What is the best location for guitar amps in a band?
guitar amps August 5th, 2010I just want to know if anyone has an opinion on the best locatin for the guitar amps and bass amp for a show. Plenty of watts so power is not an issue.
Awesome! You rule Cat! This will help us sound a ton better… and allow me to hear XD
I have a line 6 spider IV 150HD. My amp is never so loud it feeds back, i just have enough power to do what ever i want for now.
Cat is a complete idiot and I really have to wonder if he/she is pulling your leg or is thinking PA system, not guitar and bass.
Your guitar and bass amps NEVER go in front of you!!! How do you propose to tweak the settings between songs if you can’t walk over to your amp? If the audio engineer signals the roadie to adjust the amp mic or there’s a technical problem, do you really want the roadie front and center stage???Where on earth are you going to put the stage monitors if your guitar and bass amps are forward on the stage? Besides driving your singer beserk, you will get overspill on all your stage microphones, not to mention interferring with the balance on the PA. Finally, if you’re a skilled guitarist, you may wish to use controlled feedback as one of your skills. You certainly can’t play a song like "Flying in a Blue Dream" by Joe Satriani if you don’t have amp feedback. If your amp is forward on the stage, how are you going to play in front of it – stand on the heads of the people in the first row???
That said, you ALWAYS put your guitar amp to one side of the drum kit and the bass amp on the other side. You mic the amps and feed the signals to the PA. A good audio engineer will also feed your guitar and your bass guitar directly into the FOH (the sound desk) in case one of the amps should go dead. This isn’t the ideal situation, but it will still get your sound to the audience.
Now, the PA speakers go in front of the stage off to the sides or directly overhead . for big shows it’s usually both.
But don’t take my word for it. Look up recommended live stage configurations by Soundcraft and/or top audio engineers Andy May or Mick Hughes. (Mick is one of the most highly respected AE’s in the biz.) These two guys have forgotten more than the rest of us will ever know.
August 5th, 2010 at 7:51 am
Its not an opinion its a fact
The amps go at the FRONT of the stage and you stand BEHIND them.
This stops a thing called looping and feedback and you hear much better (And dont end up deaf)
the whold idea of an amplifier is to PROJECT the sound away from you. You should NEVER EVER be anywhere else but BEHIND IT 100%
EVER.
And they must ALWAYS face AWAY from you.
ALWAYS
Apart from that you can hang them from the ceiling if you like…paint them green….put christmas decorations on them….
Anyone who tells you anything else obviously doesn’t know anything about amplification and has never had to sit on the sound desk with headphones on,
All the best
Cat
(I own a studio-work live)
References :
Professional muso/songwriter
August 5th, 2010 at 8:11 am
it depends of the situation, really. sometimes, the situation dictates placement. some of the factors that might play in: opening act? shared stage? in-ear monitors? shared equipement?
but in a typical stage set up, the amps would be on either side of the drum riser. the amp should be behind the player so they can hear themselves, be inspired by the actual tone coming out of their amp, and have a grasp on how loud they are playing. the amps might be behind or parallel to the drummer, so he/she hears a good blend, too.
the bass amp is usually closest to the drums, since as the rhythm section they form the foundation of the sound.
if you have two guitarists, it would be best to have one stage right, the other stage left to provide separation. the exception would be if the lead singer also played guitar and his usual place was center stage, in that case the amp might be in front of the drum riser, so once again, he can hear himself.
the main idea is being able to hear yourself and your bandmates, create a spacious stage mix and being able to access the controls on your amp if necessary.
References :
August 5th, 2010 at 8:17 am
Cat is a complete idiot and I really have to wonder if he/she is pulling your leg or is thinking PA system, not guitar and bass.
Your guitar and bass amps NEVER go in front of you!!! How do you propose to tweak the settings between songs if you can’t walk over to your amp? If the audio engineer signals the roadie to adjust the amp mic or there’s a technical problem, do you really want the roadie front and center stage???Where on earth are you going to put the stage monitors if your guitar and bass amps are forward on the stage? Besides driving your singer beserk, you will get overspill on all your stage microphones, not to mention interferring with the balance on the PA. Finally, if you’re a skilled guitarist, you may wish to use controlled feedback as one of your skills. You certainly can’t play a song like "Flying in a Blue Dream" by Joe Satriani if you don’t have amp feedback. If your amp is forward on the stage, how are you going to play in front of it – stand on the heads of the people in the first row???
That said, you ALWAYS put your guitar amp to one side of the drum kit and the bass amp on the other side. You mic the amps and feed the signals to the PA. A good audio engineer will also feed your guitar and your bass guitar directly into the FOH (the sound desk) in case one of the amps should go dead. This isn’t the ideal situation, but it will still get your sound to the audience.
Now, the PA speakers go in front of the stage off to the sides or directly overhead . for big shows it’s usually both.
But don’t take my word for it. Look up recommended live stage configurations by Soundcraft and/or top audio engineers Andy May or Mick Hughes. (Mick is one of the most highly respected AE’s in the biz.) These two guys have forgotten more than the rest of us will ever know.
References :
Professional musician, composer, producer.
August 5th, 2010 at 8:57 am
I’ve been a professional musician for almost 20 years and never, ever have I seen amps placed in front of the guitarist. Your biggest issue is your "plenty of watts" mindset. Your amp should never be so loud that it doesn’t need a mic unless you are playing very small venues. Cranking your amp that high causes bleed-over. If you place the amps at the front of the stage like Cat suggested, how are you going to make tweaks to the settings during and between songs? Walking up to the front of the stage to do this is beyond unprofessional. Every guitar player I’ve ever worked with had the amp behind them and generally tilted up enough that the sound doesn’t go directly toward other mics. You use the PA to produce the volume needed for the crowd and your monitor to produce the volume you need on stage if the amp alone doesn’t give you that.
References :