Playing through a PA

Fred Nolen · From: Mohawk, Tennessee, USA

Is anyone aware of an equalizer or anything one could use to get an acceptable tone playing steel through a PA? Thanks - Ol' Fred

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

My inner smart-Alec wants to say that's up to the sound guy and good luck finding one.Seriously,though,the most you can do is get your sound set before it's fed to the PA board.My experience has been that for all but the biggest gigs,you're best off using your amp as your personal instrument monitor,and having your own effects setup,then miking your amp and having your amp channel on the board EQ'd flat with no effects.IMO that way you have the most control over your tone and you're only depending on the sound guy for relative volume in the FOH mix.

If circumstances prevent you from using an amp,there are a great many processors that can give you a lot of control over what you are sending to the board,although you then have to depend on the soundman to give you a decent monitor mix.

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

What Dave H. said...if you want the same sound from the PA that you have at your amp you pretty much need to mic the amp as the speaker's response characteristics have a lot to do with that product.

If for convenience or other reasons you absolutely must run direct to the sound system and you are concerned about accuracy of tonal response then you might wish to get a decent parametric EQ such as the Furman PQ3 or Audio Arts 4100 and a good transformer-based Direct Box with a ground lift switch. Another tack would be to get a POD XT or similar tone-shaping device and play through it. No matter what you do you will need to spend some time dialing it in of course, and ultimately I hope you've got a sound tech who knows their hole from an ass on the ground...

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

These days I play through a PODxt into a Peavey powered PA head, through a cab with a 15" Black Widow. IMO it sounds pretty good! Plenty powerful.

I needed one rig that has multiple channels that I can also use for a midi guitar module, and the POD works pretty good for going back and forth between steel and six string. That's basically why I don't just use a steel amp. By itself, the PA doesn't sound all that great for the steel.

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

Rick-sounds like you're playing thru a mini-PA yourself Very Happy

.Do you have a feed to the big board?

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

Yeah Dave...just the basic line out to the house works great! I usually just play mono through the POD into my PA head with a RTS/XLR cable. If I want, I can give a line out from the other out of my POD also.

It's easy, sounds great, and no hassle, but some days I really yearn for more mojo, which if I had the bucks.... Oh Well

I wish I would've had this rig 20 years ago though.

Steve Hitsman · From: Waterloo, IL

I've played small venues without an amp using my usual effects chain into a Countryman DI then a mic cable to the PA... works pretty well.

Steve Lipsey · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

One question for Rick - you say you don't like playing just through the PA....but with a line out that is all anyone in FOH will hear....only you hear the tone of the speaker next to you, right?

As Dave said, if you aren't mic'ing the speaker, you ARE playing through the PA...I sometimes play through the PA when the gig doesn't justify hauling the iron, and I have some tone shapers at my feet...but it is a compromise for sure..mainly in that you can't really tell what you sound like without your amp as "monitor"....but at least I am hearing what FOH is hearing...

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

Steve...what I meant to say was that I don't think the powered PA head that I use sounds as good on it's own without the POD as a dedicated steel amp or Twin Reverb etc. With the POD, it sounds pretty good, and yes, I do mic it or run a direct line out to the house if I'm playing in a more upscale situation.

If I can't hear myself with a good sound onstage, I feel like I'm just going through the motions. It might be selfish, but I'm much more concerned with what I'm hearing than any one else. BTW even with my POD, I just can't get use to "in ear" monitors.

I think this thread is about playing direct in the house PA, hope I didn't hijack it by stating that I use a small PA head as my main amp. Confused

Keith Davidson · From: Nova Scotia, Canada

Fred, I had the same question a while back and Ollie (I think that was his name) suggested a Tech 21 Blonde. I haven't used mine out on the stage but I do run it through my mixer that I use for a soundcard. It works great and I don't need my amp.

This will save me from lugging an amp to the gig. It has low, mid, high, charachter, drive, and level knobs.

Here is a link for a guitar vid but this guy gives a pretty good demo of the pedal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6XK6khLaxM

Hope this helps,

Keith

Steve Lipsey · From: Portland, Oregon, USA

Re the Tech 21......those all seem to primarily be OD pedals....but with control....I have a Sarno Black Box arriving tomorrow, no controls, but lots of tube warmth...., will be curious to see what that, with a few foot pedals, will sound like straight into the PA....

Keith Davidson · From: Nova Scotia, Canada

Steve, yeah but it's clean as a whislte with the proper settings, just have to keep the character and drive under 12 o'clock and it works great.

Super clean and clear and lots of power too.

Byron Walcher · From: Ketchum, Idaho, USA

I have a Walker Stereo Steel pre-amp and a lexicon reverb unit mounted up in a rack case for that very thing. It's light weight and works great.
Byron

Ellis Miller · From: Cortez, Colorado, USA

Tech 21 makes a DI box / preamp called the Para Driver. It has the same controls as a regular guitar/steel amp which gives you quite a bit of control over your signal. I prefer to mic my amp, but I have gone direct with the Para Driver a couple of times and it worked fairly well.
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Ellis Miller
Don't believe everything you think.
http://www.ellismillermusic.com

Henry Matthews · From: Texarkana, Ark USA

My Evans crapped out on me during rehearsal last Sat so just plugged straight into board. I'm running a Peavey profects II and have my own monitor mix from a Presonus sound board. Durned if it don't sound better than the amp. The power amp for my mix is a Carver 300 watts per side and my monitor is a home made with a 12 Emenience speaker. Believe I'll just keep playing that way. Henry

I am using a DI box too.
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Henry Matthews

D-10 Magnum, 8 &5, dark rose color
D-10 1974 Emmons cut tail, fat back,rosewood, 8&5
Nashville 112 amp, Fishman Loudbox Performer amp, Hilton pedal, Goodrich pedal,BJS bar, Kyser picks, Live steel Strings. No effects, doodads or stomp boxes.

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

I played direct into the PA for several years with a church band. I used a Digitech 2112 preamp/effects unit, to a Countryman direct box, and monitored through in-ears. My son was the front of house engineer and he grew up listening to steel and going to conventions with me, so he knew how the steel should sound.

That's all changed now, my son no longer runs sound, and I only play once or twice a month, and on guitar instead of steel. I still play direct, using a Line 6 POD HD500, and still monitor with in-ears. If I play steel again, I will use a POD with it too.
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

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