Cutting enough for live FRFR without being too shrill?

Tremonti

Tremonti

Fractal Fanatic
This is always a balancing act. Obviously things have to be set at gig volume. But we've all set things up at home and at full volume and then brought to rehearsal and played with band and not been able to cut enough...OR things being too bright.

I typically try and put enough mids and high mids in to accommodate this. I play with presence, bass cut, treble, neg feedback, dynamic presence, xformer match and sometimes variac. Also the cab block too with bass cut at 80 and high cut at 7-9k

It can be a struggle to get things full, but then no cut OR trying to get the cut, but sounds thin. Any tips to share with this for FRFR and live use?
 
Tremonti said:
This is always a balancing act. Obviously things have to be set at gig volume. But we've all set things up at home and at full volume and then brought to rehearsal and played with band and not been able to cut enough...OR things being too bright.

I typically try and put enough mids and high mids in to accommodate this. I play with presence, bass cut, treble, neg feedback, dynamic presence, xformer match and sometimes variac. Also the cab block too with bass cut at 80 and high cut at 7-9k

It can be a struggle to get things full, but then no cut OR trying to get the cut, but sounds thin. Any tips to share with this for FRFR and live use?
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This might seem kind of counter intuitive but this is what I've found. I have struggled with the same thing but have found what seems like a solution mainly by cutting frequencies. What I tried this weekend at a few gigs is actually cut both the lowest 2 and highest 2 frequency's by -12db on the global EQ. Doing the global cut effected my tone through the PA at stage volume much more than my studio monitors. I also went from doing the high cut and low cut in the cab block from 80hz and 7500 hz to 150hz and 6000hz. I then added PEQ slight boost mid boost (think it is 770 hz) of 4 DB. Also I take a few DB out of 250hz. Might be worth messing with those but more than that I would just say that sometimes you have to think in counter intuitive ways to get the sound you want. Like in my case I was actually taking away a lot from my sound in order to make my guitar sound better and bigger live.
 
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Tremonti said:
This is always a balancing act.
Click to expand...

Always will be. So many variables from gig to gig. Sounds like you're talking about how you hear it from your own FRFR monitor onstage. Certainly you know it, but keep in mind that changing your preset will also affect what you're delivering to FOH. ...unless you have a preset that has that already separated into 2 different outputs.

Is your FRFR monitor always the same distance to your head? Same angle? Same volume? Try to minimize the variables.

You know, I have said the same thing as your post. (I feel your pain!) But I try not to cut out too much bottom. Depends on the IR of course. I usually cut at 80 cycles and at 9k. I've gone up as far as 150 and low as 6k. The IR is a huge factor, as you know. Seems to shape it even more than the Amp Block. The character is in the mids. Definition up higher. I can use a more nasal sound on solos. Lately I use presence for definition and try to leave the treble at default. Depends on the Amp Block and of course the IR.

Also, I often make presets specifically for a pickup setting. I don't expect a preset to work perfectly for a bridge humbucker as for a neck single coil. I even name some of my presets w the pickup setting.
 
I would highly suggest that if you haven't already done so that you experiment with the many IR's in stalled as they sound so different. Some are darker, some are brighter, some thinner and some thicker so that will, as the previous poster said will do as much shaping of your sound as the Amp block.Find one that gets you into the ballpark and fine tune from there. In your case I would get a number of them that I like and have the same preset saved with a few times with different IR's so that you can easily compare them with your band during rehearsal. Sound is always a work in progress but this should help you take steps towards happiness!!
 
I have always found it more difficult to cut through using a 4-12 IR. I have gone to using mostly 2-12 and 1-12 IR's (even with amps that you would normally use a 4-12 with such as a Marshall). I mostly use the Brown Super 2-12 IR (Factory Cab #22). Try it!
 
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