L1® Unofficial Performers' Guide

The Unofficial Performers' Guide for the Bose® Personalized Amplification System™ family of products.

If you will be using the Bose System for the first, second, or third time and are looking for quick-hit things you need to know you are in the right place. This is for you in the role of performer who may or may not actually own an L1™ System.

If you just got your new System then you will want to check out the L1™ Unofficial Users' Guide which covers things that System owners like to know.

Setting Up

If you are stepping onto the stage and someone has made all the connections for you skip down to the section about Performing.

Microphone Setup

Gain setup for a vocal microphone

Setup Technique to Reduce Bass Regeneration

Bass regeneration is a special class of feedback, or regeration, that exists in all live amplification systems. It is a very insidious and hard-to-confront phenomenon, but it is responsible for a lot of bad sound. Resonances of all kind, including those of musical instruments and those of large “boomy” rooms will also contribute to bass regeneration. And the more system gain you need; either by having soft sources to amplify or by needing to play loud, the more unstable and unpleasant the regeneration becomes. The net result of this is a sonic “doom” that makes musical presentations sound like they were being passed through a wet towel. Severe cases of bass regeneration will favor discrete frequencies at unfortunate musical notes and may make it very difficult to play bass instruments (like electric bass) due to certain notes sustaining out of control.

Independent of most actions to prevent it, bass tends to go everywhere. Thus, it tends to be picked up, more than any frequency range, by all open microphones and “re-broadcasted” through the systems that amplify those sounds. The more sources of sound and the more devices that pick up and amplify this sound there are, the worse bass regeneration gets. So, in a complicated triple system, this can be a nightmare, especially with a lot of players and especially if the band wants to play loud (lots of system gain).

The Bose Personalized Amplification System™ approach uses a minimum sources/pickups, but bass regeneration will still occur. There are many ways to minimize this and, like a good work of art, detailing will always result in excellent sound and minimum bass regeneration. The main approach is to reduce the amount of bass that is re-introduced into the system and the following are specifics of how to do this:

• Use a highpass (low-cut) filter such as the presets. This reduces bass gain while not affecting the gain of the upper part of the audio range. For instance, if you are a singing bassist, use a highpass filter on your vocal microphone to keep your bass signal out of the regeneration loop. Use only the range you need and filter the rest.

• Keep open microphones away from bass boxes - If you are setting up an L1™ system as recommended (on the backline) and are using a microphone pickup for, say, a small guitar amplifier, don’t place the guitar amp next to, say, the bass boxes that the bassist is using. If you do this, it will amplify this part of the bassist’s sound, but not in a predictable or deliberate manner. Also, don’t set the little guitar amp next to the L1 system that is being used for electric guitar. You will not get good results, due to self-feedback in the bass. Rather, set it offstage where the bass from the entire band is relatively quiet. In amplifying a kick drum, get the pickup microphone as close to the beater for a strong signal. This way, you can reduce system gain on the microphone. Also, get the kick drum as far from the drum’s bass box(es) as possible. This is a bit of a conflict because the drummer wants to hear and feel the kick drum, and the drummer’s system should be close enough to the actual drum kit so the sound appears to be coming from the drums. Using the method described next, for kick drum, will allow very high levels with minimum bass regeneration.

• Reduce resonances in bass or “kick” drums. Especially in strong amplified music, getting a solid kick drum sound usually involves placing the pickup microphone in the drum itself. The shell of the drum will have its own resonances and will thus tend to “ring” at these specific frequencies. If a second or back drum head is uses, especially one with a resonator hole in it, the resonances will change. A successful method is to reduce these resonances by filling the drum cavity with Dacron® wool, dampen the beater head with typical methods (felt strap, rubber pad, etc) and loosening the back head so that its resonance is low. The Dacron filling will also dampen its resonance. You can also use fiberglas, but you might not like its itchy nature and you may not appreciate glass fibers getting into your favorite microphone. Whatever method you use, you can acheive a very dampened and “tight” acoustical drumshell cavity that will not cause excessive system gain at specific frequencies. The microphone will essentially pick up the character and snap of the beater head. This really works well.

• Get the highest signal possible to the microphones, thus reducing system gain – Sing and play strongly. Don’t play too loud, like through a mic’d guitar amp, so that you interfere with and spoil the sound distributed by the Bose Personalized Amplification System™. You will have to achieve a good balance between too loud and too soft.

• Mute open microphones that are not in use- Using your remote control, turn off your microphone if you don’t need to use it. This is just good practice. A noise gate will do this automatically, so try the ones we have provided in our presets.

• Don’t play so loud. We’re so used to this artifact of the triple system (playing too loud) that we don’t think about it much. Your audience will appreciate it and so will you when your ears don’t ring. A nice benefit of playing softer is that you need less system gain. This results in less bass regeneration.

Connections General Examples

click the picture above for downloadable PDF version.

Interactive Tour of the Inputs and Outputs

Inputs and Outputs (interactive display) showing connections.

Connections for a Soloist

click the picture above for downloadable PDF version.

Connections for a Duo

click the picture above for downloadable PDF version.

B1 Cables (blue)

• Make sure the Speakon cables (blue) are really connected. Insert and turn clockwise. There should be an audible click. You should have to slide the silver lock and twist counterclockwise to remove the cable. If you can remove it without a twist, it is not really connected.

ToneMatch™ Presets

• Presets are used to get the best possible sound from your inputs. They are not meant to make something sound like something else (like Guitar processor or instrument patches). Note: The presets for vocal microphones are based on using close microphone techniques.

