FM9 & FR12 - Lost In The Mix (Help!)

sick pickle

sick pickle

Inspired
Hey Fractal Friends,

Just came back from a 3 piece jam (doing Rush tunes) with my FM9T and Fender FR12. When I played by myself, it sounded amazing. But in the overall band mix, it just seemed to 'disappear'. It's hard to explain but the sound just basically 'smears' away and nothing really seems to stand out. This seems to be a common question/complaint.

That being said, the last time I owned an amp was back in 2013 when I had a Marshall head and 4x12. I can't even remember what it is like to use a tube amp in a band jam.

I am also realatively new to Fractal and using FRFR. What am I missing? Too much gain? Too much reverb? Change my perception of how this should sound? Is it really that much of a difference from a real tube amp?

Volume wise, I was definitely loud enough, so I don't think it is that. I just want some folks who maybe experienced this and figured it out to school me! I know there must be something I am missing.
 
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as stated above........

just like in the studio - for your guitar sound to "sit in the mix" it can (and almost always does) sound very different than what you dial in by yourself. I would focus on the midrange and the low cut first.... the louder you are, the more you might want to try to cut in the low end.

Also, maybe back off on the reverb if you have any.
 
sick pickle said:
Hey Fractal Friends,

Just came back from a 3 piece jam (doing Rush tunes) with my FM9T and FR12. When I played by myself, it sounded amazing. But in the overall band mix, it just seemed to 'disappear'. It's hard to explain but the sound just basically 'smears' away and nothing really seems to stand out. This seems to be a common question/complaint.

That being said, the last time I owned an amp was back in 2013 when I had a Marshall head and 4x12. I can't even remember what it is like to use a tube amp im a band mix.

I am also realatively new to Fractal and using FRFR. What am I missing? Too much gain? Too much reverb? Change my perception of how this should sound? Is it really that much of a difference from a real tube amp?

Volume wise, I was definitely loud enough, so I don't think it is that. I just want some folks who maybe experienced this and figured it out to school me! I know there must be something I am missing.
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If there is reverb I would ditch that on distorted guitars for sure
When you set up your patches at home set them at stage or rehearsal volumes if you can
 
Agree with the advice above.

ALSO: Don't be afraid to tell the bass player to turn down high mids and volume. It's common for me to have to tell my bass player to back off. Usually he tells me he can't hear me and that I should turn up. I remind him that I was plenty loud at soundcheck and he needs to turn down. He does, and problem solved. Bass guitar goes well up into guitar territory, particularly when covering bands like Rush and Yes, with a little overdrive and single coils on bass. Guitar needs to cut lows to make room for bass, bass needs to cut mids to make room for guitar.

Bass: 41Hz (low E fundamental) to 2kHz - need to roll-off highs starting below 1kHz
Guitar: (low E fundamental) 83Hz to 5kHz - need to roll-off lows starting above 200Hz
 
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