Solo Boost: sounds great in IEM but soundman says it's not enough boost

[chucma]

Volume is one thing, but if your frequencies have not been shelved in the mix then you might be clashing with another musician (could be keys, guitar, or even cymbals etc). It might be that your sound guy is not EQ'ing the band efficiently, and in which case no amount of volume will work for you if you want it to sound natural.

Maybe ask the sound guy to check what his EQ's are for all of the band members.

Also, when we play live, we actively make sure we are not clashing with other musicians in the band. e.g. if the other guitarist is riffing around the 12th fret, then I will try move to another area of the fretboard etc. Maybe this is something to try out as well?

 

[Mutha Goose]

The way a lead cuts through a mix is going to vary by a LOT of factors. So a boost that is good in one situation may not necessarily be enough in another. And unless I am using my sound guy, I don't trust ANY house guy to be paying attention or to do the right thing (I know, he's getting paid to push that damn fader up but...).

So, for my lead boost on every preset, I use a basic low pass filter with the gain tied to an expression knob-style "pedal", set with about a +1.7 to +9 dB range. This allows me to easily adjust my boost level on the fly without having to dive into the menus.

 

[RLD]

I use a volume pedal after the amp block and before verb/delay. Eliminates all volume problems.
I can come up or down using any tone...whether its super clean or highly distorted.
Why everyone doesn't use one is a mystery to me.

 

[camilovelandiamusic]

I have a 3dB boost and it's more than enough for me. The sound guy must have a limiter or a compressor on that squishes your tone when you boost. Either that, or he has you low in the mix and when you boost you're still not loud enough. Sound guys can be stubborn sometimes, maybe the question to ask him would be what he thinks about your EQ on your regular tone. If he feels like the place where your tone sits on in the frequency range is fighting with other instruments/the voice, he might just be turning you down.

 

[macfly]

Thanks guys...based on your help, I think I may have over-eq'd a little. I have a PEQ and was also using hi and lo cut in the Filter block I use for boost. I've removed the hi cut and it seems to cut thru much better. I still like the solo tone I'm getting so I'm gonna try that at the next gig. If it's still not working, I'll push up mids. Will keep working with and talking to sound guy...

 

[macfly]

I have a 3dB boost and it's more than enough for me. The sound guy must have a limiter or a compressor on that squishes your tone when you boost. Either that, or he has you low in the mix and when you boost you're still not loud enough. Sound guys can be stubborn sometimes, maybe the question to ask him would be what he thinks about your EQ on your regular tone. If he feels like the place where your tone sits on in the frequency range is fighting with other instruments/the voice, he might just be turning you down.

He's always complimented me on fitting well in the mix. I think that's why keep thinking it's in my patch. We'll see though...I hear you on the "too low in the mix." I will also ask about compression, etc.