# Amp volume during gig.



## drgordonfreeman (Dec 28, 2011)

Full disclosure: I don't gig. I've played one show as a guitarist about 15 years ago, and that's been it. Moreover, it was a jazz gig! 

I've recently been presented with an opportunity to play live regularly, and I'm seriously considering it.

My question is on a standard amp volume scale of 1 to 10 (i.e., where 12 o'clock would be a volume setting of 5), how loud do you guys usually set your amp volumes during a gig? 

Let's assume you're playing in a concert hall, and your maximum audience size will be 500 people. Let's also assume the concert hall has optimal acoustics.


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## KingAenarion (Dec 28, 2011)

Assuming you are using a c.100 Watt amplifier Combo or stack...

If it's miced up, as quiet as possible to get a halfway decent tone and some projection.

Unless the P.A. is grossly inadequate, it will be more powerful than your amp and the sound guy will have a better idea of how loud it needs to be.

It changes venue to venue, but the quieter you are on stage, the more hearing you'll save and the more the soundman will like you.


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## myampslouder (Dec 28, 2011)

Usually at any show where we miced the amps I would actually ask the sound guy where he wanted the volume. I'd ask him to tell me where he wanted me to stop then I would slowly turn the amp up until he said it was perfect. 

Once I convinced the other guitarist in my band to do the same we hardly ever had a bad live mix and most venues were always happy to have us back.

Just for reference 
Normally most sound guys I worked with had me turn up to about 3 on my 5150


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## drgamble (Dec 28, 2011)

For years I have used 50 watt heads switchable down to 25w for most live shows, including venues like the House of Blues. I can usually crank it up anywhere between 5 and 7. I like the sound of the amp cranked so, most venues the amp is switched to 25w and cranked. It also helps if you elevate the cab to ear level for your own monitoring. I've been in too many bands where, the rhythm guitar player felt the need to turn up his 100 watt to deafening levels so that he could hear himself. If they have a decent monitoring system you can also turn the cabs facing the rear of the stage and be able to turn up a little louder.


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## Underworld (Dec 28, 2011)

I usually play as loud as the soundman allows me to. My Framus Cobra is really quiet then the effect loop is used, so I crank the master about halfway and the channel volume on 3/4, most of the time. That is a little more quiet than rehearsal volume.


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## Blasphemer (Dec 28, 2011)

I play a 5150 into a Vox 412, and my other guitarist plays a XXX into a 412. We're pretty much never mic'd (the clubs in Maine are super classy), and it's always a mid-small sized venue, so were usually at around 4.


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## Andromalia (Dec 28, 2011)

Last few gigs I've done (I don't gig regularly anymore) I started up with my 20 watt mesa at 25% and adjusted from there. I do enjoy not blasting my own ears off even with protections.


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## SargeantVomit (Dec 28, 2011)

Completely depends on way too many variables not to be specifically a case to case answer. Depending on the music, the room, the gear, the soundtech, the PA, the stage, etc. Definitely don't be a "these are my settings every gig" guy, I strongly would like to encourage you to use your ears and work with all the above variables to get the best sound you can at each available gig.


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## cwhitey2 (Dec 28, 2011)

KingAenarion said:


> Assuming you are using a c.100 Watt amplifier Combo or stack...
> 
> If it's miced up, as quiet as possible to get a halfway decent tone and some projection.
> 
> ...






Every show i have played the sound guy ALWAYS tells me to turn up.

I usually play this one place a lot because they have a sweet PA system. Anyways its a small place and with my 5150 I usually try to play at 3-4 (9-10 o'clock, but more towards 9 if i can get away with it).


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## thepylestory (Dec 28, 2011)

1) you should play
2) what gear you using?


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## Hollowway (Dec 28, 2011)

I'm not gigging currently but I would use my amp as a stage monitor essentially so I would turn up as loud as needed for us all to hear it but no more. Basically what the other guys on here are saying. BUT, if there are two guitarists make sure you're both following that rule and both have your volumes close to the same. I used to play a lot quieter than the other guy in the band and to compensate the sound guy would just pull back on the faders for us both when "the guitars got too loud.". If the amp is too loud you can hear it from the stage (instead of over the PA) and it distorts the mix. 

And you should totally play live. Best feeling in the world!


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## wlfers (Dec 28, 2011)

SargeantVomit said:


> Completely depends on way too many variables not to be specifically a case to case answer. Depending on the music, the room, the gear, the soundtech, the PA, the stage, etc. Definitely don't be a "these are my settings every gig" guy, I strongly would like to encourage you to use your ears and work with all the above variables to get the best sound you can at each available gig.



This is the answer, unfortunately not simple. Is the pa adequate? In some venues you can aim your cab towards you as a monitor and have the house pa do 100% the work. 

Most gigs I played were in small to medium sized clubs/venues. Generally, for other rack guys or amps that have separate master, I set my power amp to where it sounds sweet (around 1 oclock) and raise my preamp volume according to such variables as the provided stage monitors, sound guy, and house pa etc.


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## drgordonfreeman (Dec 28, 2011)

Thanks for all the great answers and insight!

I had this Spinal Tap sort of vision in my head where I was under the impression that most guys were turned up to 10 (and wanted amps that went to 11!). 

I didn't realize you guys actually played relatively quietly and let the PA do most of the work. That's all really interesting to me.


A question for the tube amp guys: doesn't the amp sound better when you're really cranking the power tubes, which basically means high volume?

