We have a jazz band and have gigs in private house, inside. What are the best settings for a small gig with Bose L1 system and T1 tonematch for 4 musicians. Guitar, Vocal singer, keyboard and bass. Can I mix all these instruments in the T1 and have a good sound or, should the bassist bring his own amp? Should the guitarist plug his guitar in his own amp too, and let the keyboard and female singer in the Bose system?
If everybody can be mix in the tone match, what are the best settings?
My preference is to give the vocals as much room as possible in the mix so whenever possible I will try an avoid placing instruments that occupy the same frequency band in the same system. This is less of an issue with seasoned musicians who naturally avoid playing in the same register as another instrument.
As much as I'm a proponent of the L1 systems, with my preference of amplifying all instruments with L1 systems, in your situation with a single system in a house concert environment, separate bass and guitar amps would be preferred as long as they don't overpower the vocals.
In my opinion, the vocals almost always have priority. I will therefore set the vocal level(s) first and bring up the other instruments to support the vocals while still having headroom for instrument solos. Having separate bass and guitar amps should help create space for everyone in the sound field and assist with localization of the instruments.
Guitar amps tend to have a beam pattern to them i.e. a hot spot that shoots out like a laser beam! It's important to make sure that this hot beam is not aimed directly at the audience since it will overpower the mix for the unlucky persons seated within this "beam" (this is why, when possible, I prefer having all instruments amplified with L1 systems when using multiple L1 systems).
Typically I would agree with Mark, because separation of sound sources can be as important as level, however, in intimate home settings, equipment can get in the way and take up valuable real estate. Multiple plugins and cables strung across floors is unsightly and dangerous.
You didn't specify which L1 you are using. If your L1 is one that uses separate bass modules, B1 or B2, then I would think the bass instrument would not interfere with the female vocalist or the piano content.
Most of the bass content is omnidirectional so it is not as critical in the mix as a full range instrument or voice might be when it comes to recognizing visually the placement of the player.
In a small venue, operating at a low volume there is plenty of power in the Models I, Is, and II to amplify the vocal, keyboard and bass.
If yours is a Compact I probably would use separate amps for bass and guitar.
Thank's O.. It is exactly what I think. It is the Compact, so I will use separate amps for bass and guitar but Female singer and the Keyboard in the ToneMatcht T1 with the Compact.