Where 'in general' are you amp level settings and your output knob setting

P

PosterBoy

Inspired
For some reason probably the soundguys at church not knowing what they are doing I have to keep changing my levels.

Just wondered where your amp levels are in general compared to your output knob levels


My levels are usually between 12 and 4 and my output knob only at around 9 or 10.

Does it make much difference how you balance things?
 
Makes no difference. Level is level unless it is in front of a level-dependent effect such as drive or dynamics.
 
As long as your patches aren't clipping and the volume difference or lack of it between patches is what you want it to be, the volume levels and settings within the blocks is irrelevant.

As for the overall output, I always try to send a really hot signal (I think my output knob is generally around 2 o'clock) and have them pad it down at the console. Sending a weak signal and having them boost it results in unnecessary noise. This has been working well for me for years.

D
 
Related question. can anyone think of a reason why using a volume meter on my small mixer to level out preset volumes would not be recommended?
 
I don't know if it would work for sure, but I do something similar using a db meter in front of my FRFR speaker. Apparent sound and real volume can vary a lot based on distortion levels, with clean sounds being a lot louder and more dynamic than you might think. I tweak them to an even level with the meter, then adjust patch to patch with my ear as a final touch.

I'd be curious to hear your results with the mixer level.
 
PosterBoy said:
For some reason probably the soundguys at church not knowing what they are doing I have to keep changing my levels.

Just wondered where your amp levels are in general compared to your output knob levels


My levels are usually between 12 and 4 and my output knob only at around 9 or 10.

Does it make much difference how you balance things?
Click to expand...

Probably the sound guys. This year I played in an Easter show at a church that I hadn't performed in since 1980. The signal chain was: Godin ACS nylon-string --> AxeFx Ultra --> Roland KC500 keyboard amp --> house system. The KC has a notch at -10dBm and that's what I send every time. This is a tried and true setup that's worked everywhere I've played...until this Easter show. Levels were set and everything was fine during the pre-show rehearsal but the soundman didn't show up until it was time to perform. Either he or the director must've increased the input level or the channel volume. All I know is when I started to play a relatively quite intro with this squeaky-clean sound it was heavily distorted. I think it was actually overloading the main speakers. It even startled the choir. I did what I could with the guitar volume control but really didn't have a break until the 3rd song. Since the soundman hadn't taken any action to correct the situation I just grabbed the only knob I could reach and turned the output on the AxeFx down from 12 to around 9 or 10. That combined with the guitar volume got me through the rest of the show. Moral of the story: No matter how nice your setup and sound is, you're still at the mercy of the guy running the board.
 
I kept running into clipping problems with some of my patches, so earlier this week I went though all the ones I use for my band, and dropped 10db for every one. Basically, I put a filter block in the chain right after the cab with -10db. This makes it easier for me in case I need to adjust it again in the future. I just look for the filter block, instead of trying to remember if I put -10db at the cab, the geq, delay or whatever. Only adds 1% to CPU usage anyway, filter block is cheap.

So I'd assume this weekend for band practice I'd have to turn up the output volume knob. Not a problem, it's usually at around 9 o'clock. Plenty of room.
 
When I set my patches, I generally keep them at about the same point on the meters when playing an E chord as hard as I really would. I just raised m rhythm patch until it started to clip, then backed it off a safe amount. I left room for my lead patches to be a little louder. I then boost or cut a db or so depending on what my ears tell me volume wise to keep my cleans balanced with my dirty sounds. After that I keep the output knob at 3 o'clock and adjust volume on my power amp if I'm in a band situation, if i'm at home I keep my power amp at 9 o'clock and adjust the output on the axe to where I want it.

This is being fed into my Carvin TS100 and out to my Mesa 2x12. Never had any problems running this way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom