harmonicanick
144 posts
Feb 18, 2009
2:41 PM
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What are your recommendations for performing. I have a fender blues jumior, what:
1. Is the best place to put the small amp on stage?
2. Where should the harp player stand in relation to the miced up amp
3. should the amp be in front of or behind the band
4. the amp will be a monitor but if in front then you can not hear the sound well enough..
5. feedback...how do we cope with this with a small amp
6. the miced small amp will be with a shure vocal mic , is this ideal or not?
7. what will be the pa settings and what will be the amp settings to minimise feedback and player enjoyment whilst disregarding other musician volumes which may or may not be controllable,
Any thoughts on this would be great but don't recommend a change in amp please..its just about performance logistics!!
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MrVerylongusername
152 posts
Feb 18, 2009
5:14 PM
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1. Yes
2 & 3 & 4 Position of the amp doesn't really matter for the audience as it will be heard through the PA, so put it where YOU can hear it best. A lot will depend on whether you are going to rely solely on the amp as your monitor or whether it will go into the foldback mix. If it's going to double as your monitor try behind you so it's firing slightly sideways, this will also help the soundman control backline levels. Put the amp on something like a beer crate (or invest in an amp stand) so it's raised slightly. Even better if you can tilt it and point it at your head. So many people complain they can't hear their amp and then have it firing straight at their feet.
5. Good luck! Position of the amp will help, but remember once the signal goes into the PA, then the front of house speakers and wedges also become sources of feedback. An experienced soundman ought to able to reduce a lot of feedback by ringing out the PA properly (but not if there are punters in the room) and notching out the troublesome frequencies. Feedback busters are very helpful.
6. Yes. Position the mic properly, using a mic stand - not a dangling cord. Vocal mics pick up best from directly in front, not the side. If the floor is refelective (i.e. not carpeted) angling the mic slightly upwards can help reduce feedback.
7. Too many variables, venue, gear etc... discuss your needs with the soundguy. Ring out the PA well. Minimise the use of reverb (most rooms have good natural reverb and don't need it) Reverb = feedback.
Best thing our band ever did was to invest in in-ear monitoring as this eliminates the biggest source of feedback which is from floor wedges.
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harmonicanick
145 posts
Feb 19, 2009
12:37 AM
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Yes, thanks MrV!!
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jbone
21 posts
Feb 19, 2009
4:41 AM
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mrv said a lot of good stuff there. i don't know if you are running the amp with 12az7 pre amp tubes but you can cut some feedback right there with a swap to 1 or 2 lesser 12a tubes like the 12au7. the spot closest to the transformer is usually the pre amp slot but it depends on the circuit also.
i put my amp on a milk crate or chair with some tilt if possible, and i set it to point toward me but off center so i'm in the side of the "cone of sound".
i use an sm57 (which is uni directional. a sm58 is omni directional and may pick up other instruments/sounds from around the amp) when micing to the p.a. and place the mic about halfway between speaker center and edge to get the full dynamics coming off the speaker. set it within 6 inches of the speaker.
usually i have the sound guy keep my harp amp out of the monitors entirely since i'm using my amp as a monitor, but the drawback here is that other band mates may not be able to hear your harp work and may step on you as a result.
every room is different, sound settings have to adapt to every new situation. this includes how many people you play to in what size room, since human bodies tend to absorb sound, and the chatter in a room may increase as the night progresses and more alcohol flows.
for me it has always been an experiment most every time out.
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harmonicanick
147 posts
Feb 19, 2009
5:45 AM
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Thanks jb, do I have to take the back off the amp to change or even see the valves properly?
I've never done that..would it be best to take it to a amp engineer or is it easy enough for someone like myself who has 2 left hands (nothing against left handed folks) and where do you get valves from?
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MrVerylongusername
155 posts
Feb 19, 2009
7:23 AM
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Nick, just unscrew the back, the valves should be very obvious. I'm not familiar with your amp, but sometimes the tubes are protected by a twist off aluminium cylinder, normally though they just plug into a socket. It's the preamp tubes you want, these are normally the slightly smaller ones. They just pull out of their sockets - it's easier than changing a lightbulb! Leave the power tubes alone unless they need changing (tube swaps are only about the preamp stage)
If you're in the UK I can recommend Hotrox for buying tubes.
jbone's added some good info - around the mic position, although I just wanted to correct one thing. An sm58 isn't omni directional. In fact the sm57 and sm58 are almost identical in construction. It's just the 58 has a ball grill with a foam rubber wind shield inside. The screen helps keep the sound source further back to reduce the proximity effect. That gives it the 58 the edge for vocals.
Good advice on how the dynamics change over the evening too. This is the number one reason why a soundman is important. No matter how hard you try to get it right at soundcheck in an empty venue, the levels change when the audience arrive - so you need someone on hand who can "fly the faders". Bodies soak up sound.
I used to run the desk for a couple of bands. One thing I can tell you is that it doesn't matter how great you think you are, the soundman is the most important person at a gig because he controls what the audience hears. Keep him happy. Treat him with respect - he's probably just as good a musician as you - make sure he's never without a drink and if he tells you to turn down then do it. Actually that last comment was really aimed at guitarists! ;-)
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harmonicanick
148 posts
Feb 19, 2009
9:46 AM
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Thanks & I agree wholeheartedly with your last comment:-)
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