Ok wish me luck last chance for my CLR today with the full band

kmanick

kmanick

Fractal Fanatic
Last chance for the CLR, I have no problem going FOH from output 1 and into a power amp cab from out 2
but if I can get this to work with just the CLR I'l be one happy camper.
So far the other guitarist and bass player have both given it a big thumbs down.
they like the sound of my JVM/Jcm800 or 2X12/Mesa 2X12 cab much better.
I've done a bunch of tweaking using the threads that have been posted here lately (Live sound from that guy with TSO etc)
I've got my fingers crossed. :encouragement:

Question for you CLR users I'm bringing a cab stand with me so I can get the CLR up off of the floor, do you guys switch it to the free standing mode
or leave it in "wedge" mode. I have in backline mode right now but it's been on the floor (I'm going to start with it there and lift it up if I need to.
 
Good luck man! I'm guessing you have already done all the A/B'ing with the other gear for the best match possible?
 
kmanick said:
yup, today is "judgement day" LOL!
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Lifting it off the stage will help the coverage a great deal and the CLR should be in FF mode, but to be on the safe side I would be ready to add a little bass just incase it thins out to much ;).
 
The cab didn't work well for me. I thought I'd prefer the cab as I could sit the rack on top but most of the sound blew past my feet and was too loud out front so I got the neo wedge as its angled up towards me but still covers the stage very well. You can put it behind you if its the only amplification or in front of you as a monitor for yourself when also going thru the sound system. The band loves the sound of the wedge as do I. I'm also programming my tones thru equator d5 coaxial studio monitors and my patches translate perfectly to the CLR. Good luck!
 
kmanick said:
Question for you CLR users I'm bringing a cab stand with me so I can get the CLR up off of the floor, do you guys switch it to the free standing mode
or leave it in "wedge" mode. I have in backline mode right now but it's been on the floor (I'm going to start with it there and lift it up if I need to.
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I bookmarked Jay Mitchell's explanation of the 3 modes. Here it is:

The Gear Page - View Single Post - Atomic CLR Set Up
 
Anytime I have the cab off the floor, be it on a chair, milk crate, stand, etc, I put it in FF mode. I use tilt if I'm using it like a traditional monitor, angled. I only use BL if it is sitting completely flat on the floor, which is almost never. It's way too low to the ground and just blowing past my feet. I emailed Tom King asking about the switch and the way I was using the CLR. This was his response:

ME: Quick question on the different modes for the CLR. I have floor and far field figured out. I have a question on the backline setting specifically. I understand that you should use that when its sitting behind you like a traditional guitar amp, on the ground, but facing straight out. The thing is, I would be setting the CLR on top of my rack, which is on top of a milk crate. So it goes floor, milk crate, 4 space rack, CLR. Even though it's behind me pointing straight out like a guitar amp, it will be about 16 or 18 inches off the ground. Would that be far enough off of the ground to be considered backline or far field?

Tom King: Thanks for writing in. I would definitely go with the "FF" setting.

There was one thing that took me a little time getting used to with the CLR. I can place the CLR in the perfect spot on stage, and get my volume set to a very reasonable volume that sounds killer and is mixed perfectly with the band on stage. My band mates with traditional cabs can't, and don't realize what they are doing. One guy has a 1973 Marshal Plexi, on the floor, pointed at his legs. Plus he is deaf. He cranks it so it sounds good where he is standing, right in front of it. When you stand out in the first row, his amp is killing people, and I'm at a reasonable volume. My CLR has no problem keeping up, but I don't want to play that loud, it's just stupid. But when I am in a band with other guitar players using traditional cabs, and they are going to be crazy loud, I make it a point to not raise the speaker up too high so I can turn it up a bit more and not rip my face off. I do still keep it off the floor, and I still use the FF setting. But I keep it on the milk crate so it's not pointing at my head. That way I can be ridiculously loud too. :)
 
BBN said:
and I would say always get it off the floor.

