Another case for LPF ?

[mixsit]

I heard an interesting thing happen at a club the other night. A Blues trio, 'semi crunchy Strat, bass, drums and vocal through the mains dominating for the most part the stage levels (ie they're amps weren’t too big/too loud- and the bandstand actuall faces away from the main room.
Lots of high end splash and crinkle' bouncing around in the room -excessive amounts as what typically separates it vs a well controlled mix.
Anywho, guitar player steps on his wah pedal for a song- and about half -shoot more than half of the splash' mess goes away. All of a sudden the whole room cleans' up, most of the crunchy 5k and up stuff that remains is off the kit and to a lesser extent during the vocals.
Wah = band pass, similar in effect to sliding High and Low pass filters.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Let me guess, amp on floor of stage aimed at player's calves. Player boosts highs on amp because his ears are 30° off axis from the driver.

 

[mixsit]

Yes- on the floor anyway And sound guy could have helped by placing the mic a little more towards the edge of the cone- another pretty good filter' as well.
Sound from the amp, didn't seem excessively bright IIRC.
I guess he could have done similar improvement with the std 10 or 12k shelves, but more and more I'm coming to see how handy, or at least adaptable having LPF's could be.

 

[miroslav]

I use to keep a looong guitar cord during my band days (still have it around somewhere) for soundchecks, so I could step off stage and about 25 feet out and hear what it sounded like really, and not just my amp, but the whole band.

 

[mindsound]

What is mentioned above makes me think that this is why, in studio, I would put a "room" mic on a guitar. To get the player perspective...which is totally different than what the close mic receive from the speaker. Your wah example, mixsit, tell us that the last thing- when putting a mic in front of a guitar amp- we want emphasize, is the highs. It's already there! Instead, let's chase the resonance, the air, the body of the guitar.

 

[mixsit]

I use to keep a looong guitar cord during my band days (still have it around somewhere) for soundchecks, so I could step off stage and about 25 feet out and hear what it sounded like really, and not just my amp, but the whole band.

Hhaah! I used to do that. A-mazing what 20' can do to your big badass guitar tone.
You use what you learn along the way to temper and adjust against what is sounds like up on the bandstand, but man things get small fast.

 

[Armistice]

Hhaah! I used to do that. A-mazing what 20' can do to your big badass guitar tone.
You use what you learn along the way to temper and adjust against what is sounds like up on the bandstand, but man things get small fast.

Me three... nothing like a wander out front while everyone else is playing to get the full picture..

 

[grimtraveller]

I use to keep a looong guitar cord during my band days (still have it around somewhere) for soundchecks, so I could step off stage and about 25 feet out and hear what it sounded like really, and not just my amp, but the whole band.

Hhaah! I used to do that. A-mazing what 20' can do to your big badass guitar tone.
You use what you learn along the way to temper and adjust against what is sounds like up on the bandstand

Me three... nothing like a wander out front while everyone else is playing to get the full picture..

Well, don't keep us in suspense any longer guys....did you guys sound good from the audience perspective ? Were you surprized at how you all {and you in particular} sounded ?

 

[moresound]

When am able I set the stage up so as the amps are side firing the stage ... so the amps aren't shooting off the stage and competing with the mix of the PA - for there are very few guitarist who understand that there amps are loud and there ears aren't in their arses or ankles.

I've seen when a guitarist while using a tiltback stand for his amp has great sound from his rig. Go figure.

 

[mjbphotos]

That's why I got a tilt-back stand for my amp - makes a huge difference!

 

[mixsit]

Well, don't keep us in suspense any longer guys....did you guys sound good from the audience perspective ? Were you surprized at how you all {and you in particular} sounded ?

Well'll want to be general about it, but what was (is) big thick direct up close for the most part becomes smaller, less body, and way more diffuse. Surprising? Maybe it shouldn't be- musicians/sound types we know the frickin rules! But I still find it disheartening just how far things deteriorate in such a small distance.

An open back- probably fairs worse if you think about it. But then how many times have you heard a band's big bad 4-12 closed backs sound like a mush of 'bees?
Here you go- Ya know that thing about using less amp gain, FX' etc tracking than maybe you think you like. Well guess what- the mix/size/perspective stuff go pretty much the same live don't they.

 

[mixsit]

That's why I got a tilt-back stand for my amp - makes a huge difference!

Them $30 OnStage piano benches here.