General Music Chat

GREAT ADVICE. Unless you have a world class vocalist you simply won't be able to do some songs in a certain key, and then some songs you won't be able to do in ANY KEY. First and foremost pick songs your lead vocalist can sing WELL. If you have more than one vocalist in the band you may want to experiment and see which one sings which song the best. And ALWAYS make sure that when you perform each song the vocals can be heard loud and clear. That means you may have to turn down the instruments and drum mix. There's nothing worse for me to go and see a band perform and I can't make out a single word the vocalist is singing. Also it's not really a bad idea to have a sound man. Make sure the sound man knows that you want the vocals to stand out. Make sure the equalizers are set properly so there is NO FEEDBACK. I personally don't like a whole lot of different effects, I've been in bands where the guitarist and/or keyboardist played each song with a different effect or tone and this can cause sound problems if not carefully planned. When you first start out the KISS method is sometimes the best way to go (keep it simple stupid). As you gain more experience you can add more effects to the mix. The advice freely contributed to these forums is GOLDEN. That's why I'm a paid member on Bandmix. I personally thank everyone who posts on the forum. It's truly informative and entertaining sometimes as well. GOOD LUCK!

Colors,

It looks like a compact setup with those 1x12 cabs.

It is. I went rack-mounted with everything so it would be easy to setup and teardown; self contained and portable but very flexible (I also tend to loath stomp boxes, but enjoy the versatility of having a lot of different effects available to me so I can add that perfect effect for a bit part in a song; adds color to the painting, so to speak).

I've rearranged it a bit from that picture, but basically now the amp, preamp and effects are all in one unit so their cables never have to be unplugged from each other. I just plug in the power to a conditioner in the second rack unit, hook up the midi to the foot pedal and it's good to go.

Ive never played with a Triaxes Mesa preamp, recently Ive been looking at getting a POD XT, mainly cause it has effects and everything built into one unit. Plus for recording its just a lot easier to pluag in and play. Ive got an old buddy that has a Triaxes, I might have to look him up and see if he still has it.

I've got a buddy who has a home studio and he's got an amp modeler too. He started with with the Line 6 Pod and then moved to something else that sounds even better (can't remember name off the top of my head, but if you're interested I can ask him; I work with him every day).

We've done some recording together and the amp modelers are great for that; just direct in, no miking necessary, and the good modelers sound really great; they mix well with other instruments, like keyboards. My friend uses separate effects when he records though; both he and I never really cared for the effects that came bundled on any of the modelers, least of all the POD.

Here's a question though, since you mentioned the 1x12 cabs: I've been thinking about getting a 4x12 cab for gigs, but the more I read the more I see the same thing written over and over: guitar players need to turn down their amps. So I am wondering: am I better off with the 1x12 and mixing those into the PA with a moderate volume level instead of getting a 4x12 and risking being too loud?

Good Luck with the band, I see you like Dream Theatre. I love Petruccis tones on guitar.

Petrucci was the reason I went with Mesa Boogie amps. Love his tone.

I had played through a lot of amps trying to find the one that sounded best to me. Played through a Marshal, played through a Peavy 5150, lots of other stuff, and finally got a hold of the Triaxis (which Petrucci used to some extent on Images and Words) and was blown away; loved the versatility with the 8 separate circuits and the 100+ presets.

However, when I first plugged the Triaxis in it was a dry signal - no effects whatsoever, and it wasn't exactly as great as I thought it was going to be. So the guy in the store hooks up some cheap effects unit to give it a little reverb and bingo - exactly what I imagined. I couldn't believe how much a minuscule bit 'o reverb changed that amp. It made it sound exactly like you think a Boogie amp sounds.

ColorsFade,
In reply to your original post for someone just starting out . . .
.
> Do not eat a big meal before playing. You can have a full mind, or a full stomach, but not both.
> Never apologize for being there. The audience takes their cues from you . . .
> It's not "Here's a song I hope you will like." It's "Here's a song I think you will like."
> Tune up before you turn up the volume.
> As a newbie, do not try a new way of playing a song while on stage. Until you're used to playing in front of people, just play the song in a way that you know works.
> If you make a mistake - your heart may stop, but be sure the song does not.
> Rehearse with your band mates the beginning and the ends of every song.
> Always acknowledge the audience's applause. If you act like you don't care if they applaud - then they may not care to applaud . . . no one likes to be ignored . . .
> Talk to the audience as if you were talking to one person.

This is great stuff. Worth repeating. Just the kind of thing I was hoping for - thanks man

This one in particular:

> If you make a mistake - your heart may stop, but be sure the song does not.

We talked about that one right off the bat. In fact, that was something we started working on at the 2nd session; you have to be able to recover from a mistake, no matter how big or small it is.

Colors Fade,

Ive always been guilty of playing too loud live. Its just in the blood. I love the sound of a 4x12, if you look into one get one wired in stereo for your setup. I would think that you would have a lot of control over your overall volume with the seperate power amp. One thing about a 4x12 is they project like a mutha... Standing in front or next to one you dont realize how loud it is. The sound tends to come together about 20-30 feet in front of the cab. They give soundmen fits, because you as the guitar player cant hear yourself but the sound guy out front is getting blasted. Depending on what your bass player is using would dictate to me what you need. If hes playing a smaller rig I would stick with what you have. If hes playing an 8x10 cab and a 1000 watt amp, I would lean to the 4x12.

Thanks for the preamp info. I am going to look into a Triaxis, the first chance I get.

Your speaker cabs are they closed back or open. If they are open and you go to a 4x12 it will seem like you have less volume when standing next to them. Good Luck.

If you get a chance check out John Petrucci's web site and check out his touring rig.

Thank you RhythmMan; that is some good stuff, simply stated and apparently accurate. I will take that to heart as well for my next performance as well as turn it over to my front man. He will appreciate it too.

ColorsFade,
In reply to your original post for someone just starting out . . .
.
> Do not eat a big meal before playing. You can have a full mind, or a full stomach, but not both.
> Never apologize for being there. The audience takes their cues from you . . .
> It's not "Here's a song I hope you will like." It's "Here's a song I think you will like."
> Tune up before you turn up the volume.
> As a newbie, do not try a new way of playing a song while on stage. Until you're used to playing in front of people, just play the song in a way that you know works.
> If you make a mistake - your heart may stop, but be sure the song does not.
> Rehearse with your band mates the beginning and the ends of every song.
> Always aknowledge the audience's applause. If you act like you don't care if they applaud - then they may not care to applaud . . . no one likes to be ignored . . .
> Talk to the audience as if you were talking to one person.

sound advice....couldnt have said it better myself.

I was always told that people will remember what they see more than what they hear.

The other thing is keep the "dead air" to a minimum.

Colors Fade,


Your speaker cabs are they closed back or open. If they are open and you go to a 4x12 it will seem like you have less volume when standing next to them. Good Luck.

Open back. I tried closed-back 1x12 cabs but they sound like they're turned towards the floor; like someone just tossed 10 blankets over them, so I sent them back to Mesa Boogie for the open backed ones.

If you get a chance check out John Petrucci's web site and check out his touring rig.

Yeah, I've seen his rig in the various incarnations over the years. It's interesting to see he's gone back to the Mark IV's now. He had a bunch of Road Kings a while ago. He changes his rig every album it seems, but at the core it's always Mesa Boogie stuff.