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Topic: Do you adjust your amp facing it? |
George Kimery
From:
Limestone, TN, USA
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Posted 23 May 2007 7:29 am |
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Guitar players, fiddle, bass players, etc. adjust the sound of their amp by just turning around and facing it. The sound that they hear is the sound that the audience will hear. Piano players and Steel Players, normally do it differently. They turn around, twist the knobs facing the amp, then TURN THEIR BACK to the amp to see HOW IT SOUNDS, then adjust the sound more to suit the back or their ears.
In trying to figure out why my amp's sound had changed, I moved the amp in front facing me. The treble was way too high. It may be that I will be 62 next week, my ears are not hearing the treble well with the amp behind me, so I have been cranking it up, probably too much for the band and the audience. So on Saturday night, I am going to set up facing the amp to make the adjustments. Does anybody else set up this way to adjust their amp?
On a side note, Bryan Adams was playing my guitar at my house and it sounded quite different than when I played it. I know, Bryan could make a 2 x 4 with a piece of barb wire sound good and steels definately sound different with different players. However, It dawned on me that when I was hearing him, he was sitting with his back to the amp and I was standing in front facing the amp. Then when I played, I had my back to the amp and he was standing, facing the amp. I then got the bright idea of moving the amp out in front of me so that I would be hearing it the way I was hearing it when Bryan was playing. There was a big difference in the sound! Mine sound of course was nothing as good as Bryans, but none the less, it was much, clearer and cleaner. Once again, it may just be my ears are not working very well from sounds coming in from the rear. If you are working a large arena and everything is miked, then sitting the amp in front of you, would be the ideal situation. Or a 2nd speaker cabinet facing you. I think this issue is worth thinking about. |
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Keith Cordell
From:
San Diego
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Posted 23 May 2007 7:51 am
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| Agreed, as a part time live music engineer I hated working with steel players; treble bleed in mics all over the stage was nearly uncontrollable and would about cut your head off if you were in the front few rows. Overly trebly steel is epidemic these days. I don't even go to live shows any more due to a hearing loss caused by certain frequencies in live settings over an extended period. And heaven help you if you "suggest" that the steeler needs to adjust the high end... |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 23 May 2007 8:22 am
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| The opposite, I played a gig two months ago and I thought I had too much highs and then another musician in the audience told me the steel needed more highs". Go figure. |
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Larry Strawn
From:
Golden Valley, Arizona, R.I.P.
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Posted 23 May 2007 9:11 am
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Jack S.
I have the same problem you described. When my amp sounds good to me on the bandstand musician friends tell me it's muddy out on the floor, [the bass guitar is eating my lows, the Tele is walking all over my high end].
After a few months of adding what I thought was to much highs, it began to sound pretty good to me. Guess my ears are changing! 
Larry
_________________
Carter SD/10, 4&5 Hilton Pedal, Peavey Sessions 400, Peavey Renown 400, Home Grown Eff/Rack
"ROCKIN COUNTRY" |
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Alan Kirk
From:
Scotia, CA, USA
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Posted 23 May 2007 9:31 am
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...
_________________
Everyone in the world has two jobs: 1) whatever they do for a living; and 2) music critic.
Last edited by Alan Kirk on 23 May 2007 2:12 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 23 May 2007 12:22 pm
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Huh???
Brad |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 23 May 2007 3:22 pm I Do!
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George, several years ago when I got the big Mosvalve stereo rig, I spent many hours sitting with the speakers in front of me wringing it out until I thought I had it sounding it's best..
The spkr. cables are 10' long so that's as far as I could get away from it. When I felt it was as good as it could get, I noted the settings and never messed with the basics again.
When I go to a gig, I know it sounds good out front as well as from where I'm sitting too. |
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Robert Leaman
From:
Murphy, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 24 May 2007 4:31 am Amp Setting
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| I set the amp for what I like, front, side, or back, and I do not suppose that I know audience taste. Sound engineers usually have no taste since the majority of them are not musicians and they adjust sound for what they think an audience wants. They don't know any more about audience taste than I do. Never have I had complaints about my sound and I DO NOT use any so-called "Effects" abortions. |
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