If you put that on a tripod and keep in FF mode.....you can crush those other guys with the amount of coverage you get with the CLR.
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I would guess that actually is exactly the issue. The CLR has amazing dispersion and likely the other guys are used to the much more directional sound of the OP's guitar cab. Either they are used to hearing it from a "sweet spot" where its very direct, or they are used to hearing it from very off-axis, where it sounds very different. If your used to hearing it just from the side, due to how they set up on stage, and then suddenly get something like a CLR, its going to sound quite different, just as if the cab was suddenly pointed at the bass player. Hear a lot of stuff you didn't before, and people generally hate change....

All and all makes a strong argument for why I think IEM's are such a great product live, as everyone can have their own mix preferences and their are no issues with stage volumes, not being able to hear yourself if you move around on stage etc. Basically solves a ton of issues.

Heck, just getting the monitors off the stage is a huge bonus. I spent about 5 years as a music photographers for Kerrang! magazine, and let me tell you, shooting from the front of stage "photo pit" meant I was always getting blocked by the monitors. Bands that used IEM's where so much easier to shoot as the front of the stage was totally clean. Loved it!

I will say though, that I personally always liked to play with one foot up on the monitor so I'd kind of miss that from a familiarity stand point.

Bottom line though, is that the Axe obviously sounds fantastic, and is becoming a staple in a huge number of touring artist rigs, doing a wide range of musical styles. Any issues with it are really more on the part of the user/sound guy/differences in what people may be used to, and not an issue of the unit not being "good enough" to sound great. Just takes some work to dial in is all.
 
lqdsnddist said:
Is the option to just find a new bass player with better taste off the table ? ;)
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Lol! I kinda agree though. I don't care what the other guitarist and bass player think if I'm happy with my tone and it's working in the mix. Mind you, I've been gigging with these guys for nearly ten years (travelling break notwithstanding) and we all tend to know what works for a given musical situation.
 
My preference is on the floor facing me in tilt mode, so I can use it for feedback and just the general 'vibe' that strings interacting with the speaker gives me, then FOH from there. This is, I believe how I saw Dweezil using it, but whether I'm right or not, in seems to work best. When there's no PA, I put it on a chair behind me in FF mode. Works great that way. i never use backline mode, because I prefer the wedge in front of me - especially because if I want to, I can take a feed of the PA to it and fold that in and make my own custom mix - depends on the size of the band, the type of music.
 
What's lost here is how YOU like it with the band. I appreciate you like to see happy band members, but they should have no more say into what you play than if you demanded THEY play another amp that YOU liked.

Put it on it's side, elevate it, tilt it, whatever, but if you like the sound, stick with it.

(And as it has been said, musicians hate change, but they'll get used to it...)

IMO.

R
 
Well I'm wondering what the issue is, if you run FoH anyway then your FRFR cab isn't even going to be mic'd and we all know that how things sound in your band room and what they sound like on stage are completely different. So if you are not going to mic your CLR then who gives a S$%t what they like or don't. Live all they are going to hear is your FoH mix in their monitors and I'm sure that sounds good. Assuming they have no complaints about your FoH sound right?
 
well I'm back ........................................and it did not go very well :upset:
I tried it....as a wedge, in backline, and up on a cab stand.
my other guitarists Bogner shiva completely squashed me.
Playing chords and rhythm was....Ok but when I started playing lead , the notes sounded tiny, but the real problem was not the sound.
I felt completely disconnected, during the entire rehearsal I felt like I was listening to someone else playing, I got zero response back from
"my amp". The rest of the band said I played much, much better through my JVM.
I wish I could say I'm really surprised, ...............but I'm not.
FRFR and solid state just feels "fake" to me. I've tried several wedges now, the Matrix into a real cab.
solid state is just not for me.
There was a marshall DSL 50 1/2 stack there (belongs to the guitarist we share the rehearsal room with).
I plugged the Axe into the return of his loop and played through his cab..............................................there it is. :encouragement:
everyone immediately noticed my playing had "returned".
Now I can only hope someone comes out with a good single rack tube power amp I can run output 2 into and let output 1 go to FOH.
until then .....I'm going 4CM and I'll just use it for effects.
my CLR will be up for sale shortly
 
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