Hideous FRFR discovery.

REDD

Fractal Fanatic
I've been playing through a pair of CLR'S for a few years now and am very happy with my sound. I also have Yamaha studio monitors in my studio and am also very happy with the sound there as well. Yesterday out of boredom I ran my rig to the QSC K-12's we use at rehearsal for vocals and my Axe-FxIII sounded horrible!
A lot of small clubs we play have the QSC's flown for tops with subs on the floor and I'm wondering if my sound has been that bad live? Harsh and fizzy, not what I want the audience to hear. I guess at the next gig soundcheck I should go out front and listen to see if this is the case.
 
The high end on QSK K-series has always bugged me. Best club-style monitors I've used have always been in wooden enclosures: old Yamaha's powered by a QSC power amp and my EV 112 that's wood as well.
 
Ultimately, our tone through the PA is dependent on the FOH operator. When I'm working with someone that hasn't mixed me before, I explain that I'll be giving them a direct, fully realized tone that I've dialed in using studio reference monitors. I let them know that it's OK to adjust EQ to fit the mix in the room, and ask them after the gig what adjustments they made to my sound in order to make it sit in the mix for that room. In most circumstances, they've already dialed in the response of the PA system well in advance of getting our signals, so the adjustments are zero or nearly zero. I've also performed in clubs whose PA systems just sounded bad, or with an FOH operator who couldn't (or wouldn't) figure out how to make a good mix. In those cases, it's out of my control anyway, so I give them my best mix and offer any gentle suggestions that seem likely to be received. My strongest recommendation is get to the club early, and listen to the music the operator is playing during setup (they usually put in a CD or something), and if possible, listen while they're getting mixes for the other instruments (or bands). That will give you some idea of what the overall mix will sound like. If you can get our front during soundcheck or your own line check, that's also a good opportunity to hear what your tone will sound like out front.

I don't recommend trying to retune your patches to compensate for inconsistencies in club PA systems. If you have good ears, and know your way around a modern mixing console, you might consider making some suggestions about the overall EQ or crossover points. Tread lightly and respectfully when doing so, but I can tell you from experience that I've been able to make those kinds of suggestions to sound operators, and they've usually been really grateful for the advice. Most of the time, the sound op wants to do a good job, and they might just not know how to make the system sound smoother. If you encounter someone who isn't receptive, let it be. They probably wish they were on stage, or doing something else, and the best you can do is just have a great show.
 
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