For example, consider a Mesa Dual Rec or a Marshall JCM 800, which has to be really cranked to sound half way decent. Given any similar amp, how do you get away with obtaining a good tone at such low volumes ?





thepylestory said:


> 1) you should play
> 2) what gear you using?



1.) Yes, I should, but I am very nervous! I've been playing in my music room by myself forever, so the idea that other people would be watching me is very nerve racking.

2.) I have a USA Jackson that's my main axe, as well as a few other cheap but fun guitars. My rig is really simple. I have a Marshall JMP-1, a TC Electronics G-Force, and a Marshall EL34 100/100 power amp all in a rack. These won't be metal gigs. At the very most they'll be a harder rock, but nothing heavier than 80's hair metal.


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## Dores (Dec 29, 2011)

One thing everyone forgets is that the audience couldn't care less about how hard you're squeezing your lovely botique tone juice out of your powertubes. They seriously don't give a crap.

Also remember that if your cab is miced, all that tone you have been dialing at home is a waste anyways, as the sound from the miced up signal is completely different and usually sounds like shit as well.

These are basically the reasons why I go direct to PA with my Axe-FX.


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## Baelzebeard (Dec 30, 2011)

I don't want to sound preachy, but I've been doing live sound engineering for 18 years and I can tell you one thing that is 100% true. Low stage volume=best possible mix sound.

There are a multitude of factors going on for the show to come off well, and the musicians and the sound crew need to work together to optimise the experience for everyone. Don't be a jerk to the sound guy, or he will make your experience and sound as horrible as possible I promise.

The problem is that if anything is so loud that the mix engineer needs to leave the mix fader all the way off you will end up with an imbalanced mix. 

This is all assuming a concert hall with decent acoustics, and a good sound system, engineer, and decent stage monitoring capacity. Playing a bar with no PA is a diff world altogether(get a "spotter").

If at all possible put the guitar cabinets in a position to maximize projection to you, and minimize projection towards the audience, like on the side of the stage pointed in, tilted up if necessary towards your ears. Or, I would love to see guitar players show up with baffles or gobos so they could "get their tone" without ruining the mix. Check the vids out on this page. Amp Isolation . You could set up baffles in front of your cabs and put backdrops on them to pimp your band, and isolate your sound, a 2fer.


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## drgordonfreeman (Dec 31, 2011)

ToreFagerheim said:


> One thing everyone forgets is that the audience couldn't care less about how hard you're squeezing your lovely botique tone juice out of your powertubes. They seriously don't give a crap.
> 
> Also remember that if your cab is miced, all that tone you have been dialing at home is a waste anyways, as the sound from the miced up signal is completely different and usually sounds like shit as well.
> 
> These are basically the reasons why I go direct to PA with my Axe-FX.



Yea, I never thought about that. I've gigged only a million and one times as a drummer (I've always been a drummer first and a guitarist second). When I first started, I would spend FOREVER tuning the drums perfectly only to have the PA completely sterilize my efforts. I got to the point to where I'd just throw my drums on stage, spend less than 30 seconds tuning the whole kit, and I'd be off. Sounded the same as the times I spent hours tuning it.

In a studio setting where everything is under the microscope, things are different. In a concert hall, "tone" tends to go out the window, no matter the instrument, it seems.




Baelzebeard said:


> I don't want to sound preachy, but I've been doing live sound engineering for 18 years and I can tell you one thing that is 100% true. Low stage volume=best possible mix sound.
> 
> There are a multitude of factors going on for the show to come off well, and the musicians and the sound crew need to work together to optimise the experience for everyone. Don't be a jerk to the sound guy, or he will make your experience and sound as horrible as possible I promise.
> 
> ...



Great insight!!

Also, thanks for the link. The last gig I did as a drummer, I was a sit-in, and they wanted me to use a drum shield. Sort of a different experience, but it made the sound guy really happy.


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## robare99 (Feb 20, 2012)

I always have my sound up loud enough that I can get a decent tone, and that it's not throwing too hard off the stage. I have a JCM800, but I get my distortion from my pedal set up. Then I feed myself what I need into my monitor. We all have individual monitor mixes, so I can have as much or as little as I need. 

You have to think of the band as a whole, before yourself. How do you sit in the mix, so many times I've heard a band sound like ass, because the guitar player was way too loud. They had their tone nirvana at the expense of the group as a whole.


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## KingAenarion (Feb 21, 2012)

robare99 said:


> I always have my sound up loud enough that I can get a decent tone, and that it's not throwing too hard off the stage. I have a JCM800, but I get my distortion from my pedal set up. Then I feed myself what I need into my monitor. We all have individual monitor mixes, so I can have as much or as little as I need.
> 
> You have to think of the band as a whole, before yourself. How do you sit in the mix, so many times I've heard a band sound like ass, because the guitar player was way too loud. They had their tone nirvana at the expense of the group as a whole.



Why?

Why bump this thread up?


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## robare99 (Feb 26, 2012)

Didn't realize a thread on the first page would be months old. 


New guy, figured the place was lively enough that I wouldn't have to check start dates on the first page. 

My bad.


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## inhuman666 (Feb 27, 2012)

my band has an extremely loud drummer, so we have him play, the other guitarist and I play some riffs over it and adjust our volume so everyone in the band can hear us.

Once these levels are set, we let the soundman do the rest. Our amps usually don't even pass 4-5 (out of 10). It varies with the venue though.


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## guy in latvia (Feb 28, 2012)

really simple, just turn it up as loud as you can! when people try talking to you, keep playing, and if someone starts screaming in your face that you're too loud, give them the finger. this is considered proper behavior for a lead guitarist.


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