Facing the Music

[hbombgraphics]

I don't have a ton of opportunities to play guitar, especially electric live so I need some wisdom.

When you are at home practicing and getting tones most of us face our amps
and then Live you face the other way and everything sounds different....to me anyway

When I was playing in a rock setting I could always just crank amps (used to run two half stacks all the time)
plus you practiced as a band a ton so you had your levels right

So I am playing now with an orchestra
un-amplified instruments

This week it will be
2 flutes
2 Trumpets
a Clarinet
probably at least one violin
an acoustic guitar

and for a while we also had an organ and a piano going

Everything I am playing is really clean using my dean palomino with flat wounds
and running currently through a 100 watt carvin acoustic combo

I can't hear myself for anything
I know the other instruments can hear me because most of the time I am carrying the tempo and everything sounds tight
my amp is on the ground and I am standing running the giant board and having a ton of fun

but I can't hear for crap

A few things I have done that helped a bit
I dried out my reverbs some because the settings I use for looping by myself were way to extreme
Also I think i will split my signal to my AC4 this week and aim it right at my big stupid head

Does anyone else play with an orchestra?
How do you set up your gear to do so?
Space is limited and I obviously can't just go over and hit a volume knob on a trumpet

[Derelict78]

Headphones

[ALLisNOISE]

I don't play with an orchestra, but I play with a standup bassist/horn player and another standup bassist/xylophone/synth player. We all play to a backing track.
I'm playing harsh noise, ambient, and general soundscapiness while the other two are playing experimental free jazz.
I sit sideways on stage, with my amp tilted back towards my head. This way, I can monitor myself in the mix, but also keep the volume down so as not to overtake the mix at any one time...unless the piece calls for it.

[hbombgraphics]

Headphones sound good
Visually it would be a distraction

angling the amp seems like a plan too

I was thinking of getting a small mic mixer and power amp and mixing the guitar amps into a signal that I pushed through a 1x12 pointed right at us

that way I don't screw up the mix but can take control of the sound

[D.o.S.]

Headphones sounds like a better idea than pointing a monitor at your head, at least as far as your ears are concerned.

[space6oy]

i'd probably try what i often do when recording myself, headphone one ear, the other live.

[skullservant]

I'd second the facing sideways notion. That way you can stay proper in the mix, it's not directly at your head, you've got no headphones in, and can still hear yourself

That or use a smaller amp to monitor

[dubkitty]

first get the amp up off the ground, either on blocks/milk crates or on one of those tiltable amp stands that are available nowadays. i've been putting amps on chairs for decades because i can't hear jack shit when the speakers are aimed at my calves.

[Chankgeez]

I don't play with an orchestra, but I play with a standup bassist/horn player and another standup bassist/xylophone/synth player. We all play to a backing track.
I'm playing harsh noise, ambient, and general soundscapiness while the other two are playing experimental free jazz.

You got links to this? I wanna hear it.

[hbombgraphics]

first get the amp up off the ground, either on blocks/milk crates or on one of those tiltable amp stands that are available nowadays. i've been putting amps on chairs for decades because i can't hear jack shit when the speakers are aimed at my calves.

Oh my ears are on my calves by the way

yeah I have to find a way to lift up the amps

Just walked through the auditorium
looking at our amps we created this massive dead spot
they are tucked neatly under the baby grand which is flipping useless for hearing anything

[gunslinger_burrito]

first get the amp up off the ground, either on blocks/milk crates or on one of those tiltable amp stands that are available nowadays. i've been putting amps on chairs for decades because i can't hear jack shit when the speakers are aimed at my calves.

This. Happens whenever I play with people. I used to lean my amp against something so even though it was still sitting on the ground, the sound was pointed up into the room and not at our legs, like the kitty said. I think some amps have mounts for legs to tilt your amp back with?

also this

I don't play with an orchestra, but I play with a standup bassist/horn player and another standup bassist/xylophone/synth player. We all play to a backing track.
I'm playing harsh noise, ambient, and general soundscapiness while the other two are playing experimental free jazz.

You got links to this? I wanna hear it.

[behndy]

first get the amp up off the ground, either on blocks/milk crates or on one of those tiltable amp stands that are available nowadays. i've been putting amps on chairs for decades because i can't hear jack shit when the speakers are aimed at my calves.

Oh my ears are on my calves by the way

yeah I have to find a way to lift up the amps

Just walked through the auditorium
looking at our amps we created this massive dead spot
they are tucked neatly under the baby grand which is flipping useless for hearing anything

yah. GC sells an amp stand for like $30 i think? i use one to put my bass cab on for shows that i only use 1 12". tilting towards me lets me keep the stage volume WAY lower and still be able to hear what happens with what.

USEFUL.

[dubkitty]

I don't play with an orchestra, but I play with a standup bassist/horn player and another standup bassist/xylophone/synth player. We all play to a backing track.
I'm playing harsh noise, ambient, and general soundscapiness while the other two are playing experimental free jazz.

You got links to this? I wanna hear it.

[ALLisNOISE]

So, George, the guy who wrote these pieces, just turned 60 and spent the better part of the year in and out of the hospital for a bum hip.
He fell in love with the sound of the MRI machine, and being a dyed in the wool jazz player, decided to write a concept piece about falling asleep and dreaming with the MRI as a soundtrack.
He contacted Siemens and got actually MRI samples, but still wanted something more atmospheric, so he contacted me to fill in underneath and in between.

So, even though I'm playing guitar, you never hear me play. I'm the swirly soundscape. I abuse an eBow and EHX HOG pretty hardcore.

The first two clips were the first time that we played together at a coffee house and was recorded (terribly) with one mic. The sound drops in and out, but you get the idea.

The third is a super rough cut of us practicing for a recording we did for Never Records, this traveling recording studio.



[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/george-r-alvey/sets/mri-suite-persistance-of[/soundcloud]

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/george-r-alvey/the-persistance-of-memories[/soundcloud]

[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/george-r-alvey/sets/unfit-for-american-bandstand[/soundcloud]

[/end derail thread]

angling or lifting your amp is your best bet to control stage volume, and thereby the mix, and still be able to hear what you're doing

[Chankgeez]

Awesome, thanks, ALLisNOISE.