• Gain Staging
• Mixers Connection suggestions for specific mixers.
• Effects Connection notes for several different makes and models

If the stage is already set up, then it is time to talk about performing.

Performing

Hearing yourself

This is a different approach to amplifying your sound. There is typically only one amplified version of your sound entering the room. That will be the Cylindrical Radiator®. Typically it will be set up behind you. Unlike conventional approaches, you will not be behind the main speakers going to the room.

How does it sound? - It may seem unusual for a few minutes because you are hearing yourself in much the same way the audience is hearing you. This is a big difference because you will be hearing yourself in the context of the room instead of out of context in the monitor. Where do I stand? - Usually in front of the Cylindrical Radiator®. Sometimes beside it. If you are in front of it, an ideal would be approximately 7-10 feet. This is easy to work out if you have the standard 15 foot cable. Assuming you have the Remote mounted on your mic stand, the cable should be a straight run back to the Power Stand. Where is the monitor? - No monitor required. You will be hearing yourself through the same Cylindrical Radiator® that the audience is hearing. Where is the reverb? - This is typically not required because you will be hearing the natural reverb in the room not a monitor mix from a floor wedge. Hearing Yourself with the Bose...

Microphone Technique

"Sing as loud as you're going to sing with your lips touching the windscreen and adjust the trim so that the LED just flickers RED. (You can do this with the channel and master volumes on the remote turned all the way down. Remember that when you want to be your loudest vocally, you're lips should be touching the windscreen. You can always "work" the mic by backing away from it to lower volume but always remember that when you need to be loudest, you're kissing that windscreen. This technique is true for ANY live amplification system, not just ours. Please stay in touch with us here and let us know how you, er, well, make out." -- Ken-at-Bose

You will probably find that you hear yourself better with this system than in other live music situations. If you are new to the experience, you may want to back off from the microphone. Try this instead. Get up closer to the mic. Relax and get used to hearing yourself. You will find it is easier to sing when you can hear.

"Many owners, myself included, have found singing through L1 s to be reminiscent of singing in unamplified groups (big family, in my case), but different, sonically better. Unamplified, we control our timbre and dynamics with just our bodies - No mics to technique. With the L1 , staying on the mic (the simplest of techniques) allows us to sing that way, using our head to toes as our preamp and our lungs as our volume control. Here's where it gets better - With much more available volume, therefore much more dynamic range and coverage way out into the room, we can still bring it down to that unamplified-level whisper (and everyone, singers and audience, can hear every nuance - I love that!), then bring it back up to the brink of ouch! Very expressive. Very musical..." - - Chuck-at-Bose

Feedback

Feedback occurs when sound coming from the Cylindrical Radiator® is reintroduced into the System and amplified again. You typically hear either a high pitched squeal or a low pitched howl. The first usually comes from a vocal microphone and the second is more likely from an acoustic instrument like a Guitar.

Microphone Feedback (squeal)

• Point the mic above the Cylindrical Radiator® and slightly to the left or right of it
• Practice close mic technique "eat the mic"
• Avoid leaving the mic pointed in the general direction of the Cylindrical Radiator® with nothing in between.
• Check the gain staging. If you have the input sensitivity set too high, it can be difficult to avoid feedback.
• Use the remote to turn down the highs a little bit.
• Try presets #03 or #04 (High Gain Bright, High Gain Normal)

Instrument Feedback (howl)

The most likely source of a low end howl is an acoustic instrument like an Acoustic Guitar.

• Change the angle of the B1. Just change the direction at which it is pointed. Avoid having it pointed directly at the body of an acoustic Guitar.
• Use the Remote to turn down the lows a little bit. This will tend to clean up the mix overall even if you are not experiencing feedback.
• Try preset #44 or #85 (Sound Hole Notch)

Leaving the stage: Always turn down the R1 Remote Control Master Level.

The Remote

Why is the Volume Control in front of me?

Where is the sound-guy?

The R1 Remote gives you the final say about how you will sound in performance. The System once set properly is very stable and does not require a lot of real time tweaking. It is there for you to use if you want, but it does not have to distract you from doing the show.

What are all these knobs

and what will they do for me?

Find the Master Level (ringed in red - center bottom of the R1 Remote). This is your main control for all the sound coming out of the System. You will want to turn it down when you are not actively using the System. Use Channel 1 and 2 Level controls (just above the Master) to work out the balance between the two channels.

Use the Tone controls. Start with all these straight up at 12 o'clock and adjust to suit you.

Important: There is a tiny delay between making an adjustment and hearing the difference. Make small adjustments and then listen for difference. Otherwise you may tend add too much EQ. Make sure that the Remote is visible and easily accessible to you as you are playing. Use the velcro to make it stationary so you can adjust the controls with one hand.

Stage Volume

You and your audience are going to be hearing your performance in a new way. To be heard and understood you will probably run your stage at a lower volume than you have with other equipment.

Getting Ready

This section will suggest things that you can do to prepare to use the System for the first time. For example: Rehearsal

When you are rehearsing, stand or sit in the same positions as you will when performing. You want to hear yourself in the same way in rehearsal and performance so that making the transition from one to the other is relatively easy. One of the features of the System is localization: being able to hear everyone in their relative positions on stage. It is good to get a sense of that before you get to the stage.

Practice Your Microphone Technique

If you are a vocalist, one of the single most important things you can do is practice your microphone technique. You get the best Gain Before Feedback using close microphone technique. The presets for vocal mics are designed for that (close micing) technique.

Working with Others

Introducing Performers to the Bose System