Changing up the band practice setup

[woemoejack]

We have always played through our gigging amps at high volumes when we jam. Recently, we have moved to another practice space and would like to switch to a much simpler setup.

Example: Guitars/Bass > PODs/direct > board > monitor wedges or isolation headphones

Does anyone else practice in this way, without the amps I mean? I'm hoping we can control the volume and still retain a nice feel, if that makes sense.

Ideas?

 

[TSE]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

I think when you guys do play live with amps and real gigging levels its gong to be a different experience as you become accustomed to practicing with head phones. Unless you play every other week of course. I would sick with the amps and rehearse as if you are playing live.

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

Headphone practice is weird. It tends to interfere with the collective band vibe because everyone gets "head focused."

The best way to control volume IME is to get a decent MIDI drum kit (if such a thing really exists) and downsize your guitar amps. Volume control on the drums is the key to allowing the rest of the band to play more quietly.

 

[MrTondo]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

Pettrucci gigs with his amps turned up high, backstage that is, while he hears himself through the wedges standing in front of empty speaker cabinets...

That is to say I get that you want to turn the volume down, but if you are unwilling to compromise on tone and interaction it still will require something more than just a couple op pod's in my opinion. For me playing without an amp (just using garageband on my mac, with headphones) takes away a part of the feel and interaction with the music I am making (the bad amp models in garage band aside), even without band members being present you just loose the feel of interacting with your own sound. But that's me, maybe you'll love it.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

Your objective of practicing with the "band" is to get the band as tight as possible and to be familiar with the overall sound. For me it is about "stage volume" If everybody is playing too loud it starts to sound like mush. I have to be able to hear the other instruments in order for me to get a feel for the rest of the band. I hate not being able to hear the changes. It's very unnerving when playing live...

 

[FretFire]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

My opinion is that you should set up for practice the same way you set up to play out. That way, everything is familiar when you're playing "for real".

 

[Metalman_666]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

With our band, we have a similar issue. Both guitarists agree that our stage volume is quite loud, and when we practice offstage the drummer only uses a fraction of his kit.

We usually try and balance the overall volume by turning down the guitars, and balance the feel by pulling Fat switches on our amps (and in my case, adjusting the Fat Boost diving the front of my amp).

Practicing at lower volume with the same setup forces me at least to focus more on technique and being dynamic. I feel like it has paid off and will keep on giving!

Oh yeah - if you can run either a POD or laptop with Guitar Rig/Amplitube into a monitor, you certainly will change how your playing reacts with the rest of the band, but I would think of it as a chance to sharpen your chops.

High or low gain, tube or solid state, ear-splittingly loud or whisper quiet, IMO you should always be focusing on what your hands are doing and the sound might not be perfect, but it will speak for itself

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

Oh, do your amps not have volume knobs that turn down?

 

[Simon_F]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

When I'm playing with a band my amp is as much a part of my sound as my guitar, so if it's a full band rehearsal I use my gigging amp. Might turn it down a bit but we play at the volume of the drum kit.

Practice amp / modeller is fine for home practice or partial band rehearsals (i.e. no drums!) but I like to use the gigging rig when rehearsing with the full band.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

I usually go to a rehearsal room that has Fender amps then I just plug my board in and go. Usually I play out with a Deluxe Reverb so most Fenders will get me close to that. Currently the space has a silver face twin

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

When I'm playing with a band my amp is as much a part of my sound as my guitar, so if it's a full band rehearsal I use my gigging amp. Might turn it down a bit but we play at the volume of the drum kit.

That's exactly the rule I've always followed. The drums are acoustic so they set the level for the room. Turn up the guitars to match the drums. If you can't hear the kick drum then turn down. We play the same volume for gigs. If the gig calls for miked drums then the PA should be big enough to mic the guitars too and maintain a balanced FOH mix.

 

[hydro]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

My opinion is that you should set up for practice the same way you set up to play out. That way, everything is familiar when you're playing "for real".

+1 here. Also consider the live challenges of vocals with PA speakers & monitors with amps going full bore. It's a totally different feel from hearing the vox all nice in your headphones. Not to mention feeling the power of the band in your gut. Of course I play mostly loud, stupid monkey rock so it may be different if you are a quieter band with more dynamics.

I would add, though, that my own band has been forced to rehearse under some odd circumstances before - with small combo amps or acoustics, hand drums, no vocal amplification, etc. and it can be a good experience to mix it up a little.

 

[richard parker]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

I like to rehearse at gig volume (i.e. drum level) but I once played with a band that would learn new stuff sitting in someone's front room playing unamplified guitars with the drummer tapping out beats on a phone book. That worked too.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: Changing up the band practice setup

The best practices we had were with small 1x12 combo amps in a small room. The drummer just had to learn to hit softer. We all got better as a result. Then we would jam on our big amps and result was always great.