"Going Stereo" for Live Settings

J

Jimi1983

Member
I've been considering getting 2 FRFR cabs (maybe Xitone or CLR, preferably Neo due to weight) to be able to get the fully stereo benefits of the Axe III. However, I see some use a single 2x12 "stereo" cab? Obviously only carrying one cab would be nice (although a 2x12 ight be heavy/cumbersome?), but I sure would like the best stereo sound possible. Can anyone please provide me insights and opinions on the these 2x12 stereo cabs and how they sound in comparison to a good 2-cab stereo FRFR setup. If you really like the single stereo cabs, which one(s) do you prefer? I am brand new to the Axe III so please bear with me. Thanks so much!
 
I use 2 x Yamaha DXR10s for rehearsals and practising but live I have my in ear monitors (Sennheiser EW300 with UE 7 Pro buds). I would never even think about using IEMs until one day I tried them out and it sounded incredible - no more sage monitors for us ;)

Huge stereo sound and when you move around the stage, the sound goes with you - it's awesome.

On a budget we also have the LD MEI 1000 units that work well (Sweet used our stock for a couple of their shows earlier this year) and they said it was a great sound so if they are good enough for them ... they are good enough for us... the secret is to get decent buds, the Shure SE535 are a good starting point and there are a lot available on ebay going quite cheap.

We use several different PA systems ranging from the Pioneer XPRS for small shows, Pioneer XY for bigger shows the Martin Audio rig for out doors. All my presets are EQ'd on the Yamahas and translate extremely accurately to the different PA systems we use. I do not have any separate global EQ for the in ears either - I hear exactly what the audience hears. All stereo delays etc are 100% left and 100% right - we just pull them in on the desk using the left and right panning, then adjust the low cut if we need to (which is almost never).

I've heard good things about the CLR and the Xitone but never personally used them - my DXR10 setup works very well for me, both on the floor and on sticks.

Here is our setup from last Friday in London for a private party. I'm on the right playing the blue Musician Luke 3

 
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They sound good but have less stereo effect than two sources physically gather apart.

same as home stereo speakers placed side by side vs wider, far better imaging wider apart.
 
Jimi1983 said:
I've been considering getting 2 FRFR cabs (maybe Xitone or CLR, preferably Neo due to weight) to be able to get the fully stereo benefits of the Axe III. However, I see some use a single 2x12 "stereo" cab? Obviously only carrying one cab would be nice (although a 2x12 ight be heavy/cumbersome?), but I sure would like the best stereo sound possible. Can anyone please provide me insights and opinions on the these 2x12 stereo cabs and how they sound in comparison to a good 2-cab stereo FRFR setup. If you really like the single stereo cabs, which one(s) do you prefer? I am brand new to the Axe III so please bear with me. Thanks so much!
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I use a Mesa Boogie Stereo 4 x 12 cab on stage and a smaller 2 x 12 at rehearsal and smaller gigs.
Sitting in front you can hear the separation fine.
For live situations, most large pro audio PA systems engineers use mono signal going to Left and Right, and sometimes Center. This is how our big and small rig is setup. Reason is if you run a stereo signal to FOH, the people on stage left will hear your left and stage right your right. You can resolve this by putting some left in the right and right in the left. But then you are defeating the stereo effect. We run In-Ears on stage and at rehearsal. I've tried both stereo and mono into the ears. For me the mono fits better with the rest of the band.
 
I use a 212 Carvin open back cab., wired for L/R, and a Class a/b, SS QSC amp in a 3 rack space SKB. (AX8 now)
The speakers are Carvin OEM's that came with it, 16 ohm impedance per driver, was meant be wired in parallel for 8 ohms. They are lightweight Neo magnets, so easy to shlep around.
The cab reacts differently when set on a stand, or on the floor, due to coupling at low frequencies. Trial and error will reveal what works for you. I might even seal it up in the near future, as to control the "coupling" issue. I can really get a nice midrange punch without having to tame the top end so much. Easier to keep up with my mates. You will see many postings about keeping up with stage volumes going FRFR. Not that is a bad thing, just different. I turn off cab modeling to my 212, and only use it if the FOH is taking an out from me, and I am keeping the volume down.
I had a pair of new RCF powered 10" coaxial wedges. Sold them to finance my latest Axe upgrade. I still have the localized feel of L/R with the 212 box, and don't miss the RCF's at all. I also tried Seismic Audio, powered wedges as well, same results.
FRFR is fine for many, I always had to dial back the top end though, kinda nullifies the whole reasoning behind FRFR live. Recording LINE out would be a different thing, but for live, it works very well. I have tried going LR-Sum on the AX8, it leaves much to be desired on the time based effects.
Your the only one who is going to enjoy the stereo field, no one else is going to get it, and probably don't care to hear it to anyway. Makes me happy, and very inspiring to play through.
 
