Right back where I started

[dkilpatrick]

I just spent a good hour and a half moving mics around. Different mics on different cabs, in multiple positions, trying different levels on the amps, mic pre, and input only to set everything back up the way it was before I even started experimenting. I already had the sound I was after, or I wasn't able to produce anything better.
Has this ever happened to you?

 

[squirrel211]

I usually start messing around with stuff and wind up trying to remember what the sound was in my head to begin with.

 

[Tosca]

All the time...

 

[László]

Happens to me sometimes, too!

 

[toothace]

The voices in my head are always telling me I sound great!

 

[elvis]

I just go with what I get and focus on playing. I'm either not particular about tone, or my playing always compensates. I seem to always sound like me. When I bought my Archon, it sounded and felt so much different from my RA100. When I listen to recordings of either amp, they sound pretty much the same to me, though I seem to put less effort into getting the tone from my Archon.

 

[dkilpatrick]

I try to get the best representation of what I'm hearing in the room. Mic placement seems to cause the biggest variances. Move the mic an inch in any direction relative to the dust cap and it will sound different.

 

[László]

I wish I could set up mics for all you guys and help you get the most out of your amps!

It's so hard to play, and at the same time, find the sweet spot for the tone you like, and then blend in a little room tone. One person can only do so many things at once!

And the worst part of it is, I could do a video, and none of it would necessarily work with your guitar, your amps, your cabs, your mics, and your rooms.

Sigh.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Exactly right. I do it for other people all the time, as a sound man, but when I'm playing it's really not an easy thing to do. Little looper pedal makes it WAY easier!!! Play some things into the Ditto, stop playing, put the guitar down, put the headphones on and go move the mic around and keep listening.

 

[Screamingdaisy]

I generally try to avoid touching anything for the first 15 minutes or so. Too many times I've fired up a cold amp, heard something I didn't like and spent hours trying to dial in something better, only to wind up back at my stock settings once the amp is hot.

 

[László]

Exactly right. I do it for other people all the time, as a sound man, but when I'm playing it's really not an easy thing to do. Little looper pedal makes it WAY easier!!! Play some things into the Ditto, stop playing, put the guitar down, put the headphones on and go move the mic around and keep listening.

Smart thinking!

 

[The Fight]

I do the same thing, but also trying to make new gear sound like my old gear..

 

[The Fight]

Smart thinking!

Les you do that too, with looper and head phones right?

 

[László]

Les you do that too, with looper and head phones right?

Yes, though there is one limitation, and that's the difficulty of completely isolating what's coming in the cans as signal from the room sound of the amps, even with closed-back phones. If you're close enough to the amp to move the mic around, you're hearing an awful lot of "amp in the room" as opposed to "miked amp."

So there have been times I've thought I've found the sweet spot when I'm near the amp, only to have to move the mic again.

Still, it's a technique that helps narrow things down quite a lot.

I believe the best solution may be one of those robotic mic mount things; it's expensive, but it allows mic placement at enough distance from the amp to allow one to hear what's actually coming in through the mic. I haven't got one yet, but it's planned.

 

[squirrel211]

I wish I could set up mics for all you guys and help you get the most out of your amps!

It's so hard to play, and at the same time, find the sweet spot for the tone you like, and then blend in a little room tone. One person can only do so many things at once!

And the worst part of it is, I could do a video, and none of it would necessarily work with your guitar, your amps, your cabs, your mics, and your rooms.

Sigh.

Last night we played at friends private party. Dude is a great player, and no lie, owns 24-ish high end amps (Category 5's, Sommatones, Tone Kings, Victorias, and a bunch of vintage Fenders like Brownface Prince, Tuxedo Bassman, 54 Deluxe, a couple Blackface Supers, and a VibroKing that isn't vintage) and an even more ridiculous collection of guitars. As an aside, he just bought an old CE with a wickedly faded Santana Yellow finish that sounded like the music was coming out like drops of sunshine filled honey! Anyway, at the end of the night, I had him play through my stuff while I twisted knobs on my amp. It was "enlightening."

I am enlightened that I like my amp on MANY different settings, basically everyone that I tried; I laid awake last night going through possible scenarios/set lists to figure out how to set the amp. I am more confused than I was yesterday. Can it be a curse to have a great sounding amp???

 

[László]

Can it be a curse to have a great sounding amp???

It's like being with a beautiful woman.

There are so many interesting things to mess around with.

 

[The Fight]

Yes, though there is one limitation, and that's the difficulty of completely isolating what's coming in the cans as signal from the room sound of the amps, even with closed-back phones. If you're close enough to the amp to move the mic around, you're hearing an awful lot of "amp in the room" as opposed to "miked amp."

So there have been times I've thought I've found the sweet spot when I'm near the amp, only to have to move the mic again.

Still, it's a technique that helps narrow things down quite a lot.

I believe the best solution may be one of those robotic mic mount things; it's expensive, but it allows mic placement at enough distance from the amp to allow one to hear what's actually coming in through the mic. I haven't got one yet, but it's planned.

That does sound a bit expensive but I see how that could work. Or you could always have your wife move the mic around lol.

 

[László]

That does sound a bit expensive but I see how that could work. Or you could always have your wife move the mic around lol.

Oh. Right. Gotcha. I think I used my one shot on that idea.

I recall she tried it once, back in 1989 or so...