumbnail look exactly like what I had in the 2010s. I only had one cab, though, but it was red to match the tc electronics head. I have an orange Music Man Big Al 5. My stage name was Firebird, so I had fire colors.
She's spot on w the KZ earbuds. I did dead on 300 gigs in 2024, I have tried everything over the past 20 years, the KZ win. If they break or get lost, $50. I still want my bass amp though, love that air moving.
I used to have Westone UM2. They sounded great but broke. Got a replacement under warranty but they broke too, so I was SOL.
Ended up buying Amazon cheap. They’ve worked out great for lesss.
Disappointed by Westone for the price and bad customer service
As long as there's an option, folks are gonna wanna try it, only to end up liking it. No, amp will continue to play a role in the music circuit.
a couple of venues I play with our cover band, no monitoring, LOUD room. I wear earplugs and still feel the pressure at the end of the night.
one church I play for occasionally (outside of my own) has silent stage with electronic drums. Only audible instrument is acoustic guitar.
Never… old school live is the best ????
As a small part-time musician and a sound engineer, I personally use a hybrid setup. Here's my thoughts:
– Save your hearing! IEMs allow you to protect your ears when people blare their wedges or amps. If you lose your hearing, can you really know how your sound and tone carries to others?
– I always want some stage volume, whether it is amps or stage fills. IEMs stop working, so having just enough stage volume so you can hear what's happening is golden. It might not be clear, but a musician worth their salt will be able to keep the gig going. this should be quiet enough, though that FoH overpowers it after the first few rows of people. Angle amps in toward the stage and tilted up at your head. I use the MarkBass amp that can sit at an angle. FOH gets its signal from my Helix.
– In smaller venues, stage volume can easily overpower the FOH mix without using IEMs. Then you get in to amp or monitor wars on stage where once the gig starts everyone starts turning up just a bit and it messes up the mix for the vocalist, and it starts cycle that runs out of control. I've had a show at a theatre where the bass player had their amp so loud it overpowered the FoH speakers at a 1000+ seat theatre.
– Many digital mixers have apps that allow people to mix their own monitor from the stage. I use the Yamaha series mixers and if a musician has an IEM, i show them MonitorMix and they are happy as can be the whole show. If they use a wedge, I can't risk them triggering feedback.
I personally use the Westone customs and love them, but unfortunately they shut down their custom shop last year. I've never had the seal issue you were talking about. I do have a pair of their universals as backup (always have backups when possible).
@27.00, i use cheap ear buds in a cheap radio at santa pod drag strip.i get the in house radio commentary, and enough protection to stand at the tree end of the strip watching top fuel! they get uncomfortable by the end of three days though.
Also – on tactile stuff – it's huge. To the point that if you're spending hours a day with headphones/IEM it should absolutely be mandatory. And I even find it helps with intonation weirdly enough.
$50 for the buds, its more for the drivers, and hardware.
Great content Guys, Thank you. Well Done!
Feeling the bass has its place in the music world!!
I get painful pimples in my ear canal within a day or so of wearing them. Can not do it.
64 Audio N8’s are incredible. Nathan East helped develop them and have they have an amazing bass response. Very warm and articulate.
Hi, to me as a former semiprofessional musician the pros are: 1) similar sound on every stage, which is great for FOH. 2) easy to lug around and you have all the sounds in a small package. 3rd) Audience: they are just listen to the outcome whatever cover song you reproduce (where the question already comes up – is it just making money or is it still making music? NOW CONS: 1) fun factor: nothing can reproduce the "air pressure" an amp can produce and you get comfortable with it or when everyone noticed your smile in your face. It teleports you into a specific mood and not this artificial reproduction. And just at this point you start making music. Full stop. Latency: you get used to it, but it it so uncomfortable using transmitters and the longer the distance is, the bigger the latency gets. You might not hear it, but you can feel it, for me it was even harder when I played the guitar, than playing bass. It is not that much but you feel "something is wrong". The artificial solution to me is just for making money.
Cheers Frank
I play pubs n clubs, all old school. Backline , PA for vocals , drum kit. Can't imagine using IEMs
I am 42 amd totally deaf because years of ear abuse, and my backs can handle bringing heavy cabs, so I vote in ampless bands
I love going to gigs where the backline is louder than the PA.
I like my amp for the same reason I like physical CDs and records: nobody can change it besides me. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that silent stages and outsourcing your mix to FoH gets popular when services like Netflix and Spotify take off.
I’m used to playing silent stage. The only thing is that if you are playing bass on finger style and you change to a pick it looses a lot of sound. It takes a really good sound engineer to capture a good sound.
Great discussion!!! Totally agree with the comparison between $$$$ custom molds versus universals. Love my UE11s but they do leak over time and body changes. Mackie MP240s universals if you’re looking for a great universal.
Full vid link??
When you talk about 'seals', I think of aquatic mammals…
I'm used to playing fully in-ear, being able to control my own mix for 20 years now. I would have never thought that musicians also have to deal with not being able to control their IEM mix! That's really a doom scenario to me, OMG! ????
You didn't need an hour long video to answer a question that has an easy "no."
Too many venues don't have a PA that is setup for in ears or digital modeling. What's more, not having amps on stage negatively impacts people in the front who aren't where a potential PA might be aimed.
If you are playing massive shows at fancy venues, sure. For most regular players, you need an amp.