General Music Chat

So, what's your setup?
You got the amps for the guitars. How far do you set em apart to get a full sound?
Drums don't need mic-ing in a jam. They're already loud as hell (You know we love it )
What bout the vocal mic? Do you just hook it up with a guitar amp or mini-PAs?

What bout when you record your jam? Do you use an external sound card kinda thing and a PC/laptop, like in a home studio? I know Sans uses the Zoom recorder, so other than that, what else?

Appreciate all input.

At practice I'm using a Marshall MG-100 half-stack (clean only) with my GNX3000 pedal (using marshall distortions from pedal, metal zone also built into the 3000), blues driver, and EQ pedal, single mic'd into the PA with my SM57.

Other guitarist uses JCM900 half stack, pedal-board (switches between marshall distortion and the metal zone-2) also mic'd.
Bassist uses a combo that still shakes the house, despite it's smaller size.
Bass drum mic'd into PA, other drums are not, although we would mic the whole drumset for live shows (outside of small bars)

We record some practices using an array of placed mics throughout the practice area (some mounted on walls/ceiling lol)

At home, I use my gnx3000 pedal straight into my 8 track digital recorder, also USB'd to my laptop so I can play tracks from the laptop to the recorder and mix the guitar in the middle (play along with jam/backing tracks or learn new songs), or record the guitar separately on the recorder.

Hmm.. also use 4 different guitars.. but that's a whole other story lol.

Did that answer your question?

When I was in FMF, we miced the room for the drums, & ran guitars & bass direct from the amps' line out. It all went into Cakewalk on the 'puter. We added vox later, when possible.

At my drummer's studio today, when we're practicing, we run everything direct into ADATs or a 4-track, & mic the drums & vocals. Of course the bass bleeds into all the mics so I hafta play very quietly, which irritates the living hell outta me, but whatchagonnado?

Did that answer your question?

Pretty much yea. I didn't know you mic'ed amps though

Of course the bass bleeds into all the mics so I hafta play very quietly...

Do you mean that you have to turn your amp volume lower or actually play lighter on the frets?

Thanks, both. So, when recording, I guess it's better if you lay down the instrumental tracks first, and then add vocals, instead of jamming all together.
And using a digital recorder is the way to do it. I think I'ma leave it at the drummer's instead of dragging it back and forth.

I, also, wanna know if any of you have used an external sound card. My laptop's I/O jacks are done, so I can't plug in headphones or mics. I wanna know which brands/models are the best. My lil research told me that the iMic is pretty good, but I can't find it around me.

Whats the setup? Hum thats a good question cause Im always changing around.

We practice at our bassist recording studio. I ussually take a POD PRO plugged straight into the board. Andy our bassist plugs into a Sansamp into the board. We mic the drums in one room and then have the vocals in another room. We listen thru headphones and each have an individual mix. This is the practice setup. If Im recording guitars I ussually mic my Mesa Subway Rocket with an SM 57. I bring in my full live pedal board for recording. The songs on my player were recorded like this, other than Pinball Wizard, I plugged my Washburn acoustic electric straight into the board for the acoustic guitar, I then came back and overdubbed electrics.

Our bassist has a PRO TOOLS based system and he is very good at getting things done in a hurry.

At my house I have a Roland VS 1880 digital recording system. The songs on my player Ive Been Shown on down were done with this rig. It has built in amp simulators or I just mic an amp with an SM 57 mic. Sometimes at home I run one mic in the grill and another a few feet away.

Live I use my pedal board into either a Mesa Triple Rectifier with a matching 4x12, currently Im running this amp with EL 84 THD Yellowjackets mainly to cut some volume without using a pwer soak. Or I use a Mesa Roadster Combo amp that is loaded with EL 34s. I always mic my amps with Shure SM 57 mics.

At present: 100 watt Fender Bass head into two speakers one left one right and cab voiced into PA.
Lead guitar: 50 watt amp combo (tubed by shredd6), cab voiced into PA (soon to add 65 watt cab for L/R coverage)
Second guitar: pedal board for electric and acoustic into the PA
Drummer: Electronic kit into PA.
All three vox mic's into PA.
PA mains (two 400 w 8 ohm two way speakers, soon to be Four) L/R face audience on poles.
Four monitors L/R, two 300 w two way face audence stacked on top of bass cabs. Two (one wedge one pole) face band. (was a compramise on the suggestion HowlinJ made about having all speakers behind band.)
Working on the wall of sound concept without the ear bleed volume as per jw's suggestions.

Yea, I heard that Mesa Triple Rectifier is like magic too.
Thanks for the input, guys. I'm taking notes now

I built the circuit in my guitar, (stole it from schematics of D+) got mxr eq , dig-delay: butchered ibenez and adobe audition and 8 track and 4 track and aphex ex.. and what else? hmm..

No, I hafta keep the amp turned down during recording sessions, & I can never hear my work until it's done. I hate that, & someday I'm gonna force some which way to get some headphones for myself when recording so I can cut loose a bit & actually hear what I'm doing, rather than constantly playing by memory! Shouldn't be that hard to do. Frikken drums & guitars & vox are all I ever hear when I work in that studio. I'd rather dub in my stuff later, but it's s'posed to be band practice.

Dang philby. I cant play crap ifn I cant hear my axe. That must be difficult.

I think it takes like 15 feet for your sound to maximize coming out of a bass cab, sans. If you're standing right in front of it, you can still damage your ears, but you ain't gonna hear it right, & the highs from cymbals & guitarists playing over-transistorized amps & stuff just overpowers the lows for me when I play. Heck, there's a lot of times I can't hear myself on stage, even. I mean, it's there, but I can't hear it well at all in the clutter of everything else. So, many times I'm playing from memory & not listening to myself at all, while I watch the singer for weird changes when he forgets the arrangement or changes it on the fly. Yeah, it's a fun part of being a bass player.

Though I have tinkered with bass in the past I never realised the complications you guys had in playing with a group. I now understand why Eric set up his own monitor on a pole in front of him. (Eric is our bassest) Your post has educated me and given me some more insight I need as the "sound man" for our band.
As for myself, I have my guitar amp right behind me so it matters not if I am playing the main guitar parts or just doing fill / color. I can always hear myself. Spoiled guitar players!

Here here, Phil. I'm pretty sure you pull it off everytime though.

I think it depends on the type of music that you play. I mean, with real heavy metal stuff, the bass NEEDS to be out there more than anything. With funk rock/jam stuff, you also need the bass to be more upfront, so that when the guitar pauses, you can hear it thumping, etc.

One time our sound guy turned my amp so low (and mic'd it) that I couldnt hear anything . About 1/2 way thru the gig I'd had enough and crankkked it.. I think it pissed him off a little bit..

WOW!! I just plug into my amp and already have 4 channels set up for clean, distortion, flange, echo, etc... one pedal does it all with a built in wah wah.... If I need to change the sound drastically for a song, I just go over to the amp and manually change my pre sets... Gawd I love these new fangled amps with all the effects already in them... One freakin pedal...that's it... sooo freakin' funny when our opening acts bring in this humoungous pedal board with every freakin' effect you can name and a lot I've never even heard of! Takes them an hour to set their stuff up... me.... 8 minutes tops