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Playing through an amp?
Hi! I’m a drummer, so I’ve never needed to worry about being “loud enough” before. Over the weekend, I jammed with some friends at a rehearsal space. The keyboardist plugged into an amp and was LOUD. The guitarist plugged into an amp and was LOUDER. I plugged my iPad (or laptop, or OP-1) into an amp and was not very loud. It’s like there was no body to the sound compared to what my friends were playing. I quickly abandoned and headed back to the acoustic drums.
I initially used a cheap 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch cable adapter, so I figured I was missing an amplification step to get me from line level to instrument level. Next I took the RCA stereo outputs from my Zoom U-22, plugged them into a fancy powered mixer, and cranked the volume before sending it to the amp… but my sounds still had no punch.
Am I just missing a pre-amp, or is there something more complicated happening here? I actually have a background in signals, but I’ve found a lot of conflicting info so I’m hoping to find someone who has figured out a solid setup for performance. We’ve got a gig coming up and I’m hoping to use my iPad live for the first time. Thanks all!
Comments
I’m also now wondering if I ran into a stereo to mono “center cancellation” type situation… 🤔
Gut reaction… the rca outs on the zoom and probably the amp you were using didn’t do you any favors. All that aside, the fastest (but not the cheapest) way to try to get louder is maybe to get decent 1 channel audio interface with balanced 1/4 monitor L/R outs, and hook those up to a pair of large powered speakers (like PA speakers or frfr). Maybe lift them and spread them the width of a regular kit, and see if 2000W per side is loud enough. If your drum app has multi out and your interface has more than two outs you could get three large speakers and pan your kit throughout in mono and stereo. I don’t think one beamy amp is gonna cut it. It’s really important to have a lot of height in the drum image if you want it to punch and actually use the space in the room.
The other thing to consider is the app… are you running the kit dry, using an IR after, or have mixed in processing? Some of these things can interact poorly with the amp you’re using, getting boxy or mushy or harsh for example.
In your attempts to turn things up how bad was the signal to noise ratio? Do your drums sound good with headphones? Is it just that the drums didn’t sound right coming out of the amp?
Line level is louder than instrument level...
If you listen to spotify on your ipad is it loud enough? if it is that, you just need to put a limiter and boost the signal of your internal mix.
Were you sending your signal to the same wattage amp as your band mates?
A mixer has preamps in it. Are you sure that you had the U-22’s output set high enough and had healthy levels leaving the iPad?
Thanks for the responses everybody!!! I was sending my signal to a similar wattage amp as the others, but you’ve given me a ton of things to try next time I’m there. I’m planning to show up an hour early next time so I can take my time trying each of these suggestions, rather than clambering around while everyone’s in the space. Thanks again, and I’ll report back if I learn anything interesting.
volume control is also very important, therefore an audio interface with volume button is quite necessary I think. And you are on the ‘studio’ level with your output signal.
Oh dear, if anyone in the band is louder than the drums then please stop the loudness war first!
... Joking aside, drums need bass and bass needs beefy loudspeakers/subwoofers.
What are the amps everyone is using. Not just a power issue?
@orchid I use my ipad in a worship set every Friday and Saturday night. It is my main effects unit for my guitar. I am going into an eventide H9 then into my Persons Studio24c interface then out to the house. I haven't had any issues with the volume at church. Of course I am also playing a lot of atomospheric background stuff but I have a lot of head room if I need to get loud.