# "Get a better live sound" thread



## b3n (Oct 1, 2008)

Thought this might be a useful topic for many of us (myself included, obviously ) who are trying to improve the overall sound of their band in a live situation.

Obviously a lot of this depends on the soung guy and the equipment/PA etc, but there's surely a lot a band can do to improve matters.

Seeing as I'm the one asking the question, I don't really have any tips to post, but if you do, please share


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## telecaster90 (Oct 1, 2008)

Make sure you have plenty of mids in your guitar tone. Your rig might sound great in your bedroom with the mids scooped, but when you go to play live, you'll disappear into the mix. With my lead channel, I have the mids boosted instead of the volume boosted and while it isn't physically louder, the sound cuts through because of the frequency.


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## WarriorOfMetal (Oct 1, 2008)

also turn down the bass on the guitar a bit if you tend to use a lot, and the same with the gain.

if you have more than one guitarist, make sure the amps are on opposite sides of the stage for a wider stereo spread.


to improve sound quality in your practice room, try not to put the guitar or bass in a corner.

try to make your speakers so that they point at your ears as much as possible...this way, you can EQ so that the mic and the people standing right in the path of your amp will hear something that sounds decent, instead of hearing some tinny and harsh sound because you set the amp with the speakers pointed at your knees.


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## Elysian (Oct 1, 2008)

a lot of the time, the best way to improve your sound is have a guitar playing friend who you can trust to help you with your tone stand in the audience, and play him some riffs... or if you have 2 guitar players, do the same, using the other guitar player... thats how i used to get my live sound, and it always worked pretty well.


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## auxioluck (Oct 1, 2008)

Yeah definitely add the mids. I always add mids live. I also prefer having my amps mic'd. Cuts back on feedback, and I think gives a more pure tone. I usually cut treble back as well, as it can get pretty unbearable for the audience at higher volumes.


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## b3n (Oct 3, 2008)

All good stuff, thanks 



auxioluck said:


> I also prefer having my amps mic'd. Cuts back on feedback, and I think gives a more pure tone.



Yeah feedback is a problem we've been having a fair bit of... Despite having mic'd amps, I tell the sound guy I can't hear myself through the monitors and his response it "just turn up your amp" 

Funnily enough, we got the desk recording from that gig and my guitar was WAY too loud.


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## 7 Dying Trees (Oct 3, 2008)

Mids, mids, mids, mids. Same thing also is do not use too much gain, always listen to your guitar sound at speaker level, and try and let the bassist breathe, ie, don't overuse bass as it'll sound like mud.

ALso, get the guitar sounds to complement each other, and not fight for the same spots.

Make the guitar sound tight, it'll add more punch to the live sound.

Lead patches need a boost, about 3-6dB or the like (with 6dB being a bit extreme) so that the notes cut through and people can herar them. Also, don't put too much delay on either, but enough to smooth it out if you like that thing.

Basically, don't scoop the sound, son't use shitloads of gain on the rythm sound and don't overtreble it (ie make it too harsh). Also, you find that with a sound with a good dollop of mids in it that the amp suddenly becomes a fuckton louder than you thought it was...


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## 7 Dying Trees (Oct 3, 2008)

Oh, another tip, don't rely on monitors, rely on knowing that you can play and sound good without hearing yourself well. As long as everyone locks in with the drums and know what they're doing it should be fine, as monitors are more often that not a bit shitty.

Plus, you may as well get on with it and play rather than wasting time trying to sort out monitor wedges. The only guy that really needs them is the singer and drummer, and possibly andyone that is sending guitar and or bass straight to the PA


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## petereanima (Oct 3, 2008)

auxioluck said:


> I usually cut treble back as well, as it can get pretty unbearable for the audience at higher volumes.



VERY good point. most of the times the amp is miced with a SM57 (or equivalent), which adds a lot of treble, so dialing in the amp darker = more balanced sound for the audience.


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## Kronpox (Oct 3, 2008)

b3n said:


> Yeah feedback is a problem we've been having a fair bit of... Despite having mic'd amps, I tell the sound guy I can't hear myself through the monitors and his response it "just turn up your amp"
> 
> Funnily enough, we got the desk recording from that gig and my guitar was WAY too loud.



Without being there I'd hazard to guess that he was telling you to turn up your amp because at the board he had you pinned as hard as you could go without clipping, but your tone just wasn't cutting through. This would be why your guitar was loud as hell off of the desk recording. 

I find the only real difference between a good live tone and a good recording tone is that live you have to consider that you're pushing your amp loud as hell, so the Fletcher-Munson curve takes more of an effect which generally translates into really harsh treble and woofy bass. This is then made even worse by a quick-and-dirty mic placement job. I like Elysian's idea of having someone stand in the house and tell you about your tone. You could also switch off with this guy and have him play your rig and you can hear for yourself how your tone is getting through.


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## AVH (Oct 3, 2008)

Mike placement and angle is also crucial, just moving it an inch or two around changes the overall tone hugely. 

Buying your soundman a beer or two helps your sound immensely too


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