My nice big (200w) amp is broke and my friend has a little (80w) one, should i just use that? I'm assuming there is a PA at this venue, though one should never be surprised....
How does wattage effect volume? What should I look for?
2007-10-29 00:02:09 · 9 answers · asked by TeeVee 2 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music ➔ Rock and Pop
Small venues like a small bar, eighty watts should be fine.
100W is only marginally louder and 200W is about only 15% louder.
What you might experiance is a loss of headroom before the amp starts to distort.
Lower freqencys need higher watts to push them out and he size of the speakers matters also.
Can you connect the 80W amp to the 200w speakers? This might help, if all else fails, mic through the PA system.
Hope it helps!
2007-10-29 06:28:16 · answer #1 · answered by racetruckdave 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
From past experience, always get a bigger amp than you really need!! This may sound a little OTT, but it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!!
Also, you've gotta be on par (volume wise) with the drummer, and they like to hit the skins pretty hard when they get excited... no sexual pun intended there - ha ha!!
To my mind you probably want around 100W to 200W if your just using an amp at a gig.. if your lucky, and they've got a PA system, then you only need a small amp and you can mic it up and let the guy on the mixing desk worry about the rest!!
Failing all of the above, if you wanna be really sure, go see the friendly peeps in your local music shop, who will be only too happy to answer all your questions and give you a nice smile too - ha ha!!
I hope that covers your question ?!? Good luck!
2007-10-29 10:38:37 · answer #2 · answered by Vim Fuego 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The key to great house sound in a smaller venue is to not let stage volume dominate the PA. If ya got a sound guy out there puttin down the mix, his worst case scenario is trying to mix over the top of stage amps and monitors.
The wattage of the bass amp is not irrelevant. For bass, you want more power than you need. Ya get yourself loads of power (200 watts minimum) but only use 30% of it. Guaranteed Clean!
You can get by on 80 watts, but if you're struggling to get comfortable because things just don't sound right, it could be a long night!
BTW, in my opinion, the best way to send the bass to the house is going direct. (Lo Z) This method simply eliminates another mic on the stage picking up 'other' undesirable sound sources and stage noise.
2007-10-30 13:33:59 · answer #3 · answered by ? 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Is there another band on with you? I'm sure you will be able to use theres. If not you could always mic your amp through the PA. Check with the venue to find out what there sound system is like.
2007-10-29 00:30:50 · answer #4 · answered by Bossco 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why would you want to do that? PA system's use 10" or 12" speakers. A 300 watt amp is good but they need to used with one or more 15" speakers.GBY.
2016-05-25 23:58:45 · answer #5 · answered by merle 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Eighty watts is fine, you just won't have the same headroom or the dynamic that yours has. There should be no problem with the smaller amp, and if there IS a P.A., putting a mic on the thing won't hurt either.
2007-10-29 00:48:24 · answer #6 · answered by the buffster 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
an 80 watt will be sufficient but at least 100 is good, it really depends on the kind of music your playing, the crowed and how big the venue is!
2007-10-29 03:30:13 · answer #7 · answered by XIn The Arms Of AthesX 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ask a pro at a guitar center for help like that.
2007-10-29 00:10:26 · answer #8 · answered by cadaholic 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i would go with 150
2007-10-29 01:05:25 · answer #9 · answered by The Reverend Tholomew Plague 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