Going from living room setting onto stage - what eq adjustments usually apply?

[kothoma]

Say you find that perfect amp setting for your living room.
What adjustments to the eq are expected for stage work?
I guess it would depend on room size, room acoustics and amp volume.
Is there an easy answer?

Why do I ask: how far do you get with presets? Less knobs, more music.

[hoodoo]

I think you've answered your own question mate, lot's of variables at a live gig, including the volume and tone of your bandmates on the night. My advice is, it's your tone and you know the sound you're looking for, so please yourself first, and then if you're playing a gig in a larger venue then chances are, you'll have a FOH engineer looking after things out front, and if it's a smaller gig eg: local pub, no one apart from you is going to give a shit anyhow.

[Vallhagen]

Is there an easy answer?

No.

...

I'd say that the one thing, above anything else, that affect sound, is the room acoustics. And your bedroom is a very specific acoustic Environment, very different from a gigplace.

I also guess that you dont play as loud at home as on a gig.

..and as hoodoo also says, at a gig you play with bandmates (at least i guess so? or are you solo?) ... One thing i have found is that a fairly boring/thin amplified guitarsound can be the "perfect" sound together with other musicians. I sometimes think that if i play OD/distorted stuff (and i do), and i am used to - hypothetic - play at gain=8; then if im together with another guitarrist, we have to share that gain. So if he gets 6 (out of those 8 ), its 2 (out of 8 ) left for me.

So... presets sounds different at home than on stage.

On the other hand; you can get close. It can be eough to adjust volume, gain and EQ for the stage.

Cheers

Edit... my "8"-s had became smileys...

[alanp]

Short answer; learn your EQ.

I don't mean, find your favourite bass-mid-treb settings. Learn that guitar is a midrange instrument. There's a reason why BB and a lot of other cats don't play and sing at the same time -- voice and guitar are in the same frequency range.

Also, don't try and play bass if you already have a bass player. Linking to this, if you have two stratocasters on stage playing through two JCM800's with the same settings, they're going to just sound like one dude, most of the time. There are exceptions, obviously.

So, learn the EQ range of each component of your band.

[micromegas]

I use my Quasar to push my amp on stage and to adjust te eq to the room.... but I play mostly clean stuff....

I have a Mesa Boogie Mark III (about 60watt I think) and master stays at 3-4 both at home or in stage

[hammerheadmusicman]

There's a few I've noticed in recent years, having pLayed guitar for a living for about  5 years now.

Firstly my amp needs to be raised of the ground at a gig, or it get super' woofy'.

Secondly, the tone that sounds killer next to my amp, doesn't sound the same out front. I need to get it where  like it, then add a touch more treble and bass, then it'll sound right out front. It also helps you 'cut through' more, especially if you are just running through the back line, and if there are a lot of audience soaking up the highs!

Thirdly, I much prefer to play small amps, and put it through the PA, gets me a much nicer tone, being able to turn my amp up.

If you can, get someone to film a few of your gigs and listen to the tone..

If you wear earplugs, put them in AFTER you set up your amp! If you don't, I'd recommend some custom moulded plugs, ACS are what I use. To use a pedal buzzword, really 'transparent'

Happy tone hunting!

George

[kothoma]

Thanks guys for your first hand experiences.

So it's usually more than just a little fine tune of bass or treble on the amp?

[hammerheadmusicman]

I meant treble and middle! Generally, my rule is get the tone I like, standing next to my amp, then make it a bit 'sharper', and it will sound how I want it to out front.

[wstimson]

...and if it's a smaller gig eg: local pub, no one apart from you is going to give a shit anyhow.

That's a lot more true than we'd like it to be.

I spend tons of time and effort on getting the sound I like and making new pedals and shit...
but honestly, most of the time the people in my band don't notice when I change from a big muff to a blues breaker or whatever.  Unless it sounds really terrible... no one else cares.   

Point is... by all means, work on this and find the sound you are happy with.  But try not to stress out too much over it because almost no one else will notice/care even an 1/8th as much as you do.