Jimi1983 said:
I've been considering getting 2 FRFR cabs (maybe Xitone or CLR, preferably Neo due to weight) to be able to get the fully stereo benefits of the Axe III. However, I see some use a single 2x12 "stereo" cab? Obviously only carrying one cab would be nice (although a 2x12 ight be heavy/cumbersome?), but I sure would like the best stereo sound possible. Can anyone please provide me insights and opinions on the these 2x12 stereo cabs and how they sound in comparison to a good 2-cab stereo FRFR setup. If you really like the single stereo cabs, which one(s) do you prefer? I am brand new to the Axe III so please bear with me. Thanks so much!
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If weight is an issue, this is the first and only time youll ever hear me say, get the Neo Wedge, its lighter than everything else

BUT, Xitone is the better sound, especially for live

Finally, what is your budget? IF you have like $2000 go for the Xitone [or the neo if you have a bad back], but definitely Xitone are the best FRFR rig for the axe under Like $5k....the Neo is almost/just as good, but I personally prefer the Xitone.

FINALLY, if you wanna go cheap, i hear there is/was a very low price on a stereo headrush Pair, but idk how true FRFR they are

I can say Xitone is true, CLR is True, and one or two others that are more expensive are, but the best bang for your buck is Atomic or Xitone

[Also, thats just objective info,as for my say, plug in FoH and just get ONE Xitone 12” powered wedge, but thats just IMHO]
 
White Light of Death said:
If weight is an issue, this is the first and only time youll ever hear me say, get the Neo Wedge, its lighter than everything else

BUT, Xitone is the better sound, especially for live

Finally, what is your budget? IF you have like $2000 go for the Xitone [or the neo if you have a bad back], but definitely Xitone are the best FRFR rig for the axe under Like $5k....the Neo is almost/just as good, but I personally prefer the Xitone.

FINALLY, if you wanna go cheap, i hear there is/was a very low price on a stereo headrush Pair, but idk how true FRFR they are

I can say Xitone is true, CLR is True, and one or two others that are more expensive are, but the best bang for your buck is Atomic or Xitone

[Also, thats just objective info,as for my say, plug in FoH and just get ONE Xitone 12” powered wedge, but thats just IMHO]
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I do have one passive Xitone wedge I’ve used with my powered Kemper. One option may be to get another and add a good power amp.
 
Very true it’s 600w right
Just get another passive Xitone man

(and if you got The powered kemper dual modeling like our new buddy is doing ::sarcasm if u know where intended ::)
 
I played mono all the years and it sounded awesome. I wasn't missing anything. Last year most of the techs came asking for a stereo signal. Why did they change after all these years? I have no clue. So I supplied stereo. I had my in-ears running stereo anyway with the guitar louder on one side and the band lozder on the other side. So it was easy to change the guitar to full stereo. It felt like the techs turned the guitar louder in the mix then but it seemed to loose some pressure in the center in return. I'd say ballads and songs with more delay and reverb got improved by far, but the harder songs lost a bit. I could programm rock presets to go mono, but that would be disturbing. It's already dusturbing enough when you turn off a stereo chorus or a loud stereo delay. Feels like everything collapses...
So mono or stereo? Yes, what you like. Both ways work, both have their strenghts.
 
Jimi1983 said:
I've been considering getting 2 FRFR cabs (maybe Xitone or CLR, preferably Neo due to weight) to be able to get the fully stereo benefits of the Axe III. However, I see some use a single 2x12 "stereo" cab? Obviously only carrying one cab would be nice (although a 2x12 ight be heavy/cumbersome?), but I sure would like the best stereo sound possible. Can anyone please provide me insights and opinions on the these 2x12 stereo cabs and how they sound in comparison to a good 2-cab stereo FRFR setup. If you really like the single stereo cabs, which one(s) do you prefer? I am brand new to the Axe III so please bear with me. Thanks so much!
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I use the Mission Gemini II which is a 2x12 FRFR amp and cab in one unit. I love the way it sounds live. It is the closest to having a true amp experience that I have seen. It also has a knob called "empower" (essentially an EQ) which allows you to go from true FRFR to a more traditional cab sound. That works great for adjusting to certain small rooms that we play. The down side is the weight. It is pretty heavy (62 lbs.) so I bought a dolly to be able to roll it to and fro. I'm happy with it but am tempted to buy an Xitone 1x12. For a lot of gigs recently, I just go direct to FOH in stereo and use a spare wedge as a stage monitor. That works fine as well.
 
Using two speakers for stereo in one single box will create pressure compensating flaws especially when using delays or modulation effects. Ie, when one speaker membrane moves backwards it will obligatory influence the other speaker's membrane movement. I'd strongly recommend to use two separate boxes.
 
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