Jamming to backing tracks or mixes

B

Bman

Power User
I have a hard time bringing the whole mix through my monitor to jam with because I feel I need a separate signal. I typically will monitor using my FRFR speaker and jam the bass/drums/backing through another speaker system. I've yet to buy studio monitors but I'm sure I will soon enough.

How do you guys typically jam? Am I just so used to playing in a room with separate band members that I know what I know? I feel like you guys may have some cool advice or ideas. I was considering blue tooth Mackies to monitor or jam music. That way I don't have to plug in. I can pull up my Mac or my iPhone and blast away. I'm about to move into a new house and have been granted my 'man cave'. I need help with my diabolical plan :)
 
Like the vast majority of people I reckon I just play through the same monitors that I get the rest of my signal from. In my mind studio environment =/= band environment so why bother to recreate it? If anything studio environment is better because there are no arguments about which musician has to much volume, or did not rehearse their parts right.

Although I can see why it can be fun to have separate sources.
 
I use the Genelecs to ply both backing track and my guitar signal, and I use a Mackie Blackjack audio interface that allows me to change the overall volume and the mix between the two signals on separate knobs. works nicely with one caveat....Blackjack support does not go beyond Windows 7, although my brand new iMac (set up on the weekend) seems to play nicely (i.e. none of the permanent drop outs experienced when using Windows).

thanks Gilesy
 
New iMac user here too. PC guy all my life and at work. Since Mac has Bluetooth I’m hoping to just pop in, connect and jam.

I can set up and break down my ax8 gear in 2 to 5 min max. Nice and tidey so the realtor is happy and the dog can’t chew. That being said, I’m SOOOOO lazy that I’ll blow it off some nights.

Maybe I can trick the wife into thinking the blue tooth studio monitors are what we need in bedroom, living room, patio and jam room. Then use a wireless and walk the house like a riock n roll god!
 
I have Tennoy powered speakers hooked up to my mac. I do occasionally run back track through my monitors and run my AX8 through my Flextone amp (the Flextone is my stage monitor amp). My "man cave" is more of a "fam cave', but my studio is pure Geeze. In fact, I named my studio "Electric Geezerland" in honor of the late, great Jimi. I can go to Electric Geezerland and wail away. Mrs. Geeze occasionally slides food under the door so I don't die.
 
I run my Fractal via S/PDIF to UAD Apollo. Then use UAD Console on the iMac where I can balance the levels between guitar and backing track into Adams A7X monitors. We actually use a backing track in a hybrid band so this allows me to practice our show with Showbuddy or fire up Logic and record if an idea comes to mind.

Playing live we just replace with QSC sound system and X32 to mix it. More studio sound than raw stage.
 
In the bat cave:
- Computer audio (DAW, youtube, etc) to Focusrite saffire via firewire
- Axe FX to Focusrite via SPDIF
- Focusrite to powered studio monitors
The Focusrite mixer app is what mixes the playback & monitoring levels.

For portable (low dB) jamming in the living room, I just plug the mp3 player or phone into the aux-in of a practice amp (Blackstar Fly or Blackstar Core 40 combo).

At band practice, the Axe FX goes direct to the PA. My monitoring is IEM, everybody else are wedges plus their own amps. I have zero stage volume (if both the singer & drummer are "borrowing" my CLRs). Everybody else plays volume war.
 
I have had the Adams A7X’s for sometime now. Recently, I purchase an Adams Sub8 and finally treated my home studio. The Sub8 wasn’t a good match for the A7X’s so, today I took the plunge to the Sub10. I have to say that even with the Sub8 hooked up, the frequency cancelation was nothing like I expected it. It was really good even though it’s not designed for the A7’s. I have a number of Marco Fanton patches and I was amazed at how much better they sounded with the Sub8 plugged in. My Sub10 will be here on Friday and I can’t wait for it to get here.
 
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