playing @ home / rehearsals / live

  • Hello Guys,


    My ultimate goal is to be able to create sounds at home that sounds good in rehearsel room + on stage.
    I tried playing at home with headphones, cab on a lower volume. But they all sound so different.


    Currently i play with a regular cab & powerhead. I have the same cab at home than in rehearsel room but I cannot play as loud at home (appartment)


    What would you guys advice to create the most audio output in sync over my different places.


    Is it just a matter of settings? (if so how can I easely recall a preset or part of it to adjust to my location?)
    Playing with iem I have also seen?


    Thanks guys,


    Kr,


    Jordi

  • Hi marshal,
    As I understand, you are solely using a standard guitar cab - the frequency response changes drastically with different volumes - the closest to archive what you are looking for is to use a FRFR (Full Range Flat Response) cab.
    But even with a FRFR cab your sound perception will differ depending on the listening volume (the so-called Fletcher-Munson effect - the internet is full of detailed explanation), i.e.:
    - at low listening volumes, mid range frequencies sound more prominent, while the low and high frequency ranges seem to fall into the background.


    - at high listening volumes, the lows and highs sound more prominent, while the mid range seems comparatively softer.


    With a FRFR cab the sound difference between live & rehearsal (and at home with 'day time' volume) is at least not 'miles away' anymore.


    Cheers,
    Wolf

  • I got an an eq-patch from a guy a few years ago that he used when he was setting up sounds at home...it added a few db to the lo's and hi's last in the chain to avoid boosting too much when he was dialing in a sound at low volumes. then he just turned the eq off when playing loud. unfortunately I don't have the settings anymore..it was back in the pod-days...I remember it worked pretty well though

  • You'll need at least 2 speakers (home + rehearsal room)...unless you want to schlepp it around all the time.
    Depends a bit on your budget.
    Yamaha DXR 10 do a good job. I used them before switching to in-ear. Still own them and use them occasionally.

  • Why he has to buy 2 speakers? One should be enough. Advice? Take a look at my signature.


    As I wrote...one for home use...one for the rehearsal room OR just one but then you have to carry it to/from rehearsals.


    Looking at your signature....it's clear why you did not recommend in-ear-monitoring ;)

  • So in-ear is the other option then? Hmm I cannot choose anymore


    Assuming your gigs use the clubs PA and there's a mixer who's responsible for the FOH sound....
    ...yes...in-ear-monitoring is a good option. But then, of course, your band-mates should switch as well.


    However...switching from tube-amp to Kemper+FRFR needs time to get used to it.....same applies to in-ear-monitoring as well. It takes time to like it :)


    I personally would not go back to real monitors!

  • Hello marshal, welcome to the forum :)


    The issues you are facing (if you use the same cab at home and at rehearsals) are mainly two:

    • sound volume
    • the room

    I'd not agree that switching to a linear cab would solve any of them.


    Your rigs will always sound different when played at different volumes. It could be a good idea to add an Eq to your rigs when playing in one of the rooms in order to compensate. Specifically, you should add lows and highs when playing at the lower volume or the other way round when at rehearsal. The exact amount function frequency will depend on the difference of volume and secondarily, on the rig you use.


    Also, any room will enforce or kill some frequencies when you make sounds in it. If the two rooms are quite different from each other, they will most likely add different sonic signatures to any sound. And, the higher the volume, the stronger the addition.
    It's not a matter of shape and dimensions only: also furniture, how the room is empty and how surface are covered\reflective will shape the sound (see for example how your voice sounds in the bathroom Vs. the kitchen).


    This behaviour is enforced when the cab is placed in a part of the room than has got local sonic characteristics: for example, placing cab

    • in a corner
    • against a wall
    • on the ground
    • on a resonating surface (like a wooden desk)

    will add specific Eqs that are specific for the room. Add to this that you'll be perceiving a different sound depending on where you are placed in relationship with the cab: are you in front? Is the cone at ears' height? This is specially true for guitar cabs.


    Be sure you assimilate the above, in order to take conscious decisions about your tone: AFAIK there's no trick or algorithmic\generic solution to the issue, and it's a matter of facing each of the issues one by one.
    Make some trial with moving the cab in the same room, move your relative position, and change the volume, and see what happens.


    HTH :)